It's slow at work and so another book review submitted to Amazon. I don't get enough time to read that many books, but the long plane rides on my UK trip (and no TV at my grandmother's) afforded me the time. I picked up Atonement and McCarthy's The Road at DFW airport while awaiting my departing flight. I almost selected McEwan's Saturday instead but thought perhaps I should read the book that's brought him his recent fame. As I mention in my review, I hadn't yet read any of his work yet. Saturday may be my next novel to read though there are some non-fiction books at the front of my queue. Here's the review:
This was my first Ian McEwan read, and it was a good one. This was an interesting story though not really a whole lot happened in it, and somehow it went for a few hundred pages. The reason for that was McEwan's precise and extensive descriptions of characters' thoughts and the story's various settings. McEwan is rather amazing at imagining the possible details of a one's thoughts, details that most people might not ordinarily be conscious of, but upon reading them ring true. The limited plot is lengthened also by the story being told from several viewpoints, particularly in Part 1. It was all very intelligently done.
But was there really any atonement in this story? At least atonement when it counted? I don't know if the title really applies considering how things turned out.
I hadn't ever planned to see the movie. Seemed to be a chic flick, but after this reading, I plan to rent/on demand it. I guess by being from the England and reading it while on my recent trip there, I appreciated an English story.
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