Atonement by Ian McEwan

First Published: 2001 by Johnathan Cape (London)
Date Started: 05th April 2013
Date Finished: 09th April 2013
Genre: Fiction
Read for: Uni/1001 Books
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During the hottest day in summer in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses something between her sister Cecilia, and childhood friend, Robbie, that ends up changing all of their lives from that day onward. Seeing her sister take off her clothes and go in the fountain, Briony's young imaginative mind ends up later telling all that she thinks is true, but all of them will end up feeling the pain for what she did for the rest of their  lives, and she will spend the rest of her life trying to atone.

The narrator being omniscient of the three main characters and often changing which characters view we are reading about, the story allows the reader to see and understand the lives and the choices each of them made, both in 1935 and in the future during WWII. As the story goes through two time periods, three if you include a further jump ahead of time but with just Briony, as a reader, we can see how over time, how they have developed as people as well as their opinions on that eventful day.
I really liked how Ian McEwan did this. To be able to see how over time the characters grow but still hold on to what happened that day is reflective of people in real life. McEwan held on close to what people in real life are like and that's what made it really interesting. Although the characters are fictional, they seemed like they could be real people and that made it gripping to read.

When reading the book, I felt like I was there. I could understand how and why all the characters acted the way that they did. I think when it comes to setting a novel that is in the past, in this case the twentieth century, as a writer, you have to make sure that you get all the facts right. It isn't just what was there and what wasn't, but also how people were back then. People like myself who were born in the later part of the twentieth century won't entirely act like those who were born in the earlier part of the twentieth century.

As the book covers several years, we learn how relationships can change, for better or for worse. McEwan not only includes the one between the three main characters, but also the ones with other family members. That day in 1935 does have an effect on some of the relationships, however, time itself and the way that life is demonstrates how relationships develop.
Romantic love for someone shows how far you're willing to go to be with them. For Cecilia, it means never speaking to her family again. Love is one of the themes that is covered in the book, and for the relationship between Cecilia and Robbie, it's that what keeps them going when they are not with each other, especially during the war when Robbie is out fighting with the army.
The emotions Briony goes through for the majority of the book shows that she is sorry for what she did and she wants to try and change what happened, even if part of her knows that it will probably not make much difference.
Relationships overall are dealt with really well and that makes the book a great read. It's a fictional story but with characters who could easily be people in real life.

Knowing how big of an author Ian McEwan is, I had been wanting to read some of his work and I now can see why he is a successful author. Atonement was an enjoyable read and I will definitely be reading more of his books. I'm wanting to now watch the film too, to see what it is like compared to the book. Hopefully it will be just as good.
    
 

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

First Published: 2002 by Cannongate Books Ltd (Edinburgh)
Date Started: 30th March 2013
Date Finished: 04th April 2013
Genre: Adventure
Read for: Casual/1001 Books
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Life of Pi tells the extraordinary story of young Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi) who is on the way to Canada with his family to start a new life, along with some of the animals in his father's zoo. When they are on the ship there, a sudden turn of events leads to Pi being stranded on a life boat in the Pacific Ocean. However, he is not alone. He is not with his family though, or any other people for that matter. In fact, he is with some of the animals who were on board the ship with him, including a Royal Bengal Tiger by the name of Richard Parker.

I loved reading about such a strange yet exciting adventure. At times I got so hooked reading it, I just needed to know what happened next. Before Pi ends up in the Pacific Ocean, Pi tells us about his upbringing, including his knowledge of zoology, both from studying it academically and living in a zoo. With this in mind, I was curious as to how Pi would use this in order to survive on the boat with Richard Parker and any of the other animals. The book is written in a way that as a reader, we can learn and understand the facts of animals and the choices Pi makes, and not be confused about it (I don't know about you, but I'm not a zoologist).
The animals in the story, especially Richard Parker, have been written to have their own characteristics. Although they are animals, I believed they were like their own people. Each animal is different in its own way, and it helps give a better element to the story in portraying Pi's adventure.

Religion is a theme that runs throughout the book and is very important to Pi. Being a Christian, Muslim, and Hindu, Pi is a character who is a big believer of faith and religion. He partakes in religious beliefs and acts, like praying, for all three religions, before and when on the life boat. At the beginning of the book, it does go on for a bit about Pi trying out all three religions and I did sometimes get bored by this. It wasn't till later on in the book that I realised how important this was, but at the beginning, it did seem to me that it could drag on a bit too much.

Clearly Yann Martel has done his research when it comes to showing how a person would survive in conditions like Pi is faced in. Martel made the decisions that Pi made seem like realistic choices that a person in real life in those same conditions would do. He made it fun to read and the more I read the book, the more closer I got to Pi. I could really understand his choices which reflected both his characteristics and the effects of being in the conditions that he was living with.

I won't reveal too much about the ending, but it was a surprise to me. It was a great twist to the story and makes you wonder what really did happen to Pi when he was out there. It is never told what is true and what is false in his adventure, but I'm glad it isn't. The overall theme and message to me is about faith and choosing what you want to believe in your life. Read the book and you'll understand why.