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.

Timeless

Great novel; great narrator who brought story to life. Written in 1951 timeless despite setting of Lindon during the 1940's.

Beautiful!

I love the author's writing and Colin Firth speaks his words superbly. Very beautiful and sad love story, which also speaks to fundamental issues of faith. I really loved this and wish there were more stories read by Colin Firth.

Stellar!

The End of the Affair is a departure from my norm, but well worth it!! I agree with all the other rave reviews this book has received. Without question Colin Firth did an excellent job in his narration...I love him as an actor so I knew this would be a winner. This story is so thought-provoking and it really makes you stop and take several things into strong consideration. It's a thinking man's book dare I say? It's about the double edged sword of love, loss, faith and the lack thereof. This story made me laugh at times, but most of all I was touched by the wonderfully deeply layered characters created by Graham Greene. This beautifully written story is a classic for sure.

intriguing story

Colin Firth is the perfect choice as narrator of this beautiful story which draws you in from the first sentence.

A very sad story...

I am not really sure how I feel about
this book...it presents a multitude of emotions, most of which center around gloom and despair.

Henry is a Ministry worker in England towards the end and after WWII. He is married to Sarah, but isn’t able to love her physically, so Sarah looks elsewhere. She meets a writer, Henry, and they have a love affair for at least 2 years, but Henry and Sarah still love each other, and Henry can’t let Sarah go. After a bombing accident, they become estranged for 2 years. There is love, hate, distrust, longing, deception, confusion, self-denial, and ultimately grief, and then an unlikely friendship. Meanwhile, there is an underlying question of whether or not God does exist, and should one believe without proof.

The book did make me think about relationships, and giving of yourself, and not wasting time; but it was dreary. I bought the book because I am a big fan of Collin Firth, who does an excellent rendering of the story, and in my opinion saves it.

I can only say that if you don’t mind a great deal of sadnesses, then you should listen to this book. I prefer a more upbeat story.

I'm glad I got this!

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

Colin Firth, of course. He was absolutely amazing!

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

I got this book purely because Colin Firth read it, so I don't have anything I can compare it to.

What about Colin Firth’s performance did you like?

Everything! His timing, his voice, .... He made the book great!

If you could rename The End of the Affair, what would you call it?

Missed Opportunities...

Any additional comments?

I don't think I would have bought this book, would the narrator not been Colin Firth. That said, I'm glad I did, because it's not a story or genre I generally read/listen to, but it was a pretty good one. I think this might become one of those rare books that I will listen to again sometime in the future.

love, hate and broken hearts

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

I fell in love with a woman… (isn’t that how all great stories begin? but that’s the beginning of my story, not this one). I fell in love with a woman and although I still love her with all my heart, we are no longer in love nor have we spoken in an eternity. She taught me that you can only hate a woman as much as you love her… and I HATE her! This book is the story of that love, and hate. The details, circumstances and actions are different, of course, but this book puts words to the unspoken thoughts, emotions, jealousies and atrocities that go along with such passion. Colin Firth is breathtaking in his telling of this story, so much so that I doubt I would have enjoyed it nearly as much if I read the book with my own eyes. Everything is so raw that each time I started listening my heart quickened and on several occasions I had to stop the audiobook because I couldn’t handle it any longer. It’s taken me months to get through the whole story for the same reason. The last third turns into a discourse on religion and faith, but it’s tolerable for the tidbits of emotional insight. Altogether, does this make it a fantastic story… or not? I’ll let you be the judge. I know I look for a story that will elicit a reaction, and this book has done that, masterfully.

Breathtaking

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The End of the Affair is a thought-provoking classic about love, hate, and the human experience of faith brought to life by the inimitable Colin Firth. This book is an intense listen and well-worth it.

Can Firth narrate all of my books?

I was completely and totally submerged in this S story, although I'm not sure how engaged I would have been if it had a different narrator. Firth brings so much to this story. It was a pleasure to listen to him.

Colin Firth is fantastic!

I read an article on this book and decided to try it out, not really thinking about the fact that Colin Firth was the narrator.

I was pretty quickly captivated by this book, partly because of how it is written and partly because of Firth's delivery. I could feel Morris's emotion and pain, love, jealousy and hate! I didn't realize how much of a difference the person reading can make, but I know that I loved this book so much more because of Firth's narration. He captured the mood, tone, and characters perfectly. Would highly recommend! (And he needs to do more audio books!)