Reviews - Atonement | The StoryGraph

6.84k reviews for:

Atonement

Ian McEwan

3.92 AVERAGE

risemini's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

teres99's review against another edition

5.0

emotional 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

mary26's review against another edition

5.0

This is a book that rewards slow reading. Its a fabulous portrayal of family dynamics. Briony is a precocious self willed child. Cecelia is bored young woman uncertain of where her life will go, Leon is an indolent young man. Emily their mother maintains the life of an invalid and Jack the father is absent to all intents and purposes. The Tallises are a family that believe that they are the back bone of Britain and their supposed superiority leaks out of every page. Add to this mix Paul Marshall, another entitled young man, Lola, Jackson and Pierrot cousins from the North reeling from their parents inabilities to think of someone other than themselves and Robbie, the daily's son who sponsored by the Tallises, just graduated from Cambridge with a first. Robbie is the only decent person in the book.
Briony disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm from the cousins to perform her play amuses herself in watching Cecelia and Robbie by the fountain which leads to a chain of events for which Briony must atone for the rest of her life.
Terrifically well written, with some very gory hospital scenes, there is so much in this that its worth reading over and over

stormcloud7's review against another edition

4.25

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

fluffy_oz's review against another edition

4.0

I watched the movie years ago and the ending... I NEVER stopped thinking about it.
Now I've read the book, and knowing exactly what was coming, it was no less gut-wrenching for it.

cynicalflask's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jesskennedy's review against another edition

2.0

Just not my thing! Insufferable characters and frustrating plot. Second half was like watching Dunkirk but I liked it the most compared to the rest of the story. Didn’t quite understand how the rape victim was ultimately painted as literally a villain? Feel like it was very obviously written by a man and came across flat and without nuance
Obviously cw rape