Customer Reviews (1)

Enchanting
Briony is determined that her cousins will be a part of her play, that they will like performing, and that she will decide who plays which part.The cousins, unfortunately, are arriving not for a holiday but to be away while their parents fight out a divorce and are in no mood to perform plays.It is 1935 and England is close to entering the war.

At thirteen, Briony is sure her writing skills are top notch, that she is surely unique in all the deep thoughts she has about life.And then one day when she leaves her play rehearsal for a walk in the garden she sees a strange encounter between her sister, Cecilia, and the cleaning lady's son, Robbie.It will shape all their lives forevermore.

That very evening when the twin cousins "run away," an event occurs in the dark around the house grounds that appears to be a sexual offense.Briony convinces herself that she has seen the incident.And it changes everyone's life forevermore.She becomes so entrenched in retelling the event with surety that even when she doubts what she saw she feels trapped and unable to retract her charge.

The reader follows Briony all through her life, even as she becomes a well regarded author, she can never fully enjoy her success because of what she did so long ago.

Ian McEwan writes with so many levels of story and so much depth of character that it was enchanting to read. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an up-to-date reader of critical essays on Ian McEwan by leading international academics, covering McEwan's most recent novels including "Saturday", "On Chesil Beach" and an analysis of the film adaptation of "Enduring Love".Ian McEwan is one of the most significant, and controversial, British novelists working in the contemporary period. His books are both critically - and academically - acclaimed and embraced by the audiences across the world. Although primarily a novelist, he has also written short stories, television plays, a libretto, a children's book and a film adaptation. Across these many forms his work retains a distinctive character that explores questions of morality, place and history, nationhood, sexuality and gender.This guide brings together a collection of fresh perspectives on McEwan's oeuvre, not only covering the early works and his writing for the screen but also incorporating detailed and original analyses of the later work, including his most recent novella, "On Chesil Beach". It also includes a unique discussion with McEwan and a preface by the controversial author on genetics and human behaviour Matt Ridley, about McEwan's obsession with science."Guides in the Contemporary Critical Perspectives" series provide companions to reading and studying major contemporary authors. Each guide includes new critical essays combining textual readings, cultural analysis and discussion of key critical and theoretical issues in a clear, accessible style. They also include a preface by a major contemporary writer, a new interview with the author, discussion of film and TV adaptation and guidance on further reading. ... Read more

Product Description
Bookclub-in-a-Box takes the reader into the world of thirteen-year-old Briony, a child who is mesmerized by the potential of the imaginary world and by the power of words. Her stories and plays allow her to come out of an adult world, where she feels inconsequential and helpless, into a different world, the world of her imagination. She is not yet mature enough to understand that her pretend world can impact the real world and vice versa. In honor of her brother's return home, Briony has written a play, but in the midst of family chaos, the opportunity to present this play is lost. One thing leads to another, but everything revolves around the unintended use of a single word, the accusation of rape.

The Bookclub-in-a-Box discussion guide looks at the following ideas:

• Ian McEwans powerful mastery of words and storytelling
• the impact that words have on our consciousness and our behavior
• the meaning behind the title, Atonement, and the influence of that definition
• how storytelling relates to personal character

Product Description
This book examines and explains the obsession with history in the contemporary British novel. It frames these "historical" novels as expressions of narrative desire, highlighting the reciprocal relationship between a desire to disclose and to rid ourselves of anxieties elicited by the past. Scrutinizing representative novels from Byatt, McEwan and Rushdie, contemporary fiction is revealed as capable of advocating a viable ethical stance and as a form of authentic commentary. Our anxieties often exist in response to what might be perceived as the oppression or eradication of values, whether this is through the modern repudiation of Victorian principles (Byatt), the Western rethinking of Enlightenment narratives in light of the Holocaust (McEwan), or pluralism threatened by religious fundamentalism (Rushdie). Each of these novelists differentially employs postmodern artifice, sometimes as a way to reject the notion of historical construction, sometimes to advocate for it, but always to bring us closer to what the author believes are significant values and truths, rather than relativism. The representative qualities of these novels serve to highlight themes, concerns, and anxieties present in many of the works of each author and by extension those of their contemporaries. ... Read more

Product Description
This is part of a new series of guides to contemporary novels. The aim of the series is to give readers accessible and informative introductions to some of the most popular, most acclaimed and most influential novels of recent years – from ‘The Remains of the Day’ to ‘White Teeth’. A team of contemporary fiction scholars from both sides of the Atlantic has been assembled to provide a thorough and readable analysis of each of the novels in question. ... Read more

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Product Description
A new edition of the first study in English of one of the most original and exciting writers of our time which adds substantially to critical appreciation of his body of work, which has grown considerably with publication of A Child inTime,Book Prize-winning Amsterdam, and his latest book Atonement which has been successfully adapted as a film. ... Read more