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Atonement

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( 555,549 ratings, 26,132 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Atonement by Ian McEwan is a compelling novel that unfolds over several decades, beginning in the 1930s. It centres on the impact of a young girl's mistaken actions, which alter the lives of her sister and a young man for years to come. The story explores themes of love, war, guilt and redemption as it interweaves the consequences of a childhood misunderstanding with the realities of adulthood.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy sweeping historical narratives filled with beautifully complex characters and profound themes of guilt and redemption. Through a layered and gripping plot, it examines the impact of a single misunderstanding on an entire lifetime, offering you an emotional journey that intertwines love, war, and family.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

On the hottest day of the summer of 1934, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis sees her sister Cecilia strip off her clothes and plunge into the fountain in the garden of their country house. Robbie and Cecilia will have crossed a boundary they had not even imagined at its start, and will have become victims of the younger girl's imagination.

Booker Shortlisted best seller Atonement in a beautiful hardback edition with silk ribbon and sewn binding. A perfect gift.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Atonement, a Booker Shortlisted bestseller, is now available in a beautiful hardback edition with a silk ribbon and sewn binding—an ideal gift.

On the hottest day of the summer of 1934, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses an unsettling scene: her sister Cecilia stripping off her clothes and plunging into the fountain in the garden of their country house. Watching her is Robbie Turner, a childhood friend who, like Cecilia, has recently returned from Cambridge. By the end of that day, the lives of all three will have been irrevocably altered. Robbie and Cecilia will cross boundaries they hadn't imagined, becoming victims of the younger girl's imagination. Briony will witness mysteries and commit a crime for which she will spend the rest of her life trying to atone.

"From this new and intimate perspective, she learned a simple, obvious thing she had always known, and everyone knew; that a person is, among all else, a material thing, easily torn, not easily mended."

Series: Everyman’s Library Contemporary Classics

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Atonement by Ian McEwan is highly praised for its unique and gripping narrative, marking McEwan as a leading figure in contemporary literature. It has been described as a masterful and majestic work, offering a compelling and expansive fictional panorama.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781841593609

Publisher: Everyman

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 30 May 2014

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Everyman's Library

Contributors:

  • Introduction by Claire Messud

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 135.0mm

Height: 211.0mm

Weight: 519g

Pages: 424

About the Author

Ian McEwan is the critically acclaimed author of seventeen books. His first published work, a collection of short stories, First Love, Last Rites, won the Somerset Maugham Award. His novels include The Child in Time, which won the 1987 Whitbread Novel of the Year Award; The Cement Garden; Enduring Love; Amsterdam, which won the 1998 Booker Prize; Atonement; Saturday; On Chesil Beach; Solar; Sweet Tooth; The Children Act; and Nutshell, which was a Number One bestseller. Atonement and Enduring Love have both been turned into award-winning films, The Children Act and On Chesil Beach are in production and set for release this year, and filming is currently underway for a BBC TV adaptation of The Child in Time.

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