num_pages: 334
description: Last Orders is the story of four men once close to London butcher Jack Dodds, who meet to carry out his last to have his ashes scattered into the sea. The men, whose lives revolve around work, family, the racetrack and their favourite pub, must make their way down to a seaside town to complete the task. Through conversation and memory they trace the paths they have followed by choice and by accident; through the Second World War and its aftermath, through the dramas of family life, and their relationships with each other. In their brilliantly realized, richly nuanced voices, Swift has created a narrative language that perfectly expresses not only the comforts of old habits and friendships, but also the complexity and courage of ordinary lives.
language: English
title: Last Orders
titlecomplete: Last Orders
genres: Fiction, Death, British Literature, Literature, Novels, Contemporary, College, Modern, 20th Century, Literary Fiction
ratings_count: 13916
awards: awardedAt: 820483200000
name: Booker Prize, awardedAt: 820483200000
name: James Tait Black Memorial Prize
category: Fiction, awardedAt: 820483200000
name: Whitbread Award
category: Novel, awardedAt: 883641600000
name: Dublin Literary Award
category: Shortlist
publisher: Thorndike Pr