Atonement by Ian McEwan
What can I say, the novel made me just as mad as the movie did! In all fairness, I saw the movie first. I don’t usually read the book after I watch the movie, but I found that the movie made me want to know more about how the story was written. I wanted to know the order in which it was told, POV, clues, etc. I truly think that the movie did a great job “telling” this story and I feel satisfied after having read the novel too.
I will start by saying that this story is beautifully written, with so much detail and emotion. It is really a story based on one misunderstood moment between two people. I feel like it really speaks to our modern times where we tend to misinterpret peoples actions and we assume we know what people are doing. As a society, we judge others by their mannerisms, use of words, their social standing, their age, their wealth, their education, race, gender and general lot in life. It is a great look into society and its unyielding portrayal of hierarchy and its power. And, it’s infuriating!
This book evokes anger for its unfairness, for the lies it supports, for the lives it ruins and for its lack of atonement. Yes, I said lack of atonement. The meaning of atonement is to make amends or make right what was wrong. There is never an atonement made in this novel. There are slight attempts and meaning well but never is the wrong made right. Even Briony states that she doesn’t consider herself a liar despite knowing she didn’t tell the truth.
Briony’s “crime” as identified by the narrator is that she is a liar. She is spinner of tales and a teller of tales. All of these are nice ways of saying that she makes things up…or lies. She does nothing but lie about who she saw attack Lola. She could have said it was too dark to be sure who it was and just give a description. She could have helped Lola remember what the perpetrator looked like. She could have said it was too dark to be sure. Any of these explanations would have been acceptable. The explanation that is not acceptable is that she repeatedly says she “saw him”.
I felt like it could have all been different if Robbie had never written the sexually driven note or if he had put the sweeter one in the envelope. But I guess it had already been fated that his life would not be easy from this moment. If he had just delivered the note directly to Cecilia or if Briony had never opened the note. There were so many moments that could have altered the ending for Cecilia and Robbie. Cecilia and Robbie were never given the opportunity to live a true life together so Briony should not have been absolved a lifetime of guilt. Briony describes herself as a conceited child when she reflects on that fateful night in the final chapter of the novel. She is right. That is why she never apologizes, she merely writes an alternate ending to her book where Cecilia and Robbie are together.
Did you like this novel? Was the order in which it was written affect your feelings about the story?
What was the moment you felt was pivotal to creating the series of events that lead to Robbie’s demise?
What was your opinion of Briony? Do you feel that Briony atoned for her lies?
Could Cecilia and Robbie have made a life together if Robbie hadn’t gone to prison and war? What do you think of the ending?
If you’ve seen the movie, what questions did the book answer for you? Did you prefer the movie or the book?
I really liked this book, yet I found how it was written was a little too long-winded for my taste. I felt lost after a few pages of detail and then to get back to the point! I felt like I was in AP English again!
The order in which it was written was okay. I usually like books that jump back and forth, but I think with so much detail within each chapter, it got a little much, at least for me. I’m not a huge fan of English literature type books.
I think the letter was when Robbie started sinking into a hole. I think that started to paint a picture of his character for Briony. I think she was so imaginative that whatever was written in that letter (good or bad) would have started the wheels turning in her head. Not sure if she would have made up such a horrendous lie, but I definitely think she would have fabricated anything to do with Robbie, whether it painted him in a good light or painted him as a monster.
I think Briony was delusional from the beginning. I did not have a good opinion of her from the start. There was something malicious about her and I don’t know why (maybe because I knew the premise of the story) but I knew she was up to no good. Even the way she acted when they were rehearsing the play. She just seemed to have this mentality that I wasn’t too fond of.
I do not think she atoned for what she did. I think she could have done so many things to clear his name, especially for her sisters sake. I think she sees good deeds as atonement, but none of them directly help Robbie or Cecilia.
I think they could have had a wonderful life, but the lies that surrounded them affected everything. I think it was meant to be from the start, but all of the circumstances made it hard for them to truly be. It’s amazing how one wrong act or lie can affect so many people and for so long.
I really need to see this movie! I want to see how it’s played out on screen and see if there are any missing scenes in the movie that the book dives into.
Really good book, good plot and written well, minus being too wordy! Ha!
I’m glad that you liked the overall story. I was also put off by some of the wordiness. A little was unnecessary but some of it added to the background and descriptive tone of the story. It is a common in English literature to have this long winded, flowery word structure. I sometimes feel that it adds to the story and sometimes feel that it detracts. For the most part, I think Atonement uses it to convey all of the little details that go into the “lie” at the root of the story. It’s almost as if the more details the author gives, the more we know it’s based in deceit. I felt that Briony’s depiction of what she does to atone herself and providing the full details of what happened to Cecilia and Robbie is her elaborate lie. Its deceitful because I found myself believing the end of the story only to find that she lied about it all.
I think the irony is in the title of this book. There is no atonement for what was set in motion by Briony and until the end she believes that her attempts to say something were good enough. Briony thinks that her intentions to confess were enough to reset the world.
The movie is very true to the book and vice versa. The book does provide a few answers to some untold stories in the movie but I really think the movie adaptation is a great homage to this great novel.
I agree that the title of the book doesn’t define the story. I didn’t know what to expect from just the title. I thought it would deal with the process of atonement. Very interesting to see how it all comes out in the end.
I cannot wait to see the movie! I want to see what actors they put in as these characters!
It was a very intriguing story…definitely not what I expected based on the title. It was actually named one of the top 50(?) modern books with a twist ending. It was definitely a surprise that Briony made it all up.
I need to watch the movie again (love Keira Knightly)!
I just finished Atonement (I’m playing catch up due to a lost Kindle.) All I can say is… Oh. My. Goodness.
The book started off painfully slow. I agree with Valerie… it was long-winded. The story didn’t capture me UNTIL Robbie started writing his initial letter to Cecilia to confess his feelings. Then the book really perked up. And as soon as the twins went missing I couldn’t put it the book down.
My heart aches to think that Cecilia and Robbie where never together again after their initial library tryst. I was angry at Briony through most of the book, but as we learned more and more about the war and its atrocities I found it harder and harder to be angry at her. Because I was reminded more and more frequently about how bad things can get and how so many people have had their lives ripped out from under them.
I believe the most pivotal moment in the book that led to Robbie’s demise was Briony’s reading of the letter that Robbie wrote to Cecilia. That is the moment that Briony sees Robbie as a sexual being. Until that moment, she had an innocent crush on him but didn’t consider him in the biblical sense. Also, reading the letter was an abrubt way of finding out that Robbie had affections for someone else. And her sister, none the less. The letter hit Briony like a ton of bricks. I believe this is what directly led to a series of false judgements and misconceptions on Briony’s part.
I do not feel that Briony adequately atoned for her sins. She should have released her book much sooner. Regardless of the risk of being sued. It seems cowardly to wait to release the book until everyone is dead due to litigation purposes. At a minimum, Briony should have told everyone the truth as soon as she realized it. To include her parents and the police.
I do believe that Robbie and Cecilia could have had a life together, had Robbie not gone to jail and war. Cecilia was so strong willed that I think she would have done whatever she wanted… regardless of family stature or societal rules.
I just watched the movie after finishing the book. Had I not read the book, I don’t think I would have understood the movie. The movie seemed to leave so much out. I really enjoyed the movie and seeing the director’s interpretation of all the scenes. I also thought the casting was excellent and all of the actors did a great job. The book was much more descriptive, which allowed the reader to understand the motives and feelings of the characters… items integral to the story.
Great book choice. I really liked Atonement!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this book! You’re right that the beginning was difficult to trudge through but in the end I think the details were actually necessary. I like your assessment that Briony was, in a sense, jealous of her sister and that her view of him is skewed once she realizes that Robbie favors Cecilia. It is what fuels her lies. I also agree that Briony should have come forward as soon as she realized her crime…but really I think she knew she was wrong from the beginning. Waiting until everyone has died doesn’t really help anyone, right? Briony making amends to the dead doesn’t make her “atone” for the wrongs she committed. You are much nicer than I am…I don’t think I ever felt empathy for her. I actually found her obnoxious from the beginning. Yes, the movie is very well done but after reading the book, I do feel that it fills in some of the gaps. I totally see the actors from the movie in these characters. It was well cast. I need to watch it again!