Ian McEwan

ConversazioniSomeone explain it to me...

Iscriviti a LibraryThing per pubblicare un messaggio.

Ian McEwan

Questa conversazione è attualmente segnalata come "addormentata"—l'ultimo messaggio è più vecchio di 90 giorni. Puoi rianimarla postando una risposta.

1whitewavedarling
Feb 26, 2008, 11:32 am

Well, I finished Atonement this past week, and to be quite honest, I don't get it. It was beautifully written, and it kept my interest on and off, but it would never occur to me to recommend this highly or call it literary fiction, let alone teach it in my contemp. lit. classes. So, yes, someone, please, explain it to me...

Oh, and for my full rant/explanation of feelings, it's all in a review here on LT if you go to my library--it just seemed a bit lengthy to repost here. Looking forward to your thoughts regardless...

2Nickelini
Feb 28, 2008, 10:58 am

Since the movie came out I've heard from a number of people who have read the book and are less than enthused. I think this may be a case of hearing so much about something that when you do get to it, it falls flat. Overhyped expectations maybe?

I personally loved Atonement, especially the first part. I just love the whole mood of the period that he captures. As I said in another post defending the book, it reminds me of Virginia Woolf or Elizabeth Bowen. I admit that he lost me just a titch in the second half of the book, but the first part was so exquisite that I was okay with it. Also, there were some unexpected events in the second half that I thought were an interesting choice on McEwan's part. I read it a few years ago, and it was so different from what I expected, and I found it absolutely delightful. With all the press it's since received, it may be too talked about to provide unexpected delights.

3whitewavedarling
Feb 28, 2008, 11:39 am

That could be. It's interesting, because I did enjoy the first hundred pages or so, especially for the mood and description, but I'm not a big fan of what I've read from Woolf, so maybe there's a connection there too. I do love "Kew Gardens", but when I've tried to read her longer works, it hasn't been all that great an experience. Maybe in terms of Atonement, I've just read too much--there were quite a few points where I started feeling like it was predictable (and then what I expected happened), which is always frustrating for me. I did have high expectations though, I admit.

4Cariola
Apr 10, 2014, 4:37 pm

I see this thread is dormant, but I just finished rereading Atonement along with my seminar students. I wasn't overly keen on it after my first read, but now that I have delved into more of the "lit crit" materials, I really loved it. Take a look at my review for details.

5Sandydog1
Lug 1, 2014, 8:28 pm

I haven't read the that hype-y novel, Atonement.

I did however, just finish Saturday. I thought it was just a mellow, movie-script rehash of Ulysses, (instead of a ruminating Jewish Ad agent in Dublin, it's a hyper-observant neurosurgeon in London). But there were some moments of pure terror. Overall, a great character development and an ok book.

6Cariola
Lug 1, 2014, 11:02 pm

5> I'd agree with "OK book" on this one. I don't think it's McEwan's best.

7Bookmarque
Lug 2, 2014, 9:31 am

When it first came out I read Atonement and liked it, but I can't remember much of it now. Love letters, hiding or destroying one or more of those and a fountain...that's all I got. And recently I read Sweet Tooth and liked it less. The authorial conceit that goes into the whole construction was a bit too self-satisfied. I probably won't read more.

8Cariola
Lug 2, 2014, 1:54 pm

>7 Bookmarque: I did not like Sweet Tooth at all and hope that McEwan goes back to works in which he explores characters in more depth. I think Atonement is a book that reads better the second time around.

I really loved On Chesil Beach. I think that a lot of people got sidetracked by the sex and missed the real depth of its mesages and characters.

9PossMan
Lug 2, 2014, 2:15 pm

Really agree with #8 Cariola about "Chesil Beach" (though perhaps I was one of sidetracked). Many years ago I really enjoyed his short story collections In Between the Sheets and First Love, Last Rites And The Cement Garden another 'nasty'. I've a feeling he's been on a downhill trend since those early days.

10Cariola
Lug 2, 2014, 8:16 pm

Enduring Love is another creepy but good one.

I wouldn't say that he has gone downhill, just that he's going in a different direction. Most of his earlier works were sort of intellectual psychological thrillers/studies, dealing with things like incest, pedophilia, obsessive stalkers, etc. There was a real shift with Atonement, which is still a psychological exploration but also reads like a historical novel and, ultimately, comments on the writer's process and responsibilities. After On Chesil Beach, he seems to have been striving for more humor (Solar), maybe more popular appeal (Saturday and Sweet Tooth).

11PossMan
Lug 3, 2014, 5:45 am

>10 Cariola:: Agreed