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Ian McEwan's Atonement and Enduring Love

i've heard saturday is really bad. like my friend says her mum likes to boast about that she's reading saturday- it seems to be quite popular, but its total crap so i've been told.

Reply 21

Hana_1987

1

I didn't really like Enduring Love..I don't know why though. I went through periods of liking it, and the disliking it..I think I disliked it because it was something that I had to read for English A level coursework...Maybe if I had picked it myself as something to read my view would be different..Also there was sciency things that kinda bored me in it so I skimmed those parts..

The film of it was a bit weird though! Especially the kiss! Eeeeeeeewww, the sound!!!!

Reply 22

Kura1984

OP

2

Hana_1987

The film of it was a bit weird though! Especially the kiss! Eeeeeeeewww, the sound!!!![/QUOTE]

Ha ha! The sound got to me as well. The look? Fine. The sound? Too much for me.

Reply 23

goldenbarnes

11

Read both, neither for any coursework or such. Enduring Love was beautifully written and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't really my type of thing. I think Atonement is a wonderful wonderful book and is far superior to EL, but again, not really my type of thing. Probably the best book I've read from the last 20 years, but certainly not my favourite.

Reply 24

username51346

Enduring love is fantastic, in comparison to Jamie Oliver's latest cookbook. It is pretentious wipe.

Reply 25

Chester

Didn't like Enduring Love, but was far more impressed by Atonement. Definitely recommended. Saturday is next on my list to read.

Reply 26

Kura1984

OP

2

LiamP

Enduring love is fantastic, in comparison to Jamie Oliver's latest cookbook. It is pretentious wipe.

Strange comparison to make! :wink:

Reply 27

PinkPigeon

13

goldenbarnes

Read both, neither for any coursework or such. Enduring Love was beautifully written and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't really my type of thing. I think Atonement is a wonderful wonderful book and is far superior to EL, but again, not really my type of thing. Probably the best book I've read from the last 20 years, but certainly not my favourite.

Almost agreed with you...except I just can't get excited about Atonement...I'm not really sure what it was about it, I just never really engaged with it or got lost in it in the way that I did with Enduring Love.

To be honest, I think studying it for A Level English has ruined many people's enjoyment of it, which is understandable as for A level you overstudy the texts too much...you have too much time to spend on each text and get sick of them, I know I've ended up resenting The Handmaids Tale...which I KNOW is an excellent novel but I just can't like it anymore. :frown:

Reply 28

Eien

16

I've read better novels, but Enduring love did raise certain points of interest. The initial half of the book was an enjoyable read, and the creation of a middle class, rational, scientific character was clearly established, and the fact that most readers tend to dislike or not relate to the character immediately detaches the reader from his sense of perception, which I think is entirely McEwan's intention, as we are made to question Joe's perception by Clarissa's doubt. The insights into the nature of psychology and the distorted view of love were employed well by the placing of Parry's letters within the story, and the fact that the love was homosexual suggests a more universal, rather than sexual sense of attraction. However, Clarissa's character was poorly developed, and the second half, where McEwan attempted to alter the genre into an action-thriller didn't quite work for me. Still, I saw an extract of "Amsterdam" which looks rather interesting, I may read that another time.

Reply 29

Catsmeat

13

I have only read Atonement by Ian McEwen, but it didn't particularly impress me. I remember the end (where the story reverts to the present day) seemed an utter farce and quite forced. It seemed like mediocre modern literature.

Reply 30

Convalescent

Nobody mentions McEwan's The Innocent which is a very funny book. The Cement Garden is also a very good little book, particularly if you like that kind of thing. Atonement is probably his best but starts off tedious. First book of stories is OK, and only 'Dead As They Come' (?) is any good in the second. Enduring Love is average. Saturday is his worst.

Reply 31

Tyler Durden

17

Sorry, The Innocent is funny? Funny haha, or funny I'm feeling a bit ill after chapter 18? I liked it, but I wouldn't have called it funny. The Cement Garden is good, but yeah - probably not everyone's idea of a good book. I think Black Dogs and The Child in Time are also definitely worth reading.

Reply 32

bisous

I think Enduring Love had its moments; I found the appendices interesting. I agree with the general consensus though, Joe's character was a complete pain (though I do think this was McEwan's intention), and the film version dire.

Never read any other McEwan novel, EL has put me off for the time being.

Reply 33

CornettoQueen

I read Atonement when I was about twelve and I remember not being at all impressed. I read to the end in the hope that something shocking or amazing would happen but it really didn't. Do you think it was because I was too young? I think it was the book rather than me, as the plot was soooooo slow and there were very few really key scenes in it. Yes his writing's pretty but my word he needs to create a better plot.

Reply 34

Kura1984

OP

2

CornettoQueen

I read Atonement when I was about twelve and I remember not being at all impressed. I read to the end in the hope that something shocking or amazing would happen but it really didn't. Do you think it was because I was too young? I think it was the book rather than me, as the plot was soooooo slow and there were very few really key scenes in it. Yes his writing's pretty but my word he needs to create a better plot.

All mouth and nothing to say? :dontknow:

Or is he just a windbag with a convoluted message? :motz:

I dunno, I'm just yapping. I've yet to read Atonement... haven't got to it yet.

Reply 35

CornettoQueen

Well.... I might not be doing it justice but I remember that what there was of the storyline of Atonement was stretched over too many chapters. Do you know what I mean? There was a lot of sitting around thinking and stuff.

Reply 36

J'en ai marre

8

Atonement is the most incredible book. I can't see how you'd find it boring, although of course the style owes quite a lot to Virginia Woolf. I found it a page-turner, exhilirating from the first page to the last. In fact, I chose to write about it (along with Howards End and The Remains of the Day) for my Advanced Higher English dissertation. The use of the narrative is so interesting; the idea of meta-fiction and the post-modern, as revealed in the book's stunning conclusion. I found it so gripping and the characters so well developed. There are moments that are truly shocking for the reader (Robbie's letter for example and the accusation). Each section is completely different but equally brilliant. Social and sexual tensions come to light in the first; the second is a gritty and senuous picture of WW2 a little remenescant of Pat barker; the third, well it's my favourite. The incident with the French soldier is completely heart-wrenching. Then the epilogue asks so many interesting questions. What is fiction? What is history? What is truth? Is what is remembered more important than what happened? How can we atone for our past?

Oh yeah, and Enduring Love's all right.

Ian McEwan's Atonement and Enduring Love

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