Atonement - Ian McEwan Reviews

First Published in 2001, Atonement is on of McEwan's best selling novels winning unanimous praise by the worlds literature critics, but perhaps is also known for splitting the public opinion. Since its best selling status, it has officially been revered as a British Classic slotting into line with titles from Bronte, Conan Doyle and ...  Read the complete review

I'm a great fan of Ian McEwan, and this novel is one of his best in my opinion. He provides us with a very compelling story, drawing us into the lies of the narrator and leaves us with that slight sense of being unnerved, that Mc Ewan does so well, as we watch Briony's lies destroy the lives around her. The strength of this ...  Read the complete review

This novel, now a film, is set in the 1930s, World War Two and then the present day and centres around a love affair and a lie told by a child, which seriously affects several character's lives - indeed changes them forever. It's difficult to go into the plot too much, because there's a pretty big plot twist. I really ...  Read the complete review

After reading Ian McEwan's 'Saturday', I felt that he possibly wan't an aurthor that I would read much more of, not that 'Saturday' wasn't a good book, but it just wasn't my preferred genre. However, I gave him another chance, and I was pleased because Atonement is an absolutely fantastic novel! In fact, I was amazed at how versatile ...  Read the complete review

I read this as part of my A-Level English Literature course, however, it quickly became one of my favourite books, because of the intrigue it has throughout. Written by Ian McEwan, this novel explores life around the time of World War Two. Briony is an 11-year old girl, who is used to living in her large house at ...  Read the complete review

Ian McEwan - Atonement A great book with interesting themes, published in 2002 by Vintage. The book gets off to a brilliantly gripping start, I think the start of the book was easily the best part, and i found that you could really relate to the powerful adolescent emotions between some of the main characters. The second ...  Read the complete review

Just returned off holiday and took this book on holiday after hearing about the film but not seen it yet - but am now desperate to to get another 'atonement' fix. The book was so good I couldn't put it down and instead of working on the sintan (like I normally do) I had my face buried in the book until completion. I do have to say though ...  Read the complete review

ISBN: 9780099507383 I read this book after seeing the film version. This book was first published in the UK in 2001; the film was released in 2007. I bought this book shortly after seeing the film at the cinema, it was on offer for £3.98 in Tesco, the RRP is £7.99 so I got it for half price; a bargain. The ...  Read the complete review

~~~Prelude~~~ I finished reading 'Atonement' by Ian McEwan at around 1.30 in the morning, because I simply could not put it down before I'd got to the end. After a slow, but steady, start the novel jolts you into places you are not expecting (unless you've seen the film or read the reviews, which I hadn't) and draws you into the ...  Read the complete review

?Atonement ? the act of atoning; expiation; reparations; reconciliation?* ?Atonement? is Ian McEwan?s critically acclaimed eighth novel which was short-listed for the Booker Prize in 2001. Many critics have said that it is far superior to his Booker winning ?Amsterdam?, but as I haven?t read any of McEwan?s previous work I ...  Read the complete review

The terms masterpiece, classic, work of genius are so overused these days that they have become little more than anther tool in the armoury of the publisher’s PR department. We simply can’t tell what the long term effect of a book will be, whether it will still be important decades or centuries from now. Bearing ...  Read the complete review

Like a lot of people I am sure, this was the first ian McEwan book I had read. i work in a bookshop and noticed how it was literally walking out the door and everyone was talking about it so I picked it up and started reading. What struck me initially was how expansive the novel is - it moves from family relationships to the ...  Read the complete review

'Atonement' is first Ian McEwan novel I've read and in the moments that followed turning the final page I can honestly say it is with great regret that it has taken me this long to become acquainted with his work. Such is the impeccable characterisation, the tightly controlled prose and the sumptuous description that the ...  Read the complete review

"Atonement" is Ian McEwan's latest novel and according to the jacket of the hardback edition, "his finest achievement". The first part of the story opens on the hottest day of 1935. Thirteen year old Briony Tallis watches from a distance as her Cambridge graduate sister, Cecilia, strips off to her ...  Read the complete review

What can one say about Ian McEwan that won't be cliched or, worse, seen as Jill-bashing? We can roll out cliches till the sheep come home (or was it the cows? Englishmen and -women, please come to my rescue... enlighten me!): "McEwan one either loves or hates"; "McEwan's writing is lush, metaphoric"; ...  Read the complete review

Atonement is certainly a lot more substantial than McEwan's last novel, Amsterdam, for which he was awarded the Booker Prize in 1998. No-one is going to read it in an hour, whilst simultaneously conducting a bank transaction over the telephone, as Will Self said he did with Amsterdam. There are three parts to Atonement. Part ...  Read the complete review