Book 70 -- Atonement
Book 70-- Atonement by Ian McEwan
Attendees:
Amy Marr
Jami Walsh
Carol Conti
Nick Conti
Bethany Salek
Sarah Jay
Kids:
Theo
Caitie
Giana
Thomas
Enjoyment:
Amy: Liked characters and concept --
Carol: Liked it
Nick: Struggled with beginning but hasn’t got much past it
Jami: Hated it. Couldn’t get through the book at all
Bethany:it was ok. Was ready to put it down about 2/3 through. Liked the movie and had seen it before reading the book.
Sarah: Enjoyed. Not her favorite.
1. What sort of social and cultural setting does the Tallis house create for the novel? How does the careful attention to detail affect the pace of Part One, and what is the effect of the acceleration of plot events as it nears its end
A - snored
S - reason behind it is Briony being reflected back at you. How she changes as a writer over the years.
2.A passion for order, a lively imagination, and a desire for attention seem to be Briony's strongest traits. In what ways is she still a child? Is her narcissism-her inability to see things from any point of view but her own-unusual in a thirteen-year-old? Why does the scene she witnesses at the fountain change her whole perspective on writing?
A - very typical 13 yo in a lot of ways. Wants to be a part of something bigger.
Discussed how it affects her writing style.
3. Who, if anyone, is the moral authority in this family? What is the parents' relationship to Robbie Turner, and why does Emily pursue his conviction with such single-mindedness?
C - feels that Emily sees Robbie more of a burden where the Dad looks at it as an opportunity. She pursues the conviction to keep Robbie away from Cecelia.
A - feels abandoned by her husband.
Don’t think there is one. Bethany leans toward Cecelia.
S - Cecelia feels obligated to act as the mother figure, but she is trying to break away from it.
N - the father may be the moral center. Amy disagreed
S - everything comes together when he’s t here and maybe things are so bad because he’s not there enough.
4. What symbolic role does Uncle Clem's precious vase play in the novel? Is it significant that the vase is glued together by Cecilia, and broken finally during the war by Betty as she readies the house to accept evacuees?
Feels it’s symbolic of the family. There are cracks and Cecelia’s trying to keep it together. During the war the family is finally broke apart.
5. Why is Robbie's uncensored letter so offensive within the social context in which it is read? Why is Cecilia not offended by it?
C - she has a different relationship with Robbie.
N - if Mr. Marshall had written it.
B - The letter woke her up to the fact that she loved Robbie.
6. The scene in the library is one of the most provocative and moving descriptions of sex in recent fiction. How does the fact that it is narrated from Robbie's point of view affect how the reader feels about what happens to him shortly afterwards? Is it understandable that Briony, looking on, perceives this act of love as an act of violence?
J - it’s perfectly reasonable that Briony would perceive it that way. It’s in the library, it’s standing up, and it’s passionate which can be very rough.
N - he’s holding her neck and her hand and etc.
7. Why does Briony stick to her story with such unwavering commitment? Does she act entirely in error in a situation she is not old enough to understand, or does she act, in part, on an impulse of malice, revenge, or self-importance? At what point does she develop the empathy to realize what she has done to Cecilia and Robbie?
Previously discussed.
8. What are the qualities that make Robbie such an effective romantic hero? What are the ironies inherent in the comparative situations of the three young men present-Leon, Paul Marshall, and Robbie?
A - Robbie is hard working and intelligent, the other two have things handed to them.
S -- he has confidence and isn’t ashamed of his lot in life.
N - Marshall is business oriented
J - and lecherous
N - Leon is nice, but kind of blank. He has no aspirations.
9. Lola has a critical role in the story's plot. What are her motivations? Why does Briony decide not to confront Lola and Paul Marshall at their wedding five years later?
J - Lola is let Paul do those things and didn’t’ want to be caught in it.
A - She was a chicken. She had the evidence and couldn’t bring it up. The old Briony would want to make a spectacle of herself. But, she’s changed.
C - Cecelia has a backbone. How much of Briony losing that is a result of Cecelia being gone.
S - Briony is filled with guilt.
10. What aspects of Atonement make it so powerful as a war novel? What details heighten the emotional impact in the scenes of the Dunkirk retreat and Briony's experience at the military hospital?
C - love that Dunkirk scene because it conveys how significant it is. At the hospital Briony is confronted with the horror of war and it really strikes her.
11.What is the emotional effect of this double ending? Is Briony right in thinking that "it isn't weakness or evasion, but a final act of kindness, a stand against oblivion and despair, to let my lovers live and to unite them at the end" [p. 351]?
B - thought the movie did it much better.
A - thought that the book did it much better.
12. Why does McEwan return to the novel's opening with the long-delayed performance of The Trials of Arabella? What sort of closure is this in the context of Briony's career? What is the significance of the fact that Briony is suffering from vascular dementia, which will result in the loss of her memory, and the loss of her identity?
C - bitter sweet that the old cousins were there.
B - thought it was lame.
A - brought her back to that day and the others didn’t realize why that day was so significant to her emotionally.
Other Discussion
Discussed whether Briony’s main motivation to the lie about Robbie was her love of her sister or her love of Robbie. Determined it was really combination of both.
Nick feels that Robbie was put into the “bad” category and her world is very black and white and the note and the incident in the library made her feel like he had been lying ot her this whole time.
Upcoming Books:
April's Book: The Help
May's Book: The Lost Books of the Odyssey
Next Meeting May 7th Em’s House
Attendees:
Amy Marr
Jami Walsh
Carol Conti
Nick Conti
Bethany Salek
Sarah Jay
Kids:
Theo
Caitie
Giana
Thomas
Enjoyment:
Amy: Liked characters and concept --
Carol: Liked it
Nick: Struggled with beginning but hasn’t got much past it
Jami: Hated it. Couldn’t get through the book at all
Bethany:it was ok. Was ready to put it down about 2/3 through. Liked the movie and had seen it before reading the book.
Sarah: Enjoyed. Not her favorite.
1. What sort of social and cultural setting does the Tallis house create for the novel? How does the careful attention to detail affect the pace of Part One, and what is the effect of the acceleration of plot events as it nears its end
A - snored
S - reason behind it is Briony being reflected back at you. How she changes as a writer over the years.
2.A passion for order, a lively imagination, and a desire for attention seem to be Briony's strongest traits. In what ways is she still a child? Is her narcissism-her inability to see things from any point of view but her own-unusual in a thirteen-year-old? Why does the scene she witnesses at the fountain change her whole perspective on writing?
A - very typical 13 yo in a lot of ways. Wants to be a part of something bigger.
Discussed how it affects her writing style.
3. Who, if anyone, is the moral authority in this family? What is the parents' relationship to Robbie Turner, and why does Emily pursue his conviction with such single-mindedness?
C - feels that Emily sees Robbie more of a burden where the Dad looks at it as an opportunity. She pursues the conviction to keep Robbie away from Cecelia.
A - feels abandoned by her husband.
Don’t think there is one. Bethany leans toward Cecelia.
S - Cecelia feels obligated to act as the mother figure, but she is trying to break away from it.
N - the father may be the moral center. Amy disagreed
S - everything comes together when he’s t here and maybe things are so bad because he’s not there enough.
4. What symbolic role does Uncle Clem's precious vase play in the novel? Is it significant that the vase is glued together by Cecilia, and broken finally during the war by Betty as she readies the house to accept evacuees?
Feels it’s symbolic of the family. There are cracks and Cecelia’s trying to keep it together. During the war the family is finally broke apart.
5. Why is Robbie's uncensored letter so offensive within the social context in which it is read? Why is Cecilia not offended by it?
C - she has a different relationship with Robbie.
N - if Mr. Marshall had written it.
B - The letter woke her up to the fact that she loved Robbie.
6. The scene in the library is one of the most provocative and moving descriptions of sex in recent fiction. How does the fact that it is narrated from Robbie's point of view affect how the reader feels about what happens to him shortly afterwards? Is it understandable that Briony, looking on, perceives this act of love as an act of violence?
J - it’s perfectly reasonable that Briony would perceive it that way. It’s in the library, it’s standing up, and it’s passionate which can be very rough.
N - he’s holding her neck and her hand and etc.
7. Why does Briony stick to her story with such unwavering commitment? Does she act entirely in error in a situation she is not old enough to understand, or does she act, in part, on an impulse of malice, revenge, or self-importance? At what point does she develop the empathy to realize what she has done to Cecilia and Robbie?
Previously discussed.
8. What are the qualities that make Robbie such an effective romantic hero? What are the ironies inherent in the comparative situations of the three young men present-Leon, Paul Marshall, and Robbie?
A - Robbie is hard working and intelligent, the other two have things handed to them.
S -- he has confidence and isn’t ashamed of his lot in life.
N - Marshall is business oriented
J - and lecherous
N - Leon is nice, but kind of blank. He has no aspirations.
9. Lola has a critical role in the story's plot. What are her motivations? Why does Briony decide not to confront Lola and Paul Marshall at their wedding five years later?
J - Lola is let Paul do those things and didn’t’ want to be caught in it.
A - She was a chicken. She had the evidence and couldn’t bring it up. The old Briony would want to make a spectacle of herself. But, she’s changed.
C - Cecelia has a backbone. How much of Briony losing that is a result of Cecelia being gone.
S - Briony is filled with guilt.
10. What aspects of Atonement make it so powerful as a war novel? What details heighten the emotional impact in the scenes of the Dunkirk retreat and Briony's experience at the military hospital?
C - love that Dunkirk scene because it conveys how significant it is. At the hospital Briony is confronted with the horror of war and it really strikes her.
11.What is the emotional effect of this double ending? Is Briony right in thinking that "it isn't weakness or evasion, but a final act of kindness, a stand against oblivion and despair, to let my lovers live and to unite them at the end" [p. 351]?
B - thought the movie did it much better.
A - thought that the book did it much better.
12. Why does McEwan return to the novel's opening with the long-delayed performance of The Trials of Arabella? What sort of closure is this in the context of Briony's career? What is the significance of the fact that Briony is suffering from vascular dementia, which will result in the loss of her memory, and the loss of her identity?
C - bitter sweet that the old cousins were there.
B - thought it was lame.
A - brought her back to that day and the others didn’t realize why that day was so significant to her emotionally.
Other Discussion
Discussed whether Briony’s main motivation to the lie about Robbie was her love of her sister or her love of Robbie. Determined it was really combination of both.
Nick feels that Robbie was put into the “bad” category and her world is very black and white and the note and the incident in the library made her feel like he had been lying ot her this whole time.
Upcoming Books:
April's Book: The Help
May's Book: The Lost Books of the Odyssey
Next Meeting May 7th Em’s House