This is basically a 3 part book with an epilogue. Patience pays off however, and by the time part II starts you start to really care about the characters. We get a description of a 10 year old's daydream, a description of the wallpaper, what the landscape vista looks like, etc. In the first part of this book you literally listen for hours and NOTHING happens. Chapter 10 is about when things start to happen.

I put this book away twice in the first ten chapters before I finally mustered the drive to press on. This book was assigned to my high school senior's literature class and I like to read the same books so we can intelligently discuss them. I am a frequent audiobook reader and rarely do I find I just can't take the tedium any more and put it down. I also found the topic utterly fascinating and felt the author was able to express ideas that I have played with in my own head but never would be able to write up as well. But that it is well written is not in doubt. If this type of book isn't to one's taste, or the subject matter and ideas the author explores aren't interesting to you, then certainly don't get it. I find myself almost wishing I belonged to a book club so I could talk about it, since I know that for all I got out of it, I missed so much. It isn't a light read, nor is it fast-paced. I think those who don't like it are listeners who prefer more action in their books, and this isn't that. Rarely have I had such a satifying 'read.' From start to finish McEwan didn't let me down. I thought it a wonderful, brilliantly written book that will stay with me for many years.

For Briony, this lack of understanding leads to tragic consequences, but the book goes on to show how each of us lacks a comprehensive understanding. But I know it's there.' Throughout the book the reader watches this happen again and again, something so large the individuals don't see the whole of it, although they know it is there. One of the characters says 'It's like being close up to something so large you don't even see it. Core to the book is that each of us comes to our own 'truth' while never really seeing the whole.

'Atonement' is a deeply satifying, extraordinarily well written book that seems simple because it is so well crafted, but deals with such complex issues. An amazing book about complex human perception

Mcewan ian atonement