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Flawed McEwan novel still worthy of 5 stars Let me start out this review by saying that Ian McEwan is one of my favorite writers, and Atonement was one of my all time peak reading experiences. Saying all that, I was somewhat disappointed in Saturday. Mind you, it's still a fantastic book, and it's full of the thoughtful and intelligent prose to which McEwan excels. But in comparison to his other works, I would place Saturday squarely in the middle. Summary, no spoilers: This novel follows 24 hours in the life of neurosurgeon Dr. Henry Perowne, as he wakes up very early one Saturday morning, not long after 9/11. Henry is a happily married family man, and we follow him along in his day as he plays squash with a physician friend, visits his elderly mother who is suffering from dementia, and gets involved in an incident of road rage which will come back to haunt him before the end of the day. In typical McEwan fashion, I found myself rereading and marking off certain passages just because I wanted to get back to them, because they were so perfectly evocative and descriptive. The dialogue, in particular the conversation between Henry and his mother, is spot on...and anyone who has had a conversation with a loved one who is suffering from dementia will nod their heads in recognition. As impressed as I was with this book, I did have trouble with certain things. Henry's family was just a little too perfect to me, and I never found them very real. The biggest problem I had (and again, no spoiler...) is with the very end of the book, when Henry takes on a "task" which I found at the very least, legally and ethically wrong. I understand the need for this as a plot devise, but it took me out of the book. Again, although this is not my favorite McEwan (and I have read them all), this book is highly recommended. It is thoughtful, well-written, and a true mirror of our times and of our lives.