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.

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

Beautifully enchanting

The story, the Mesmer narration by Colin Firth—just lovely, so revealing about human nature and our relationship with God.

Finally read it!

It's a beautiful written story about our suffering and struggles with emotions. I thought it was sad but then there was the hidden treasure underneath all that. God is the center of the story and ours doubts. Colin Firth is amazing narrator. I could listen to him for long time. highly recommend.

This review has NO beginning and NO end!

This review has no beginning and no end. I should probably start then with the obvious -- I love G.G.. I love his Catholic novels (now having finished the fourth of that group). Greene's strength is his ability to make his flawed characters both repellant and lovely (or said simpler: human) at the same time. He approaches his thesis through unconventional approaches. Who but Greene would illuminate man's relationship with God with an affair as the novel's structural metaphor? Greene's relationship with God and his Catholicism is complex and uneasy at times and that is what transforms his novels into Art

Exquisite

The prose of Graham Greene as narrated by Colin Firth are a sublime experience. I'm so glad I bought this. My only hope is that Audible can convince Mr. Firth to go back into the recording booth to do more.

Enjoyable! I could listen to Colin Firth all day!

What made the experience of listening to The End of the Affair the most enjoyable?

I have to say, I purchased this book because Colin Firth was the reader and I was not disappointed. Once I got into it, it was a good story as well. I thought the characters were interesting and the plot played out unexpectedly for me.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I must say that I did not expect the way the story turned.

What about Colin Firth’s performance did you like?

I'm not sure what exactly I liked, his voice was very easy to listen to and it kept my attention.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When I realized what was really going on, I immediately felt bad for the two main characters.

Colin Firth’s narration is outstanding

Colin Firth’s narration made this fabulous book a gratifying and delightful experience. He pulls out every nuance of expression and treats the text with the greatest care and respect.

Colin Firth delivers.

I enjoyed this audiobook narrated by Colin Firth. He has a lovely man voice with lovely British accent that one can listen to for a long time. I have a feeling though that I would not have enjoyed the book nearly as much if I had read it. The narration definitely added a star for me. The plot itself is interesting, but there is a lot of tediousness that goes on with Sarah's internal struggle with love and god and her morals. She calls herself a bitch and a fake and a phony and sometimes I felt she was just that and sometimes I felt sorry for her. It wasn't easy to love the characters, but I felt that Greene created interesting characters that are flawed in a way that is timeless. Human beings are always going to struggle with their religious and non-religious beliefs and love is always going to bring pain and pleasure. Infidelity will always exist as will the need to emotionally connect with others. Greene's take on these themes are enhanced by Firth's performance. Overall, I feel like this short book is worth giving a listen.

JEALOUSY, RELIGION, LOVE ???

If you could sum up The End of the Affair in three words, what would they be?

INSTINCT, INTELECT ........ BEHAVIOR

What was one of the most memorable moments of The End of the Affair?

SARA'S LOVER ELOQUENT PERCEPTION OF THEIR LOVE.

Which scene was your favorite?

SARA'S LOVER INTERVIEW WITH THE PRIEST.

Who was the most memorable character of The End of the Affair and why?

SARA, BECAUSE OF HER INTENSE DESIRE TO DO THE RIGHT THING.

the Audible editors said this was a must read.

This was hard to put down, so I finished it in less than a day, almost non-stop. Hate and Love are such close companions.

Great Writer Is Made Better By a Great Actor

Where does The End of the Affair rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Near the top.

Which scene was your favorite?

The morally agonizing moment when Bendrix reads Sarah's entry about why she had to give him up. It is one of the most emotionally complex moments in any novel, and Firth's understated reading made it perfect and powerful.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. And relisten to.

Any additional comments?

Firth managed to disappear into the story, so that I cannot separate the two in my memory anymore. I've read other Bellow books, but the reading made this one especially memorable.