I Want To...

So I've both read the book and seen the movie. Naturally, I am dying to talk about the ending. However, I know many of you have yet to finish. I, therefore, will hold off on that discussion. But do know it is coming soon...

FINISHED (with part one)

I bet i tricked some of you! ok, this is the first time in my life that i have ever posted anything on a blog. so it is pretty intimidating. i wanted to go for a less-courageous comment on someone else's post, but i thought, what the heck, you only live once. so here i am. and, to make matters worse, i thought my first-ever post on this blog would be an engaging and intellectual discussion on the topic of perspective in part one of atonement. but since i am at work with one and a half hours left and deadlines to meet, my procrastination only allows me this hint of the brilliance that is certainly to come. i wish i had the novel with me so that i could at least add a quotation.

that being said, here is a rambling, unplanned, disorganized series of thoughts so far (not what i had intended and a bit disappointing, but it's a start): i LOVED part one. i thought it moved quickly and was really engaging -- the overall feeling was mysterious but not haunting and very real/relatable. it created a whole enclosed world of these people and this place (kind of like wuthering heights), the home, which is something i love most about novels. it felt more like reading a classic late 19th or early 20th century novel than something written by a contemporary author. it just was good literature, like something you read in english class but still really enjoy on your own.

most of all i was struck by how rich, specific and relatable each character was. i loved how we got a chapter from the many POVs, including Briony's, Emily's, Cecilia's and Robbie's -- was there also one from the cousins? each time the POV changed, i felt completely in the mind of that character and i felt like i understood him or her completely, with a full sense of personality. I also loved the idea of Briony's boredom matched with her wild creativity/imagination/intelligence/need for attention all contributing to the tragic turn of events. it's a really interesting theme to me -- the idea that when there is not enough of engaging, positive outlet for creativity, especially female (as that is more often the creativity that is stifled), things can turn destructive.

anyway, i flew through part one and now have been at a stand-still. i think it's because part one was contained, character-driven, intimate and enclosed in the world of the home and the mind of the characters. i know that in part two i have to venture out into the world, meet war, meet new people, leave the comfort of the quiet country-side, confront aging, and witness waiting and pining amidst the back drop of a major social/political world conflict. i think i will still like it, but it takes a bit more motivation and bucking up and i think that's why i've been reluctant to start (which is pretty lame). One thing i know for sure (hint erin): i will NOT allow myself to see this film until the novel is completed. a lot of will power, but i will do it.

I Haven't Touched the Book But--

Yes, indeed, I'm going to comment on the film based on the book. Who ever thought it would come to this? Of course, film cannot be substitute for literature--I believe this more than anyone--but I was so entranced by the movie that I don't care about that opinion. From the onset the visuals were stunning, each shot masterful and immaculate. The actors also bring a sense of youthful sensuality and glamour (of yore). Of the plot and screenplay, I was immediately taken with its seemingly simple facade: girl and boy discover they are mad about each other, one goes away, the other waits. It's the Odyssey in a nutshell and we've watched it in movies like "Cold Mountain." But here we have the omnipresent theme of revenge and atonement (what else?)-- can we really ever make up for the actions of the past? Can words heal as we always hoped whole-heartedly that they could? As a writer it was a particularly interesting statement to me how words can mean so much when spoken for the first time, how initially it is easy to say them, and then later in life, when words are actually required we are too proud or scared to let them come. This is all just a first superficial post and I promise more later....right now I have some finals to study for!

Finished!

Just to let everyone know, I have read the book in its entirety. I am ready for discussion! In the words of Pink, "I'm comin' up so we better get this party started."

Where is everyone?

This is a two-part question: a) Book club participants, I am searching for/encouraging some increased activity/participation on the blog and b) How far along in the book is everyone?

I have just finished Part One and I am really into it. Maybe we can have a discussion on Part 1 after everyone has finished with it. Until then, of course, please feel free to pose any comments, questions, discussion points, shout outs, recommendations, recipes, etc.

I am feeling like a lonely poster. Where are my virtual book club friends?

I commence thee

Since I seem close to utterly incapable of ever doing what it is that I am supposed to be doing (writing letters of recommendation, grading, writing a play, paying my loans), but instead focusing my time and energy into something else (this blog entry), I will initiate our insightful discussion of all things related to the novel Atonement.

I have only read Chapter 1 so far, but I thought I would pose this discussion topic: names.

It is not often enough, I believe, that we really think about the names of the characters in novels, plays, or movies. Much thought goes into every aspect of well written works, including names. Thus, you get great names that say it all, such as Willy Loman (Death of a Salesman) or Lester Burnham (American Beauty). What better names for down on their luck, defeated middle-aged men? Besides their basic sound, Loman = Low man (on the totem pole) and Lester starts with less and hints at luster (such as for Mena Suvari's character) or lack of luster, and burnham sounds down and out and also conjures up the words burned out or "burn him" which although he isn't physically burned, he is somewhat persecuted in the film (okay, that last one is a bit of a stretch). Clarice Starling is the name of Jodie Foster's character in The Silence of the Lambs, and a starling is a quick, strong, direct bird who has an immense capability to recognize speech patterns, all characteristics of her character (shout out to K on that one). I don't think I need to dissect Hannibal Lecter's name, it's pretty obvious.

Another recent character name that caught my attention was Daniel Plainview, the name of Daniel Day-Lewis' Texan oil prospector in the upcoming P.T. Anderson film There Will Be Blood. The name Daniel means "God is my Judge" and is also a Biblical figure. Plainview makes me think of wide open Texas plains and the view of a landscape. Or perhaps his view of oil prospecting is too moralistically naive, thus the "plainview." The young preacher played by Paul Dano is named Eli Sunday. Eli a variant on the name of God in Hebrew and Aramaic, as well as meaning "the highest" in Hebrew and many Yiddish languages, also the name of a Biblical priest, and Sunday being a holy day and a day of rest in many religions. I have gone on a tangent here, but you get the point.


I thought Briony was an interesting name, so I looked it up online and found this entry in Wikipedia:

Bryony (pronounced 'bri-o-nee' or 'bree-o-nee') is the common name for a species in the genus Bryonia of perennial, tendril-climbing, dioecious herbs with palmately lobed leaves and flowers in axillary clusters (see photo at left). The fruit is a smooth, globular berry.

The English species Bryonia alba is known as white bryony and grows in hedgerows as far north as Yorkshire. There are eight varieties established in Europe. Black Bryony is an unrelated plant of the Dioscoreaceae. Some species find use in herbal medicine. Bryonia is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Cabbage Moth.

Variants of the plant name, such as Briony, Bryonie, and Bryony are used, in some cultures, as names for women or girls. It was quite popular in the 18th century. The name is most popular in and around Scottish regions where the plant is mainly seen and grown. This results in many Scottish versions of the name.

The Royal Navy have named two ships HMS Bryony, after the flower.

I just wanted to share that, and I welcome any analysis of this definition with regards to Briony or any other insights, comments, discussion on the names of any of the characters and how they may or may not relate to their character or evoke other images, religion, mythology, or pieces of history. Or if you just want to add to great character names with or without analysis, that would be cool too.

Our First Selection

Introduction

Welcome to The Finer Things Book Club, where we celebrate dignified acts such as reading, discussing books, and drinking tea.