The book follows the story of 4 men; Ray, Lenny, Vince and Vic, who embark on a journey from London to Margate to fulfil the last wish of their deceased friend, Jack Dodds, a butcher. Some of them served together in the Forces.
Jack’s ashes are to be scattered by the sea, and his widow chooses not to join the trip, which includes visits to Chatham Naval Memorial, Wick’s Farm where Jack and Amy first met, Canterbury Cathedral and several establishments where alcohol was served.
Our comments included:
- Reading this book the second time around, I liked it better and it made more sense. Watching the film also helped.
- Not much happens, though they packed a lot into one day!
- There are undertones; none of the characters really talked about what was going on behind the scenes. Is this what male friendship’s like?
- I found it difficult to keep track of the different characters; it helped to make a few notes about this. The book built their stories up over time.
- What is the book really about? If it’s about life, I think that ‘It’s all a gamble, ain’t it?’ may sum it up.
- I found the end an anticlimax, wondering if Amy was saying ‘Goodbye’ to both Jack and June, their daughter, at the end.
- If this hadn’t been a Book Club book, I’m not sure that I’d have read it. I really enjoyed Mothering Sunday and this book was a Booker prize winner, so I had high hopes.
Marks out of ten: 4.25, 7, 8, 6.75, 8, 7.5, 6, 4.5