Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Atonement by Ian McEwan

9 reviews

lily_eames's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

3.5

I went into this book with high hopes and the goal of being of virtuous and reading the book before watching the movie. I have to say, it was a tough read. It’s written in an extremely, almost painfully detailed style and it is incredibly slow paced. I definitely almost DNF’ed during the war chapters. However, I really enjoyed the first part of the book and was absolutely heartbroken by the end. Briony hater for life! 

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sophie42's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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nicoleamanfu's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad slow-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? It's complicated

5.0


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thinwhiteduke's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Though I can see an interesting story within it, Atonement is a slog to read, with an ending which ruins most of the book

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louisebeereading's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Superb book. A challenging read exploring the far reaching consequences of a child's overactive imagination coupled with conviction and witnessing a crime. Set before and during WWII, McEwan masterfully explores multiple POVs both female and male. Would recommend highly.

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paperback_moon's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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nicosimmonds's review against another edition

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challenging sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • 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

Great read, the way McEwan describes characters and setting is undeniably human and most characters are tastefully developed, balanced and well fleshed-out. Not many complaints, loved the ending too. 

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fruitea's review against another edition

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2.0

ok this is a weird one because we actually read the ending chapters as a class but i wasn't paying attention so i've put it as dnf. sorry ms williams it was just infuriating to sit through nearly 2 hours of people reading aloud so monotonously and you never saw me playing solitaire on my phone anyway.
anyway. i did not like this book. evidently. the whole premise seemed so flimsy and i feel like briony's stupidity ignorance was used as a plot device.
besides, i'm sure there's more nuance to police investigations than taking the word of a thirteen year old as infallible. also she wasn't entirely truthful.
 
speaking of briony, she was so annoying. she never grew out of her immaturity, she always played the victim, never taking responsibility for her actions. i get that 13 years old is young to witness such a crime, but also at that age you know not to lie to the police about these things????????? she knew it herself??????? so what was the reason? because i never found any explanation for that. listen briony my dude, you made a mistake, you knew it was a mistake but still did it anyway, and then blame others for the consequences of your own actions. also, it's a pretty forgettable story except for those major plot points. like the middle of the book felt like filler, it didn't add much to the story. briony had no character development either. so basically it's not worth the read, watch the movie instead. keira knightley and james mcavoy redeem it. 

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whatannikareads's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

i read this because i remember loving the movie when i was little but not remembering the entire plot, and it did not disappoint! ian mcewan's writing style is very pretty, although i did skim through some parts that felt like superfluous, flowery details. the plot twist made me gasp and i'm glad i didn't remember it. i love a not so happy ending. very much sucks you in. the emerald green dress cecilia wears is iconic!!!

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