Reviews with content warning for Blood - Atonement

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Atonement by Ian McEwan

26 reviews

beloved_bridget's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.25

I have to stop reading reviews, they made me very scared to read this book. A friend recommended this book to me, and I'm glad I gave it a chance. the first half was a bit weird, I am really not a fan of how the romance between robbie and cecilia was presented. I felt that I wasn't supposed to root for them, and felt very disoriented with the major jump-cut to WWII and we're just supposed to believe that their romance is perfect. even before that, I just didn't really feel that cecilia's feelings for robbie made sense.
I was really surprised that the second half of the book was dedicated to the war, felt like I was reading a completely different book. it was still a good book, but felt that the second half was very disconnected from the first.
overall, the language can sometimes feel a little much at times, like he's writing just for the sake of writing. but I really liked it

Content Warnings

gracer0sew's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

livruther's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective 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

4.25

I think the book could have become an entirely new level of impactful if the cast of characters was more diverse. I hated the narration in the first part, and I thought most of the second part was boring, but I enjoyed the third and fourth parts. I thought the imagery of the soldiers in the hospital was really gripping. I thought the part with Luc was really sweet. I also really loved the character of Robbie. Even though it made me angry and sad, I thought the ending was really well done, and it is definitely a book that has stuck with me.

Content Warnings

louisebeereading's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

myreme's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective 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

Content Warnings

anna_99l's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark 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

I firmly believe that 'Atonement' is only of the few cases where it is acceptable to say that you prefer either the movie or the book. However, this does not take away from McKewan's writing in the slightest. This is not a book for those that are looking for a fast paced novel - half of the novel takes place in one afternoon. Rather, the book is very character driven.

I find Atonement so compelling because it reminds me that no matter how sorry you are about a past wrong, oftentimes our desire to repent cannot be actualised. There are some wrongs that cannot be righted and we have to live with our own actions. This makes me appreciate the gravity of my actions more, although I don't think I would have every acted like Brioney regardless of whether I had read the book.

Content Warnings