Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Atonement - book and film

Watched the film on 15th April. Very much enjoyed, though the layers (of time and reality) take a bit of getting used to. I am re-reading the book. Watch this space.

Yes, I finished it while on holiday - excellent book with a good strong story, well told, with convincing atmosphere when McEwan depicts inter-war wealthy family life, complete with class differences, and their effect on attitudes. Later the harrowing wartime experiences, of soldiers and nurses are vivid.

All wrapped up in an exploration of the role of a writer of fiction alongside guilt and innocence and self-justification. What is truth?

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Jodi Picoult - Plain Truth

A dead premature baby is found hidden in the barn of the Fishers, an Amish family. Eighteen-year-old Katie claims to remember nothing of the birth or her pregnancy, though medical evidence establishes that she is the mother, and circumstantial evidence indicates that she is the likely killer.

Ellie Hathaway, a successful lawyer, is questioning her role as a defense attorney. She believes she has used her skill to allow criminals to evade justice, in the interests of furthering her own career. Ellie has recently become desperate to have a child of her own but has split up with her long-term boyfriend. She is persuaded to defend Katie, and because of the bail conditions imposed finds herself sharing the life of the Fisher family.

As the story unrolls, Picoult examines different value systems, ideas of justice and family relationships. One thing I like about her books is that the choices the characters make are difficult, and the line between good and evil is not entirely clear.