LAST ORDERS

Jack Dodd's last wish--to have his ashes to be cast out to sea--is carried out by four men who were important to him during his lifetime. Michael Jayston has the task of differentiating the characters, but it isn't until halfway through the story that one can discern the speech variations. Some chapters have been labeled with a man's name, so the listener knows who is telling his story. But then some chapters are labeled by cities--like Margate--and the speaker becomes an unknown entity. It makes one wonder if the flashback is a successful technique for audio. Jayston's narration gives the flavor of an east London atmosphere, but its denizens are hard to separate from each other. J.P. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 00]