Atonement by Ian McEwan
Atonement is a powerful novel that explores the consequences of a young girl's false accusation. The narrative follows the lives of three characters, the accuser, her older sister, and the sister's lover, who is wrongly accused. This false accusation irrevocably alters their lives, leading to the accused's imprisonment and eventual enlistment in World War II, while the sisters grapple with guilt, estrangement, and their own personal growth. The novel is a profound exploration of guilt, forgiveness, and the destructive power of misinterpretation.
The 248th greatest book of all time
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- Published
- 2001
- Nationality
- British
- Length
- Moderate
- Pages
- 350-400
- Original Language
- English
- Avg User Rating
-
(3.8)
- Alternate Titles
-
- Abbitte
- Espiazione
- Expiación
- Expiação
- Pokuta
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following 45 lists:
- 3rd on Top 10 British, Irish or Commonwealth Novels from 1980 to 2005 (The Observer)
- 5th on A Premature Attempt at the 21st Century Canon (Vulture)
- 5th on The 21 best books of the 21st century (Babelia en EL PAÍS)
- 9th on The 100 Best Books of the Decade(2000) (Times)
- 9th on The 21st Century's 12 Greatest Novels (BBC)
- 13th on Paste Magazine's Best Books of the Decade(2000-2009) (Paste Magazine)
- 14th on The Millions: The Best Fiction of the Millennium (The Millions)
- 15th on The 100 Greatest British Novels (BBC)
- 17th on Readers Pick Their 100 Best Books of the 21st Century (NY Times)
- 21st on Australia’s Radio National top 100 books of the 21st century (ABC Radio national)
- 24th on The 50 best books of the past 100 years (The Times)
- 26th on 100 Best Books of the 21st Century (NY Times)
- 30th on The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read (Telegraph)
- 33rd on Top 50 Books (The Daily Telegraph)
- 34th on Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 38th on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 41st on The 100 best books of the 21st century (The Guardian)
- 43rd on Truelit's 100 Best Books of the Quarter Century (/r/truelit)
- 82nd on 100 Best Books of the 21st Century (Book Enthusiast Substack)
- 82nd on The New Classics - 100 Best Reads from 1983 to 2008 (Entertainment Weekly)
- 87th on The 100 Best Books from 1900 to the Present (Yedioth Ahronoth)
- 93rd on The Greatest Books of All Time (Reader's Digest)
- 97th on 100 Essential Books (Bravo! Magazine)
- 154th on The Big Read (BBC)
- 296th on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (Amazon.com (UK))
- 125 Books We Love for Adults (NY Public Library)
- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature (The Center for Fiction)
- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers (Parade)
- 500 Must Read Books (The Daily Telegraph)
- 50 Essential Reads by Contemporary Authors (Orange Prize for Fiction)
- 70 Classic Booker Prize-Nominated Novels, Recommended by our Readers (Booker Prize Library Readers)
- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition (New York Times)
- Best Fiction Books of the 21st Century (So Far) (Kirkus Reviews)
- Books of the Decade (The Guardian)
- Cart's Top 200 Adult Books for Young Adults (Book)
- Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher (Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher)
- Modern classics: 11 novels that belong in the classroom (Today.com)
- National Book Critics Circle Award - Fiction (National Book Critics Circle)
- The 100 Best Novels Of All Time (Runners-Up) (The Guardian)
- The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List (The Observer)
- The Best Books of the 2000s (The Onion AV Club)
- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels (TIME Magazine)