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Atonement

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

This new audio edition of Ian McEwan’s beloved modern classic is narrated by Olivier Award winner and Emmy nominee Harriet Walter, who starred as Emily Tallis in the Academy Award-winning film adaptation of Atonement. Her recent credits range from The Crown to Succession and Ted Lasso.


On the hottest day of the summer of 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis sees her sister Cecilia plunge naked into the fountain in the garden of their country house.

Watching her too is Robbie Turner who, like Cecilia, has recently come down from Cambridge. By the end of that day, the lives of all three will have been changed for ever.

Robbie and Cecilia will have crossed a boundary they had not even imagined at its start. Briony will have witnessed mysteries, and committed a crime for which she will spend the rest of her life trying to atone.

'This new recording of Atonement is exquisitely read by the Succession actor Harriet Walter […] McEwan pulls off a bold narrative trick that causes the listener to question the foundations of his storytelling and the nature of fiction' The Guardian

'The best thing he has ever written' Observer

Atonement is a masterpiece’ The Times


**ONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21st CENTURY**

© 2001 Ian McEwan (P)2024 Penguin Audio

20th Century Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction World Literature

Critic reviews

He is this country's unrivalled literary giant...a fascinatingly strange, unique and gripping novel
Ian McEwan’s highly-charged story of sin and forgiveness is masterfully told. Tense, shocking and heart-breaking in equal turn.
Atonement is a masterpiece...it is also an elegy to a time which, however volatile, still had certainties
A beautiful and majestic fictional panorama
A deft and brilliant exploration of guilt, family and the rippling repercussions of a single moment in life
A superb achievement
A magnificent novel
The best thing he has ever written
McEwan's best novel so far, his masterpiece
Subtle as well as powerful, adeptly encompassing comedy as well as atrocity, Atonement is a richly intricate book... A superb achievement
All stars
Most relevant
This is a beautiful book in which McEwan slowly unveils his characters and in forensic detail. The plot moves at a languid pace, particularly in the beginning but this is made up for by Harriet Walter’s fantastic narration, which helps make the story come alive.

Excellent performance by Harriet Walter

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Ian McEwan’s evocative novel is brought to life by Harriet and she gives it a certain depth not there in other adaptations. A great book to read and have read.

Excellent book and well read.

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Picked the book up in a cafe and listened in parallel - stunning book 📕 the twists are heartbreaking I absolutely love this book

The story twists

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Great story of the human condition and its consequences. Great narration and characterisation. Captures several eras.

Beautiful narrative

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A sublime reading of an incredible book. Faultless performance kept me gripped to the end.

Outstanding performance

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