---
product_id: 4568277
title: "Atonement: A Novel"
price: "€ 33.25"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.at/products/4568277-atonement-a-novel
store_origin: AT
region: Austria
---

# Atonement: A Novel

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## Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A s ymphonic novel of love and war, childhood and class, guilt and forgiveness that provides all the satisfaction of a brilliant narrative and the provocation we have come to expect from the acclaimed Booker Prize–winning, internationally bestselling author. One of the New York Times ’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century • A Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Book of the Century “A beautiful and majestic fictional panorama.” —John Updike, The New Yorker On a hot summer day in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses a moment’s flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant and Cecilia’s childhood friend. But Briony’s incomplete grasp of adult motives—together with her precocious literary gifts—brings about a crime that will change all their lives. As it follows that crime’s repercussions through the chaos and carnage of World War II and into the close of the twentieth century, Atonement engages the reader on every conceivable level, with an ease and authority that mark it as a genuine masterpiece.

Review: The Author leaves you breathless - In a time when we are blessed with a wealth of gifted writers, even though we still mourn the passing of the likes of WG Sebald, it is still a wonder to encounter a work of the magnitude of Ian McEwan's current masterwork ATONEMENT. Aside from he fact that McEwan has been consistently placing his fine, terse novels such as AMSTERDAM and ENDURING LOVE before us, there is little to prepare us for the grandeur of his magnum opus ATONEMENT. We have grown to expect this author's mastery of the English language, his uncanny sense of timing in creating stories that push forward fresh tales with the speed of a locomotive while finding beauty everywhere in the nature that he sees like few others. But nothing has prepared us for this masterwork. The story of ATONEMENT is well told by others commenting at this website. What makes this illuminating novel so momentous is the crux of a story at once seeming so simple but ending as an indelible landmark in contemporary writing. This is a contemplation of morality, of love, of the unspeakable disaster of war, of the indefatigable resources of the human soul, of the staggering implications of a lie from the lips of a child of what ever age, and of mortality, of love. If the first chapters of this book feel slow, making the reader ask why are we detailing every move of what appears to be another languid, hot summer day in a 1935 English household, we are slowly discovering this is a well paced prelude to the brassy blast that WWII exploded throughout the world. A family gathering becomes a microcosm for exploring the thoughtless poisons that produce devastating wars. Once the tale begins to unravel there is no turning back on the series of events that continue to surprise and amaze us and maintain a tension so great that only the interludes of McEwan's matchless descriptions of nature provide breathing room. The author creates characters so adroitly painted that they are destined to become enduring literary names to reference when describing archetypes like Stephen Daedelus, Holden Caulfield, etc. His ability to draw us into the war plains of Dunkirk, the hospitals of war-torn England, the mossy lawns of English gentry is matched only by his ingenious ability to go back and forth from character to character, from chapter to chapter, showing all the retracings of thoughts and deeds as seen by his various characters. While reading this magical book I was tempted to remember phrases to use while reviewing, phrases that were such beautiful examples of how fine a wordsmith McEwan is, but that endeavor was quashed when I realized that such phrases and word pictures of drama and still lifes were on all 351 pages of this opus. To try to entice raders by such quotations would be robbing them of the joy of discovery when this book falls hopefully in the hands of everyone who loves literature, who needs nourishment of the sould, who cherishes fine writing. To say more would be unfair. Read with welcome. Grady Harp, June 16
Review: Brilliant in spots, some overall issues - The first two parts of Atonement are brilliant. Part One features an inside look at a somewhat benignly dysfunctional early 20th-Century upper-class British family. There are segments written from the point of view of virtually every family member, and McEwan manages to powerfully convey the lifestyle and attitudes of not just the Tallis family, but of a segment of English society that really resonated for me. With the exception of a couple of minor passages that are a bit overwraught, the writing is wonderfully efficient, with everything having a place and importance, but with an effective pacing that isn't hurried. Part Two features the experiences of one of the main characters (Robbie) in France, 1940, during the Dunkirk evactuation. This experience is apparently based on the letters from actual participants, and it shows in a real authenticity that makes it hard to believe that the author really *wasn't* there. This section really is better than a lot of non-fiction writing on the war, and like the first section, really manages to capture a time, place, and a real person caught in it. Part Three is where the novel starts to fray a bit at the edges. We get another wonderful descriptive bit with the main character, Briony, and her experience as a nurse in a wartime hospital. But, it also starts to reveal what I believe is the key weakness of the book, and that's in the characters. All the wonderful setup done in part one (and to a lesser degree part 2) starts to fail to pay off here, as the characters seem to have been cast by their experiences in the first part - their development seems to abrubtly stop there despite just entering the primes of their lives. There is a scene between Briony, Robbie, and Cecilia that feels especially contrived. As it turns out, perhaps this particular scene is *supposed* to feel contrived! But that leads us too... The last part (only about 15 pages!) is the most intruiging and also, to me, the least successful. Because as it turns out, despite the quality of the writing in the first sections, Atonement is a gimmick book. There are significant signals as to the nature of the novel throughout the first 3 parts, but it's unlikely to be enough to reveal the truth to all but the most attentive of readers. I think most will clearly realize that it's a novel-within-a-novel (and McEwen does some really interesting things here, with the style of the different sections undergoing important changes as the novelist-within-the-novelist matures), but there is more, and it's that "more" that causes some problems in interpreting the book. As it turns out (trying here to be somewhat circumspect), the novel is not *about* Atonement, it *is* Atonement, and is really *about* the writer's craft. The details of this "surprise ending that makes you rethink the entire book" not only really didn't work for me, but actually caused me to devalue the novel as a whole and walk away somewhat unsatisfied. When Atonement was "about" the trauma of growing up as a girl in a repressive English household in a repressive society, or the struggle for survival in a war zone or sanity in a hospital treating the mass of war wounded, it had power for me. When it turned out to "just" be "about" an application of the writer's craft, it lost a great deal of its resonance (and it seemed to needlessly aggrandize the power of the writer, although I suppose this point is open to interpretation - perhaps this just reflects Briony's desparation). Anyway, there was just no emotional payoff on all of the really powerful events many of the characters experience, just a small intellectual one on the nature of writing, and not being a writer myself, all of a sudden the relevance of the book to me seemed to rapidly fade. Regardless of how good the first 300 pages were, it's the last few that leave the lasting impression. This ending is somewhat unfortunate, because after a slightly slow start, the book is frequently very well-written and really did keep me engrossed through most of it. And the meta-nature of the novel within a novel is a very interesting premise that is well-executed until the very end. So I do recommend this book for the brilliant work in the first two parts, and part of the third - they really are that good. And the novel-within-a-novel format is well-executed and interesting. It's just a shame that the payoff is an intellectual unravelling of threads and motivations and analysis of writing rather than somthing with real emotional power.

## Features

- Paperback
- by Ian McEwan

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #12,687 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #75 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction #159 in Family Saga Fiction #759 in Literary Fiction (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 10,900 Reviews |

## Images

![Atonement: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71Lpo7nMswL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Author leaves you breathless
*by G***P on April 13, 2002*

In a time when we are blessed with a wealth of gifted writers, even though we still mourn the passing of the likes of WG Sebald, it is still a wonder to encounter a work of the magnitude of Ian McEwan's current masterwork ATONEMENT. Aside from he fact that McEwan has been consistently placing his fine, terse novels such as AMSTERDAM and ENDURING LOVE before us, there is little to prepare us for the grandeur of his magnum opus ATONEMENT. We have grown to expect this author's mastery of the English language, his uncanny sense of timing in creating stories that push forward fresh tales with the speed of a locomotive while finding beauty everywhere in the nature that he sees like few others. But nothing has prepared us for this masterwork. The story of ATONEMENT is well told by others commenting at this website. What makes this illuminating novel so momentous is the crux of a story at once seeming so simple but ending as an indelible landmark in contemporary writing. This is a contemplation of morality, of love, of the unspeakable disaster of war, of the indefatigable resources of the human soul, of the staggering implications of a lie from the lips of a child of what ever age, and of mortality, of love. If the first chapters of this book feel slow, making the reader ask why are we detailing every move of what appears to be another languid, hot summer day in a 1935 English household, we are slowly discovering this is a well paced prelude to the brassy blast that WWII exploded throughout the world. A family gathering becomes a microcosm for exploring the thoughtless poisons that produce devastating wars. Once the tale begins to unravel there is no turning back on the series of events that continue to surprise and amaze us and maintain a tension so great that only the interludes of McEwan's matchless descriptions of nature provide breathing room. The author creates characters so adroitly painted that they are destined to become enduring literary names to reference when describing archetypes like Stephen Daedelus, Holden Caulfield, etc. His ability to draw us into the war plains of Dunkirk, the hospitals of war-torn England, the mossy lawns of English gentry is matched only by his ingenious ability to go back and forth from character to character, from chapter to chapter, showing all the retracings of thoughts and deeds as seen by his various characters. While reading this magical book I was tempted to remember phrases to use while reviewing, phrases that were such beautiful examples of how fine a wordsmith McEwan is, but that endeavor was quashed when I realized that such phrases and word pictures of drama and still lifes were on all 351 pages of this opus. To try to entice raders by such quotations would be robbing them of the joy of discovery when this book falls hopefully in the hands of everyone who loves literature, who needs nourishment of the sould, who cherishes fine writing. To say more would be unfair. Read with welcome. Grady Harp, June 16

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Brilliant in spots, some overall issues
*by C***L on April 8, 2002*

The first two parts of Atonement are brilliant. Part One features an inside look at a somewhat benignly dysfunctional early 20th-Century upper-class British family. There are segments written from the point of view of virtually every family member, and McEwan manages to powerfully convey the lifestyle and attitudes of not just the Tallis family, but of a segment of English society that really resonated for me. With the exception of a couple of minor passages that are a bit overwraught, the writing is wonderfully efficient, with everything having a place and importance, but with an effective pacing that isn't hurried. Part Two features the experiences of one of the main characters (Robbie) in France, 1940, during the Dunkirk evactuation. This experience is apparently based on the letters from actual participants, and it shows in a real authenticity that makes it hard to believe that the author really *wasn't* there. This section really is better than a lot of non-fiction writing on the war, and like the first section, really manages to capture a time, place, and a real person caught in it. Part Three is where the novel starts to fray a bit at the edges. We get another wonderful descriptive bit with the main character, Briony, and her experience as a nurse in a wartime hospital. But, it also starts to reveal what I believe is the key weakness of the book, and that's in the characters. All the wonderful setup done in part one (and to a lesser degree part 2) starts to fail to pay off here, as the characters seem to have been cast by their experiences in the first part - their development seems to abrubtly stop there despite just entering the primes of their lives. There is a scene between Briony, Robbie, and Cecilia that feels especially contrived. As it turns out, perhaps this particular scene is *supposed* to feel contrived! But that leads us too... The last part (only about 15 pages!) is the most intruiging and also, to me, the least successful. Because as it turns out, despite the quality of the writing in the first sections, Atonement is a gimmick book. There are significant signals as to the nature of the novel throughout the first 3 parts, but it's unlikely to be enough to reveal the truth to all but the most attentive of readers. I think most will clearly realize that it's a novel-within-a-novel (and McEwen does some really interesting things here, with the style of the different sections undergoing important changes as the novelist-within-the-novelist matures), but there is more, and it's that "more" that causes some problems in interpreting the book. As it turns out (trying here to be somewhat circumspect), the novel is not *about* Atonement, it *is* Atonement, and is really *about* the writer's craft. The details of this "surprise ending that makes you rethink the entire book" not only really didn't work for me, but actually caused me to devalue the novel as a whole and walk away somewhat unsatisfied. When Atonement was "about" the trauma of growing up as a girl in a repressive English household in a repressive society, or the struggle for survival in a war zone or sanity in a hospital treating the mass of war wounded, it had power for me. When it turned out to "just" be "about" an application of the writer's craft, it lost a great deal of its resonance (and it seemed to needlessly aggrandize the power of the writer, although I suppose this point is open to interpretation - perhaps this just reflects Briony's desparation). Anyway, there was just no emotional payoff on all of the really powerful events many of the characters experience, just a small intellectual one on the nature of writing, and not being a writer myself, all of a sudden the relevance of the book to me seemed to rapidly fade. Regardless of how good the first 300 pages were, it's the last few that leave the lasting impression. This ending is somewhat unfortunate, because after a slightly slow start, the book is frequently very well-written and really did keep me engrossed through most of it. And the meta-nature of the novel within a novel is a very interesting premise that is well-executed until the very end. So I do recommend this book for the brilliant work in the first two parts, and part of the third - they really are that good. And the novel-within-a-novel format is well-executed and interesting. It's just a shame that the payoff is an intellectual unravelling of threads and motivations and analysis of writing rather than somthing with real emotional power.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Emotionally draining yet resounding in its importance and significance, completely worth the read...
*by A***N on September 10, 2007*

Upon reading `Atonement' one is completely removed from their lives, their places of dwelling and time of departure and transplanted to a place where nothing is familiar yet everything is impressionable. Being the first novel I've read by the acclaimed novelist Ian McEwan I was immediately made aware of his immense talent. The tale presented to the reader is one of remarkable effectiveness, one that is truly relatable and believable and in the end of dire importance for its overall moral is one that transcends the boundaries of this prose and cements itself in our very being, in our every interaction and in our constant memory. Separated into four sections `Atonement' is broken down in such a way as to make the true conclusion all the more shocking and heartbreaking. Part one retells the events on one especially harsh summer day in 1935. I say `especially harsh' mainly because by the days end events take place that harshly affect the lives of everyone involved. 13-yearold Briony Tallis is a smart and imaginative young girl and she becomes the main focus of our attention as we hear of the day's events. As she attempts to orchestrate a theatrical production in honor of her brother Leon's arrival home she is met with a few snags and some ominous distractions that put her initial plans on hold and send her into a newfound direction. As the relationship between her older sister Cecilia and their housekeepers son Robbie begins to take a turn Briony finds herself in the know of a serious misunderstanding that changes the course of everyone's lives. With their three cousins Lola, Jackson and Pierrot visiting as well as Leon's friend Paul Marshall the house is quite full on the evening in question, so when events take a turn for the worse there are so many more eyes to cast their judgment. Briony is a very interesting character. I found it truly fascinating as her character unveiled itself with each turning page. Her immaturity is emphasized by her incessant need to be the mature one despite her inability to do so. She's lost in her writing, an obsession that causes her to read deeply into matters that aren't her concern and imagine the possibilities no matter how devastating they may become. She also allows the actions of others to affect her too deeply, finding herself reacting irrationally and this leaves her in a position to do much harm. It's hard for the reader not to find themselves calling Briony out as the villain here, for it's her needless actions that cause so much pain, but in reality she's nothing more than a young child who was invested in a poor decision. So, with an accusation made and a terrible crime committed we brace ourselves for the second and third parts of the novel where we follow Robbie and Briony respectably as they strive to patch up their lives. Robbie has been through hell, literally, and in the second part of the novel we follow his journey as he strives to get home from the war. The horrors he is witness to, the atrocities he is privy to are all sprawled out for us is detail, as is his dire need to be reunited with his lost love Cecilia. The third part covers Briony's struggles as a nurse during the war, but more importantly her struggles within herself for some ounce of atonement for her sins. She has grown up since that summer day, not only in age but in understanding, and she is finally able to grasp the seriousness of her lies. The pain she has caused will never fully be undone, but she desires to do all she can to write them. The novel opens with such a brilliantly conceived idea, and is so effortlessly and elegantly penned that one is immediately engulfed in its design. I for one could not put it down and read the entire first section in one sitting. Sadly the second a third sections do not read as briskly, but their importance is all the more secured by the closing section as elderly Briony recounts her actions and the ultimate consequences of them all. The final pages are chilling to say the least, and are completely unexpected, so much so that the tears running down my face had all but dried before I realized I was crying. `Atonement' is a brilliantly orchestrated tale of pain, despair, loyalty, betrayal and the ultimate yearning to make amends, to find atonement for our sins and attain forgiveness for our souls. Truly one of the most inspiring and ultimately absorbing novels I've read to date.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Atonement: A Novel
- Never Let Me Go

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*Last updated: 2026-06-04*