Post by embonpoint on Jul 1, 2011 18:02:57 GMT -5
Author of Atonement, On Chesil Beach, The Cement Garden etc.
I wanted to start a discussion on him because... Well, because my mother hates him. HATES him, as does my sister. This is because of The Cement Garden; my mum thinks he's a sick man and would've quite liked to have read Atonement (after watching the film) until she found out it was by him, and thinking about his use of the C-word and the library scene. My sister feels much the same; she had to study The Cement Garden at A Level.
Now, I've read TCG, and On Chesil Beach and to be quite honest, I'm closer to agreeing with my family than I am to praising him. Why does sex need to be such an important point in each of his novels, and in such a weird way? I mean, yeah, ok, I am kind of a prude in some respects, but even so. One book, fine; two books, alriiight; but a lot of his books seem to involve some kind of weird or sinister (or illegal) sexual theme (or murder/horrible death or violence) and come on, is that really necessary?!
And well, On Chesil Beach I just thought was pointless. *SPOILERS* (do people need spoilers for this?) I mean, they get married, he comes early and she freaks out... Then they just separate and divorced/annul the marriage and that's it. Like, what was the point of that? I thought it was a stupid book; why spend almost all of it writing about their relationship and their love, only to have it end so abruptly and permanently? That book was a waste of my time.
The worst thing about him, for me, though, is that the writing itself isn't bad; it's just the stories he uses that writing for/the subjects he writes about that bother me. I will read Atonement at some point, and I hope it's better than the other two I've read, but I'm not sure it will be. Has anyone read it? Any thoughts?
I wanted to start a discussion on him because... Well, because my mother hates him. HATES him, as does my sister. This is because of The Cement Garden; my mum thinks he's a sick man and would've quite liked to have read Atonement (after watching the film) until she found out it was by him, and thinking about his use of the C-word and the library scene. My sister feels much the same; she had to study The Cement Garden at A Level.
Now, I've read TCG, and On Chesil Beach and to be quite honest, I'm closer to agreeing with my family than I am to praising him. Why does sex need to be such an important point in each of his novels, and in such a weird way? I mean, yeah, ok, I am kind of a prude in some respects, but even so. One book, fine; two books, alriiight; but a lot of his books seem to involve some kind of weird or sinister (or illegal) sexual theme (or murder/horrible death or violence) and come on, is that really necessary?!
And well, On Chesil Beach I just thought was pointless. *SPOILERS* (do people need spoilers for this?) I mean, they get married, he comes early and she freaks out... Then they just separate and divorced/annul the marriage and that's it. Like, what was the point of that? I thought it was a stupid book; why spend almost all of it writing about their relationship and their love, only to have it end so abruptly and permanently? That book was a waste of my time.
The worst thing about him, for me, though, is that the writing itself isn't bad; it's just the stories he uses that writing for/the subjects he writes about that bother me. I will read Atonement at some point, and I hope it's better than the other two I've read, but I'm not sure it will be. Has anyone read it? Any thoughts?
