The end of the affair
(Book)

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Published:
New York : Penguin Books, 2004.
Format:
Book
Edition:
Deluxe ed.
Physical Desc:
xxvii, 160 pages ; 22 cm.
Status:
East Hampton Adult Fiction
FIC GRE
Description

"Set in London during and just after World War II, Graham Greene's The End of the Affair is a pathos-laden examination of a three-way collision between love of self, love of another, and love of God. The affair in question involves Maurice Bendrix, a solipsistic novelist, and a dutifully married woman, Sarah Miles. The lovers meet at a party thrown by Sarah's dreary civil-servant husband, and proceed to liberate each other from boredom and routine unhappiness. Reflecting on the ebullient beginnings of their romance, Bendrix recalls: "There was never any question in those days of who wanted whom--we were together in desire." Indeed, the affair goes on unchecked for several years until, during an afternoon tryst, Bendrix goes downstairs to look for intruders in his basement and a bomb falls on the building. Sarah rushes down to find him lying under a fallen door, and immediately makes a deal with God, whom she has never particularly cared for. "I love him and I'll do anything if you'll make him alive.... I'll give him up forever, only let him be alive with a chance.... People can love each other without seeing each other, can't they, they love You all their lives without seeing You." Bendrix, as evidenced by his ability to tell the story, is not dead, merely unconscious, and so Sarah must keep her promise. She breaks off the relationship without giving a reason, leaving Bendrix mystified and angry. The only explanation he can think of is that she's left him for another man. It isn't until years later, when he hires a private detective to ascertain the truth, that he learns of her impassioned vow. Sarah herself comes to understand her move through a strange rationalization. Writing to God in her journal, she says: You willed our separation, but he [Bendrix] willed it too. He worked for it with his anger and his jealousy, and he worked for it with his love. For he gave me so much love, and I gave him so much love that soon there wasn't anything left, when we'd finished, but You. It's as though the pull toward faith were inevitable, if incomprehensible--perhaps as punishment for her sin of adultery. In her final years, Sarah's faith only deepens, even as she remains haunted by the bombing and the power of her own attraction to God. Set against the backdrop of a war-ravaged city, The End of the Affair is equally haunting as it lays forth the question of what constitutes love in troubling, unequivocal terms." --

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Status
East Hampton Adult Fiction
FIC GRE
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Location
Call Number
Status
Branford/Blackstone Adult Fiction
FIC.
On Shelf
Hamden/Miller Adult Fiction
FIC/GREENE
On Shelf
Hamden/Miller Adult Fiction
FIC/GREENE
On Shelf
North Haven Adult Fiction
Fiction Greene
On Shelf
Old Saybrook/Acton Adult Fiction
F GREENE
Due Apr 13, 2024
Old Saybrook/Acton Adult Fiction
F GREENE
Billed
Wallingford Adult Fiction
GREENE
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Other Editions and Formats
More Details
Language:
English
ISBN:
0142437980, 9781448719501

Notes

General Note
"Graham Greene centennial, 1904-2004"--Cover.
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (p. xxv-xxvii).
Description
"Set in London during and just after World War II, Graham Greene's The End of the Affair is a pathos-laden examination of a three-way collision between love of self, love of another, and love of God. The affair in question involves Maurice Bendrix, a solipsistic novelist, and a dutifully married woman, Sarah Miles. The lovers meet at a party thrown by Sarah's dreary civil-servant husband, and proceed to liberate each other from boredom and routine unhappiness. Reflecting on the ebullient beginnings of their romance, Bendrix recalls: "There was never any question in those days of who wanted whom--we were together in desire." Indeed, the affair goes on unchecked for several years until, during an afternoon tryst, Bendrix goes downstairs to look for intruders in his basement and a bomb falls on the building. Sarah rushes down to find him lying under a fallen door, and immediately makes a deal with God, whom she has never particularly cared for. "I love him and I'll do anything if you'll make him alive.... I'll give him up forever, only let him be alive with a chance.... People can love each other without seeing each other, can't they, they love You all their lives without seeing You." Bendrix, as evidenced by his ability to tell the story, is not dead, merely unconscious, and so Sarah must keep her promise. She breaks off the relationship without giving a reason, leaving Bendrix mystified and angry. The only explanation he can think of is that she's left him for another man. It isn't until years later, when he hires a private detective to ascertain the truth, that he learns of her impassioned vow. Sarah herself comes to understand her move through a strange rationalization. Writing to God in her journal, she says: You willed our separation, but he [Bendrix] willed it too. He worked for it with his anger and his jealousy, and he worked for it with his love. For he gave me so much love, and I gave him so much love that soon there wasn't anything left, when we'd finished, but You. It's as though the pull toward faith were inevitable, if incomprehensible--perhaps as punishment for her sin of adultery. In her final years, Sarah's faith only deepens, even as she remains haunted by the bombing and the power of her own attraction to God. Set against the backdrop of a war-ravaged city, The End of the Affair is equally haunting as it lays forth the question of what constitutes love in troubling, unequivocal terms." --,Amazon.com review.
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Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Greene, G. (2004). The end of the affair. Deluxe ed. New York, Penguin Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Greene, Graham, 1904-1991. 2004. The End of the Affair. New York, Penguin Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Greene, Graham, 1904-1991, The End of the Affair. New York, Penguin Books, 2004.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Greene, Graham. The End of the Affair. Deluxe ed. New York, Penguin Books, 2004.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
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Grouped Work ID:
c47edf2a-801a-f8df-2441-5c07debbc8a7
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Record Information

Last Sierra Extract TimeMar 23, 2024 09:37:29 AM
Last File Modification TimeMar 23, 2024 09:38:05 AM
Last Grouped Work Modification TimeMar 26, 2024 05:10:56 PM

MARC Record

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