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.

interesting, yet strange

Did not love it, found it well written but lacking in plot, no Greene again

Colin Firth is spectacular.

Jealousy. This book is not about love or hate; it is all about jealousy. The jealousy of man and the jealousy of God.

I listened to the audio version, read by Colin Firth and that was exquisite. He earns a solid five stars! I wish I could give the book the same rating. I loved the first two thirds of the book but the ending third went off course for me. For me there was so much emotion mined from the relationship between the three lead characters. It was a wonderful examination of what it means to involve ourselves with another person, and what it is to love. Sarah is in a quietly loveless marriage and enters into an affair with a neighbor named Maurice. Unfortunately Maurice is incapable of loving in the moment. He is obsessively jealous... of her past lovers and of the men who he believes will be her lovers next. He doesn't allow himself to love the real and present Sarah. Eventually his jealousy pushes her away...

Sarah's husband, Henry, also loves her. The problem for them is that his love is dull and passionless. He fails to recognize and give to her what she needs.

I expected Sarah to leave them both and to find another man. I suppose the fact that the author twisted the tables here is a positive thing. Surprise is always good. But at this point Sarah finds God, and she doesn't find joy in God either -- and neither did I.

The book simply meandered off course here...

SPOILERS AHEAD:

Sarah looks for God but tells neither man, and struggles in her desire to return to Maurice.
Sarah dies. Maurice lives with Henry. They both learn about her exploration of God. And still none of these men seem to know her. The end.

Lovely

I saw the movie years ago and found the book only slightly different, both are lovely and dreamy and sad in a good way.

Not what I expected

Liked characters development, historical details, philosophy, the struggle for understanding. This story left me feeling hopeful. Narrator did an excellent job.

Greater than Anna Karenina and Madam Bovary

Starting like those novels about women souls, The End of The Affair goes farther into legends of the saint martyrs, with repention and seduction and the devil himself, impersonated by the author. His last words remind me of Matthew 8:28-34 that says, "When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 'What do you want with us, Son of God?' they shouted. 'Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?' Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, 'If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.' He said to them, 'Go!' So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region."
So Bendrix have lost his tender pigs - lust and pride in his work and begs God to leave him alone.

sueb

slow and intertwine with side stories, needs more action and interaction between intense thought lines

Great classic

I love the Colin Firth narrated this. the story was very entertaining and help me pass and day and a half sick in bed.

Great Performance

I love how Colin Firth reads the novel. He is great at expressing the emotions of the protagonist implicitly. Other characters he performed are distinguishable. I am not a fan of the plot, but I enjoy the process of reading because I like how the author narrates the story in a way that I can tell the true motives and affection of the characters from details regardless of what they want us to believe and what they believe they believe.

Stunning and captivating

The eloquent and masterful wordcraft of Graham Greene met with the gifted and studied presentation of Colin Firth make for a stunning and captivating audible novel with a depth of insight and meaning that will stay in my mind for some time to come.

Religious struggles

Was surprised by the internal struggles the main characters had with God and how that really played throughout the story line.