Rating: 
Summary: Rich, intricate and fascinating story
Review: A warm summer day in 1935: thirteen-year old Briony Tallis has written her first play in honour of her brother Leon returning home, but her niece and nephews are not up to performing it. While she is sulking in her room, she sees her sister Cecilia strip of her clothes and jump into a fountain in front of the cleaning lady's son Robbie. Her ample imagination turns this scene into something it is absolutely not and when at night something awful happens she interprets it completely wrong, an interpretation that will change the lifes of herself, Cecilia and Robbie.
The second and third parts of the book are situated at the beginning of the war: the horrors of the evacuation of the British army at Dunkirk and the life at a London hospital. Finally in the fourth part, set in 1999, it becomes clear that this book is indeed one big atonement.
This is an incredibly rich book and very smoothly written. It begged me to continue reading, even though the setting of the first part (a rich English family in the thirties) is not particularly interesting to me. The second and third parts very vividly describe the horrors of war and the fourth part glues the whole book together and on the other hand also provides an unexpected twist that puts part of the story in a whole new perspective. An absolute must-read.
Rating: 
Summary: Overwrought, Overdone, Overkill
Review: Not on my best-seller list! I really had to trudge through the first 50-80 pages to gain a sense of direction. Too much time and attention was devoted to unncessary scenery and minutiae at the characters' expense. Only from the book jacket did I get a real grasp of the time frame for the story. Was the over-wrought description of the vase really necessary? Did it lend anything to the story? I just didn't find the characters well-developed -- given the lack of dialogue and interaction. Part II felt very much like a reincarnation of "Birdsong" by Sebastian Faulks. The book's only saving grace was the juxtaposition of the final section, and the questions left to ponder. Hardly enough, in my humble estimation, to warrant the first 150 pages.
Rating: 
Summary: Lives Twined Together, Inseparably
Review: This intelligent novel is, among other things, proof that a small misstep or misunderstanding can ruin your life. The tragedy of this story is that the accusation that leads to ruination is made, unassumingly by a child, Briony Tallis. But she grows into the tragedy as her senses and mind awaken...and her life becomes an atonement for what she has done. Wreaking havoc on lives proves a difficult thing for Briony to live with, particularly after she (and we) are made to understand the full extent and implication of what she has ruined. The atonement referred to in the book's title is incomplete and can never change the course of events her one small action set forth. At the same time, it is the only understandable way to live with her conscience. The fact that Briony's atonement is attempted but never able to be consummated is what makes this book so heartbreakingly real-so much of life is sealed behind closed door, unforgiven, leaving tearful hearts left to reckon and wonder how things might have turned out differently. The book's strength is that it is not overwhelmingly about Briony, but more about the other characters affected by her actions. Pick up, read, enjoy the historical detail--you won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: If you can get past the first 100 pages, you'll be rewarded
Review: I have been a fan of McEwan's other books (Enduring Love in particular), so I was quite eager to dive into this one. Especially since its debut has created such a literary buzz. Try as I might, I found the first 100 pages or so really challenging to get into, and I was curious about what this deadening pace indicated about the novel as a whole. I'm really glad that I stayed with it, since from there, the pace shifts perceptably, producing the same kind of gripping storytelling McEwan is known for. The book rides this momentum to its conclusion, but I still think the slooow opening damages an otherwise fascinating story.
Rating:
Summary: powerful
Review: I found the start of each section slow; however, the author would slowly drag me in, until I found that I couldn't put the book down. I was disappointed each time the action shifted, thinking that the current section couldn't be as good as the previous. And yet each ended being more powerful than the last. I'd prefer not to give too many details - much of the pleasure of this book comes from not knowing quite what the author is up to.
Rating:
Summary: Snoozer of a read
Review: It is a rare book that I just can NOT finish and although this book came highly recommended by several people, I just could not finish it. I kept putting it down and would come back to it but never could get invested in the characters or the various plot lines.
Rating:
Summary: Slow but well written
Review: This book is overrated. The opening sections are so slow that I found myself skimming (something I rarely do). I only stuck with it because of the numerous positive reviews it has received. The middle section was more interesting. The book was fairly predictable, except for the ending, which was annoying.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful and disturbing book
Review: I believe this book could become a classic. It is a wonderful and disturbing story that is beautifully crafted. At times the story moves very slow, as in the beginning where there seems to be an excess of character development going on, then BAM! You need this information to understand why everyone reacts the way they do. The monotony of Briony's experience in nursing school is truly felt, then BAM! War starts and you feel the change of pace. My reading sped up as well as my heart rate. The story is awe-insiring. Sometimes when I finish an enjoyable book I might think, "I could have almost written that." But after a book like Atonement, I think "Not in five lifetimes could I write like that!" This book is a must-read, but not if you are in the mood for a light read. This is a thinker's book, well worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: prissy period piece
Review: First off, this novel was written by a member of my baby boomer generation. That does not necessarily eliminate the possibility of depth, but I don't think this book has as much depth as has been claimed for it by so many reviewers.However, I'm not British. The protagonist off this novel is a prissy precocious young girl named Briony who aspires to be a writer but who nearly destroys a young man's life by falsely accusing him of a sexual encounter. In the process of her writer's intention to see life from all angles, she overdoes it in this one case.
The book is quite ambitious (or should that read wordy?) in scope and execution but is reduced in stature, in my opinion, by the tenuous nature of its main premise. The whole book hinges on one girl's fatal and intentional misapprehension of an event. Presumably this is a reflection of the sexual mores of the times and I can accept this, having grown up in the '50's which weren't much better. In "Amsterdam" the interpersonal tension, call it back-biting if you have to, is contemporary and among three adults, and that makes a little more sense to me. "Amsterdam" is also much shorter. Though I would not want to participate in euthanasia myself, still it is a morbidly amusing concept that I believe is very British.
Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: After hearing so much, I read this book, but found it extremely gloomy and difficult to finish. I did not care much for any of the main characters nor what happened to them. The most compelling part of the book was the description of experiences during the Second World War. There are far better ways to learn about that era than reading this book, however.
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