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    Atonement
    Atonement
    Atonement
    Audiobook14 hours

    Atonement

    Written by Ian McEwan

    Narrated by Jill Tanner

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Ian McEwan has received prestigious awards and international praise for his novels, including Enduring Love. In Atonement, three children lose their innocence--as the sweltering summer heat bears down on the hottest day in 1935--and their lives are changed forever. Cecilia Tallis is of England's priviledged class; Robbie Turner is the housekeeper's son. In their moment of intimate surrender, they are interrupted by Cecilia's hyperimaginative and scheming 13-year-old sister, Briony. And as chaos consumes the family, Briony commits a crime, the guilt of which she shall carry throughout her life.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateAug 15, 2003
    ISBN9781436101134
    Atonement
    Author

    Ian McEwan

    Ian McEwan (Aldershot, Reino Unido, 1948) se licenció en Literatura Inglesa en la Universidad de Sussex y es uno de los miembros más destacados de su muy brillante generación. En Anagrama se han publicado sus dos libros de relatos, Primer amor, últimos ritos (Premio Somerset Maugham) y Entre las sábanas, las novelas El placer del viajero, Niños en el tiempo (Premio Whitbread y Premio Fémina), El inocente, Los perros negros, Amor perdurable, Amsterdam (Premio Booker), Expiación (que ha obtenido, entre otros premios, el WH Smith Literary Award, el People’s Booker y el Commonwealth Eurasia), Sábado (Premio James Tait Black), En las nubes, Chesil Beach (National Book Award), Solar (Premio Wodehouse), Operación Dulce, La ley del menor, Cáscara de nuez, Máquinas como yo, La cucaracha y Lecciones y el breve ensayo El espacio de la imaginación. McEwan ha sido galardonado con el Premio Shakespeare. Foto © Maria Teresa Slanzi.

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    Reviews for Atonement

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      Atonement by Ian McEwan is a bit of a dichotomy to me. On the one hand, it was over-written; meaning too much profuse and flowery language for the subject matter. On the other hand, it feels as if you have been punched in the stomach by the end of the book. I don't want to discuss it more so as not to give away the plot, but a Scripture verse comes to memory: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I am glad I listened to the Audio before watching Keira Knightly playing Cecilia. That movie left a bitter taste in my mouth. Book amazing. Reader even more so.
    • 4/5
      Merkwaardige lectuur-ervaring. Je waant je aanvankelijk in een doublure van Jane Austens Mansfield Parc, daarna doet de sfeerschepping aan de Bronte?s en de schrijfstijl aan Virginia Woolf denken, wellicht niet toevallig allemaal Britse, vrouwelijke auteurs. Het verhaal situeert zich in het midden van de jaren 1930, in een milieu van welgestelde Britse burgerij. Het tempo ligt traag, en er ligt een zwaar accent op de verschillende percepties van de hoofdrolspelers, ook niet toevallig zo zal achteraf blijken. Dan volgt een dramatische ontwikkeling die weer knap vanuit verschillende perspectieven wordt beschreven; einde verhaal denk je, maar niets is minder waar. We springen naar mei 1940 en krijgen een nogal hallucinante episode uit de tweede wereldoorlog voorgeschoteld: de chaotische terugtrekking van de Britse troepen op Duinkerken; wat mij betreft is dit ??n van de meest indringende beschrijvingen van de oorlogsverschrikkingen die ik ooit gelezen heb. Vervolgens verhuist de focus weer naar Londen, juli 1940 en komen de verhaallijnen uit de vorige delen samen in een ultieme confrontatie. McEwan geeft hier een staaltje van psychologisch doorzicht ten beste, met enkele scenes die nog lang in mijn geheugen zullen blijven hangen. Alleen de epiloog, meer dan 50 jaar later, is er voor mij een beetje teveel aan; dit deel biedt McEwan in de beste postmodernistische traditie de gelegenheid om het meta-verhaal van het schrijverschap uit te diepen; op zich interessant, maar ik heb er geen boodschap aan. In dit boek toont McEwan naar mijn oordeel zich op het toppunt van zijn kunnen, en benadert hij maximaal hetgeen een prozaschrijver aan uitdrukkingskracht kan bereiken. Zwaarwegende woorden, ik weet het, maar daar staat wel een keerzijde tegenover: deze roman is zo gepolijst dat ik uiteindelijk moeite had om echt te connecteren met de figuren en het verhaal. Vandaar de drie en een halve ster.
    • 3/5
      Atonement by Ian McEwan

      ★ ★ ★

      I've been told that if you can get through the first part of this book, the second part is much more interesting. And I can see why. I listened to the audio of Atonement and I believe it was only due to the wonderful narration that I was able to get through the first half, which I felt dragged a bit. The second part was more intriguing, it had the ability to keep my attention but by then it felt like too little, too late. I know a lot of people that like this book and I can see the beauty in it and understand it's popularity but I guess it just wasn't the book for me. I didn't really care for most of the characters and the author was definitely a bit too wordy for my liking. I don't do audio books often but this is one I have to give kudos to. I would have never made it through this book if it wasn't for the audio. A good book but nothing special to me.
    • 1/5
      I couldn’t get through it, maybe it gets better later on….. hope you make it that far
    • 4/5
      This novel draws out two opposite responses. The first half of the book tells the story of one of the most unlikable characters in all literature: Briony Tallis. Listening to her whine and muse is enough to make this reader give up. And yet then there are some stunning moments when Cecilia jumps in the fountain in front of a mesmerised Robbie. These moments were so human, so lovely, so real and almost make up for the intense dislike the reader feels toward Briony.The second half of the book tells the story of the fates of two characters from the first half, Robbie and Briony. (Other characters fates are described but these are not the focus.) The accounts of Dunkirk and the descriptions of life in a London hospital during WW2 were incredibly moving. These were my favourite parts of the book. To these two contrasts (1. Briony vs Cecelia & Robbie, and 2. First vs Second half of the book) is added a third. The book is a story of atonement—the desire to make peace and restitution after wrongdoing. The need for atonement haunts the story, and Briony desperately pursues if all her life but never finds it. There is no forgiveness from Cee, and Briony herself struggles to see how that could at all be possible anyway. Despite being the younger sister, she functions like the older brother in Jesus parable of the lost sons. She is proud and cannot understand grace. She lives her life under self imposed puritanical standards and expects others to as well. When there are perceived breaches she is ruthless. But her approach fails her. When she comprehends her own sin and folly she never gets over it, cannot see a way through it. It devastates her. She tries to self atone—through serving people by nursing the sick and injured and beaten and bloodied, and by writing a story in which she seeks to set things right (even though in her life she was never able). ON the last page McEwan reveals his hand that in a world without God we are gods. And as gods we cannot atone. I found this aspect of the book interesting but unfinished and unresolved. The book ends as a tragedy, with Briony knowing atonement isn't possible and looking forward to the dimentia which she has just been diagnosed with as a means to forget. If only Briony knew the one who made peace through his blood. If only she were able to know his cleansing, his renewal, his forgiveness and his love. Then perhaps she would be less judgemental, foolish and blinded by self absorption. Then there would be hope for all of us. In the end, Atonement asks if atonement is possible, and answers in the negative. What a wasted opportunity to heal billions who desperately need atonement and are as restless as Briony for it.
    • 4/5
      I wouldn't mind saying this book was one which took me a long time to complete. Though there is a lack of pace and a general gloomy storyline to the book, it could be considered as the musings of a little girl. What she had caused, how she had caused it and how well she found it easy to live in the world of her own unless realization struck her are all shown in the book. The book is a good read, along with it a lot of things could be done.
    • 3/5
      Inhaltsangabe:England im Sommer 1935: An einem heißen Tag lädt die Familie Tallis auf ihrem Landgut zum Essen ein. Eingeladen sind nicht nur die erwachsenen Kinder der Familie, Cecelia und Leon. Sondern auch die Nichte und Neffen und Paul Marshall, ein Freund von Leon. Robbie, der Sohn der Putzfrau und mit allen Kindern der Familie befreundet, erhält ebenfalls eine Einladung.Briony, mit 13 Jahren der jüngste Spross der Familie, wird von quälender Langeweile gepackt und während ihre Gedanken um weitere literarische Ergüsse feilschen, spielen sich vor ihren Augen Dinge ab, die sie in ihrer kindlichen Fantasie missversteht und damit eine folgenschwere Verkettung auslöst.Kann Briony ihren Fehler je wieder gutmachen?Mein Fazit:Nun habe ich den Roman gelesen. Ewig stand er schon in meinem SuB. Den Film dazu habe ich vor ein paar Jahren gesehen und ich war von der Geschichte schon gefesselt.Ian McEwan hat die Geschichte in vier Abschnitte eingeteilt. Der erste und größte Abschnitt erzählt von dem heißen Tag im Jahre 1935 auf dem Landgut von der Familie Tallis, wie ich es schon in der Inhaltsangabe geschrieben habe. 266 Seiten voller Analysen von Situationen, und Gedanken bezeugen wahrlich die große Schreibkunst des Autors in seiner blumigen Sprache und ausgefeilten Raffinesse. Doch die langen und verschachtelten Sätze waren auch oft ermüdend und manchmal waren sie auch einfach nur langweilig.Ab dem zweiten Teil kam ein bisschen mehr Schwung in die Geschichte. Auch da verlor sich der Autor hin und wieder in ausschweifende Erzählungen, aber es ließ sich einigermaßen lesen und zum Ende hin wurde es immer besser.Die Dramatik der Geschichte ist mir mehr als bewusst. Ein 13jähriges Mädchen, auf der Schwelle zum Erwachsenwerden, wird mit Liebe und Sexualität konfrontiert und interpretiert das (für Erwachsene) Offensichtliche falsch. Die Konsequenzen ihrer Handlung werden ihr erst deutlich, als sie tatsächlich erwachsen ist. Doch dann ist es bereits zu spät und das Rad der Ereignisse kann nicht mehr zurückgedreht werden.Es muss wohl nicht extra erwähnt werden, dass der Autor seine Figuren in Einzelheiten geschildert hat. Auch das Landgut und das Haus wurden schillernd und detailverliebt beschrieben. Man kann sich das alles vor dem inneren Auge gut vorstellen. Aber dann kommen immer wieder Abschnitte, die mich fragen ließen, warum der Autor sich wieder in Erzählungen verlor? Es war manchmal einfach zu viel des Guten!Große Erzählkunst, die mich jedoch nicht immer packend unterhalten konnte. Deshalb vergebe ich nur drei Sterne!
    • 2/5
      BLARGH. Boring AND problematic. An unfortunate combination, really.

      I didn't think much of Atonement when I first finished it. Most of it bored me, and I found the writing style to be incredibly convoluted and dense. To make matters worse, large portions of this novel felt completely inconsequential to me. Part 2 could be summarized as "Robbie goes to war. War is bad," and part 3 as "Briony does her job." Why we needed 100 pages of agonizing descriptions for each section is beyond me. The only part I even remotely enjoyed was part 1, and that was only because THINGS HAPPENED, things that were of actual consequence to the plot. (But that's not really saying much because the inciting incident of this novel was so ridiculously stupid I couldn't fathom how the characters could screw up so colossally.) So, to recap: part 1=okay, part 2=BORING, part 3=Mostly BORING. And then we get to the concluding section titled "London 1999" -- and what a horribly infuriating section it was. The cherry on top of the boring, meandering cake that was this book. Was the ending of this book A) Cheap, B) Gimmicky, or C) Manipulative? If you answered all of the above then DING DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER! This is what not to do when you want to end a story. I did not endure 371 pages of a glacially slow story for it to end like that. It felt like a violation of the reader's trust, and I certainly did not appreciate being thrown in for a loop like that.

      Onto the problematic aspects of this book. First of all, and this is something many reviewers have pointed out, the story largely ignores Lola's rape. Atonement's biggest problem is that it gets so caught up in the injustice that Robbie's faced with that it completely disregards the main injustice of this whole conflict: someone got raped.

      Some pertinent points:
      #1: Don't get me wrong, Briony infuriated the hell out of me when she was so adamant on laying the blame on Robbie, but I also think that what she did kind of made sense. She got that creepy note from Robbie (it really was FREAKING CREEPY-- why couldn't he just keep that tidbit to himself ugh), thought he was attacking her sister, and then concluded that he raped Lola. Her conclusions were certainly faulty, but given the circumstances (creepy obscene letter, assault, rape), I think she was justified in being so distressed.

      #2: Briony eventually realizes that she'd falsely accused Robbie, and Cecilia knows that Robbie isn't the one who raped Lola, and yet both of them sit on that information for YEARS without doing a single thing to help. Briony freaking knows it was Paul Marshall but she does jackshit about it, and then when she's told that Lola is about to get married to her rapist she's all like woops ma bad sucks for her I guess.

      #3: Yes it's awful that Robbie went to jail for something he didn't do, but ALSO A 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL GOT RAPED SHOULDN'T WE MAYBE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT???? OR AT LEAST THINK ABOUT IT AT ALL???

      And don't even get me started on how much I disliked Briony. So selfish. So entitled.

      Though I may make it seem as if I passionately LOATHED this book, I didn't. It was mostly just boring, and then once I thought about it some more, problematic. To say that I passionately hated this book would mean that it made me feel something, which it didn't. Which is I guess the crux of the matter when it comes to Atonement: it didn't elicit anything in me, and so it wasn't particularly memorable.
    • 5/5
      This gutted me. Held me breathless from nearly the first lines to the last. I want to read it all over again but not sure I could bear it. Will not soon forget this one, if ever.
    • 4/5
      I'm finding it hard to review this book, as I'm torn over how I feel about it.Told in 4 parts, Atonement is a cleverly construed idea of how a young teenager's total misunderstanding of a chain of adult events leads to a family being split apart. It ticked a lot of my reading boxes - a setting that shifted from a big English country house to the Dunkirk retreat and then to the London hospital war effort, all nicely tied together by the huge sense of loss affecting all the characters on the back of the child's error of judgement. A little bit Downton Abbey meets Brideshead Revisted, I definitely enjoyed it, but I can't help feeling a little bit disappointed by it.The second half of the book was excellent - a definite page turner with plenty to keep the reader sitting up into the wee small hours to finish it. But the first part of the book I found slow going. It took far too long to get to the main event of the novel, and I was well over 100 pages in before I started to care about the storyline and commit myself to finishing it. At the beginning the prose seemed unnecessarily dense and over descriptive, which I haven't found in the other McEwan novels I've read, and rather than build up suspense it just dragged on too much and felt boring in parts.If I was scoring this book on parts 2-3 it would be 4 stars plus, but part 1 was at least 50 pages too long, and part 4 felt a little rushed.3.5 stars - worth a read, but not destined for this year's hot list.
    • 4/5
      Atonement by Ian McEwan is a bit of a dichotomy to me. On the one hand, it was over-written; meaning too much profuse and flowery language for the subject matter. On the other hand, it feels as if you have been punched in the stomach by the end of the book. I don't want to discuss it more so as not to give away the plot, but a Scripture verse comes to memory: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
    • 5/5
      I had the most wonderful movie/book experience because I hadn't realised I'd seen the movie adaptation (or that there even was a movie adaptation) until after I'd started reading. Scenes from the film, and Keira Knightley standing by the fountain, gradually came back to me, but not to the point where I remembered what was going to happen, and so the book was a complete surprise. What adept writing. And structure. Just, wow. The writing is so good that it almost draws attention to itself. When we learn later in the metafictive section about Briony The Writer, the reasons for this earlier style of writing become apparent. Apart from McEwan's ability to write in several different styles, I'm impressed that a grown man has attempted to write the character of an adolescent girl. I'm of the opinion that men and women aren't all that different and that there's no reason why men couldn't write female characters, given enough empathy and imagination, but so few attempt it. McEwan's portrait of the young Briony, and of Lola and Cecelia show that men (at least, some men) are more than capable of writing great female characters.
    • 4/5
      I really wish I would've known about the book before seeing the movie, because of course I would've read the novel first. Because I saw the movie first, the book seemed a bit drawn out, overly descriptive and tedious. I felt like I could skip a few paragraphs, or even pages, and still not have missed out on the overall plot. This is a great reason I don't like watching the movies before reading the book. That said, I did absolutely love the original story line and overall plot. The exploitation of a child's innocence was taken in a grim view of over-fantasized dramatic life sequences that played off of that child's objection to reality, and later, guilt. This novel is quite the page turner.
    • 5/5
      McEwan's writing is outstanding. He begins the story in the past, at a family gathering in 1935, then jumps ahead to WWII. His account of events at Dunkirk were graphic but the description of nursing that followed was, if anything, more horrific. And then comes the astonishing conclusion. Well-deserving of all the accolades.
    • 4/5
      There are many layers to this book. Very interesting. Stays with you.
    • 4/5
      Ian McEwan is masterful with descriptive language. He did not fail with "Atonement". McEwan carefully crafted the psychological and emotional essences of his characters, so that the reader is able to predict and understand why they act the way they do. Unfortunately, I became bored with such lengthy and deliberate descriptions, although, until completion of the novel, it was evident why such time was dedicated to this craft. I struggled to read the novel, as I hated Briony and wanted to read more about Cecilia and Robby. I'm still not sure I'm ok with Briony not having suffered some more despicable consequences for her actions. I guess I wanted more external revenge.
    • 3/5
      I can't tell you how many times I picked this book up at the bookstore, because the story sounded good, but when I flipped through it, the prose put me off. I'm a chick lit kind of gal, and this book looked too...dense. But, when I found a copy at my local friends of the library store, I decided to give it a try, because it only cost $1.It took a LONG time to get into this book. By page 75, I still felt like I was waiting for something to hook me in. But it wasn't long before I was reading every chance I got, to see what would unfold next. Even the middle part of the book, the part that dealt with the war, held my interest, and I don't usually care for war stories.BUT--and this is a big but--the ending just really irritated me to no end. I hated it. If I had not read the epilogue, I probably would have been left with a better view of this book. As it is, all I can think of now is how much I absolutely hated the ending. Although, I have to admit, I don't usually feel so strongly about a book, so even though it was a negative emotion, it still had a powerful affect on me, and I suppose that's the point?I seriously doubt I'll read anything else by Ian McEwan.Off to add the movie to my Netflix queue now, to see how well it was translated into film.
    • 4/5
      Atonement is a beautifully written novel by Ian McEwan. In the first half of the book he describes in all detail one day in 1935, that changes the lives of all people involved. Unfortunately I did see the movie before I read the book, so I knew about the ending. That kind of takes the excitement away, so I can recommend to you all to read the book before watching the film. McEwan shows in this book his great writing skills. What a talent!
    • 2/5
      I'm afraid me and Ian McEwan just don't get on. Something about his prose just falls completely flat for me, even when his story is compelling -- and I didn't find the opening of Atonement particularly compelling, unlike Enduring Love, so there wasn't that to propel me onwards with it. It just took too long to get anywhere that interested me, and while characterisation and setting felt right, felt real, it was just... boring, for me.

      I did, in the end, enjoy the ending: I thought that was clever, and it rang true. But it was too much of a struggle to get there. For this stage in my life, at least, this is my last attempt at reading Ian McEwan's work.
    • 2/5
      I thought that I'd love this book, since it is a period piece (and I love history). And truly, the parts of this book that I enjoyed were those which contained a bit of history. I do believe that it is a good story, and apart from some very drawn out portions was enjoyable to read. My complaint with the book lies in how the ending showed that the story was secondary, if not meaningless. When I invest time in a novel I don't want to be shown that in the end it was all a waste. I felt used by the author, as if he specifically tried to belittle me by flaunting his power as author. Whatever. I've no desire to read anything else by Ian McEwan.
    • 2/5
      Let me preface this by saying I have read many assigned books in my life and I am open to giving each and every a chance, and even though many don't leave me interested in more of it, it's always an okay read at least. This was the first read I absolutely hated.
      The writing is alright for those who enjoy great detail even in mundane things. If you want my opinion, skip the entirety of the first part. It will make you so mad that you won't want to read the rest of the book, even though the rest is relatively alright in comparison. If you feel the need to step into the first part, there are sexual scenes ranging from pretty wonderful writing that could replace Fifty Shades of Gray any day to so horrid that very little description is given at all to reflect it.
      Wasn't worth the read, especially after you realize the plot twist in the last chapter. Read if you're into gritting your teeth.
    • 3/5
      I know I'm supposed to appreciate literary fiction and look past the actual entertainment factor to discover the beauty of this novel... The trouble is, part one was slow, part two was repetitive, and I began reading every other paragraph just so that I could get to the end of part three. It still made perfect sense which to me means it was a little verbose. I didn't enjoy it. It was a lot less engaging than I expected it to be, but I could still tell that it was a fantastic literary book and the ending was perfect. I wouldn’t recommend it, but I wouldn’t ward people off either.
    • 4/5
      I will give this story credit for teaching me something about myself: it showed me that I do not appreciate eloquent prose if there is not a compelling story wrapped within it. On the surface, "Atonement" has the makings of a compelling story, but it buries its narrative ideas within layer upon layer of relentless plumbing of character psyches, all for the sake of a gimmick to lay out a psychology of writing. It takes far too long to get to the actual story in the first part of the book, and far too little time is spent on the main event's aftermath. There are some poignant scenes in the second part, particularly regarding the wartime nurse's perspective, but if that is the kind of thing you want to read, there are better and more rewarding books about war. Briony's character reveals about two/thirds of the way through the novel that all of the criticisms that were forming in my mind as I read through were probably intentional on McEwan's part; that does not make them any less irritating to me. If all the accolades plastered on the covers and front pages of this book mean that story really matters less than form, then I owe an apology to all the adult fanatics of YA literature I've criticised over the years, and I'd better hang up my hopes of ever becoming a novelist.
    • 5/5
      This is the first of Ian McEwan's works that I have found, and I am looking forward to reading more by this brilliant author. He is an amazing writer with a profound ability to get completely inside the heads - and souls - of his characters. The most lackluster, trivial details of everyday life and common personality are brought vividly and fascinatingly to life. McEwan is a genius writer.The book itself was well written and interesting. The writing style is detailed and beautiful, yet the events and characters are edgy and darkly serious. The combination is, to say the least, a good one.The first half of the book, in which time passes quickly and the characters are being developed wondrously, had me believing that I was currently reading one of new favorite books.However, the second half of "Atonement," comprised of a very different plot - love letters and war - rather than betrayal and secrets, was not as exciting or interesting to read. I thought that the plot began to dissipate, and the reader is still unsure at the end, exactly what Part 2 was all about.An amazing book - but sadly, the story did not carry it's strength far enough into the story.4.5 stars out of 5
    • 2/5
      I had to quit reading this book after about the first 100 pages, and I am a person that NEVER quits reading a book or watching a movie, no matter how bad it is. I just got so bored of it that I just watched the movie instead, which was something I was waiting to do after I completed the book originally. I found myself predicting everything that was going to happen from about 20 pages previous, and I hadn't even read plot spoilers from the movie! It was just way too slow-moving for me. Maybe I will go back and give it another try one day, but it might take a while for me to work up the motivation...
    • 4/5
      Not my favorite McEwan but still good. Not as much edge as his earlier novels
    • 4/5
      "It wasn't only wickedness and scheming that made people unhappy, it was confusion and misunderstanding; above all, it was the failure to grasp the simple truth that other people are as real as you."On the hottest day of 1934, looking out of a bedroom window 13 year-old Briony Tallis sees her older sister Cecelia strip to her underwear and plunge into the fountain in the garden of their parent's country house watched their childhood friend Robbie Turner, the son of the family's cleaning woman. Briony misinterprets what she has seen and by the end of the day all their lives will have changed forever.This is the sixth book by McEwan that I've read and on the whole they've left me disappointed, with the exception of 'The Child in Time.' Now I have mixed feelings about this one. At times I found it predictable and plodding, far too many sentences seemed to have been written for the pleasure of writing them rather than with the reader in mind, those long passive sentences take a bit to unravel . The story often meanders and the description of the horrors in France is very good yet somehow also felt detached which only really made sense when I got to the final section. In truth McEwan's descriptions are very vivid but when they come instead of plot its frustrating. Yet oddly I also found it compelling and probably my favourite of the author's books that I've read.I think its only fair that I should point out at this juncture that I've never seen the movie adaptation of this book ,never really wanted to, but may have to now.
    • 4/5
      In 1935, 13-year-old Briony is witness to a sexual assault, but thanks to a series of bad assumptions, her limited child's viewpoint, and a willingness to let herself express more certainty than was actually justified, she identifies the wrong man, only admitting her mistake to herself years later. The result is a novel about guilt, but also about human fallibility, the art of writing, and war.I can't say it's my favorite of the McEwan novels I've read so far -- that might be Enduring Love, actually -- but it does remind me of a thought I've had about McEwan's writing before: that his characters are so realistically human that they make me realize, with a sense of startlement, just how fictional everyone else's are.
    • 5/5
      This was objectively an excellent novel but fair warning: if you watched the movie (even if you only watched it once when it came out, over a decade ago) reading the book is absolutely spoiled by already knowing the big reveal at the end. I thought after all this time it wouldn't matter, but it did! I'll look forward to reading an Ian McEwan book that I haven't seen in movie form as I like his characters and style very much.