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30th out of 48 books
—
1,008 voters
Last Orders
by
Graham Swift
Winner of the 1996 Booker Prize, and now a major new film starring Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren and Michael Caine. Four men once close to Jack Dodds, a London butcher, meet to carry out his peculiar last wish: to have his ashes scattered into the sea. For reasons best known to herself, Jack's widow, Amy, declines to join them. On the surface the tale of a simple if increasing...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
December 7th 2001
by Picador
(first published 1996)
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Strangley difficult to read book which is excellent - especially on watching the perhaps superior film, which was wonderfully made.
There are a large number of characters and the story is told in short bursts of chapters from every character's perspective jumping between time frames.
The challenge for the reader is keeping on top of the relationships, points of view and descriptions of the same events from other peolples perspectives.
Again, it is a book that would have really benefited from keepin...more
There are a large number of characters and the story is told in short bursts of chapters from every character's perspective jumping between time frames.
The challenge for the reader is keeping on top of the relationships, points of view and descriptions of the same events from other peolples perspectives.
Again, it is a book that would have really benefited from keepin...more
Upon reading the premise, I remember that the film has been watched: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0253200/
Dedication: For Al
Opening quotes:
But man is a Noble Animal, splendid in ashes, and pompous in the grave. Urn Burial by Sir Thomas Browne.
I do like to be beside the seaside. John A. Glover-Kind
Opening: It ain't like your regular sort of day.
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Characters
Jack Arthur Dodds (deceased) - "Dodds and Son Family Butcher, since 1903".
Vince Dodds (Vincent Ian Pritchett) - "son" of Jack and Amy. "Dodds' Autos"
Ray "Lucky" Johnson - "...if you want to put a bet on, he's your man".
Lenny Tate, Grocer - "Gunner Tate, middleweight. Always pissed. Always late".
Vic Tucker, Funeral Director - "...at your disposal".
Amy Dodds - Jack's wife, mother of June (mentally disabled). "...it was hop picking that started it....It's all pickings."
Mandy Black -...more
Jack Arthur Dodds (deceased) - "Dodds and Son Family Butcher, since 1903".
Vince Dodds (Vincent Ian Pritchett) - "son" of Jack and Amy. "Dodds' Autos"
Ray "Lucky" Johnson - "...if you want to put a bet on, he's your man".
Lenny Tate, Grocer - "Gunner Tate, middleweight. Always pissed. Always late".
Vic Tucker, Funeral Director - "...at your disposal".
Amy Dodds - Jack's wife, mother of June (mentally disabled). "...it was hop picking that started it....It's all pickings."
Mandy Black -...more
"I'd like to be all kinds of people....but I can't because I'm me....I don't want to be like me, I want to be like them but I can't I can't I can't."
It took me about one third of the book to straighten out the characters in my mind. I was thinking I should go back and re-read the beginning, but now I think it was better that all the stories were jumbled and then clarified. Or somewhat clarified. The characters themselves have not sorted out their relationships or their pasts either.
Each short ch...more
It took me about one third of the book to straighten out the characters in my mind. I was thinking I should go back and re-read the beginning, but now I think it was better that all the stories were jumbled and then clarified. Or somewhat clarified. The characters themselves have not sorted out their relationships or their pasts either.
Each short ch...more
I won't describe the plot here. You can find that in the Goodreads description. I will make some observations, among them my idea that, whether by design or not, LAST ORDERS is Joycean. It is also accessible. The reason I think it may not be a conscious imitation of Joyce is that I suspect Joyce, fundamental innovator though he was, wrote in a tradition. Somebody once said you could go to any bar in Dublin and hear the sort of conversations you'd read in ULYSSES. Graham Swift's Englishmen (and w...more
2 likes · like · see review
As with Waterland, Swift has, again, bypassed my brain and gone straight for my heart; that is, I felt this rather than understood it. And, as with Waterland, I'd feel dishonest giving it four stars but don't doubt that it'll get there on a second reading. He has a real talent for making the mundane beautiful.
I have been close to encountering this story twice in my life. I distinctly remember nearly buying it back in the 90's based purely on the (pint glass) cover, but this was probably more due...more
I have been close to encountering this story twice in my life. I distinctly remember nearly buying it back in the 90's based purely on the (pint glass) cover, but this was probably more due...more
I lived in London when this book won the Booker Prize. I saw it EVERYWHERE. It's one of those books on my personal list of "I should have read this." Generally speaking I'm a fan of Booker books so that's more incentive for me.
*****
This was a good book but also a difficult book to read. All along I felt like I was reading a movie script. I could almost hear the characters speaking and see the working class suburb that they were from. From that standpoint, the book is excellent. These were real,...more
*****
This was a good book but also a difficult book to read. All along I felt like I was reading a movie script. I could almost hear the characters speaking and see the working class suburb that they were from. From that standpoint, the book is excellent. These were real,...more
This begins: “It ain’t like your regular sort of day.” Not exactly “Call me Ishmael” but you have to start somewhere. A little workshoppy, but there’s some promise there. Perhaps it could turn into a one-day, colloquial journey through themes and characters.
But then again, maybe not. In a few brisk chapters we have encountered (the word met suggests more purchase than we are given) Ray, Jack, Sue, Sally, Vince, Vic, Lenny, Amy, Bernie, Brenda, Joan, Mandy, Carol and Charlie. Was there any need t...more
But then again, maybe not. In a few brisk chapters we have encountered (the word met suggests more purchase than we are given) Ray, Jack, Sue, Sally, Vince, Vic, Lenny, Amy, Bernie, Brenda, Joan, Mandy, Carol and Charlie. Was there any need t...more
4 likes · like · see review
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Last Orders. The novel begins right after Jack Dodd’s cremation, and moves forward in time as his friends carry out his final order regarding the disposal of his ashes; and backwards, as his friends and wife ponder their intertwined lives and memories. It is another Booker about old/middle-aged white dudes looking towards their own deaths, but this one resonated with surprising strength. It is an utterly unpretentious book, which helps; Swift has...more
This book follows three old codgers and a slightly younger old codger on a pilgrimage to Margate to scatter their late friend's ashes in the sea according to his wishes. I could almost hear Chas and Dave playing along in the background as I read it. It managed to fuse a colloquial narrative with an unashamedly literary style and the overall result was pretty good. Though the viewpoint shifted with each chapter, and the story jumped around in space and time, it was usually easy to work out what w...more
Jul 13, 2011
Jogle
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
booker-winners
An apparent homage to Faulkner's 'As I lay Dying', a long drawn out funeral entourage is used to outline in falshback the entangled lives of a group of Londoners and their relationship with the dead man, Jack Dodds, whose ashes they are carrying to be scattered on the sea at Margate.
The writng style is plain, reflecting the austerity of the post war setting of a lot of the reminiscence. The story is engaging and was made into a star studded film and yet someting about the book does not quite wo...more
The writng style is plain, reflecting the austerity of the post war setting of a lot of the reminiscence. The story is engaging and was made into a star studded film and yet someting about the book does not quite wo...more
Jack Dodds passed away shortly after closing his family butcher shop. Today is the day appointed for dispersing his ashes, and his son and friends have gathered. If they had awaken this morning thinking that it would be an easy task, just open the jar and pour, then they were mistaken.
While his son Vince, and his friends Ray, Lenny and Vic are on their way to the seaside, his wife Amy is visiting their daughter June to break the news to her.
This day, meant to honour Jack, turns out to be one of...more
While his son Vince, and his friends Ray, Lenny and Vic are on their way to the seaside, his wife Amy is visiting their daughter June to break the news to her.
This day, meant to honour Jack, turns out to be one of...more
This is one of those odd books that I quite enjoyed despite not really getting on with it. Or perhaps I didn't enjoy it despite finding it quite likeable. Hard to put my finger on my feelings with any degree of accuracy.
Jack's last orders were last his drinking partners from the pub in Bermondsey should scatter his ashes from the pier at Margate. This book is split into short segments narrated by his friends and son, and also his widow who stays at home, as the day goes on.
In some places I found
...more
What a beautiful, beautiful book. Graham Swift has got to be one of the greatest writers of our generation. This is not a large book, but one should take his time reading to savor his language, his great skill in crafting amazingly simple stories of everyday people. Swift brings his characters--in this book, butchers, junk dealers, used car salesmen, funeral directors, housewives--great dignity.
Four friends set out to scatter the ashes of a mutual friend, at his request. Not an original plot de...more
Four friends set out to scatter the ashes of a mutual friend, at his request. Not an original plot de...more
what's with the booker prize committee and british books about dysfunctional families' funerals? (i'm thinking also of anne enright's "the gathering," which won in 2007.) this one's about a bunch of old guys who set out to take their friend's ashes to the sea for the ritual scattering, and on the way they get in crotchety old-man fights and take sentimental detours, etc. the chapters alternate narrators and there are lots of flashbacks detailing the relationships between these men and their fami...more
Now it's been a while since I've read this one, but it seemed to me at the time that this novel summed up everything that is bad about Booker Prize Winners at that time. It seemed that after the wonderful "Waterland", "Out of this World" and "The Sweet Shop Owner", it summed it all up that this offering - possibly Swift's worst - should be the one that scooped the prize. I felt at the time that it was chosen simply because it was Swift's turn to win after making such an outstanding contribution...more
I feel the need with this review to point out that my rating has to do with how much I enjoyed the book/how much I got out of it rather than how I would rate the book as a piece of literature, capable of standing the test of time, etc. This is a technically accomplished novel, interesting characterization, but it just didn't do it for me. It was too straightforward with the narrative to interest me on that score and the characters created, while feeling quite true to life with all their faults a...more
Short chapters alternating the points of view of four working class Londoners, spanning the WWII and 60s generation, very slowly revealing the intertwined stories of their lives. Since none are officially narrating (just conversing and musing, mostly while drinking), the overall story emerges slowly and obliquely and the reader's sympathy for and understanding of the characters accrues gradually with it - ultimately very moving.
Reminiscent of the working class novels of the early 60s (Stan Barst...more
Reminiscent of the working class novels of the early 60s (Stan Barst...more
I was surprised that this was a Booker winner. Or even entered for that matter. It was an easy read, so I read it very quickly, so in that sense it could be said that it was well-written and with enough to keep me coming back. I did finish it, so credit there. The writing style was crisp and efficient.
The story followed a very well-worn format. It could have been a tale about anyone from the 1940s to the 1980s. I suppose the appeal was that a lot of people could identify with it.
There were no tw...more
The story followed a very well-worn format. It could have been a tale about anyone from the 1940s to the 1980s. I suppose the appeal was that a lot of people could identify with it.
There were no tw...more
Cathy wrote: "won the Booker Prize the week after I stole it out of a box full of comps." (She was working at the UT co-op bookstore, I think. Or else Borders.)
This is my first Graham Swift novel. Where the hell has he been? I'm a great fan of contemporary English novelists, and somehow Graham Swift has evaded my radar -- until now. "Last Orders" is a brilliant book. While I may not have gotten the sort of pure enjoyment and pleasure from it that I sometimes get from Zadie Smith or Martin Amis, I did get great pleasure from Swift's command of the English language. In "Last Orders" he's nothing less than a late-20th century James Joyce. The story itself...more
This one took my breath away. What a masterpiece ! --Rightly acknowledged by Booker prize. I simply cannot comprehend why some people give it such paltry ratings and reviews. It's so clearly brilliant to me that I feel troubled by those. One comment in particular by an apparently well read, one-star reviewer insists that the novel is in workshop mode. As in unfinished flawed or broken needing a lot of tinkering or perhaps damaged by excessive reworking. What?! Such bold gall! You're missing some...more
Early on I was a bit befuddled but then I made the smart decision to read the chapter headings and worked out it was a book of changing POV.
Very sensibly avoided the language challenge of trainspotting while making it real and accessible.
A story thread not quite dealt with for me was Vince's allusion to an incident/experience with his adopted Dad Jack. Swift opened the door on something potentially destructive to the spirit of the book and never quite shut it, particularly with the 'adopted' sis...more
Very sensibly avoided the language challenge of trainspotting while making it real and accessible.
A story thread not quite dealt with for me was Vince's allusion to an incident/experience with his adopted Dad Jack. Swift opened the door on something potentially destructive to the spirit of the book and never quite shut it, particularly with the 'adopted' sis...more
Four grown men and the follies of their lives and relationships, and the love that ties and keeps them all together. They carry the ashes around from the bar to the meadows to the cathedral and to the end of a dirty old pier and each tells his own story along the way.
It's an easy read, but read the first 50 pages straight through or else you'll get confused about who's who like I did and have to re-read them. The relationships are complex and interwoven and riddled with deceit and disappointment...more
It's an easy read, but read the first 50 pages straight through or else you'll get confused about who's who like I did and have to re-read them. The relationships are complex and interwoven and riddled with deceit and disappointment...more
Meh. Don't get me wrong. The writer is really good. He has to be to be able to get into the skin of so many characters and portray them so distinctively. The plot is interesting too ... or could've been, if it were less convoluted with so many breaks for each character's narrative. But that's just it. It took me halfway down the book to get a grip on the story and the way it ended left me wondering what the point was. And throughout I couldn't wait to get over with it to go on to the next book....more
Mar 26, 2009
Steve
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who wonders whether to read the book before seeing the film!
Although I liked this tale of reflection, bitterness and revelation, unfortunately I found the book via the film.
And, I'm sorry Mr Swift, I admire your work, but the cinematic interpretation ruined the book for me.
I do so wish I had come to this story from the book first, the film diluted too many of the characters; when reading the book, I could see the characters revealing themselves with the inter-twined storylines, but of course it was too late for me, I already knew what was coming.
I've...more
And, I'm sorry Mr Swift, I admire your work, but the cinematic interpretation ruined the book for me.
I do so wish I had come to this story from the book first, the film diluted too many of the characters; when reading the book, I could see the characters revealing themselves with the inter-twined storylines, but of course it was too late for me, I already knew what was coming.
I've...more
let's stop in for a pint. jack would've wanted it. jack would've expected it.
brilliant.
brilliant.
3 likes · like · see review
This is a deceptively simple novel. On its face it tells the tale of four Englishmen honoring the last wishes of a deceased buddy. The deceptive part is that through an adroit use of dialect and an insightful presentation of the lives of these men, and their related women, we get a rich psycho-sociological snapshot of the English zeitgeist of the late 20th C. This book apparently caused a stir in some quarters with charges about the author's sources, and some charges of being hackneyed. Don't kn...more
I listened to this book on tape. I think it made the going more difficult, what with the heavy accents and the frequent name references that you can't quickly reference as you can in a book (Amy? who's Amy? Sue?...). That being said, when I settled into the story, I settled way into the story. Taking a ride with these four fellas was a moving experience. Fast, it wasn't. Nor was it adventure packed. But this halting drive to Margate was an insightful, touching, meaningful look into the rich, mun...more
One of the fun parts of reading Last Orders is following the working class British dialect that all of the characters use. Beyond that, the characters themselves are intriguing because other complicated intertwining of their lives.
It is the death of Jack and the casting of his ashes in Margate that brings out each the story of his life and the lives of his friends and family.
Well written, but not that it is a bit challenging, at first, to keep track of who's who. Once you get the players in you...more
It is the death of Jack and the casting of his ashes in Margate that brings out each the story of his life and the lives of his friends and family.
Well written, but not that it is a bit challenging, at first, to keep track of who's who. Once you get the players in you...more
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Graham Colin Swift FRSL (born May 4, 1949) is a British author. He was born in London, England and educated at Dulwich College, London, Queens' College, Cambridge, and later the University of York. He was a friend of Ted Hughes.
Some of his works have been made into films, including Last Orders, which starred Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins and Waterland which starred Jeremy Irons. Last Orders was a...more
More about Graham Swift...
Some of his works have been made into films, including Last Orders, which starred Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins and Waterland which starred Jeremy Irons. Last Orders was a...more
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