London 1999

I just finished the book a couple hours ago and I'm still processing the ending. At first, I kind of slammed the book shut because I was mad at it. The more I think about it, the more I see the genious of the whole thing. I never would have guessed Briony was making this stuff up about meeting her sister and Robbie again. Since I'm much more of a happy ending kind of person, I wish I hadn't even read the 1999 chapter.

What do you guys think of the ending?

Briony

Hi guys, I was wondering...Does Briony ever achieve her atonement?

Does Briony deserve the treatment she gets when visitting Cecelia?

Hi guys. So i was interested in hearing what you guys thought about Briony's atonement for her sin so far. We've looked at what she goes through as a nurse in hospital and her maturity and my question is: Does Briony deserve forgiveness at this stage. Does she deserve all the contempt and treatment she gets, particularly with her visit to Cecelia. i think she doesn't deserve all the blame she gets, now that we see a matured version of her, perhaps the fact that she was young was a good excuse for her crime. It wasn't deliberate or intentional as they think and i think at this stage of the book we can offer a bit more forgiveness. i think for Robbie and Cecelia's sake, they need to forgive. you cant exactly base a relationship on shared hate... I think claiming that you'll never forgive someone is a bit harsh, yes, they will suffer the effects forever. But is it ALL really Briony's fault? Can we not blame the war even though she partially caused it?

Cecilia's Decision

Love is blind, we see this when Cecilia doesn't want to forgive her family for sending Robbie to jail. This causes Cecilia to cut her family out of her life. Do you think it was a wise decision for Cecilia to leave her family?

Emily Tallis

Hey, I'm interested to know what everyone's thoughts about Emily Tallis are. I mean I haven't read the whole book but in later stages of the book Briony grows up doesn't she, wouldn't that kind of make Emily's character kind of fade away. Which makes me wonder what the significance is of her character and her husband is in relation to Briony and her atonement for her sin. And another question: does emily Tallis even deserve all the self pity and sympathy she gives herself. Even without a migraine she refuses to take responsibility when the twins go missing because they aren't her children. I think she's quite selfish - what do you guys think? 

Good evening everyone. I read chapter 13-14 this weekend. I am in the situation where I would like to ask Briony to please stop making up stories or to stop assuming things. For example, when Briony found Lola in the grass after the rape incident , she immediately assumed that it was Robbie. Because of her previous experiences but still I think it is a bit ridiculous. What is your guy's opinion?