• The End of the Affair

  • By: Graham Greene
  • Narrated by: Colin Firth
  • Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (11,381 ratings)

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The End of the Affair  By  cover art

The End of the Affair

By: Graham Greene
Narrated by: Colin Firth
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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.

Go Behind the Scenes with Colin Firth

An accomplished stage and screen actor embraces a new medium: audio performance.
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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.
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Our favorite moments from The End of the Affair

Jilted lover and oblivious husband at the pub.
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The first glimpse of Sarah.
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Is he loved? The dour Bendrix has doubts.
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The thrill is gone, or so Bendrix jealously fears.
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  • The End of the Affair
  • Jilted lover and oblivious husband at the pub.
  • The End of the Affair
  • The first glimpse of Sarah.
  • The End of the Affair
  • Is he loved? The dour Bendrix has doubts.
  • The End of the Affair
  • The thrill is gone, or so Bendrix jealously fears.

About the Performer

Colin Firth was heart-stoppingly perfect as Darcy in BBC’s Pride and Prejudice, won an Oscar for playing the tongue-tied king in The King’s Speech, and continued to gain fans with his roles in Bridget Jones’s Diary, A Single Man, Love Actually, and many more films. In addition to having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Firth won Audiobook of the Year in 2013 for his narration of The End of the Affair.

About the Author

Graham Greene, widely recognized as one of the most important writers of the 20th century, was born in Hertfordshire, England, and studied history at Oxford. A restless spirit, he traveled the world before settling in London and starting to write novels, including The Heart of the Matter, The Quiet American, Our Man in Havana, and many more. Later recruited as a spy for his government, he based several of his novels in the shadowy world of double agents. But love and passion also caught his imagination, and he explored them from the perspective of an "agnostic Catholic" whose interest in Catholicism also played a big role in his work.

What listeners say about The End of the Affair

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5,467
  • 4 Stars
    3,220
  • 3 Stars
    1,739
  • 2 Stars
    605
  • 1 Stars
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Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    8,321
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  • 3 Stars
    447
  • 2 Stars
    144
  • 1 Stars
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Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4,298
  • 4 Stars
    2,969
  • 3 Stars
    1,872
  • 2 Stars
    689
  • 1 Stars
    471

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • YI
  • 02-06-21

Intriguing story line & brilliant narration

It has been a long time since I’ve read any of Graham Greene’s work & I must admit I chose this one because of the narrator & the other reviews. I am so glad I did. I really enjoyed the switch from the one main character to the other which has been a characteristic of several of the books I have been reading lately.

I was also caught up in the faith struggle of each of the main characters. Being a faith based person myself, when this issue came up, I thought perhaps I’d made a mistake in buying the book but the author dealt with it in an even handed way that kept me reading.

After I finished the book, I found myself wondering if I would have enjoyed it as much if I had read it rather than listened & I came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t. Colin Firth’s narration helped smooth over the the bitterness of the main male character which is the reason for my 4 out of 5 for story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

interesting but hard to get into. some odd charact

interesting but a little unbelievable. the characters were hard to follow at times. Sarah was a mystery

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

no decent plot

couldn't finish it. the book has no decent plot. its just a whiny man

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I cried so many times during this book!

Colin Forth performed a beautiful narrative of this novel that was masterfully written and so much deeper than I expected. Not a torrid live affair but about love and God. Whether you are a believer or not this book will make you think.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

The Breathing

I had to stop at three minutes in. Mr. Firth’s respiration (inhaling, gasping) is unbearable. Poor engineering, I’m afraid.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Lost

I did not care for the narration, definitely not expressive enough. Also not clear as to what the point of the story was. Would not recommend this.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting

This is my first Graham Greene book, a semi-autobiographical story of an affair set in the mid-1940s. It is achingly beautiful in its detailed descriptions of place, emotions, thought, the universal human condition, specifically middle and upper middle class 20th c. Londoners.

Colin Firth was one of the reasons I got this in Audible and he didn't disappoint, except in distinguishing between the 2 main male characters at times. The difference was subtle, but it wasn't a huge problem.

A major theme is religion, specifically Catholicism. As a former Lutheran, now atheist, I found it somewhat interesting to hear the characters discuss their struggles to understand. Coming from a very religious area where Christianity is a certainty and Catholics are viewed suspiciously, it is good to read of people who actually consider and discuss different viewpoints. Check Wikipedia to read up on Graham Greene for more background relevant to the story.

A fairly quick listen. Now on to another G.G., The Heart of the Matter.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Any longer and I would have...

given this only one star. At 6 hours it was tolerable. Performance was phenomenal! Story was a downer.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Bitter Man Rants About Ex Lover

It was a good story and Colin Firth is a phenomenal narrator but honestly this is about the gist of it. Maurice is an angry, cruel, jealous man and basically he spends six hours making those around him miserable. Usually on purpose. The other characters in the story redeem the tale and keep it engaging.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

3-3.25 stars

I have to be honest, the only reason I got this on Audible was because I saw Colin Firth narrated it. The man is sexy and talked me into getting an audiobook I would have otherwise not read. He did a good job narrating. My only complaint is there were moments where he whistled while speaking and it threw me off at times. I kept thinking someone was trying to get my attention but it was just the audio. It would have been nice if those whistles could have been edited out.

The talks on the relationships between God, man, and love were thoughtful and I liked the discussions that could be made for a classroom. It might be a bit unconventional but I really liked the relationship/friendship between Henry and Maurice. Definitely think they need each other and that they make each other feel needed. Henry keeps Maurice grounded and Maurice cares for Henry the way Sarah did so he’s not alone. It’s not exactly healthy but it works.

The book itself wasn’t grabbing me until we got to the point where we get an insight into the ex female lover’s perspective. That was when the tide of the book changed for me. Before then I had considered DNFing this book. The book wasn’t bad but not one I’ll read again.

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