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Your thoughts on the second half of Part One?

The last part of Part-1. This is where all the drama goes to its high. Girls growing to be adults, their misunderstandings about the adult relations. Wrong accusations, being important in adult world, all these from Briony and Lola makes their world upside down.


many quotes are likable
“It wasn't only wickedness and scheming that made people unhappy, it was confusion and misunderstanding...the failure to grasp the simple truth that other people are as real as you.�

"It made no sense, she knew, arranging flowers before the water was in—but there it was; she couldn’t resist moving them around, and not everything people did could be in a correct, logical order, especially when they were alone."

I underlined TONS of quotes in this section.

I was most impressed with the section right after Briony finds Lola, and all of the future-looking-back remembering of it, how things like that are why the police are not very quick to accept eyewitness accounts anymore. Lola never had to lie.... just forget the truth (paraphrase). Such a key thing! Briony was the one who put it into her head, and she clung to it.... how differently the story might have gone if Briony had just bitten her tongue and let LOLA make the first accusation!

A lot of this section was exceedingly tedious.... Briony's meanderings in her own brain were so frustrating and tiresome! On the other hand, I can remember back to being that age and my imaginary fancies, having entire conversations in my head, imagining events from different views, etc, so while it's boring to read about, it does give a good picture of just how fanciful her brain really is at this point, and WHY she views things the way she does. I don't think she does it maliciously.... but as is pointed out, after awhile, she felt like she COULDN'T clarify her story, because it would change everything and displease everyone so much! And it really would have drastic consequences for her, because she would forever be viewed as the flighty, untruthful, attention-seeking child, and probably for many years (if not the rest of her life) no one would be able to take anything she said seriously.

I understand that she felt like she was protecting her sister (did she really though? It never occurred to her while walking about in the dark by herself that SHE might be in danger? Did she only want the attention of being the hero?) but when she goes and finds that letter, I wanted to shake her and call her a little b****! I can't imagine how horrified Cecelia must have been!

Does everyone buy that Briony was able to figure out what a c*** was? There's no way at 13 that I would have had any idea, and certainly not in an upscale, aristocratic home in England in the 1930s! But maybe I'm assuming more naivete for the time and culture than I should.