McEwan certainly has a distinct, impressive voice. I was completely drawn into part one, I loved the characters, I needed to learn more about them. War stories were never my interest, so I'd obviously teeter through part two. But I never got back into it. Part three was a huge focus on the Cecilia/Robbie relationship, and I was disappointed to hear little else from the others. What happened to the characterization? I loved the mother. I loved Briony. And though Briony did eventually appear, she was weak. It was out of character and I just got annoyed with everyone at the end. I expected more out of such a strong beginning.