Atonement

Atonement by Ian McEwan

What was this book about?
A rich family comes together to celebrate a homecoming, and what follows it is tragedy. The only witness is 13 year old Briony Tallis who just has no understanding of the complexity of what she is about to do. Her misunderstanding and childish way of dealing with things causes heartbreak and general discord amongst her family that will reverberate for years.

You follow the family and other “actors” in this story to various locations and throughout their lives. From World War II, to nursing facilities, to (almost) present day, you see how one act can change everything.

What was your favorite part about this book?
The romance between Cecelia and Robbie is probably the thing I liked the most. They just seemed real as described in this book. No people were perfect, more like someone you could meet on the street.

What was your least favorite part about this book?
I found the detailed war scenes just not that exciting. Obviously they play on the story in how that relates to his feelings for Cecelia. But to me it was a separate section that I really didn’t care for.

What genre would you consider this?
Fiction

Overall: C, I actually am more excited about the movie then the book at this point. I am sure for some people this would enjoy it more but for me it was so-so.

Possible Spoilers: I wish I knew more about where they were now. The lifelong repercussions were discussed but never actually shown.

If I was to nominate this book for an award it would be: Most Depressing Love Story