Atonement

After much longer time than I anticipated, I have finished my 4th book 0f 2009. I feel like this book has been a labor for me to finish, but in actuality, it wasn't a book that I was unhappy to read. I think the problem is that edition I purchased used a small font, and had small header/footer space, and compared to The Reader, it was rich in detail and nuance. All this lead to a read that seemed long and intense, but never boring.

I had watched the film version of Atonement a year ago, and was immediately struck by the story and the twist ending (which I won't ruin in case someone is not familiar with the story). I knew it was based on a book, but had not read it. My mother told me that the book and movie are identical, which is important for me. I hate books and movies that are two separate entities... When I read Atonement this month I was pleasantly surprised. They are exactly the same, and the movie images do not compete or challenge the ones drawn up by my mind's eye.

The beautiful thing about this book is that you completely understand the main characters involved, and while you may hate their choices and know how it will all fall apart, you still know that it had to be done. I loved the characters of Cecilia and Robbie, and the telling of their romance in particular. The descriptions where great, even if they were a bit overwhelming when I read at a late hour or with noise in the background.

Overall, though, I was very happy that I finally read this book. I give it a 4.5 out of 5.