Beautifully read

I'm not normally a Graham Greene fan but with Michael Kitchen reading it was a wonderful story.

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Michael Kitchen was masterly

I actually chose this version over the Colin Firth one (though I’m sure he’s good too) and I wasn’t disappointed. Michael Kitchen’s voice is perfect for this, he really inhabits the character of Bendrix: the cold, rain soaked, hate filled anti-hero of a misty and bleak post war Clapham.

Greenie’s story? I had forgotten just how utterly angst ridden he was about Catholicism and redemption and guilt and love and forgiveness and prayer and God and all the rest of it. It’s beautifully written but I found that pretty tiring and hard going after a while, as Graham Greene worked out his agony - again. But that’s my bad, I should have remembered - that’s what you get in all his novels.

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A Literary Delight

Greene was a truly unique author whose career provided us with a few undeniable classics such as the screenplay for the "The Third Man" and produced many works which continue to be revisited today - with 2011's "Brighton Rock" film a topical example.

In this novel, with echoes of the intensity of Wuthering Heights, Greene gives a truly compelling narrative of the lifeline of a relationship that is both pure and savage at the same time. An excellent reading that captures the soul of a wonderful book that is a must for anyone working their way through modern classics.

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9 people found this helpful

Must read

This is a wonderfully depressing book, beautifully written and full of raw emotion. Michael Kitchen's performance is perfect for this post war time book about love and loss. I must read more Graham Greene!

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Graham Green at his best

Revisited this after reading book years ago. Audible version well read and lived up to writing. Highly recommended.

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8 people found this helpful

Catholic Guilt

A brilliant performance from Michael Kitchen, his voice resonating with the ambiguous lies of the first person narrative.

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4 people found this helpful

Deliciously bleak with a hint of optimism

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

Michael Kitchen's distinct narration style might irritate some people, but it seems like perfect casting to me. He has a tendency to pause mid-thought and then run sentences together, which should be completely dissatisfying. But it's a manner that causes me to listen more intently and digest the prose more completely. Does that make sense? I loved the narration.

Would you recommend The End of the Affair to your friends? Why or why not?

I'd only recommend this to people who have an appetite for the bleak. It's far from unremittingly dark, with surprising touches of optimism and caring just to keep you on your toes. But for those who, like me, enjoy a good wallow in bitterness and misery - it's just the ticket!I enjoyed the characterisation immensely. This is only my second Graham Greene novel but like "Our Man in Havana" this novel has too many amazing plot coincidences for comfort. It didn't diminish my enjoyment though.

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5 people found this helpful

narration was excellent

wonderful story read beautifully. I am going to check out other books by michael kitchen

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First class narrator

The narrator takes a bit of getting used to but overall I thought he was superb

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A “film noir”

I like and recognise Graham Greene, who here writes an intense story, set across the mid forties, with a sparse and focused cast and a sense of a fatalism. Love, hurt and betrayal challenge societal faith and decorum, darkly influenced perhaps by the war years. Vivid emotions mask a fierce sexuality, that would now be described overtly but is no less powerful !
A novel of its time and a Graham Green classic.

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