Rating: 
Summary: Aren't of these reviewers incredible?
Review: How anyone has the audacity to say of someone of Ian McEwan's stature and brilliance that he is just "aspiring to be called "literary"" is flabergasting to me. Who are these people? When they have 8 to 10 best-selling, thought-provoking, mini-masterpieces under their belts, maybe I'll give them a listen . . .
Rating: 
Summary: Hated it
Review: NINE chapters before the 'incident' actually occurs. I almost threw the book out the window.
The last half was certainly more interesting than the first but I'm not sure it was worth the aggravation of getting there. Don't waste your money on a hardcover.
Rating:
Summary: Trials of a summer night
Review: This is an engaging story and so finely written that the reading is both effortless and seductive. After I had finished (that is, after drying my eyes and regaining my breath), I was amazed to realize how complex a plot it is considering how smoothly it is told. By far, it is the best book I have read in years.The story starts on a summer day at a large country estate in pre-WWII England. For anyone who delights in the heady mix of intelligence, innocence and youthful imagination, the beginning is like eating rich chocolate: 13 year old Briony has written a play -- the references to Austen, Burney, and family performances within 18th century lore are abundant and perfect -- to be rehearsed and performed by her unwilling and displaced visiting cousins in order to celebrate her brother's return to home with his sophisticated friend. However, reheasals in the playroom for THE TRIALS OF ARABELLA (of course) do not run smoothly: the twins boys do not understand what is expected of them; there's tension between Briony and 15 year old Lola. During the hot summer afternoon, Briony looks out the window to see her older sister Cecilia and Robbie, the cleaning lady's son, having what looks like some kind of menacing (and intimate) interaction in the fountain. The rest of the day's events and mishaps play out without implication until nightfall when a real crime of a sexual nature occurs and Briony's overactive imagination and lack of sophistication lead her to make a accusation which results in genuine tragedy for everyone. Without revealing the entire plot and overwhelming descriptions of war and survival, Briny spends her life paying for this mistake. Near the end of her long life, and having enjoyed without enjoyment a successful writing career, Briony's birthday is celebrated by her relations. This party is held at the old country house, now a renovated hotel, where her grand nieces and nephews perform THE TRIALS OF ARABELLA, a deeply emotional and incomprehensible experience for all (the surviving twin boy, now an old man, breaks down completely, as will nearly every reader). This book goes into my unofficial rank as one of the best reading experiences I've ever had. It tooks me days to shake the feeling that Briony was a part of my life. I was completely transported and I don't think there can be better praise than that.
Rating: 
Summary: A chore worth doing
Review: I would rate this 3.5 stars, but cannot. Three is unworthy, but four almost too much - so I err on the side of "can't put it down no matter how boring this paragraph may be". I read this book as it was recommended from lists of other books I've enjoyed. Jeez, what a chore to get started. I thought I had chosen a book beyond my comprehension at first. It was difficult to get the "feel" of the author (this was my first of McEwan's novels). Maybe because I am American??? But after getting through the first 30 pages or so, things got interesting. This is an unusual story of an obscure event, witnessed by a child, whose misinterpretation affects the lives of all involved -- including herself. A great story that spans a lifetime and is told from several different points of view. Be prepared to switch narrators several times. From a young child's perspective, to the horrific times of war, this novel will make you yearn for more answers. You will be left wondering what happened in between. But that can be a good thing -- thus, four stars.
Rating:
Summary: The Roshomon of Literature
Review: Have you ever been annoyed how, in literature, characters always seem to intuitively know what is going on in other people's heads? Why can't I be so incisive? The purpose of Atonement is to turn that notion on its ear. In this novel, the characters think they know what's going on, but none of them are right. The actual plot of the book is incidental: a little girl sees stuff and misunderstands it (or does she?). What's interesting is that Briony (the central character) is a future author whose books will just be about how individuals perceive things differently. Well, this is a book where everyone perceives things differently. Motivations and actions are completely misunderstood. We travel in and out of the different minds in the story to understand how each of them are mistaken. As for the actual story, it takes place in World War II Europe. There is a memorable description of the British retreat to Dunkirk. It creates a very vivid picture of what England was like up to and during the war. Nothing expected happens. I groaned when I came to the bit about the note, because I thought I knew how it would pay off. I was wrong. There is kind of a surprise ending, which is all the more strange in a book that denies the basic principals of plot. McEwan's elegant prose makes for a very engrossing read.
Rating:
Summary: Stick with it... It's well worth the wait.
Review: In all honesty, it took me a long time to progress beyond the first fifty pages of this novel. The more than three hundred that followed, however, I devoured in three days. As with an earlier book by McEwan, THE INNOCENT, pushing past the exposition requires great patience and discipline. Rich with the prose of THE LOVELY BONES, and ripe with the building excitement of CONQUEST OF PARADISE, ATONEMENT unfolds into a beautifully written novel. The story develops at somewhat of a plod, though the richness of the author's prose vividly illustrates scenes in the 1930's with such detailed resonance that the reader is all the more emotionally involved when events take a turn for the worse. From that point forward, the unfolding of this mature and insightful narrative is a privilege to read, and the reader (at least this one) emerges reluctantly from the final page with a desire to begin the book anew - with a better understanding of where the characters err.
Rating: 
Summary: Meandering but not lyrical--still a good book
Review: I found the writing style of McEwan to be meandering without being especially lyrical. There were some details that didn't need to be there, or at least not as drawn out as they were. Still, though, this is a good book in terms of looking at how writing and our imaginations affect our real lives. McEwan's description of how young Briony totally misunderstands the adult world around her is masterful, and makes her somewhat sympathetic, despite the terrible thing she has done. The ending is also something of a surprise, which makes the book worth sticking out to the end. I'd really give this 3-1/2 stars if I could, but I can't, so three stars it is. Still worth your time, though.
Rating: 
Summary: Pure torture is right!
Review: I agree with the other reviewers who were left wondering why this book has gotten such good reviews. At best it was tedious; at worst simply boring. Silly plot, plodding descriptions of a confusing profusion of characters, none well enough drawn to draw us into their lives--it was difficult, right to the end of the book, to keep them straight. A huge disappointment after all the hype surrounding this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Help for insomniacs
Review: I wish I had read the reviews here on Amazon before I picked it up. Had I seen the various comments toward Woolf I would have run away screaming. For those who enjoy overdescriptive multisyllabic "in the moment" writings, this book will be a joy. Personally I have already lived through (aka had been forced to) reading Woolf -- and I don't have to anymore. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't understand all the big words, it's just downright annoying to be distracted by them. When I read I want to become so engrossed in the story that I forget I'm reading. With this book, that doesn't happen for me; I'm instead bored with the colorless characters and incessant descriptions of their surroundings. I will probably donate this to the local book drive where some poor kid will have to read it for school.. at least he won't have to pay full price.
Rating:
Summary: Irritating
Review: The beginning of the book had me hoping that it would actually live up to the hype, but no. It was simply irritating to read such a silly story. I will certainly not trust the online reviews any more when choosing a book. Bad book. Do not read!
|
