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.

Boring

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Colin Firth is a terrific narrator, and the book started out encouragingly,i.e. about hatred toward someone, but then it started to get confusing, and finally I began to wonder about the point of the story. It became increasingly boring...

What could Graham Greene have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Have a more organized book, and stick with the original premise of the book.

What does Colin Firth bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

An English accent helps, since the story takes place in England at a rather stuffy time.

Could you see The End of the Affair being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

NO!

Any additional comments?

Book WAY overrated.

Agnostic agony and the triumph of Catholic dogma.

This book is highly recommended to both Agnostics and the faithful because the twist and turns of the plot lead the characters to their just rewards--yet there are no winners. Green's questions remain unanswered and create a springboard for our own examination of life's meaning.

Heartfelt insight into the human experience

What did you love best about The End of the Affair?

The believable heartaches that were not overdone, not melodramatic and very touching.

What other book might you compare The End of the Affair to and why?

Tough question. Oddly, maybe The Old Man and the Sea. One major theme of the human condition

What about Colin Firth’s performance did you like?

The timber of his voice kept my interest and made the story sing.

bravo colin firth

colin firth does a masterful job in reading Graham Greene's classic novel of faith and doubt

Loved this love struggle!

Everything about this story kept me listening. I just have to wish it had ended with some kind of epiphany for Maurice.

One of the best

The book was mesmerizing! I was totally captivated, all the more thanks to Colin’s narration!

The best Audible listen so far

Colin Firth is the perfect narrator for this novel. His reading style is very natural and expressive. He completely embodies Bendrix and all of his profound struggles. I'm left with a lot to think about.

Fabulous performance of a classic book

This reading was an incredible one-man reader's theatre performance of a splendid work of literature. Mr. Firth's performance showed incredible depth and complexity in presenting a consistent and intriguing ensemble of sympathetic characters. The highly nuanced interpretation of the text was as compelling as the story itself. Looking forward to the another work in the partnership of Audible and Mr. Firth.

Great story

What about Colin Firth’s performance did you like?

Did a great job

Any additional comments?

First time listening to a book of this type and I loved it!

Jealousy

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

I enjoyed this audiobook, but it won't become a favorite.

What did you like best about this story?

Colin Firth's narration, hands down, is the best part of the story. I also liked the ending, surprisingly. The two men that loved her the most becoming sort of friends, clinging to each other in an attempt to keep her memory alive for both of them.

What about Colin Firth’s performance did you like?

He was Morris. The passion, the love, the bitterness, the jealousy was all there as if Colin was living the story as opposed to reading it aloud.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This is the kind of story where I really want to hit the characters upside the head with their own book. Morris' jealousy driving the wedge between the lovers, his bitterness that keeps him away from Sarah, and her sheer stupidity for running out in the cold rain when she's already ill just to avoid him. I cared about the characters which is why I got so annoyed with them and, to me, that's the hallmark of good writing.

Any additional comments?

If you can, get Colin Firth to narrate more books. He has the knack of making already good books live in the imagination.