Literary Award Winners Fiction Book Club discussion

Atonement is already broken down into three parts so we will read each part as our sections, regardless of length.

Please place spoilers behind a spoiler tag!

Hi everyone! I'm amber and I'll be your discussion leader for Atonement. :)

I've finished part I already and am looking forward to discussing it with the rest of the group.

When I was looking at some online discussions about Atonement the two biggest things people either loved or hated seemed to be McEwan's writing style, and the character of Briony. So to start us off. What do you think of the way Atonement is written? What do you think of Briony? Do you find her believable as a 13 year-old?

amber wrote: "When I was looking at some online discussions about Atonement the two biggest things people either loved or hated seemed to be McEwan's writing style, and the character of Briony. So to start us of..."

Briony is definitely believable as a precocious, intellectually gifted but socially naïve girl. The disconnect between her head and her heart is what causes her massive over-reaction to what she sees, and it's completely typical of a rather self-centered pre-adolescent to act as she does, unaware exactly how terribly her decision will affect her sister and Robbie.
The setting is part of this, of course. The Tallises live in a 1930s aristocratic British backwater that has more or less carried on living according to Edwardian--even Victorian--standards of proper behaviour and etiquette. Briony can't help inheriting this and can only react against it herself...when it's far too late to do anything constructive about it.
Enough for now. I don't think I've popped any unwitting spoilers into this response.

I read this about five years ago. I remember enjoying the writing. I found that the descriptive writing painted a lavish picture of the time as well as the specific place with well crafted characters. At first, Briony felt too precocious for reality. But, as the story unfolded and her immaturity in so many areas became apparent, I found her very credible.

I saw the movie a few years back. Can't wait to get into the book.

I read this a few years back and I remember I found her totally believable as a child.

I watched the movie a few years ago, loved it but could only manage watching it that one time. I didn't care for the character, Briony very much. The movie was very tragic but I'm curious to see what got changed and what remained the same.

Based on my slow beginning though, I don't know if I'll be finished by Sept. 30.

I watched this movie before I read the book and then read the book for a Film into Lit class (such a great class!!!!). It's been probably 4 years since I've read this one so my memory isn't entirely fresh AND I read it after seeing the movie and then saw the movie again (so I see a lot of the movie in my mind when I think of this novel). BUT, I do remember when reading that I LOVED McEwan's writing style. This was my favorite book we read for that class. He writes in such a way that seems effortless but not "dumbed down" at all. I feel smarter after reading his words but I don't feel stupid while trying, if that makes sense (as opposed to Ondaatje). I remember he creates a really beautiful picture and builds deep characterization as well over the course of the book. As for Briony, I can't recall my exact thoughts of her from reading but mostly she annoyed me in a way that a naive little sister would. And her know it all attitude really riled me up! Especially knowing the course of the novel.

Was the movie faithful to the book?

Irene wrote: "Was the movie faithful to the book?"

Very much so. There were a few disparities and modernizations but nothing to make me upset over.

I had also seen the movie first, and so I knew the plot going in which meant things I'm not sure I would have thought much about otherwise (view spoiler)[ Such as Lola's scratched up arms (hide spoiler)] jumped out at me as pieces to the puzzle of the story in a very clear way. I can see why some people have a hard time getting into the writing style because it does have a certain mannered tone to it that can be harder to get lost in. There is something about it that reminds me of The House of Mirth, one of my favorite books. As for Briony, in some ways she just got on my nerves, and then at other times I thought she was being pushed around by the dumb actions of the adult who should have known better. (view spoiler)[ I can't help but think of how everything after the library could have been affected if Cecilia had just said something to Briony rather then leaving her to her own ideas. (hide spoiler)] The one thing about the movie that is different from the book is James McAvoy isn't really big enough to be Robbie Turner. He isn't imposing enough because he's not any bigger then Keira Knightley.

Having listened to the audiobook for this one, and seen bits and pieces of the movie, I was confused by the beginning and the reading of Briony's play and took a little longer to get into it. However, it did capture my attention as the story grows. I did not like Briony's personality at the start either.

I thought that introducing Briony with her creating that play set her up well. She is a little girl who still does not distinguish between fact and fiction fully. She is on the cusp between childhood and adulthood. One moment she is in the make-believ world of her own created stories, the next she is directing people's lives with her own sense of authority. Had the parents not been so ineffectual in their adult rolls, most likely things would not have spun so horribly out of control. Who is really responsible for the course of events? this immature adolescent or the parents who abnogated their responsibility?

Irene, that's a good solid observation about Briony being neither a child nor an adult. Because she feels that she is able to take on responsibilities that are manageable for her--like staging a play (although even that is rather much for her)--she feels ready to tackle ideas and issues that are actually far beyond her, like what happens in the library and the very adult passion that Cecilia and Robbie share. As for who is responsible, it's everyone and nobody, although of course it's easy to blame Lola and Paul Marshall.

Did you notice the awful pun involved in Paul Marshall's war-profiteering chocolate bar name--Amo--which plays on both ammo/ammunition and the everyone-knows-this Latin for "I love"?

No, I did not pick up on that play on words.

Interesting observation with the play on words. I missed that.

I do agree that there really was no adult supervision for Briony, she was rather left to her own devices. I suppose, her seeming fairly mature might have added to it. If perhaps she acted a little more 'her age' she would have warranted more hands-on supervision. It could also be that because they live on an estate in the country, that there wasn't really any trouble she could get up to.

I wonder how many aristocrats and gentry were left to grow up on their own in that way because they were in an insulated environment?

@Rick -- Wow. Very good observation.

I found the portrayal of Briony to be spot on -- she's naive and lives in her controlled world of family and books. Unlike her elder sister she shows very little signs of rebelling against the prevailing social conditions -- this could be just an age related thing where her real world experiences are extremely limited. Also, her social status offers her no scope for interactions beyond her class. The world of books she lives in is populated with princesses and typical good vs evil characters with no gray areas. I really liked the contrast with her elder sister who's coming to terms with issues of class (her mixed feelings about her attraction to the gardener) and prevailing gender bias (the rules on women smoking).

I think the reason people didn't necessarily like Briony is because her actions make her unlikable. She's so earnest and serious for her age, but I remember being the same way, even younger. She wants to control everything, but she also is very stubborn. Reading the book I found Briony's behavior to be annoying because I myself have acted in this way before.Maybe people didn't like seeing themselves in someone who destroys everyone's life.

Spencer, perhaps that's why. I know I have done some very spoiled, stubborn things thinking I was right. Briony is just probably too close to home for us to appreciate.

I agree with Tamara that McEwan's writing style seems effortless without being dumbed down. So far I am really enjoying this book. While Briony is believable as a child I can't stand the character. I would say her personality is a product of her environment. She is left to her own devices and ends up in the world of make believe. She definitely only sees things as right and wrong with no gray area.

In a bit of defense on Briony's actions. Had she actually seen what she thinks she sees in the library, her actions would probably be read very differently by many readers. (view spoiler)[ Lying to get your sister's rapist put in prison while still wrong, is a lot easier to understand then lying to get someone who didn't actually do anything put in jail. (hide spoiler)]