Ian McEwan - Atonement

Pros: Artistic - Powerful
Cons: Somewhat hard to follow at times

ATONEMENT Ian McEwan , Londoner, has done it again. He has put together a powerful book that exp ...

Pros: Poetic, literate, and intelligent writing. Lots of depth to the characters.
Cons: Too much war; not enough family dynamics. Loses momentum. Lack of balance. Virtually no dialogue.

English Author Ian McEwan's novel, "Atonement" focuses heavily on World War 2. Unfortunately, the back flap of the novel doesn't tell you this. I would have liked to be forewarned as I am not a fan of war stories and novels that heavily emphasize the...

Pros: Expertly written
Cons: Slow at the beginning

My Opinion This is the first book by Ian McEwan that I have read. I tend to read dry historical accounts, or, if I feel wild, historical fiction. I wanted to read "Atonement" before I actually saw the film, as books tend to be better than the ...

Pros: Somewhat lyrical narrative.
Cons: Slow; little dialogue; no real depth to characters.

Ian McEwan's Atonement is the kind of book that old ladies gush about, praising its lyrical, poetic quality and vivid capture of the fall of Dunkirk in WWII. But two chapters into the book, I realized I was merely staring at the words on the page...

Pros: exceptional writing; fully-developed characters; moving and engaging
Cons: none

On the hottest day of the year 1935, 13-year-old Briony witnesses a scene by the fountain in the garden between her elder sister, Cecilia (Cee) and Robbie. Both Cee and Robbie are down from Cambridge, and the former had barely acknowledged the latter ...

Pros: Brilliantly told story. Very well-written.
Cons: The second half isn't as strong as the first.

Speaking as a writer, editorialization can be one of the most difficult aspects of penmanship. Just when can an author hint at or even frankly state the themes of his or her novel? Can nothing be said? Can everything be said, only in the closing ...

Pros: Just read it already!
Cons: Some would say the beginning is a bit slow.

Summary
Ian McEwan's tale of a woman trying to atone for a horrible act she committed as a young girl is spellbinding. His language is poetic and sticks in your mind after you put the book down. Intricately plotted but not overdone 'Atonement' is...

Pros: Vintage McEwan in execution, style, and profundity.
Cons: The inexplicable delay in release to this side of the Atlantic.

Ian McEwan's latest novel, Atonement, which was published, released, nominated for a Booker Prize, and denied that Booker Prize - all before its release in the US - was well worth the wait.

McEwan is a master of his own riveting structure....

Pros: complex characters, the scenes in France and London were compelling and insightful.
Cons: a lot of detail in part bogged down without painting a clear picture

A modern novelist could no more write characters and plots than a modern composer could write a Mozart symphony.  It was thought, perception, sensations that interested her, the conscious mind as a river through time, and how to represent its ...

Pros: Intense, heavy story focuses on difficult questions of guilt, repentance, and, yes, atonement.
Cons: Somewhat inaccessible and occasionally slow going.

When I was about twelve, some friends and I decided to amuse ourselves by inventing a secret admirer for a geek and social pariah of our acquaintance. We composed perfumed love letters, full of romance-novel phrases we barely understood, and left them on...

Pros: Deliciously vivid attention to detail and razor-sharp insight to the protagonists' psyche
Cons: I wasn't convinced by the time-shifted ending...

This is the second of McEwan's novels I have read, following "Enduring Love" and I am rapidly becoming a fan.

At first sight this book is very different to Enduring Love in that it is a period piece set in 1930s England featuring an adolescent...

Pros: takes you on a wonderful personal journey
Cons: be prepared to dry away the tears

This is the story of one hot summer afternoon and evening for a young teenage girl, her interaction with the people around her, and the events prior to and after the event. It also ties in the experiences of the people around her.

I purchased...

Pros: Vivid and talented writing...
Cons: It starts a little too slowly...

Vivid and talented writing that makes you think and delivers a provocative philosophical point, without being anything less than remarkably entertaining. That's Atonement.

Yes, it starts a little too slowly, but picks up quickly. By the end,...

Pros: it got an award, but I don't think it deserves one.
Cons: Briony, way too much detail

I've read many books, good and bad, but I always managed to finish reading them. I give them a chance just in case it starts out slow and miraculously gets better in the end. I saw the previews for the movie Atonement and heard it was based on a ...

Pros: Stylish language, sophisticated
Cons: possibly old fashioned

The first part of Atonement is initially a recollection of a single day in 1935. The main character is Briony, a thirteen-year-old, but the narrative voice is in the 3rd-person; and fully aware of the competence of a young girl acting as narrator. Briony...