Briony Tallis, 13, has written a play in honor of her idolized older brother's homecoming. It is 1935, the hottest day of summer in a charming country property in England. Briony has rather arbitrarily assigned parts to her young cousins who will be arriving shortly. Briony, of course, has the lead. Older sister Cecilia is readying the house for the party, as the mother as usual is indisposed. Robbie, the brilliant son of the housemaid, is also returning from University, his education financed by Mr. Tallis. The stage is set for Briony to put in motion terrible events that will change the lives of every person in this halcyon setting.

"Atonement" is written in four books, The Crime, The War, The Atonement, and The 1999 Reunion. Mr. McEwen's prose is a delight: languorous, taut, whatever the situation calls for. The dialogue is crisp and rings true for all characters. The complete change of pace when we follow Robbie through the fall of Dunkirk is breathtaking. It is that most excruciating military situation: the command has broken down; all are on their own. The Atonement itself has the hard clarity of cold winter sunlight on a city street. The author has more to tell than the story at hand; he speaks of writing and the duties of authors to their readers, all without ever wandering away from the storyline.

I cannot wait to read "Amsterdam," Mr. McEwen's earlier novel. His writing is magical. - And, oh yes, "Atonement" has a twist at the end that will shock and upset you for days. Do yourself a favor, and read it.

This is an engaging story and so finely written that the reading is both effortless and seductive. After I had finished (that is, after drying my eyes and regaining my breath), I was amazed to realize how complex a plot it is considering how smoothly it is told. By far, it is the best book I have read in years.

The story starts on a summer day at a large country estate in pre-WWII England. For anyone who delights in the heady mix of intelligence, innocence and youthful imagination, the beginning is like eating rich chocolate: 13 year old Briony has written a play -- the references to Austen, Burney, and family performances within 18th century lore are abundant and perfect -- to be rehearsed and performed by her unwilling and displaced visiting cousins in order to celebrate her brother's return to home with his sophisticated friend. However, reheasals in the playroom for THE TRIALS OF ARABELLA (of course) do not run smoothly: the twins boys do not understand what is expected of them; there's tension between Briony and 15 year old Lola. During the hot summer afternoon, Briony looks out the window to see her older sister Cecilia and Robbie, the cleaning lady's son, having what looks like some kind of menacing (and intimate) interaction in the fountain. The rest of the day's events and mishaps play out without implication until nightfall when a real crime of a sexual nature occurs and Briony's overactive imagination and lack of sophistication lead her to make a accusation which results in genuine tragedy for everyone. Without revealing the entire plot and overwhelming descriptions of war and survival, Briny spends her life paying for this mistake. Near the end of her long life, and having enjoyed without enjoyment a successful writing career, Briony's birthday is celebrated by her relations. This party is held at the old country house, now a renovated hotel, where her grand nieces and nephews perform THE TRIALS OF ARABELLA, a deeply emotional and incomprehensible experience for all (the surviving twin boy, now an old man, breaks down completely, as will nearly every reader).

This book goes into my unofficial rank as one of the best reading experiences I've ever had. It tooks me days to shake the feeling that Briony was a part of my life. I was completely transported and I don't think there can be better praise than that.

I loved this book. I've read many of the reviews here on Amazon and feel that a lot of them are over-critical. This is a beautiful story seeping heartbreak on every page, all the result of the destructive imagination of a child. It is very easy to hate Briony for the way her actions have destroyed the happiness of her sister and Robbie, but I believe that's quite unfair. She acts with the innocence of a child at a particular age who wants to be accepted by the adult world. She is placed in a very difficult situation and the court's readiness to pass judgement on the strength of her evidence alone is, I believe, just as much a crime as her lies.

One criticism I would accept is that Ian McEwan could have shown us more of Briony's stubborn attachment to the lie she has convinced herself is true. At what point did she start having doubts? When we meet up with her again towards the end of the book she is five years older and fully aware that Robbie is innocent. It would have allowed the reader to have more sympathy towards her if we could have seen her reaction as the truth of what she had done slowly grew larger on her conscience.

The book is split into four sections. The first details life in the Tallis family home in the mid-1930s and gives us an introduction to the characters and description of the assault and Briony's lie. This section of the book slowly builds - some reviewers say they found this boring but I did not. I enjoyed hearing about life in the household. I could empathise with Briony's playwriting attempt and its sabotage at the hands of her slightly older cousin. McKewan vividly describes events and allows us upfront access into his characters' minds which makes his writing very enjoyable to read. I found this first section to be like the first scene in a whodunit mystery, before the detective comes to investigate and letting the skeletons out of the cupboard. Except there was no Poirot to come and uncover the truth but instead an injustice was allowed. Nevertheless, a whodunit was created that would later be explained at the end of the book. I counted three suspects, each with an opportunity to commit the crime.

The second section of the book jumps forwards to the Second World War and the British army's retreat from France. The jump is a little jarring and it takes a while to adjust to the new surroundings. But I think it successfully creates the feeling that regardless of an injustice in the past, life carries on and doesn't stop to allow justice to be done. Events move on and people get on with their lives and the injustice is largely forgotten. Robbie, a mere private in the army, despite his education, is retreating to Dunkirk in an attempt to get back to England. His only motivation to survive comes from the knowledge that Cecilia is waiting for him to return - he had only just come out of prison before having to leave for the war. Here is where McKewan description is exemplary. The chaotic retreat comes to life and Robbie's aching desire to see his lover again is easy to feel.

The third part of the book catches up with Briony. She now knows her crime and seeks atonement for it. Partly to try to compensate for the pain she has caused, she forgoes university and becomes a nurse, just in time for the casualties from France to start arriving. Briony attempts reconciliation with her sister. The key twists in the plot are at this point so I won't go further except to say that McKewan plays with your expectations perfectly so that the revelations are dramatic.

Finally we jump forwards to the present day. Briony is an old lady and a famous writer but she is dying. She tells us her story and we are rewarded with another twist to the book which puts everything we have read into a new light.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for rewarding modern literature. Clearly from the reviews this book is not to everyone's tastes but I must admit I find this puzzling as I adored it and will now be searching out other Ian McKewan books to read.

I picked up this good-looking book with no advance knowledge of its plot - just a liking for other works of its author - and I'm grateful for that, and won't give away the story here. I was grabbed by its first description, and held closely throughout. McEwan has created characters who are so fully realized that I felt as if I had known them for years. It's an amazing story, though not at all far-fetched. It's slyly easy to read - think "page-turner" - but it is about vitally important things. In addition considerable historic research went into it, and that's a delicious plus.

McEwan invites you into an English world that you will smell, hear, feel, and taste - and your mind and emotions will be fully engaged. The family has money and servants but this is nothing you've seen on television or the movies. The story is told with discipline and control, and from several points of view. The people are palpably real. It's a tightly organized and satisfying assemblage of the things that matter, among them family life, childhood, debt and obligation, loyalty, imagination, faith and hope, innocence and guilt, love, desire, varieties of destruction - and the urge to make a difference. Finally: war and peace. (In fact, you might be reminded of Tolstoy in more than a few ways.) In addition it's a fierce and moving meditation on the life of the mind and creativity. At the same time, McEwan's powers of description are such that all of your senses are never anything but fully engaged. English country life in the 1930's - a heat wave, and the fragrance of wildflowers, the feel of a silk dress that is sticking to skin, the thick dark of a moonless summer night - through the horrors of the Second World War (Dunkirk most dramatically and effectively) and beyond. It is either sheer brilliance, or a deeply humane urge, or maybe just a workmanlike sense, but McEwan takes full responsibility for each of his characters- and sees them through to the end.

Nearly every page has something unselfconsciously remarkable to think about - or to reconsider. I used my pencil throughout; there is so much that is wise or just plain awe-inspiring in this book. McEwan has accomplished something amazing. I'm telling friends to read the book first, reviews second. The story is so terrific, and so moving and important - and might unfold best for the reader who comes to it blissfully uninformed. It's not very often that I've felt transformed by a novel. Read it as soon as you can.

After finishing this wonderful novel, the first of McEwan's I have read, I came on line to read some reviews. Those that hated the book genuinely puzzled me. I found it absolutely enthralling.

McEwan evokes such an immediate sense of time and place despite switching locales and timelines, that the reader is drawn in further and further. The book soars on several levels: the tale of the crime and its repercussions, the Writer-as-God aspect that ultimately envelopes the entire narrative, to name but two. In addition, there is the wonderful use of information NOT revealed, be it secondary characters such as Lola and Marshall into who's heads we barely get a glimpse.

This book is a wonderful read. With subtle similarities to The English Patient amongst others, it is the most thought provoking character study told from multiple points of view I have read since The Poisonwood Bible. Highly recommended!!

I, too, plan on exploring all of Mr. McEwan's work.