Atoning

    At the school summer fair yesterday, a cursory glance at the bookstall revealed three copies of Ian McEwan's Atonement for sale. I haven't read this - nor any McEwan at all, in fact - but I wondered why it was obviously not "a keeper" for those who'd donated them. I did see a woman comparing the two paperbacks for relative scruffiness, and it looked as though - for 10p. - she was going to give it a go, but it made me wonder about the book. Any McEwan fans here, and if so, how does Atonement rank in the canon?