Reviews - Atonement | The StoryGraph

6.84k reviews for:

One of the most well-written books I’ve ever read. While the plot unfolds gradually and stretches all the way to the final pages, this novel isn’t really about the plot. I didn’t rush through it, instead, I found myself slowing down, taking in every sentence, underlining so many of them because they touched me. The language McEwan uses to describe actions and emotions, whether huge or seemingly insignificant, is so full of substance. There’s a real weight to how he writes, like every word is doing something meaningful.

That said, the reading experience wasn’t without its challenges. There were long stretches that felt like they dragged on forever, and I’ll admit those parts tested my patience. But I kept going, because the ideas and plot twists scattered throughout were genuinely compelling and often unexpected.

I really liked the book overall, but I had built up a certain idea of how it was going to end, something I thought would’ve been amazing, and it didn’t go that way, which left me a little disappointed. But honestly, I do that a lot with books. Still, Atonement is a novel that lingers, both for its beauty and for its ache.

albatrossonhalfpointe's review against another edition

2.0

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I liked the writing, but the structure itself just never hung together well for me, so it left me feeling kind of unsatisfied.

More at https://kingshearte.blogspot.com/2025/06/atonement-ian-mcewan.html