I don’t read the works of a particular author in chronological order. If I want to sample an author, I go straight to his/her most famous work. If I like it, I read 2-3 more of his popular ones and if I still like them, that’s the only time I go to his or her earlier works then probably do the reading chronologically. Of course, I am talking here of authors that have more than 5 works to their name and did not get international fame in their very first or only book.

This is what’s been happening with me and Ian McEwan’s books. I first read Enduring Love since it is a 501 book. I gave it a 5 star. Next was his Booker awardee, Amsterdam and gave it a 4 star. Then, I picked up what his fans are saying as his masterpiece, Atonement and gave it a 5 star. Then I moved to his saddest (so far) book, A Child in Time and gave it another 5 star. I am now determined to read all his works before I die. I am now a certified McEwan fan. With the rate I am going, I will be a completist for him and it will be my first.

In 2008, Ian Russell McEwan (born 1948) was named as one of The 50 greatest British writers since 1945 by The Times. His two latest works, On Chesil Beach (2007) and Solar (2010) are not at par with his earlier works according to literary critics. So, I am not reading them yet. Some novels need more time for people to see their worth so I am not bothered. McEwan’s earlier 2 books that earned him the title “Ian Macabre” did not become immediate bestsellers too but enough for him to get noticed despite having that title.

Those two books are The Cement Garden (1978) and The Comfort of Strangers (1981). This review is about the first one, Cement and I really liked it still.

Going back to your favorite author’s earlier works is like seeing Brad Pitt in a 1991 movie, Thelma and Louise. Brad Pitt did a cameo role but his role and his looks almost stole the movie from Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon. Unadulterated Brad Pitt: without gimmicks, not in an epic role, no high powered gun, and with no girlfriend with pouty lips by his side. Just like Ian McEwan in Cement. It is slim plain storytelling of 4 kids orphaned at their very young age: Julie (17), Jack the narrator (15), Sue (13) and Tom (6). When the story opens, the father is gardening and 2 pages after, he dies. Then 10 pages or so, the sickly mother dies too. Because they are still young and they don’t want to live apart and stay in orphanages, they bury their mother in their cellar. I will not tell you the rest of the story as I do not want to spoil your fun. With that plot, I can now see where McEwan got the title of “Ian Macabre”.

The story does not introduce you to mind-bogging syndrome like "de Clerambault’s" (Enduring Love). Neither does it make you aware of the politics nor role of media (Amsterdam). It does not have a grandiose backdrop like WWII or that big revelation like Briony’s secret or guilt (Atonement). It does not dwell on father’s sadness and longing that brings forth his own experience as a child (A Child In Time). Cement is like going back many steps backward and finding McEwan’s core: brilliant storytelling without unnecessary pizzazz. You will love, get amused and cry with the orphaned kids. You will be able to identify yourself in one of them: the take-charge Julie, I-have-no-friend Jack, the diarist Sue or the clueless Tom. They are plain American kids and they don’t know what they are doing like not cleaning their house or eating all junks that they can find in the supermarket. Those, plus that scene towards the end. Just this one point: Among McEwan's works, this one is dark, that's why I liked it.

This deserves to stay in the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. It will tell you want will happen if you and your partner die while your kids are still minors :)

With Ian McEwan you will never read two novels with a similar theme. What you will read are novels that are unusual, bizarre, and often macabre. You will meet interesting , well-developed characters, often not ones you would choose for friends. You will also read some of the best prose in current literature. All this is why I am such a McEwan fan and why this was my 12th novel by this great British writer.

Children grieving for their recently deceased parents, while not a common theme, is not unusual. Not even children interpreting the promises they made to a dying parent is unique. However, the way the four children in this novel fulfill that promise - that is pure McEwan.

It is not uncommon for children of a certain age to want to be free from the demands and restrictions of their parents. What would happen if there were no parents to give those children a sense of right and wrong, socially accepted behaviors? This is the theme of The Cement Garden. McEwan always like to explore moral issues and/or dilemmas, explore but not preach or persuade.

The four children are, in my opinion, very accurately portrayed. Jack, the narrator, is 14 turned 15 in the course of the story. He is unsure about the sexual urges he feels. He is jealous of the attention his 17 year old sister Julie gives to her boyfriend. Sexual? Maybe, but also attention not given to him. There are sexual overtones; Sue, a pre-teen, is the nude patient examined by her older brother and sister, Tom, age 6, enjoys dressing like a girl, Julie appreciates the attention her body creates, Jack frequently masturbates but doesn't fully understand why. His mother's former warning of the physical damage it may cause is never far from his mind. All these overtones lead to the denouement, the final example of things gone awry.

Throughout this short novel the grief each child feels is evident. Without the love and comfort provided by their mother, each tries to cope in his/her own way. Even as their lives are falling apart, like their house and their neighborhood, their grief and guilt grow.

Just like McEwan's subsequent books (this was his first novel), I didn't finish it feeling upbeat, hopeful, optimistic. I love his books because they make me think deeper, question things I might not have otherwise questioned, and open my eyes to new situations. It is the literary "cherry on the cake" that his command of the language never fails. This is not a novel everyone will love. Some readers may find the evocative details objectionable and distasteful. But I highly recommend it to those other readers not bothered by these details and who value the uncommon and the mind-boggling.

Not my cup of tea. A little far fetched and I do not mean the incest but the whole plot. Father died and then mother dies at home and unbelievable circumstances for the kids to avoid being taken into care. The weird burial in cement in the cellar was bizzare. The kids seem to enter a Lord of the Flies scenario of too much freedom and no boundaries in an isolated house in a city.

The hot summer and the slowly rotting body in the cellar parallels the teenager boys deteriorating hygiene is interesting. The story is well written and I believe this was the authors first novel which is impressive. He does capture an atmosphere of losing track of time but the story for me was unbelievable.

Pe cât e de mică pe atât e de cutremurătoare aceasta poveste

Ugh, Ian's got me hooked on his expressive writing style. The kind that draws you into the book as if you were sitting next to the characters in their living room. Then, with your defenses down, he sucker punches you with the unspeakable!

Told in straight-forward sentences, this first novel reads like a very good writer’s memoir. I love the deep truth of some pretty extreme behavior by a family of orphaned siblings, which portends the even more sophisticated truths of oblique human behavior in later books. There is none of the lyricism or solid chapters of inner dialogue that characterize McEwan’s style today. I’m glad I didn’t start with this book, because now that I am an ardent fan, it was even more interesting to see where he began.

Having read several of McEwan's books and been favorably impressed, I was shocked at how much I disliked this one. I found it trashy, unrealistic and downright disturbing. I'm glad I read the others first, this one would have put me off McEwan permanently.

Strangely enough, I think the premise of the story might have been developed into something meaningful and insightful without the obvious attempt to sensationalize.

Meni što bih da se kô kamila provučem kroz iglene uši socijalnih u(z)roka u uho nek' Prežihov prišaptava: "Samorastniki. Samorastniki."
Meni današnjem, izobraženo poetizovanom, Makjuanovi "Samonikli" bi se većma dojmili samo kao "Bašta, beton", kao što bi me, tvrdo verujem, petnaestak-godina-nekadašnjeg iz Leri Klark faze, ovaj pobetonjen-al'-južnjački gotik zacementirao.
Meni kao "Psihu" spočitava se:"Kad bih pomislio na majku, mislio sam na podrum."
Meni, sviklom na poštapanje crnim humorom, svići će se jedan simptomatično-degenarativni(sic!) redak odavle s prizvukom na vic skromne porodične orgije:"Bolje nek ostane u porodici." Vaistinu.
Meni svakidašnjem na praznoj deponiji iz beton-naprsline nek' izdžiklja ka svom kvadratu neba čedo samoniklo od rečenice, da me objedini:

"Nekad je naša kuća stajala u ulici punoj kuća."

Morbidno, šokantno, uznemirujuće...McEwan odlično piše, a izvetropirena ljudska priroda nikad nije bila mračnije i mučnije prikazana. "Betonski vrt" definitivno nije za svakoga.

Tras leer la novela me ha venido a la mente aquello que alguien dijo en una ocasión:

n  “Dejad que los niños se acerquen a mí...de los que son como ellos es el reino del Señor.” n

y no he podido reprimir un "Perdónalo, Señor, porque no sabía lo que decía."

Flying through The Cement Garden, I would first advise against reading it just before bed, especially if some Gruyere had been nibbled that evening. Finishing the novella in the cold light of day, I find it remarkably creepy. McEwan achieves perfect pitch. I dare say he strikes closer to The Destructors by Greene than anything else. Many people cited Lord of the Flies as a cousin (no pun intended) but that harrowing tale is reductively feral whereas the trauma of Cement Garden and Graham's lads gone wild remain so coldly industrial.

I saw the film in the mid-90s and it bothered me. I found the prose a more intriguing paen.

Ho preso questo libro perché dopo l'inventore di sogni volevo leggere qualcos'altro dello stesso autore. Mi è stato regalato Espiazione, conta però 400 pagine e non mi sentivo pronta ad una lettura così spessa. Per questo motivo ho preso Il giardino di Cemento che conta solo 150 pagine. È un libro stupendo ma orribile, mi spiego meglio. McEwan è uno scrittore eccezionale riesce a parlare delle cose peggiori in una maniera naturale e trasparente, senza far trasparire nessuna opinione o sentimento. Il lettore quindi è libero di trarre le sue conclusioni da solo. Nella storia raccontata ho trovato tante cose sbagliate, strane, terribili e nauseanti. Però non riuscivo proprio a staccarmi da un libro come questo e necessitavo di arrivare alla fine, che tra parentesi mi ha lasciata molto disturbata. Lo consiglierei? Si, mi è piaciuto tantissimo. Mi sento però di dire che se non si va matti per il genere o si è particolarmente sensibili forse non è proprio il libro per voi. Al contrario se ti piacciono le storie nude e crude piene di significato ma brevi, andrai pazzo per questo libro.