Comments (40)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 40 items
Dec 03, 2023annearmitage rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece. Rips my heart open every time I read it. One of the great novels of all time. Strangely, I prefer the ending in the movie to the ending in the book though.
Mar 25, 2023Anita_Dickey rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I read this book for the 52 books in 52 weeks reading challenge. I used the 2023 reading challenge prompt read a book about secrets. It is also on Listopia's 300 books everyone should read once. At times, it was hard to keep the…
Oct 14, 2022
October- best book I've read.
Jul 19, 2022p4556 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
In Ian McEwan's gut-punch of a novel, he's incorporated themes of the consequences of false allegations, forbidden affairs by reason of social class, and love in the time of war. It's beautifully written: sorrowful and aching
Jun 23, 2021AlexaLe rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
It is often said that truth and perspective are highly intertwined, as perspective can influence what one thinks of as the truth. This is seen in Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement, a story centering around the life of Briony Tallis, a young…
Nov 09, 2020
I love to read about cosmology and quantum physics, but quantum universes within one cover I’m not sure about... This McEwan title had me engaged at least... The idea of class in England in the 1930s, and how it massively…
Mar 21, 2020AlteredStaite rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Was it a good story? Yes BUT all the editors and publishers are afraid of Ian McEwan to the point they are scared to edit the crap out of his self centered babbling on and on and on and on just to hear himself wax poetic about every…
Mar 29, 2019kwsmith rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Dark and tragic, this well written modern literary novel is a study of personal atonement for past wrongs. At the heart of the story is an upper-class British family who are involved in a deeply tragic romance. I greatly enjoyed the book,…
Feb 10, 2019DominiqueRossier rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece. I have truly enjoyed every single text by McEwan that I have read and this novel is no exception. The plot, the narrative perspective, the tone, the literary references or imitations of various authors of the 1930s or 1940s…
Apr 02, 2018ownedbydoxies rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Wow. What a great novel. It really pulls you in, although it can seem a bit too slow at the start, but that's part of the magic. It's a slow day in a big house on a huge tract of land and the only place for the girl to put her energy and…
Jan 29, 2018
It's incredible to see the ramifications of how one lie told by a child impacts the lives of everyone around her. The writing is gorgeous, the characters are fully realized, and the end made me ugly cry over this love story.
Jun 02, 2016TSCPL_ChrisB rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A gorgeous novel. Its layers unveil new subtleties with each reading. I cannot read the final pages without being stirred emotionally.
Nov 19, 2014jazpur rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Ian Mc Ewan's portrayal of the world of Briony Tallis from 1935, through the years of WWII and beyond is quite brilliant. In modern parlance she was the spoilt, often neglected, highly fanciful afterthought in a large British family with…
antonio_brewbrew
Aug 26, 2014
LOVESSS IT
Jul 26, 2014Catherine41 rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
Not a bad read, but I found it a little slow in the second part. It's interesting because, in my mind, not alot happens in the book in terms of events, but the reader is given alot to think about. Great for a book club!
Library_Lisa
Mar 11, 2014Library_Lisa rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
I did not enjoy this book. I did, however, find it thoughtful and very well-written.
kendradriscoll
Mar 05, 2014kendradriscoll rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
It has been several years since I read this book, but it still stays with me. McEwan did a remarkably good job of emulating the internal voice of a fanciful 13-year-old girl. The characters were believable, their actions all too human.…
Feb 07, 2014wordpix rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Complex storyline, very deftly managed. Loved the sleepy, slow first half and the second half that turned to quick narrative. Very well done and a pleasure to read. Glad to have found a new author!
Jun 21, 2013jkeeg rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This book took awhile to get into, but by the end I really enjoyed it. It's got high level language, and since the author is British, it can sometimes be hard to understand what he is talking about, but I thought it was a great book…
Apr 22, 2013Shauna_E rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
There are books that are still enjoyable if you've seen the movie. I don't think this is one of them. I would have enjoyed the book much more had I NOT watched the movie first. It took out all the spontaneity and made it a looong read. …
Oct 15, 2012lozza1401 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Not as good as the movie.
Oct 05, 2012llongpine rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
I tried really hard to like this book, but I just didn't. It is slow paced and just not interesting.
Aug 24, 2012fitzgeraldsa rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
Totally agree with Becker. Just couldn't get in to this one.
Agent13
May 21, 2012Agent13 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
A well regarded, award winning book from the prolific Mr. McEwan about perceived slights and its devastating consequences. A young girl who has a crush on her older sister's boyfriend creates a story to get back at her perceived slight,…
Mar 04, 2012
I always wonder what I missed when so many other people enjoy a book that I didn't like. I really struggled to finish this one. I found it really boring.