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bluereen's review against another edition
4.0
“A person is, among all else, a material thing, easily torn and not easily mended.”
***
More than Keira Knightley’s iconic emerald green dress in the 2007 film adaptation breaking the internet, trust that this novel is one you wouldn’t want to miss. Atonement is heralded as one of the greatest British novels of the 21st century.
Through fragmented narratives, we follow an affluent family ravished by the Second World War. The story centers on a pair of star-crossed lovers divided by their social status: Cecilia, the eldest daughter of the wealthy Tallis family, and Robbie — the house cleaner’s son. Despite their mutual intelligence, any sense of foresight was eclipsed by their passion for each other. Conflict arises when the youngest daughter, Briony, tells one small lie on a hot summer’s day. Little did this precocious child know, her actions would unravel a chaos that would change the lives of everyone around.
Atonement examines the complicated threads between history, memory, and writing. It highlights the power of storytelling and questions its extent of assuaging our guilt. Having watched the film before reading the book, I already had an inkling of what was coming. Joe Wright’s adaptation did a great job of strategically pacing the events and adding a masterful soundtrack to heighten emotions. Still, McEwan’s work is not to be missed as the writing style is enchanting enough to draw you in and ultimately, leave you disquieted at the volatile turn of events.
***
More than Keira Knightley’s iconic emerald green dress in the 2007 film adaptation breaking the internet, trust that this novel is one you wouldn’t want to miss. Atonement is heralded as one of the greatest British novels of the 21st century.
Through fragmented narratives, we follow an affluent family ravished by the Second World War. The story centers on a pair of star-crossed lovers divided by their social status: Cecilia, the eldest daughter of the wealthy Tallis family, and Robbie — the house cleaner’s son. Despite their mutual intelligence, any sense of foresight was eclipsed by their passion for each other. Conflict arises when the youngest daughter, Briony, tells one small lie on a hot summer’s day. Little did this precocious child know, her actions would unravel a chaos that would change the lives of everyone around.
Atonement examines the complicated threads between history, memory, and writing. It highlights the power of storytelling and questions its extent of assuaging our guilt. Having watched the film before reading the book, I already had an inkling of what was coming. Joe Wright’s adaptation did a great job of strategically pacing the events and adding a masterful soundtrack to heighten emotions. Still, McEwan’s work is not to be missed as the writing style is enchanting enough to draw you in and ultimately, leave you disquieted at the volatile turn of events.
jjayne's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
zutsie's review against another edition
3.0
I absolutely loved the movie and have been meaning to get to this for years, and finally took the plunge and did it. I just… didn’t connect with the book much. At all. It was a quick read but I didn’t love the writing style or necessarily how the story was presented. It wasn’t terrible, and the story is good, I just didn’t feel the magic in this I had expected to.
bmazzoni's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mosaikki's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
artemisadam's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A very gripping read- with a very strong plot twist which carries the book to a rather beautiful finale. Not the biggest fan of what ended up being a rather long war interlude however so for that I cannot give it 5 stars…