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Enduring Love: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.43) - 14,935 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Ian McEwan has earned international acclaim for his writing and is considered one of England’s best contemporary novelists. In Enduring Love, he sets a tale of obsession and desperation spinning amidst one man’s comfortable British world.
On a sunny afternoon, the middle-aged writer Joe Rose and his wife look up from their picnic in the countryside to see an elderly man desperately trying to anchor his giant helium balloon. Running to help, Joe is joined by other bystanders. But from that fateful day, one of them, Jed Parry, will begin to stalk Joe.
Driven by religious zeal and misdirected love, the strange young man will slowly unravel each strand of Joe’s life. Perfectly capturing the moments when a familiar world begins to shift out of balance, this first-person narrative traces Joe’s growing unease and frustration. As Joe watches his marriage, his profession, and his character dissolve, Enduring Love fills with psychological tension and emotional suspense.
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"I lurve everything McEwan writes because I thoroughly buy into his post-modernist, highly self-conscious style. Some people might flat-out dislike it, and that's totally understandable. In this book, McEwan explores morality, rationalism, and the choices we make on a day-to-day basis. It has one of the most explosive and griping opening scenes in any book I've ever encountered, so from the very beginning you're really hooked. McEwan switches points of view during the novel to give you a sense of how differently a single event can be viewed by two people. You never really know whether the protagonist is completely reasonable or a little off his rocker, and it's that uncertainty that I love."
— Mollie (4 out of 5 stars)
Enduring Love Listener Reviews
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" Love his writing (Atonement, Solar, Saturday, Amsterdam, On Chesil Beach). The first 2 chapters of this one are amazingly gripping - hope it holds up. "
— MJ, 2/1/2014 -
" Strange book. More interesting when you know it's based on an actualy case study. Very realistic characters. He has a way of writing about life that reflects what you can actually, really see happening (and still makes it intereting). I love his writing style. This is an intersting story, albeit strange. "
— Katie, 1/31/2014 -
" I've enjoyed every Ian McEwan book I've ever read, and this was no exception. He has a way of describing everything in detail and drifting off into tangents, and usually I would find this annoying but in his books I can't get enough! Similar to Atonement, the book was based around a single event, and how it changes people's lives. I felt sorry for the main character, and couldn't work out whether he was going crazy or whether he was telling the truth (I won't ruin it). Something is holding me back from giving it 4 stars. I'd probably give it 3.5. The ending could have been better. "
— Michael, 1/31/2014 -
" What surprised me was how this book evolved from one dissecting fate and the randomness of decisions that bring a group together as witnesses to and players in a horrible tragedy to the disbelief, uneasiness, mounting fear, anger and frustrating helplessness of being physically and emotionally stalked. "
— Linda, 1/22/2014 -
" this book made me so uncomfortable, but in such a good way! "
— Katyakatyak, 1/11/2014 -
" Once again Ian McEwan writes a psychological thriller that enthralls and in the last chapter all changes. Unbelievable. It is very hard to put a book like this down. "
— Jackie, 1/7/2014 -
" I'm one of the few people who don't like Ian McEwan's books. I found this novel quite nasty - starting off with a nasty accident and continuing through unpleasantly neurotic encounters to achieve resolution. "
— Roslyn, 12/18/2013 -
" very good... chilling, suspenseful, and prescient on how relationships develop through persisting trauma... also, it blended genres in a way that was unfamiliar to me "
— Emilio, 12/7/2013 -
" Really? how can I love Atonement and this is soooo bad....snoozer. "
— Sharlene, 12/6/2013 -
" exciting first chapter, and makes you constantly look behind you therefater. "
— Andy, 4/4/2013 -
" The best part of this book was the last chapter. That is all. "
— Tina, 2/4/2013 -
" Excruciating. I was a little annoyed that I had to find out the demise of Nick's and Clarissa's relationship in the footnotes at the end. It was good put painfully neurotic. "
— Joy, 1/25/2013 -
" This book drove me crazy. But at the same time it was so good. I'm a huge Ian McEwan fan though. "
— Lori, 12/13/2012 -
" I have a love-hate relationship with McEwan, and despite that, he is one of my favorite writers. Atonement is one of my favorite books. This is another on my "good read" list--what starts out as an innocent summer day takes a turn when a hot-air balloon comes into view. Recommended. "
— Maureen, 6/12/2012 -
" great beginning, bleh middle/ending. "
— Kali, 12/13/2011 -
" This book was good, and well-written, though not quite to the caliber of McEwan's more recent writing. He does a great job of getting inside the protagonist's head, but there's something of a spark missing. A little more run of the mill than say Atonement, or On Chesil Beach. "
— Avory, 7/10/2011 -
" Strange story revolving around a hot air balloon ... starts well, but becomes a bit weird and far fetched! "
— Issi, 5/15/2011 -
" Lots of similarities to his book Saturday, slow foreboding build up, the dynamics of an unwanted relationship with a stranger. I find I have to read his books really slowly - I get impatient wanting to know what happens - he'll tell in good time. "
— Kristine, 4/19/2011 -
" A book about the unexpected, events that change life course and personality. Makes you wonder if everything you planned can be changed over night and your life will never be the same. "
— Anna, 4/11/2011 -
" I wish that the author was more convincing of the possibility of the main character being crazy. Oh well. "
— Miriam, 4/3/2011 -
" My husband and I read this together - we are both great fans of McEwan's. A tragic event is a catalyst to the developing story. A compelling read. "
— Maureen, 3/16/2011 -
" Kept me on the edge of my seat. Quite a thriller, and very disturbing. Had to stop reading it before bed because it gave me nightmares. So well written. "
— Sophia, 3/2/2011
About Ian McEwan
Ian McEwan is the author of more than a dozen books, including either New York Times bestsellers. His novel Amsterdam won the 1998 Book Prize; Atonement, won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the W. H. Smith Literary Award; and The Child in Time won the Whitbread Award. His story collection, First Love, Last Rites, won the Somerset Maugham Award.
About Steven Crossley
Steven Crossley, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, has built a career on both sides of the Atlantic as an actor and audiobook narrator, for which he has won more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and been a nominee for the prestigious Audie Award. He is a member of the internationally renowned theater company Complicite and has appeared in numerous theater, television, film, and radio dramas.