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Last Orders

by Graham Swift

Last Orders Cover

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

The author of the internationally acclaimed Waterland gives us a beautifully crafted and astonishingly moving novel that is at once a vision of a changing England and a testament to the powers of friendship, memory, and fate.

Four men — friends, most of them, for half a lifetime — gather in a London pub. They have taken it upon themselves to carry out the "last orders" of Jack Dodds, master butcher, and carry his ashes to the sea. And as they drive to the coast in the Mercedes that Jack's adopted son Vince has borrowed from his car dealership, their errand becomes an epic journey into their collective and individual pasts.

Braiding these men's voices — and that of Jack's mysteriously absent widow — into a choir of secret sorrow and resentment, passion and regret, Graham Swift creates a work that is at once intricate and honest, tender and profanely funny; in short, Last Orders is a triumph.

Review:

"Last Orders works its magic calmly and delicately." Montreal Gazette

Review:

"Deeply moving....Swift has made us love these characters. The impression we carry away is not the futility of life, but the amazing courage of human beings." The Toronto Star

Synopsis:

Four men gather in a London pub. They have taken it upon themselves to carry out the last orders of Jack Dodds, master butcher, and deliver his ashes to the sea. As they drive towards the fulfillment of their mission, their errand becomes an extraordinary journey into their collective and individual pasts. Braiding these men's voices, and that of Jack's widow, into a choir of sorrow and resentment, passion and regret, Swift creates a testament to a changing England and to enduring mortality.

"Swift has involved us in real, lived lives...Quietly, but with conviction, he seeks to affirm the values of decency, loyalty, love."--New York Review of Books

"A beautiful book...a novel that speaks profoundly of human need and tenderness. Even the most cynical will be warmed by it."--San Francisco Chronicle

About the Author

Graham Swift is the author of five other novels, including the acclaimed Waterland, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the Guardian Fiction Award. His work has been translated into more than twenty languages. He lives in London.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

Karl Heckman, September 1, 2011 (view all comments by Karl Heckman)
Attention writers:
Masterful is the word that best describes Graham Swift's Last Orders.

It's the story of four British men spending an afternoon fulfilling the last wishes of their mutual friend of many years. Told from the viewpoint of each man, the journey is far more than the simple task before them. Each visits his past in his own way as the mission unfolds and threatens to unravel.

A faithful film adaptation was made a few years ago with a marvelous ensemble cast. However, writers wanting to improve their craft must see these words. Shifting POV can be a hazard but Swift handles it beautifully. One chapter consists of only two words. Swift is brave, free, and makes the writing seem effortless.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780679766629
Author:
Swift, Graham
Publisher:
Vintage Books
Location:
New York :
Subject:
General
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Friendship
Subject:
Death
Subject:
England
Subject:
Psychological fiction
Subject:
Aged men
Subject:
Working class
Subject:
Death -- England -- Fiction.
Subject:
Older men
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Edition Description:
Trade paper
Series:
Vintage International
Series Volume:
BP-413E
Publication Date:
19970131
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
304
Dimensions:
8 x 5.12 x 0.64 in 0.5 lb

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Last Orders New Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$15.00 In Stock
Product details 304 pages Vintage Books USA - English 9780679766629 Reviews:
"Review" by , "Last Orders works its magic calmly and delicately."
"Review" by , "Deeply moving....Swift has made us love these characters. The impression we carry away is not the futility of life, but the amazing courage of human beings."
"Synopsis" by , Four men gather in a London pub. They have taken it upon themselves to carry out the last orders of Jack Dodds, master butcher, and deliver his ashes to the sea. As they drive towards the fulfillment of their mission, their errand becomes an extraordinary journey into their collective and individual pasts. Braiding these men's voices, and that of Jack's widow, into a choir of sorrow and resentment, passion and regret, Swift creates a testament to a changing England and to enduring mortality.

"Swift has involved us in real, lived lives...Quietly, but with conviction, he seeks to affirm the values of decency, loyalty, love."--New York Review of Books

"A beautiful book...a novel that speaks profoundly of human need and tenderness. Even the most cynical will be warmed by it."--San Francisco Chronicle

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