On the hottest day of the summer of 1935, 13-year-old Briony Tallis sees her older sister Cecilia strip off her clothes and plunge into the fountain in the garden of their country house. Watching Cecilia is their housekeeper's son Robbie Turner, a childhood friend who, along with Briony's sister, has recently graduated from Cambridge.
By the end of the day the lives of all three will have been changed forever. Robbie and Cecilia will have crossed a boundary they had not dared to approach and will have become victims of the younger girl's scheming imagination. And Briony will have committed a dreadful crime, the guilt for which will color her entire life.
Atonement is at its center a profound, and profoundly moving, exploration of shame and forgiveness, and the difficulty in absolution.
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"As I started Atonement, I wasn't sure what to expect. About a quarter of the way through, I almost put it down. I'm so glad I didn't. This engaging story is very thought provoking and deals with some pretty difficult issues. I found the final pages completely engrossing. This is going to be one of those books I don't stop thinking about for a long time. Not for everyone, but if you are looking for something that will make you think, this is a good one." — Tracy (4 out of 5 stars)
"As I started Atonement, I wasn't sure what to expect. About a quarter of the way through, I almost put it down. I'm so glad I didn't. This engaging story is very thought provoking and deals with some pretty difficult issues. I found the final pages completely engrossing. This is going to be one of those books I don't stop thinking about for a long time. Not for everyone, but if you are looking for something that will make you think, this is a good one."
" This book has stayed with me for a long time. An almost terrifying reminder of how powerful a lie can become, and what damage petty jealousy can create. "
" I could not put the book down the last 100 pages, which is rare for me. Good read. "
" A true bestseller. This was just...ay, I cried so much, but its message was so clear to me. A keeper. "
" Novella that vividly portrays all that can go wrong on a wedding night in rural England, when two people come together who are rather naive, relatively damaged, well-intended, and fearful of confrontation. "
" Read this some time ago, a brilliant book which despite me flatly refusing to attend church, a rather remarkable person who happened to be my local vicar lent to me. A naive but imaginative 13 year old misrepresents a situation, then spends a lifetime trying to work out how to atone for her actions which had had dire consequences. "
" I loved the nuances of the characters reactions , subtly dramatic & satisfying "
" better than the film. I really enjoyed this book "
" Not worth it. Put it down and walk away. "
" Quite enjoyed it although I found the conclusion wanting. "
" This book did not end the way I wanted it to but it was still great! "
" in my opinion, this story was ok. the beginning was exciting, but since im not very interested in war books it was hard to read through the majority of the story. otherwise, the story line was great and i recommend this to people who do enjoy war stories "
" A difficult read as everything in me wanted the inevitable not to happen. Years after I finished the book (and saw the wonderfully adapted film), I would wonder how anybody like Brionny could cope over a lifetime with the levels of guilt. A book that haunts. "
" My dearly departed cousin who was brilliant loved old Ian, so I tried. But not so much, my sweet, Nan. I'd give anything to be actually talking to you about books again. Loved the title. Increase awareness for ovarian cancer! It's a quick but cruel silent killer. "
" Not bad. Not sure how I feel about the ending. "
" Starts slowly but then, WOW! A complex and beautiful thriller/period piece. Stick with it and you will be riveted. "
" Really wanted to like it but I just couldn't get into it. "
" This was well written, but for me it was not worth reading because of all the fowl language. I had a different (and much more satisfying) ending in mind as well. Not one I would recommend to my friends. "
" Well written, English family drama. Not my cup of tea but a good story. "
" Uff-da. Beautiful prose and heart-wrenching story. My favorite parts are probably where McEwan draws thin the veil between the story and the writing process. "
" I didn't really like it. "
" A heartbreaking story, when you realized in the end that the so called "happy ending" was created by Briony Tallis herself to (most probably) covers her guilt towards her sister Cecilia Tallis and Robbie Turner. A very brilliant story with a heartache spin. "
" Amazing novel with a disturbing ending. "
" I think this was my second Ian McEwan book- Saturday is my favourite but I strongly enjoyed this- much better than the movie-thoguh Kiera Knightley's green dress in the movie is stunning :) "
" An exquisitely written, intriguing and compelling novel about a life time spent atoning for the mistake of a 13 year old girl. "
" A truly captivating story of how one single unfortunate incident affects the lives of the people involved. "
" I enjoyed it even though it was depressing. Briony's child like naivete and audacity was well written. And the ending was tragic as they sometimes are. "
" I wish that I hadn't seen the movie, because I think the story works best if you can let it unfold and not try to guess at what happens next. The writing it beautiful "
" There is a reason this was made into a movie. Best McEwan book I've read. "
" One of the best books that I have ever read, period. "
" Was a little disappointed in this book. It was just ok. "
" Three-point-five stars was what I had in mind. But four-stars will do. I love the prose, the momentum of its flow. And it's quiet a sad book. I suppose the best method of atonement is storytelling, especially the way story can revise something in memory, "
" This was a book I chose to read picked out for my in depth study in English this winter. Mostly because I've seen the movie and liked that very much. For me "Atonement" was a good thinking book, with a lot of nice descriptions. "
" Consistently amazing sentence construction, though at some points the narrative seemed a bit soft. "
" Intelligent and captivating read. "
" I'm not sure if I was just reading this book at the wrong time or if I really couldn't just get into it but after almost 1/3 of the way through, I still wasn't pulled in. Every time I started reading it, I struggled to stay focused. Finally I just gave up and moved on. "
" Drama!! nggak jelek jelek banget, tapi sayangnya aku jg nggak terlalu suka ama drama. "
" The prose is gorgeous, the story is heartbreaking. Love it. "
" The novel takes you on an exploration of shame and a journey to find absolution for one’s actions. Great story with a very sad ending. It was a difficult read at times, but overall,I enjoyed the journey. "
Ian McEwan is the author of more than a dozen books, including either New York Times bestsellers. His novel Amsterdam won the 1998 Book Prize; Atonement, won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the W. H. Smith Literary Award; and The Child in Time won the Whitbread Award. His story collection, First Love, Last Rites, won the Somerset Maugham Award.
Josephine Bailey’s impeccable narrations include the British classics Jane Eyre and The Secret Garden. She has also used her subtly nuanced style to enliven historical fiction and light romances. She has won nine AudioFile Earphones Awards and been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award.
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