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daffodilcherry's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Read as part of The reading challenge book: reread a classic you hated in highschool. I had to watch the movie in highschool and hated the titular "atonement" as insincere and self-serving, and I'm vindicated that that was the point of view of Briony all along. So the final chapter was incredibly vindicating, as this differed slightly from the movie. I think the multiple perspectives were well handled, if a bit slow at times.
The narration by Josephine Bailey was delightful, she was amazing at changing her voice for character dialogue. My only gripe about this audio book was that the book was segmented by seemingly random paragraphs, instead of chapters or more logical sections, which made it a little difficult to find a good place to stop.
The narration by Josephine Bailey was delightful, she was amazing at changing her voice for character dialogue. My only gripe about this audio book was that the book was segmented by seemingly random paragraphs, instead of chapters or more logical sections, which made it a little difficult to find a good place to stop.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
anushareflects's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
murakamimami's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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
4.75
It’s an amazing novel. McEwan is a talented modern writer. This book put me through every possible emotion.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
gracer0sew's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and War
Moderate: Cursing, Terminal illness, Rape, Sexual content, Blood, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Death
debbiesummers's review against another edition
challenging
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Gore, Medical trauma, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
kate_etak's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, War, Vomit, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
hotrichjew's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
enmcurrie's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.0
McEwan is a great writer and I really enjoyed this book. The way he can pick up on tiny nuances and feelings and describe them in such detail is amazing. The story is of course very sad but I loved Cecelia and Robbie’s consistent love for each other throughout.
I really didn’t like Briony’s character. I get that she’s young and has some attempt at redemption at the end but wow she infuriated me a lot. Overdramatic and an attention seeker is how I’d sum her up. That aside, I think it’s a great novel.
Only downside for me is that McEwan’s writing style is heavily and sometimes overly descriptive which can get frustrating when you just want him to focus on the plot. It made it slow to read at times, hence my 4 stars. But overall it was a good read and now that I’ve read it I can finally watch the movie!
I really didn’t like Briony’s character. I get that she’s young and has some attempt at redemption at the end but wow she infuriated me a lot. Overdramatic and an attention seeker is how I’d sum her up. That aside, I think it’s a great novel.
Only downside for me is that McEwan’s writing style is heavily and sometimes overly descriptive which can get frustrating when you just want him to focus on the plot. It made it slow to read at times, hence my 4 stars. But overall it was a good read and now that I’ve read it I can finally watch the movie!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
remykinz's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
lets_book's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and War