ra_schmi's review against another edition
1.0
Beautiful writing but it got so slow and long winded that it felt like wading through treacle after a while. Also, Ian McEwan really seems to dislike women? There isn't a single real female character in this book, except for Briony, whom we are apparently supposed to hate because she is a precocious girl (we would ignore her irritating habits if she were boy, it's just girls we hold to a high standard) who misinterprets a series of things and "destroys" a guy's life. None of the other adults in this book are responsible for what happened to this guy, just the one child is. Wtf? Also, for some reason her sister believes the accused rapist but not her own sister? It's not even worth it to her to talk to her sister, she just magically believes the guy she boned a couple of hours ago, even though she didn't talk to him her entire life? And for some reason the cops don't bother to do their job and question everyone, and you know, do their jobs? And no explanation or reflection for the little girl who *is* raped who ends up marrying her rapist? How come she doesn't get a bunch of chapters dedicated to her maudlin little life, like the fake accused rapist does? So many things to HATE about this book. Yuck. So telling that almost all the 1-start reviews on here are by women, and most of the 5 star reviews are by dudes. Misogyny makes for a bestseller apparently.
sheczko's review against another edition
4.0
Really good book & movie. Descriptions of the war wounds made me queasy
pipjean14's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
catjoelle's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
We did it gang
august_ambrosia's review against another edition
5.0
GOOD BOOK!! very nice descriptions and such.... read this for lit class but like. it was rlly interesting either way. wouldnt have normally picked it up n glad i got to read it :) definitely see how it is a classic.
daivygrl's review against another edition
5.0
i read "atonement" for 2 main reasons; 1) i fell in love with the movie and wanted to see if how the script was written was how the book was written, and 2) i've heard this book / author to be what some think of as the best of the 20th century. so of course, my interest was piqued.
i really wanted to give this book 4.5 stars but i chalked it up to 5 since goodreads doesn't offer halfsies, hehe. a part of me loved the book while another part of me feels the movie might have spoiled it for me just a bit. it took me a while, but once i got into the writer's groove, i loved and appreciated his writing. i can also now appreciate the movie even more in that it kept the true essence of the book by having the timeline jump around a bit. again, i think had i read the book first, that definitely would have made much more of an impact. however, i did enjoy jumping from character to character and getting completely different interpretations of events. and, as in all books, i loved getting into the heads of some of the characters. i have a much better understand of briony as a person and a much better sense of her childhood naivete and unrelating to love, sex, and passion, even though it's her most sought after subject matter in her plays.
i enjoyed how the author divided the book into 3 main parts which not only makes sense, but sets up each section beautifully, especially the ending. but it's the ending i'm most torn about which could also have been more of a movie influence. the book, to me, made a full circle and gave an element of harmony and sadness that was wonderful. it was how the last few pages were written and how the author informed the reader of the lovers' fate that put me off just a tad. it also ended quite abruptly which i wasn't prepared for. (i'll probably go back and read (and re-read) it again to warm up to it.)
"atonement" was a wonderful, beautifully written book. it has made me beyond curious about mcewan's other books and in love with his writing. it is not only beautiful but impactful and will leave you thinking about the characters and their lives, and leave you longing for more...
i really wanted to give this book 4.5 stars but i chalked it up to 5 since goodreads doesn't offer halfsies, hehe. a part of me loved the book while another part of me feels the movie might have spoiled it for me just a bit. it took me a while, but once i got into the writer's groove, i loved and appreciated his writing. i can also now appreciate the movie even more in that it kept the true essence of the book by having the timeline jump around a bit. again, i think had i read the book first, that definitely would have made much more of an impact. however, i did enjoy jumping from character to character and getting completely different interpretations of events. and, as in all books, i loved getting into the heads of some of the characters. i have a much better understand of briony as a person and a much better sense of her childhood naivete and unrelating to love, sex, and passion, even though it's her most sought after subject matter in her plays.
i enjoyed how the author divided the book into 3 main parts which not only makes sense, but sets up each section beautifully, especially the ending. but it's the ending i'm most torn about which could also have been more of a movie influence. the book, to me, made a full circle and gave an element of harmony and sadness that was wonderful. it was how the last few pages were written and how the author informed the reader of the lovers' fate that put me off just a tad. it also ended quite abruptly which i wasn't prepared for. (i'll probably go back and read (and re-read) it again to warm up to it.)
"atonement" was a wonderful, beautifully written book. it has made me beyond curious about mcewan's other books and in love with his writing. it is not only beautiful but impactful and will leave you thinking about the characters and their lives, and leave you longing for more...
eltigre's review against another edition
5.0
Rozbolela mě hlava, jen jsem dočetla poslední stránku. Tohle nebylo jednoduché čtení. Zatímco se ostatním zdá těžký začátek, pro mě byl začátek to nejsnazší. Nejen kvůli autorovu poněkud složitějšímu stylu, na který jsem se musela více soustředit, ale i kvůli obsahu, který ve mně vyvolal opravdu silné emoce. Bylo to vskutku mimořádné čtení, úplně jiné, než jsem očekávala, ale o to víc mě dostalo do kolen. Momentálně mám menší knižní kocovinu a úplně si nejsem jistá, jestli jsem připravena pustit si film, jak jsem původně plánovala...
catherine_triel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
demibeans's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5