Set in Southeast England, friendship and love among a group of men whose lives have been intertwined since World War II. When one dies, the survivors are brought together and are forced to take stock of the paths their lives have taken, by choice and by accident, since the war. Winner of the 1996 Booker Prize.
Jack Dodds and his three buddies, Ray, Vic, and Lenny, have spent a lifetime together in their London neighborhood. They love and hate each other and are safe in their intimate sparring until Jack suddenly dies of cancer and leaves them bereft. One autumn day, the three friends join with Jack's estranged son to toss Jack's ashes into the sea. As the four men drive, they review their collective history and create a memorable quartet about friendship and fate. Graham Swift tells his Booker Prize-winning novel in a fascinating layering of voices, which are wonderfully re-created by this audiobook's seven narrators. Many are stars of the audiobook world, and their skills are in evidence as they disappear into the range of voices and personalities in this wise tale. The only quibble is that the men's voices are similar enough that one doesn't always know which character is speaking. Somehow, though, that doesn't bother. This is a lovely listen. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
About the Author
Award winning author Graham Swift was born in 1949 in London where he still lives and works. He is the author of six previously published novels including LAST ORDERS, which was awarded the Booker Prize and was made into a critically-acclaimed film released February, 2002, starring Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, David Hemmings, Tom Courtenay, and Helen Mirren. His work has been translated into more than twenty languages.
