Reviews

The End of the Affair by Monica Ali, Graham Greene

ecdereus's review against another edition

2.0

Ik vond het boek erg teleurstellen en had er veel meer van verwacht. 2½ ster...

sydtravis's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

hadeanstars's review against another edition

4.0

Intense and dark, like 85% chocolate, which I also like. The central character, Maurice Bendrix is not at all a likeable man, very self-absorbed and ungenerous, and absolutely and undoubtedly unhappily in love (or hate as he would have it) with Sarah Miles, a married woman, who reciprocates his feelings in a much simpler, and healthier way.

It surprised me just how dark, oftentimes savage and bleak this novel was. It almost depressed me a little, because there was no let-up, and no humour. That said, it was truly and expertly rendered and I will read more Graham Greene. It has a surprising and actually welcome religious perspective that becomes eventually extant, which brings in another dimension to what is already a serious and mature novel.

quenchgum's review against another edition

4.0

Ranking of Books I Accidentally Read Because I Didn't Know Everything Was About God:
1. [b:The Brothers Karamazov|4934|The Brothers Karamazov|Fyodor Dostoevsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1427728126l/4934._SX50_.jpg|3393910]
2. [b:Gilead|68210|Gilead (Gilead, #1)|Marilynne Robinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558681761l/68210._SY75_.jpg|2481792]
3. [b:The Name of the Rose|119073|The Name of the Rose|Umberto Eco|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415375471l/119073._SY75_.jpg|3138328]
4. The End of the Affair (this book)
5. [b:Watership Down|76620|Watership Down (Watership Down, #1)|Richard Adams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405136931l/76620._SY75_.jpg|1357456]

Source: the Jewish valedictorian of strict Catholic elementary-, middle-, and high-schools. (Me. For what it's worth, I'm not particularly a fan of works of Jewish faith, either. I don't discriminate.)

Anyway, IDK. It wasn't my favorite, but it also seems like he's a great writer. Some of the best professional commentary I could find online was written by a literal Catholic priest, so there's that.

I'm planning on reading [b:The Power and the Glory|3690|The Power and the Glory|Graham Greene|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388210459l/3690._SY75_.jpg|1036817] and/or [b:The Heart of the Matter|3692|The Heart of the Matter|Graham Greene|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1385263150l/3692._SY75_.jpg|3266950], so stay tuned for an updated list.

4.0/4

champers4days's review against another edition

4.0

A simply wonderful book, TEOTA intimately detailed the lives of three individuals: a husband, wife and the wife's lover. Greene was able to narrator the story using several characters, seamlessly and pleasantly changing perspective to give the reader a richer and more complex understanding of the events that unfold. The author also has an accomplished grasp of character, and beautifully accommodated both female and male situational viewpoints.

nmolinet05's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

ash_lamont's review against another edition

5.0

I am not sure if 5 stars is right, but a book that has such prose as this... - many times I had to put this book down in absolute wonder at a passage I had just read. It hit me hard.

alexcirtal's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

mongert's review against another edition

2.0

First Graham Greene book for me. His writing is pretty exquisite, but I did not care for this book much at all. Anyone have any Graham Greene suggestions?

hannahshin's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0