Atonement – Cannonball Read 17

Beautiful, thoughtful, heartbreaking

Atonement by Ian McEwan

October 31, 2021 by Wanderlustful Leave a Comment

My white whale! I have been trying and failing to read Atonement for about three years, so I am excited to say that not only have I finished it, but I really enjoyed it! The other times I have started reading, I have remained stuck in the book’s opening section, which covers the course of one summer day in the 1935 at the country house of the Tallis family. The Tallis’ youngest child, Briony, is a precocious creative sort who has written a play she […]

At some moments chilling, at others desperately sad…

Atonement by Ian McEwan

May 27, 2020 by vel veeter Leave a Comment

This is a novel that lost the Booker Prize (in a competitive race along with David Mitchell) to The True History of the Kelly Gang. This is also a novel I was avoiding for a long time because it seemed quite likely to simply be more or less like the movie (and in plenty of ways it is), but ended up being a lot more compelling, more serious, and more thoughtful than the film ever hoped to be. If you don’t this book or film, Briony […]

THANK YOU Mathildehoeg!

December 18, 2015 by Ale 2 Comments

A big shout out to Mathildehoeg for my awesome book exchange presents! I’ve already plowed right through “Trouble” and will be doing an annotated reading on “Atonement” for one of my MFA classes this spring. How she knew “Atonement” was one of my favorite stories, we’ll never know! A review of both coming shortly!

Words as Weapons

October 19, 2015 by Quorren 3 Comments

This book’s masterful use of language makes everything I write about it seem pale in insubstantial. I don’t have the words to say how beautifully McEwan put words together. The words are good in this one, guys! The words! Part of the reason I loved this one so much is how I related to young Briony. A lot of times, people think kids are dumb (and they kind of are, even scientifically because the lobes are still forming), but that doesn’t mean they don’t have […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

Help Our Mission