Items related to The End of the Affair
Synopsis
NY 1951 first edition. Viking. Hardcover octavo. 240p. Near Fine (some uneven toning of end papers.) in Fairly Good dj (dj has one inch chip from front panel and some wrinkling and closed tear on rear panel; price not clipped.
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Review
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. --Melanie Rehak
From the Inside Flap
The love affair between Maurice Bendix and Sarah, flourishing in the turbulent times of the London Blitz, ends when she suddenly breaks it off. A chance meeting rekindles his love and jealousy two years later, and Bendix hires a private detective to follow Sarah. Slowly his love for her turns into an obsession.
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The End of the Affair
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.7. Seller Inventory # G0670294578I3N00
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End of the Affair
Seller: Magers and Quinn Booksellers, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Acceptable. May have underlining, highlighting, margin notes, remainder marks, inscriptions, book plates, tears, significant wear, and/or a missing dust jacket, box, or discs. Damaged item. Seller Inventory # 1497591
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The End of the Affair
Seller: Taos Books, Santa Fe, NM, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Like New. First Edition. The 1982 Uniform Edition, Near Fine/Good overall condition, looks unread, tight clean unmarked, NO age toning in text, boards likewise clean & undamaged, lettering on spine of boards vivid, dust jacket shows mild wrinkling top edge, two tiny closed tears at top of spine, removed dust jacket shows age toning on the white insides. Seller Inventory # 38720
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The End of the Affair
Seller: Tom Schmidt, Montpelier, VT, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. 1st thus of 1982 Uniform Edition (original 1951), near fine with light foxing on top edge, interior clean, appears unread, dust jacket near fine with slight fading on spine, in mylar cover. Seller Inventory # 001926
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The End of the Affair
Seller: ThriftBooksVintage, Tukwila, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Shelf and handling wear to cover and binding, with general signs of previous use. Moderate wear to boards, wear and tears to dust jacket due to age and use. All pages are intact, binding is sound. Secure packaging for safe delivery. 0.7. Seller Inventory # 1863733928
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End of the Affair
Published by
Viking Books October 1951, 1951
ISBN 10: 0670294578
ISBN 13: 9780670294572
Used
Trade Paperback
First Edition
Seller: The Book Merchant, LLC, Stillwater, OK, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Trade Paperback. Condition: Used Good. First Edition. Good books: May have spine or other creasing and edge wear, corner bumping, light to moderate surface soiling and/or store stickers. Possible owner name, light highlighting and/or underlining. Possible light foxing. NOT ex-library. Some writing on free end papers. Dust jacket mylar covered. Mild spine wear. Seller Inventory # 68388
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The End of the Affair
Seller: Back Lane Books, North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. The End of the Affair, Greene, Graham. Published by Viking, 1979. Uniform Edition. 8vo up to 9½" tall., 291pp. Beige cloth boards with gilt titles. Volume is in fine condition. Jacket has light shelf wear and toning. "The End of the Affair is a 1951 novel by British author Graham Greene, as well as the title of two feature films (released in 1955 and 1999) that were adapted from the novel. Set in London during and just after the Second World War, the novel examines the obsessions, jealousy and discernments within the relationships between three central characters: writer Maurice Bendrix; Sarah Miles; and her husband, civil servant Henry Miles. Graham Greene's own affair with Catherine Walston formed the basis for The End of the Affair. The British edition of the novel is dedicated to "C" while the American version is made out to "Catherine". Greene's own house at 14 Clapham Common Northside was bombed during the Blitz". Seller Inventory # 004970
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The End of the Affair
Seller: BennettBooksLtd, San Diego, NV, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! Seller Inventory # Q-0670294578
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The End of the Affair
Seller: Toscana Books, AUSTIN, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: new. Excellent Condition.Excels in customer satisfaction, prompt replies, and quality checks. Seller Inventory # Scanned0670294578
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