Last Orders

I think this is the first book I've re-read, and oh! how rewarding it is as a re-read! First time through it's easily enjoyable, although I did need to keep a note of who went with who and their occupations. It's story travels along smoothly, with each of the main characters' point of view revolving in chapters, interspersed with the story-teller, Ray's, narration of the current events. An enjoyable read indeed. But it wasn't until my RE-read that its riches truly unfolded, and many subtle references and innuendos fit into place like a glorious jigsaw. Graham Swift's style is seamless, sketching vivid pictures of character and environment through inference without superfluous description. The strata of English society into which these men fall is conveyed effortlessly through the dialogue of their thoughts and conversation. Unpretentiously splendid!

Part way through the book, I paused and thought about these messed-up lives and unexpressed emotions, then it occurred to me that these guys are just like everyone I know. To me, this is why I found the voices so authentic. I am Vince's age and shared his attitude toward those of his father's generation. There is little narration and much stream of conscious thinking which makes the book, at times, hard to follow. Develop a score card of characters and relationships early since it does get confusing. Ultimately the four stars are for the implicit language which limits the scope of the book somewhat. Although the dialog is onviously authentic, I know that I missed some things since I am not from the neighborhood and the dialog almost assumes that a reader must be from nearby.

Only three stars for a Booker prizewinner? The underlying story of this is good: four men, septuagenarians mostly, go from London to Margate to throw the ashes of one of their friends into the sea, their journey punctuated by memories of their intertwining lives over the previous fifty years. Despite betrayals and resentments, despite the fact that none of the men have done especially well for themselves, this is a story of the type normally hailed as life-affirming. However, it is a very difficult tale to follow, even for a Brit, as I am; it must be even harder for an American. You have to know the dialect and, within it, to pick up the slight differences in voice between the various narrators. You have to know the geography, especially the social geography, of South London and North Kent. You have to keep the time-frame straight as it zigzags around over five decades. And you have to remember the relationships between a cast of characters all of whom have typically simple but barely memorable names, such as Jack, Vic, Vince, Ray, Lenny, Kath, Sally, and Susie, many of which also appear in familiar variants. It took me a while to get the major characters straight, but I can't say even now that I am sure which of the women is whose wife, whose lover, or whose daughter. All the same, the underlying positive mood comes through, and it may well be worth sticking with these folks on their journey; just don't expect an easy trip.

The book was hard to get into and hard to sort our all the characters, but it was satisfyingly real and dealt with deep issues of relationship, death, and feelings of helplessness. I would say it's dark, but it has it's difficult life issues. Worth revisiting again. The writing was great, but not being from the UK, some of the vernacular was confusing--my book club members suggested a glossary!

Although the book was a challenge in the beginning to understand, due to the writing style, I pushed through and it became easier later. The messages are deep as you get to know the characters and their relationships. Overall I enjoyed the book and once I got the gist of the writing style was able to immerse myself in the story.

Reading "Last Orders" prompted me to think how narrators in fiction usually seem more intelligent and more sophisticated than the character whose story they are telling. Swift had several characters who narrated. Each did so in the language that one would expect from the character. Each narrated with the level of complexity that one would expect from the particular character. My experience has been that few authors can do what Swift did.

I tried several times to read this book, but I just couldn't get into it. I read the first 50 pages or so and kept losing track of the story. This is told in several different point of view, and it was extraordinarily confusing .

I felt the dialect was difficult to follow @ times. Also, the story line seemed labored! It seems we could have covered all the characters in fewer conversations!

Suggest reading it at one sitting, then rereading for fullest appreciation.

Before U read this book U really need to have seen the film. To work out what the bleedin' Hells going on half the time. The book ( with its multiple narrators and numerous flashbacks and streams of consciousness ) is difficult to follow. There's 4 main characters ( 5 if U include Jack ) but U have to remember the names of their wives and kids as well. The film helps U put a face to the name. Which makes following what's going on a lot easier. Once U know what happens ... how it ends ... U wanna go back to the beginning again and re-trace the interweaving lives. Coz its your friends who break your heart .... and your friends who mend it ... coz its all a gamble ... just a gamble. Still ... U cant help thinking : don't they do this sorta stuff in East Enders ? ... every single week ? ... and don't they do it better ? ...every single week ? Maybe not. Maybe Last Orders works better as a play. It certainly works well as a film . The dialogue ( taken word for word from the book ) and the acting ( which is great ) makes the characters funny, sad and a little lovable and in Jack's case strangely heroic . The experience ( and it is an experience ) is moving and memorable enough for 5 Stars . But great literature it aint !

Je suis tout à fait satisfaite de l'état de ce produit et de son rapport qualité-prix. J'étais persuadée en voyant l'aperçu avant l'achat qu'il s'agissait de la version poche ou en tout cas d'un plus petit format. Mais non! Le prix est bien mini pour un format et une qualité maxi ! Seule une petite griffe sur la couverture, mais rien qui ne gêne la lecture! Merci!

I found it hopeless, could not join the dots togather as to what was the story. Plot was lost in verbose prose

By rotating the speaking voices Mr Swift gradually pulls together a whole believable world, past and present, around the major characters, both those on the final journey and those staying behind. The south London vernacular falls naturally right from the start, and while "aint" rather than the more usual "ain't" seemed a bit unnecessary to start with, in the end because it is a word used so often by all of them it starts to flow and indeed flows better on the page uninterrupted by an apostrophe. As the back stories build you get a growing sense of the happenstance in life and how one moment's decision can change everything and resonate down the years. Lovely Sally, falling pregnant, having the illegal abortion Amy never had, and ending up with a life more desolate and constrained than Amy's ever was. Lucky Vince ending up with Amy rather than some orphanage or home. Amy visiting June religiously almost like a talisman but never getting anything she hopes for except perhaps to punish Jack and herself. Raysy with his rather clichéd 33 to 1 win just when it really matters which yet allows him to square things with Vince, who is visibly relieved, as well as open possibilities with Susie and Amy. The final touching paragraphs as the ill matched travelling companions scatter Jack's ashes are vividly written, the weather and sense of p!ace heightened and making the final farewell both dramatic and gentle. You aint hardly wrote nothing better, Mr S.