• The End of the Affair

  • By: Graham Greene
  • Narrated by: Colin Firth
  • Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (11,396 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
    5,473
  • 4 Stars
    3,223
  • 3 Stars
    1,742
  • 2 Stars
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Performance
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  • 2 Stars
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Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    4,304
  • 4 Stars
    2,969
  • 3 Stars
    1,874
  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    473

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  • Overall
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    4 out of 5 stars

Dont miss this!

I loved Colin Firth's voice. So well matched to the character and mood of story.

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

Moving Story and Colin Nailed It!

I couldn't stop listening; it was so engaging and the language was exquisite. A bit dark, but I recommend it wholeheartedly anyway.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

tragic and beautiful

I highly recommend this story. Mr. Firth's Voice is absolute magic. This story is Lush and complex. It forces you to think and be said in a smart way.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Colin Firth + The End of the Affair = HAUNTING

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

Of the books that I have listened to, this is #1

Any additional comments?

I thought this book was fantastic. The story was beautiful and sad. And Colin Firth's narration was spectacular.

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

A Book Better Heard than Read

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

I do think this book was worth my time. However, I wish I would have read it rather than listened to it. There was a lot of material here to absorb and listening to it once through didn't do the story justice.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

fabulous narration by colin firth

this is a very long book and i might not have stayed as engaged as i did but for the narration. the story is wonderful. i did not want it to end.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great book beautifully read

Would you consider the audio edition of The End of the Affair to be better than the print version?

Colin Firth's narration is outstanding

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

Our Man in Havana. Both are good, but The End of the Affair is more thought provoking.

Have you listened to any of Colin Firth’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

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

Profound.

I liked the book, although it made me feel a little melancholy. It wasn't sad exactly, but definitely not a feel-good read. Performance was excellent.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

maybe i just don't get it

What did you like best about The End of the Affair? What did you like least?

The reader

Has The End of the Affair turned you off from other books in this genre?

that is questionable

Have you listened to any of Colin Firth’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

never before

Was The End of the Affair worth the listening time?

No

Any additional comments?

The same subject keeps getting rehashed...I found it fairly boring. The reader colin firth is the reason I chose this book

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