Scan barcode
allmyexistentialcrises's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
dnietoperafan's review against another edition
3.0
‘Atonement’ is a book that starts pretty slowly, but picks up in the eighth chapter. The bad thing is that personally, I thought near the end it starts to slow down again, and that’s why I give it three stars. Don’t get me wrong, the story is absolutely beautiful, but the reading experience took away the good parts of the book.
I really liked the entire concept of the story. I feel like it really touched me emotionally.
I really liked the entire concept of the story. I feel like it really touched me emotionally.
raconteurs's review against another edition
4.0
I took me a while to geht into the story. I thought it started a bit slow. But after about half the book I was hooked and enjoyed the story. As I came to the end I liked is even more and was very happy to have sticked with it.
lizgzara's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
eleanormia96'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
3.75
I really struggled to get into this at first. The prose is quite heavy at times and I couldn't quite see the thrust of McEwan's story (even though I have seen the film and knew what happens). But, once the "event" takes place I was hooked by its depth. This book is a harrowing reflection on the nature of personal responsibility, guilt and forgiveness - as well as the nature of storytelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape
antillais's review against another edition
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
danielafin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
megfindlay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.5
nellyycurrie's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Enjoyed quite a lot! Devoured it on holiday. Didn’t like the ending, it confused me and was unsatisfying, but liked the whole idea of the narrative and not knowing what was true or not, and truth as in some ways objective.
spyralnode's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
'Atonement' is all about context, rather than the events. So many key moments happen off page, and the parts that we see appear to be more complementary than the main plot. I wish it was reversed, that we got to experience what happened in the time jumps rather than what was written.
The blurb mentions that a young girl sees something she isn't supposed to happening between her older sister and the son of one of their servants, and following this makes an accusation that will have devastating consequences.
But the reality is that this only happened halfway through the book! So here I am, waiting for something to happen and it takes 200 pages. After the big reveal, there is no aftermath, but it jumps to 5 years later.
So the first part was actually depicting family life in England, with Briony, the young girl, writing plays and finding out that Cecilia and Robbie were having an affair by observing them in the garden together and then later having sex in the library. The crime referred to is a rape, and this seems like a major life event for Lola, Briony's cousin, who is the victim. Yet we never find out what happened to Lola to overcome it, except that she gets married years later. I also didn't quite understand what repercussion there are for Robbie, because the time jump places him at war, and I didn't understand if this was by choice or not.
The prose was very roundabout and flowery, and again, I just didn't think that it was on topic. It read meandering and wandering, focusing on details that I couldn't care about less. The characters themselves also didn't get my sympathy, and by this I don't mean that I would like to like them, but I would perhaps like to feel a fascination, an interest.
I was just really, really bored, and didn't find any of it captivating.
The blurb mentions that a young girl sees something she isn't supposed to happening between her older sister and the son of one of their servants, and following this makes an accusation that will have devastating consequences.
But the reality is that this only happened halfway through the book! So here I am, waiting for something to happen and it takes 200 pages. After the big reveal, there is no aftermath, but it jumps to 5 years later.
So the first part was actually depicting family life in England, with Briony, the young girl, writing plays and finding out that Cecilia and Robbie were having an affair by observing them in the garden together and then later having sex in the library. The crime referred to is a rape, and this seems like a major life event for Lola, Briony's cousin, who is the victim. Yet we never find out what happened to Lola to overcome it, except that she gets married years later. I also didn't quite understand what repercussion there are for Robbie, because the time jump places him at war, and I didn't understand if this was by choice or not.
The prose was very roundabout and flowery, and again, I just didn't think that it was on topic. It read meandering and wandering, focusing on details that I couldn't care about less. The characters themselves also didn't get my sympathy, and by this I don't mean that I would like to like them, but I would perhaps like to feel a fascination, an interest.
I was just really, really bored, and didn't find any of it captivating.