🚨 An advance warning that this episode features spoilers for Atonement.
September is here, which means it's the start of another academic year. So get out your brand new stationery and settle down as we head back to school... no polyester uniforms or exams though, don't worry. This week, we're taking a look at Booker-nominated books that feature on school syllabuses in the UK and, particularly, we're diving into Ian McEwan's Atonement. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2001, the novel explores how a young girl’s imagination runs riot with far-reaching and devastating consequences.
In this episode Jo and James discuss:
Their favourite Booker-nominated books that feature on school syllabuses
A brief history of Ian McEwan's writing career
The plot of Atonement
The characters and themes of the novel
How Joe Wright's film adaptation of Atonement compares to the books
The Booker Clinic: books to help quell homesickness
Reading list:
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
Joseph Andrews by Henry Fielding
A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh
A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Saturday by Ian McEwan
Spies by Michael Frayn
Brick Lane by Monica Ali
Waterland by Graham Swift
Love and Summer by William Trevor
Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
Oxygen by Andrew Miller
number9dream by David Mitchell
Hotel World by Ali Smith
Now We Shall Be Entirely Free by Andrew Miller
The Dark Room by Rachel Seiffert
Black Dogs by Ian McEwan
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
Enduring Love by Ian McEwan
Further Resources:
Ian McEwan on BBC Radio 4's This Cultural Life
Ian McEwan on his novels as A-Level set texts via The Guardian
A full transcript of the episode is available at our website.
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