The End of the Affair

By: Graham Greene

Narrated by: Colin Firth

Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Earphones Award Winner (AudioFile Magazine)

Audie Award Winner, Audiobook of the Year, 2013

Audie Award Nominee, Best Solo Narration, 2013

Academy Award-winning actor Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) won the Audie for Audiobook of the Year in 2013—for his first audio performance, The End of the Affair. The love affair at the center of this 1951 classic novel takes place in the bomb-strewn last days of World War II, and just after. Bendrix, a writer in war-torn London, has fallen in love with Sarah, the wife of an acquaintance. Though unhappily married, Sarah won’t leave her husband; she ends their affair and abruptly vanishes, reducing Bendrix's inner life to rubble. His investigation of Sarah’s disappearance reveals the role her newly-awakened Catholic faith played in her decision to leave, and other startling truths.

The End of the Affair mirrors Greene’s own relationship with a married woman, and positions religion as a pivotal element in both the inner turmoil and outer destruction occurring in his life at the time. Firth brilliantly conveys Greene’s characteristically bleak emotional terrain in an intimate, nuanced, and unhurried performance.

Explore more titles performed by some of the most celebrated actors in the business in Audible’s Star-Powered Listens collection.

©1951 Graham Greene (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Greater than Anna Karenina and Madam Bovary

Starting like those novels about women souls, The End of The Affair goes farther into legends of the saint martyrs, with repention and seduction and the devil himself, impersonated by the author. His last words remind me of Matthew 8:28-34 that says, "When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 'What do you want with us, Son of God?' they shouted. 'Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?' Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, 'If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.' He said to them, 'Go!' So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region."
So Bendrix have lost his tender pigs - lust and pride in his work and begs God to leave him alone.

sueb

slow and intertwine with side stories, needs more action and interaction between intense thought lines

Great classic

I love the Colin Firth narrated this. the story was very entertaining and help me pass and day and a half sick in bed.

Great Performance

I love how Colin Firth reads the novel. He is great at expressing the emotions of the protagonist implicitly. Other characters he performed are distinguishable. I am not a fan of the plot, but I enjoy the process of reading because I like how the author narrates the story in a way that I can tell the true motives and affection of the characters from details regardless of what they want us to believe and what they believe they believe.

Stunning and captivating

The eloquent and masterful wordcraft of Graham Greene met with the gifted and studied presentation of Colin Firth make for a stunning and captivating audible novel with a depth of insight and meaning that will stay in my mind for some time to come.

Religious struggles

Was surprised by the internal struggles the main characters had with God and how that really played throughout the story line.

Excellent!

Wonderfully philosophical and romantic. Colin Firth brings a great performance and depth to the story.

Colin Firth is wonderful

Colin Firth makes the story even more enjoyable. What a wonderful presentation.
The story is also very enjoyable. Not quite what I expected. I enjoyed it.

A masterful performance by Colin Firth

Any additional comments?

This book is easily one of the top 5 Audible books I have purchased. The combination of the brilliance of Graham Greene's prose with Colin Firth's superlative narration results in a true masterpiece of the spoken word art form.
The writer's description of the inner workings of both Sarah and Morris's tortured minds, punctuated by Mr. Firth's flawless performance, is un forgettable and is rich with universal themes.
I am sure Mr. Firth is expensive...but I think thousands of us would buy any book he might narrate just to experience the power of his eloquent performance.

GG completely undressed a love affair

It is true that when listening to this book, I was continuously switching my emotions from love to hate for all different characters; but that is exactly what love and mainly a love affair is. There is not only a good or a bad in a love story; there is always a victim and a victor but that fact is constantly changing. So at the end, we are left with the unsatisfied feeling of loneliness and love. It also appears that this book was written to be read by Colin Firth, perfect and unrepeatable match!