What do You think about Last Orders (2001)?
Full of deceptively ordinary people with their little adventures, secrets and compromises, truths and lies, uninteresting lives and professions, and the very language hey speak in; 'Last Orders' brilliantly captures life few books ever manage to. Those are the people that you are likely to meet in your life - butchers, car dealers, insurance agents etc. The things they will do for their families and friends which show their character and courage will go unnoticed by the rest of the world.Awesome as the book is, it is difficult to read - despite the very simple story. You want a character guide in your hand before you start it - book launches into story with out making any introductions to its characters. It doesn't help that the story is narrated by different characters and keeps on jumping back and forth in time.
—Sidharth Vardhan
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 to a thirst for beer than for good literature and, being on a student budget, I chose to spend my money on the real thing rather than a picture of a pint. (What a cover though...)Then a few years later, all memories of the book-never-read having vanished, I got it out on DVD based on the reviews and the cast, and the bloody thing didn't work (but of course it worked on the fancy schmancy machine the smug buggers at Shawlands Global Video had, meaning I didn't get a refund. Grrr...).Still, had I seen the film, I probably would have had no patience for the book. And I definitely would not have been ready for it in my early twenties. You need a wee bit of life behind you to love these blokes. So there's serendipitous timing in everything.Coincidentally, I've recently been wondering if the same thing is true of people. Let's ask Raysy, shall we?"I suppose two people know when something's going to happen, even when they're not so sure it ought to and they don't know how they're going to bring it about and they're as afraid of it as wanting it. But they know if it's ever going to happen, now's the time."OK, cheers, Raysy.
—Karen
Last Orders is a seemingly simple story about very complex relationships. Jack Dodds has made a last request to have his ashes scattered at sea. The novel takes us through that day as Jack's friends gather in the pub and set off to fulfill his wishes. Over the course of the day, we learn about their friendships interwoven with individual and collective stories. I was caught off-guard by the subtlety and layers of the characters. The dialogue was remarkably nuanced with all the subtext you would expect to find in relationships that have been in play for decades. There are old resentments, guilt, and betrayals that have lingered, but carefully tucked away for the sake of friendship, though they are always just under the surface. When a favor is called in, none of them hesitate to use these secrets to his advantage. Underneath is a fierce loyalty that supersedes all.Sometimes I found the voices of the characters too similar, making it difficult to differentiate between them. Because the entire novel rides on understanding the nuances in their relationships and their pasts, this created a barrier to the story for me. I stuck with it though and it did get easier as I picked up on the cadence of their speech patterns and became familiar with the characters. There is a movie version which would be much easier to follow if for no other reason than the visuals will help you keep everyone straight. This novel isn't filled with big plot points or an intricate storyline. The characters don't seem to have any revelations or make any sweeping life changes, but it felt honest and true and makes you question what it means to have spent a life well lived.
—Jacquelin
