DirkReading reviewed Atonement by Ian McEwan
The Weight of a Single Moment
3 stars
As those who follow this account know well, I'm a sucker for beautiful writing and willing to excuse almost anything else. This book has its moments, and it is a beautifully crafted story, but for my taste, it's just too slow and too quiet. I get what Ian McEwan was trying to do; still, I found it hard to maintain interest. What I did love was the introspection and how the characters are defined by a single pivotal moment and everything that follows. In hindsight, we all have moments like that - turning points that define how we understand our lives.
As those who follow this account know well, I'm a sucker for beautiful writing and willing to excuse almost anything else. This book has its moments, and it is a beautifully crafted story, but for my taste, it's just too slow and too quiet. I get what Ian McEwan was trying to do; still, I found it hard to maintain interest. What I did love was the introspection and how the characters are defined by a single pivotal moment and everything that follows. In hindsight, we all have moments like that - turning points that define how we understand our lives.