Scent of Flowers

THE STORY: As Newsday comments: When we first come upon Zoe, there is a strange ambiance about her. She watches while a coffin is brought in by two comic and appealing young cockney assistants to Scrivens, the most dignified and comforting of undertakers...And little by little we come to realize that it is the body of Zoe that is in the coffin and that only her spirit is about. From then on, there are alternating scenes of her past, when she was very much alive, and of her present. These transitions are as effortless as the smooth passages from comedy to drama, and Mr. Saunders' play is filled to the brim with both. In the end it is a portrait not only of a premature death but of life, and love, and the poignant failure of those who reach out to help but cannot retrieve the loss to which they have unwittingly contributed.Saunders, James is the author of 'Scent of Flowers ' with ISBN 9780822209959 and ISBN 0822209950.