Thoughts on Ian McEwan?

[blue_diamond21]

ok I loved Atonement (and also the film which was pretty true to the story) and i have just finished reading Cecil Beach which was amazing, it was quite short but you really became lost in the sotry of the two characters and their situation.

I think McEwans style of writing can be overly descriptive at times i.e. the war sequence in Atonement but it does serve its purpose once you have finished the book and think back over the story.

Cecil Beach was amazing and i do think i prefer it to Atonement, but only just . Its about a young man and owman at the start of the 60's who have just married. It is their wedding night and they both have very mixed and differetn feelings about sleeping with each other. The ending was not what I would have expected but there were so many ways the story could have gone that it was a good choice.

Basically I loved these two books but am now at a loss over which of his others books to start with next, any ideas?

[perksofbeingme]

I've only read atonement, but I absolutely loved it. I was afraid that I had too much hope in it and that there was no way it was going to be as good as I had heard it was, but it was as good and better. I am eager to read more by him and I wish more people would give him a chance.

[blue_diamond21]

I was the same when i first read Atonement as thefilm had just been released and I was wary of the hype but i absolutely loved it!

[claudibee]

I enjoyed Atonement and Amsterdam, but the ones that really made me feel uncomfortable (although I loved them) were Undying Love, Saturday and Black Dogs (hope I've got the titles right, my memory isn't what it should be). A child in time is also well worth reading.

Kind regards

Claudibee

[sunrise]

Ah, Ian McEwan...I think he's certainly one of the most talented writers of this generation. What I find interesting though is the evolution you see between his earlier works (which even I found a bit disturbing) and something like Atonement, which definitely involves sexuality but isn't as...dark.

Btw I strongly agree with the OP about McEwan's tendency to be overly descriptive...he's wonderful at description, but in specific cases I felt he could have been more concise, like you mentioned with the Atonement war scenes (the second part of the book was by far my least favourite). I enjoy the subtleties McEwan leaves in his writing though and just how nicely crafted together his novels are...Amsterdam I think is one of the best examples of his talent in that area, although Atonement remains my favourite storyline.

[BookRefunds]

He's great:)

[MrWright]

I've read most of Ian McEwan and totally agree with 'sunrise' about his earlier work being disturbing - back then the press dubbed him "Ian Macabre". One of my favourite books of his (not already mentioned on this thread) is The Innocent.

[Red Baron]

I think I have only read one of his books and I have forgotton the title, but I think a lot of people have been eluding to it. It was about a couple who got off, sexually, by killing someone in a hotel. Anyone know the title? I steered clear of him after that as I was really disturbed, but I loved the film Atonement so I think I might give the book a chance and the author another go.

[MrWright]

Red Baron, I think the novel your thinking of is The Comfort of Strangers - Ian McEwan himself said that was the darkest book his written.

[Red Baron]

Thanks for that, Mr Wright. Trust me to pick the darkest one to start with. It certainly was dark - ink black - but I couldn't stop reading it until the end. And then - of course - I was totally mortified.

[MrWright]

I agree it was very bleak. There's a film adaptation from about 1990 with Christopher Walken and Helen Mirren playing the 'killer couple' role, if you're interested. Also, if you're planning on giving McEwan another go, avoid his anthology 'First Love Last Rites' - contains some of the nastiest short stories I've ever read.

[Red Baron]

Thanks for the tip. Christopher Walken freaks me out at the best of times so I think I will give the film a miss. Atonement (the film - have yet to get the book) seems so much lighter and more emotionally involved. I guess I can relate to the characters a lot better. I am reading Nick Earls at the moment, as I need something a little lighter in my life at the moment. Love the "love out loud" bits - more like a gfaw at times. Embarrassing!

[MrWright]

There's an interview McEwan did for The South Bank Show where he discusses how his writing interests and style has developed over the years, from his macabre early work to Atonement and Saturday. It's available on youtube, although I can't post a link as I don't have enough posts. To watch it, just search McEwan South Bank on Youtube.

[celiacloureiro]

I read On Chesil Beach and Atonement, and a miracle occurred: first, I read Atonement after I've watched the movie, and usualy I dismiss the book after I've watched the movie. It's brilliant, I believe I've never been so deep into people's mind (maybe in Nabokov's Lolita), but it was so deep, so justified... Just loved it. As for On Chesil Beach, it did moved me, and it surprised me! I thought it would be like an essay about the first days of marriage or something, but it turned out to be an amazing story about two people that couldn't surpass some of their fears and prejudices.

Amazing writer, a genious.

[Fran]

I found "Black Dogs" to be an extremely disturbing book and "Enduring Love" nearly drove me to drink and "The Cement Garden" was truly brilliant. I think I've read about 10 of his books & some like, Black Dogs, need more than one reading! I am a big fan of Ian McEwan