logo

55 pages 1 hour read

The End Of The Affair

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1951

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Book Brief

logo
Graham Greene

The End Of The Affair

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1951
Book Details
Pages

192

Format

Novel • Fiction

Setting

London, England • 1940s

Theme
Publication Year

1951

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

Roundup icon

Super Short Summary

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene, set in London during World War II, revolves around the complex relationships between Maurice Bendrix, a writer; Sarah Miles, with whom Bendrix has a passionate affair; and her husband, Henry Miles, a civil servant. Through a nonlinear narrative structure that includes flashbacks and diary entries, Greene delves into themes of jealousy, love, and faith, highlighting Bendrix's evolving obsession with Sarah and Henry's concern for his wife. The narrative is characterized by temporal shifts and an unreliable first-person perspective from Bendrix.

Melancholic

Emotional

Bittersweet

Romantic

Contemplative

Reviews & Readership

3.9

69,453 ratings

69%

Loved it

23%

Mixed feelings

8%

Not a fan

Roundup icon

Review Roundup

The End Of The Affair by Graham Greene is praised for its compelling exploration of love and faith, highlighted by Greene's evocative prose. The complex characters and moral dilemmas resonate deeply with readers. However, some find the narrative's pacing uneven and the tone overly melancholic. Overall, it's a thought-provoking and emotionally rich novel.

Who should read this

Who Should Read The End Of The Affair?

Ideal for readers who appreciate intense emotional narratives, The End of the Affair by Graham Greene captures themes of love, jealousy, and spirituality. Fans of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy will find this post-war British novel compelling.

3.9

69,453 ratings

69%

Loved it

23%

Mixed feelings

8%

Not a fan

Character List

Maurice Bendrix

A novelist and the protagonist, who narrates the story and recounts his obsessive and tumultuous affair with Sarah Miles from his deeply subjective perspective, providing insights into his complex emotions and character traits.

The love interest of Maurice Bendrix and the wife of Henry, involved in a clandestine affair with Bendrix, whose actions and internal struggles are revealed through her diary entries, shedding light on her character.

Sarah's husband and a civil servant, portrayed as a naive and humble man, whose relationship with both Sarah and Bendrix evolves over the course of the story.

Book Details
Pages

192

Format

Novel • Fiction

Setting

London, England • 1940s

Theme
Publication Year

1951

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

Continue your reading experience

Subscribe now to unlock the rest of this Study Guide plus our full library, which features expert-written summaries and analyses of 8,000+ additional titles.