Customer Reviews
Hypnotic psychological thriller - By: BookWorm, 23 Aug 2008 
From the very first chapter, this is a gripping psychological thriller. A freak accident with tragic consequences is just the beginning of the nightmare for Joe, a science writer, who finds himself being stalked by a stranger who protests undying love.
McEwan's writing is always good, creating an atmosphere of tension & suspense, & his characters behave mostly in a very human & plausible way. At times the story becomes a little far fetched, particularly at the end, where events seem to unfold very suddenly & not entirely believably. However, for the most part the story is horrifying in its convincingness.
It is a testament to McEwan's writing skill that he is able to weave in aspects of science into this story without seeming dull or irrelevant. His digressions into the world of science also act as a good way to spin out the tension in certain critical scenes.
Overalll, an impressive read & one I looked forward to picking up at the end of the day. It's star rating reflects the stretches of credibility in parts of the plot, but there's not many thrillers that remain entirely plausible throughout.
Gripping - and just a little implausible - By: Juliet Platt, 16 Jun 2008 
This is my first McEwan, & it drew me in entirely from the opening lines of Chapter One. The opening scene is beautifully, movingly, & intriguingly presented, & it sparks a ravenous curiosity in the reader.
I thoroughly enjoyed McEwan's narrative in the early parts of the book, however the characters never reallly sat comfortably for me nor evoked my sympathy.
The writing was reallly powerful in places - & then rather self-conscious in others. Maybe this is because McEwan was trying to stay true to the case study he presents in the Appendices.
The denouement felt a bit over-worked, as if McEwan was trying too hard for plausibility. The lack of viewpoints other than Joe Rose's through the book leads to an ending which feels rather rushed & contrived.
Some scenes are presented with masterful suspense & subtle pointers, yet when the action finallly happens it feels weak. McEwan strikes me as being a very intellectual writer, which is great, & I wonder if some of the immediacy of the action suffers because of that.
I would have liked a bit more on Jed Parry, maybe an insight into his mindset or explanation about why he was in that Oxfordshire field, & why he became so entranced with Joe in particular, though I guess this isn't possible with a first person account. If there'd been an omniscient narrator instead this would have been more feasible - & I think might have made a more powerful, more convincing narrative, although a rather different type of book altogether.
The case study included in the end was enlightening, though it left me with lots of questions about why McEwan couldn't have broadened the scope of his novel to explore the facts of the case study more thoroughly, & in a more literary sense, rather than tagging on some scientific notes to the end in a kind of "told you so" gesture.
An extremely thought-provoking read, compelling in parts, though perhaps a bit narrow in scope, & with a bit of a dashed-off feel about it. Nevertheless a great discussion book!
Twitchy, but very readable - By: Four Violets, 13 May 2008 The love that truly endures in this novel, is the love of the obsessed male stalker for the male protagonist, Joe. Joe's relationship with Clarissa comes under unbearable strain after Joe & the crazy Parry are thrown together after a tragic accident.
My problem with this novel was, that although like alll the McEwans I have read it is hugely enjoyable & something I looked forward to reading; the typical McEwan mix of visceral with cerebral digressions made me constantly impatient to get on with the resolution of the plot.
Verbose and unpassionate - By: Moab, 03 Feb 2008 
I read it because everyone raved about it last year, & to be honest, it wasn't great. I didn't like his style of writing (I've read Atonement since, & didn't like that either) it is so verbose, pointless & waffley. I can deal with long, passionate descriptions in books, but not when you can't feel or sense the writer's own passion. If the reader feels as though the writer has no passion, why should they have enthusiasm for their book.
The actual plot line wasn't too bad, however, he could have made more of it. It dragged for the whole 200 odd pages & as the plot seemed so diluted by unmoving drivel, it wasn't enthrallling. The themes & concepts were ok, similar at times to Dorian Gray in the sense of obsession. I suppose the main ones are obsessions, love, influence of obsession on relationships, honesty & it had a tragic hero feel to it. But, as the book had a resolution, it lost the epic, passion-drenched feel it should have had. The idea of 'one moment changes everything' was quite interesting & some of the ideas surrounding that concept that were explored throughout were thought-provoking. However, it is a well trodden path, & there are plenty of other books & films, that are much better than Enduring Love.
The ending was disapointing as, although McEwan seemed to employ a 'tragic hero' idea, the book had a resolve that meant they alll got on with their lives.
Overalll, it was ok, nothing incredible. I suppose what made the whole experience worse was the fact that everyone loved it & saw it as an instant classic, in a kind of "but Brutus was an honest man" way, but to me it was nothing more than a mediocre novel that evoked no passion from reader or writer.
aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh - By: Ms. O. Ahmed, 30 Sep 2007 
I had to read this book for a level & regard it as an excerise in torture. Forced & unrealsitic I couldn't identify or feel sympathy for any of the characters. Joe was a pompous, judgemental 'intellectual' obsessed with his own self importance. Clarissa wasn't much better as for Jed Parry there have been few more pathetic or contrived literary characters. I will never read Ian McEwan again.
