Atonement (Modern and Contemporary World Literature Series)

Author: (English) Ian McEwan (McEwan, I.), translated by Guo Guoliang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: Ian McEwan is one of the most influential writers in the British literary world today. Since his first short story collection "First Love and Last Rites" won the Somerset Maugham Award in 1975, he has been nominated for the Booker Prize four times and finally won it in 1998 for " Amsterdam ". His new work "Atonement" was also nominated for the Booker Prize in 2002. Although I ultimately did not win the prize, the critics praised it even more than "Amsterdam", calling it richer, more readable, with both engaging and comedic plotlines and a touch of romance, making it hard to put down. Set in 1935, 13-year-old Briony Tallis has a rich imagination and a natural talent for writing. The butler’s hammer Robbie, with the help of Mr. Tallis’s scholarship, has already graduated from Cambridge alongside Briony’s older sister Cecilia, and the two are deeply in love. On a hot summer day, Cecilia stripped in front of Robbie and jumped into the pond to swim. Briony witnessed everything, and coincidentally, that very night, Briony’s cousin staying at the Tallis household was violently assaulted. Briony rashly concluded that Robbie was the culprit and testified against him in court, leading to Robbie’s arrest. But Cecilia, who firmly believed in his innocence, refused to break ties with her family and persistently loved him. Five years later, Robbie was released from prison. It was during World War II, and he joined the fight to defend his country. Cecilia later enlisted in the army, and Briony also became a military nurse. After experiencing the harsh realities of life, Briony finally felt guilty and took the initiative to approach Robbie and Cecilia, apologizing for her actions of the past. However, the merciless war took both Robbie and Cecilia’s lives, leaving Briony to live in deep self-blame, unable to atone for her sins.