Atonement ~ Chapters 1-4

[Scott]

This is the first discussion thread for Atonement by Ian McEwan. This is for the first four chapters, so if you haven't read through chapter 4 yet, please don't read any further (until you finish the first four chapters) as the discussion may contain spoilers. If you have read past chapter four, please participate in this discussion, but don't mention anything that happens after chapter 4.

How do you like the book so far? The author's writing style appealed to me right off the bat, but I found myself getting immersed in the story by the end of chapter four.

What do you think of Briony? She seems a little obsessive-compulsive to me, such as with how tidy her room is and such. Of course, the focus on detail is what makes her enjoy writing. Even though she is a child working with other children, do you think the trouble she has with her cast in the play is common to playwrights and screenwriters? I imagine it is.

What did you find most interesting about this part of the book? I think the incident where Briony saw her sister Cecilia outside with Robbie interested me most. It had a big impact on Briony. What do you think of that incident?

Ceclia's method of "punishing" Robbie amused me.

Please ask your own questions to the rest of us.

Are there any quotes or short excerpts from this part of the book that you especially like? If so, please post them.

[Sofia]

I am just over halfway thru this book and admit I am struggling thru it....

I have heard many rave reviews about it but am not quite ready to jump on that bandwagon. I for one don't care for the writing style (sorry Scott ) though the story did pick up for me, it was temporary, and am not in a great hurry to find time to read it. But I will struggle on, hoping it appeals more.

Briony seems like quite the spoiled brat actually....she has her mind set on the way things shoulds be and that is it. I think the most interesting part so far was the scene in the library, and Briony's reaction to it.

and yeah, quite the punishment indeed

[Scott]

Briony seems like quite the spoiled brat actually....she has her mind set on the way things shoulds be and that is it. I think the most interesting part so far was the scene in the library, and Briony's reaction to it.

I have to agree with you about Briony being spoiled and bratty, but is that uncommon among girls her age, especially ones from such a well-off family?

[Kari]

I like Briony Yes she is a brat but aside from that she's thoughtful and aware and intellectual.

I'm not sure how I like the book though. So far I'm finding it cumbersome and difficult to get into. I might need this discussion to help me think it through. I liked the writing style for the first couple of pages but I'm not a details person so flowery writing irritates me after a while.

[Sofia]

I didn't care much for Briony....and I didn't find Cecilia to be bratty and selfish at all...unless of course she grew out of it, but I didn't get that impression either.

How about Leon and Paul Marshall? first impressions?

[babypinkcandygirl]

i love mcewan's style of writing! his use of forshadowing is incredibily clever so we as adults aren't bogged down in briony's childlike preoccupations. her play as a 'tale of the heart whose message...was that love which did not build a foundation on good sense was doomed' cleverly establishes a major theme in the novel. the northanger abbey quote was a clever inclusion too, a story where a young girl's over-active imagination threatens to ruin her entire future (of cousre it's austen so it doesn't!). i think it is all these little implications of disaster which make the novel so compelling for me.

my favourite aspect of the novel so far is the way briony is presented. i love the fact that she is as well-rounded as any adult character i've encountered, and that includes her many flaws. (i don't think we should be too harsh though, thirteen then is very different from thirteen now and she seems as self-absorbed as any other child i've met!).

the most interesting part for me was the little episode where jackson is forced to wash his wet sheets: is mcewan making an indirect statement about the misguided parenting symptomatic of the time? (or, dare i say it, the middle classes? or the stiff-upper-lip attitudes that still prevail?) isn't this ignorance of our expectations of children, ultimately, what causes briony to get into trouble? and if so, how much can we really blame her? i know we have just started the novel but i think it's worth thinking about: should a child ever be expected to atone for something they don't understand?

[haniirani]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, everyone.
babypinkcandygirl, I enjoyed reading your post.

I've been meaning to read something of McEwan but didn't have enough motivation to do so. But when I saw that it was BOTM for this site, I took the chance to borrow it from the library. Thank you for the opportunity!

Just finished chapter 4 and still continuing. So here are my thoughts.

Good point on the foreshadowing, candygirl. From the beginning Briony is portrayed as an absorbed girl in her own orderly world: "Her wish for harmonious, organised world denied her the reckless possiblities of wrongdoing". She is also seen as imaginative through the play she plans. The play which is about "love not built on good sense is doomed" shows her point of view: the recklessness of passion, in other words, disorder is punished by ill fortune and good sense is rewarded marriage or to be exact, wedding. Her desire for order, her imagination and point of view give me the premonition of what might lie in the pages ahead.

I also see another theme that might be quite prevalent in this story. One or the other is in the wrong and tries to make amends to the situation.

I have more to say but for now my mind's blank. I'll try to post my thoughts and questions as and when it comes. I hope I'm not 'talking' too much??

[babypinkcandygirl]

How about Leon and Paul Marshall? first impressions?

leon im completely undecided on, i dont actually have a real opinion of him yet although i adored the description of leon and cecilia as children. it really made me smile

as for paul marshall (have you noticed how often mcewan refers to him using his full name?) he immediately made me think of an adult briony. did anybody else get this impression? perhaps this is what briony would have the unfortunate destiny of becoming should she never have been made to atone for whatever sin she is about to commit.... i did find the description of his ear hair amusing though.

[sam-bam]

How about Leon and Paul Marshall? first impressions?

leon im completely undecided on, i dont actually have a real opinion of him yet although i adored the description of leon and cecilia as children. it really made me smile

i completely agree!

(first post!)

I actually like this book so far to be honest. I don'y know why but i rarely enjoy the beginning of books because the authors usually go over the top with precise description... longing the whole plot of the book and making it hard to get into. But McEwan hasn't done that. Although he also uses rich description, it's not so much that i lose concentration of what is going on.

My first impression's of Briony is that she lets people walk all over her and her REAL life is quite boring with little excitement. She likes to take control of things though. Her imaginative mind is very powerful and it seems to me that this is what will be the reason for her 'atonement' later on in the book. I say this because she did not really understand what was going on between Robbie and her sister.

I look forward to reading the rest of the book!

[haniirani]

Even though she is a child working with other children, do you think the trouble she has with her cast in the play is common to playwrights and screenwriters? I imagine it is.

I think the incident where Briony saw her sister Cecilia outside with Robbie interested me most. It had a big impact on Briony. What do you think of that incident?

I think Briony's obliviousness to anything beyond her world is changed with this incident. She now realizes that everyone else is really as alive as she was, with separate minds and of equal importance. And she also gets to know the difference between plays and stories/novels. A story conveys thoughts and feelings direct from write to reader with no intermediaries while in plays to act it out according to a playwright's vision is difficult when dealing with different minds.

Usually, we always hear complains of readers being disappointed when watching the story than when they read the story. I guess that's where the problem lies. Everybody has their own visions and images when reading a book and the director's vision may not necessarily be the same ones and that's when disappointment sets in.

I think the fountain incident not only affects Briony but also Robbie and Cecilia. I've a feeling some realization is starting to dawn on them...

Other than the side tracks of descriptions, McEwan's work is compelling me to go further so far.