After first reading "Atonement" and "Saturday" I realized I loved this author. The book is very short but packs an emotional punch. It lingers with you for days. I highly recommend it unless you are uncomfortable with an honest rendition of sex.

posted Jul 8, 2007 at 10:17AM

I waited in vain for this story to capture my interest or endear me to its characters. I saw it through to the end, due to its critical acclaim, but found the ending anticlimactic (no pun intended).

posted Oct 6, 2007 at 1:11PM

On Chesil Beach is a short story about one young couple’s disastrous wedding night. It is the 1960s in England, and Edward and Florence have just tied the knot. In their honeymoon hotel room they’re both nervous, but for very different reasons.

I didn’t find the story entirely believable, especially for the time period. I couldn’t imagine a young couple not talking about any of these things, or even recognizing that there might be a problem! They also didn’t seem to really know each other as intimately as a couple in such a situation should. I had a hard time sympathizing as I was kind of irritated with the absurd level of non-communication.

posted Jul 7, 2008 at 9:06PM

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