Cover of Atonement

Atonement

  • 2001 first published
  • 384 pages
  • ★ 3.7 (49 ratings)
  • 76 editions

Atonement is a 2001 historical romance and historical fiction novel by Ian McEwan. It takes readers to England and Great Britain in 1936–1952, George 6. Characters include Briony Tallis, Cecilia Tallis and Robbie Turner. It deals with Dunkirk Evacuation, teenage girls, Atonement and ex-convicts.

Open Library readers give it an average of 3.7 out of 5 from 49 ratings, and 617 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 76 editions across 8 languages.

It runs to roughly 384 pages — 7–8 hours of reading at an average pace.

About Atonement

Atonement is a 2001 British metafiction novel written by Ian McEwan. Set in three time periods, 1935 England, Second World War England and France, and present-day England, it covers an upper-class girl's half-innocent mistake that ruins lives, her adulthood in the shadow of that mistake, and a reflection on the nature of writing. Widely regarded as one of McEwan's best works, it was shortlisted for the 2001 Booker Prize for fiction. In 2010, Time magazine named Atonement in its list of the 100 greatest English-language novels since 1923.
Description from Open Library

Awards & lists

  • ✦National Book Critics Circle Award (2002)

Themes, setting & tropes

Genres

Setting

Era

  • 1936–1952, George 6
  • George VI, 1936–1952
  • George V, 1910–1936
  • 1935
  • 1939–45

Characters

  • Briony Tallis
  • Cecilia Tallis
  • Robbie Turner
  • Dolores Quincey
  • Jackson Quincey
  • Pierrot Quincey
  • Leon Tallis
  • Paul Marshall
  • Danny Hardman
  • Corporal Nettle

Subjects

  • Historical romance
  • Dunkirk Evacuation
  • National Book Critics Circle Award Winner
  • Psychological fiction
  • Teenage girls
  • Atonement
  • Ex-convicts
  • Sisters
  • Domestic fiction
  • Life change events
  • Country life
  • Guilt
  • Open_syllabus_project
  • World War, 1939-1945
  • Family
  • Teenagers

Quick answers

Who wrote Atonement?

Atonement was written by Ian McEwan and first published in 2001.

What genre is Atonement?

It is usually shelved as Historical Romance and Historical Fiction.

How long is Atonement?

The median edition has 384 pages, about 7–8 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.

What books are similar to Atonement?

Readers who like it often enjoy Night Watch.

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