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The End of the Affair

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In "The End of the Affair" by Graham Greene, the novel explores the complexities of a love triangle during World War II in London. The story delves into the themes of adultery, obsession, and struggles with religious faith, all narrated through the perspectives of the characters involved. Greene's writing style is described as insightful, concise, and introspective, capturing the angst of an affair while also delving into deeper philosophical and religious themes.

Characters:

The characters are deeply flawed and complex, embodying themes of love, obsession, and moral struggle.

Writing/Prose:

The prose is introspective and emotional, combining clear, concise lines with deeper existential themes.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot centers on the tumultuous affair between a writer and a married woman, exploring themes of love, jealousy, and the search for meaning in faith.

Setting:

The setting of wartime London enriches the narrative, underlying the emotional crises faced by the characters.

Pacing:

The pacing is uneven, combining deliberate character exploration with rapid revelations and emotional shifts.
A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which, to look ahead. I say ‘one chooses’ with the inaccurate pride of a professional...

Notes:

The End of the Affair was published 66 years ago, in 1951.
It is set in London during and after World War II.
The story revolves around a love affair between Maurice Bendrix and Sarah Miles.
Maurice Bendrix is characterized as jealous and self-absorbed.
Sarah makes a promise to God to end the affair if Maurice survives a bombing, suggesting themes of faith and guilt.
The narrative includes flashbacks and diary entries to reveal characters' inner thoughts.
Greene's writing often explores the intersection of love, hate, and faith.
The novel reflects Greene's own experiences, possibly based on an affair he had.
Colin Firth narrated the audiobook, adding significant emotional depth to the story.
Many readers find the exploration of human emotions in the novel relatable, especially themes of obsession and despair.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings for The End of the Affair include themes of infidelity, emotional manipulation, death, religious conflict, and characters experiencing existential crises.

Has Romance?

The romance in The End of the Affair is complex, characterized by passion, jealousy, and tragedy, providing a medium level of romantic emphasis as it intertwines with themes of despair and spirituality.

From The Publisher:

"A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses a moment of experience from which to look ahead…"

"This is a record of hate far more than of love," writes Maurice Bendrix in the opening passages of The End of the Affair, and it is a strange hate indeed that compels him to set down the retrospective account of his adulterous affair with Sarah Miles. Now, a year after Sarah's death, Bendrix seeks to exorcise the persistence of his passion by retracing its course from obsessive love to love-hate. At first, he believes he hates Sarah and her husband, Henry. Yet as he delves further into his emotional outlook, Bendrix's hatred shifts to the God he feels has broken his life, but whose existence at last comes to recognize.

Ratings (11)

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Loved It (4)
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Did Not Like (1)

Reader Stats (31):

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Want To Read (15)
Not Interested (5)

1 comment(s)

Loved It
2 weeks

An internal exploration of love and hate, loss, grief and faith.

 

About the Author:

Graham Greene was born in 1904. While at Balliol College, Oxford, he published his first book of verse. He continues to write throughout his lifetime, and is the author of The Third Man, Our Man in Havana, The Quiet American,…

 
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