The Dining Car

By: Eric Peterson

Narrated by: Graham Hamilton

Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner, 2017 Benjamin Franklin Gold Award for Popular Fiction - Independent Book Publishers Association, April 7, 2017

In his second novel, author Eric Peterson dishes up a riotous spectacle of self-absorbed chefs, backstabbing politicians, and devious publishing magnates, set against a backdrop of haute cuisine, presidential politics, and an endless supply of top-shelf liquor and wine.

Fresh from a public humiliation and in search of his true calling, former college football star Jack Marshall enlists as bartender and steward aboard Horace Button's vintage private railroad car, the "Pioneer Mother", which is transporting the legendary food writer and social critic across the country in opulent style.

Decked out in a white jacket, mixing perfect cocktails, Jack is immersed in a style of living - and dining - he'd assumed was extinct. While striving to appease the eccentric, finicky Horace and Wanda, the Pioneer Mother's enigmatic chef, Jack falls under the spell of Giselle Lebeau, a gorgeous celebrity chef whose designs on him test his self-control and his loyalty.

But when tragedy rocks Horace's insulated white-linen world, Jack must take charge of a simmering stew of quirky yet powerful personalities - all while staying in Wanda's good graces and keeping an eye on their newest passenger.

A story of service, serendipity, and second chances, The Dining Car is more than delectable - it's a marvelous, exuberant work of fiction.

©2016 Eric Peterson (P)2018 Huckleberry House, LLC

A pleasant surprise

After a somewhat disjointed start, this story evolved into quite a delightful story. Wonderful descriptions of food and drink, and a very unique setting - a restored, antique railroad car. ( if you are enchanted by all things railroad related, this book is for you ). Two drawbacks that detracted from the story: the characters had zero emotional depth, and one of them, Horace Button, is a high end alcoholic….if conspicuous alcohol consumption is a trigger, then avoid this book !
The narrator was just fabulous; he made the story rise above its deficiencies.

Fun

Is there really a fancy rail car and dining car? I’d like to see it.

Trains Food Libations

Train references well described and accurate. Must love trains, food & wine. Storyline nicely woven through with surprise situations.

Great Story, Fantastic Narration!

What made the experience of listening to The Dining Car the most enjoyable?

Interesting story filled with an array of colorful, well-developed characters, excellent writing, and lots of humor, all brought wonderfully to life by Graham Hamilton's narration. He nails each and every character--and there are many--with an impressive plethora of voices and accents and compels the listener to keep on listening.

Absolutely wonderful!!

Would you listen to The Dining Car again? Why?

Yes! what a delightful story! Crisp, refreshing and sprinkled with plenty of humor! The author has woven a wonderful and colorful story and the narrator has done a superb job of giving life to each individual character, whether male or female. All you have to do is sit back , close your eyes, and revel in the story! If I could, I would give this book 10 stars!!! How about a second novel or a movie!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Horace Button. What a cranky boozer that you just can't help but know there is a gentler soul underneath all that bravado!

Which scene was your favorite?

Oh my, there are too many scenes!!. I guess it would be when Horace first meets his niece. He made quite the public and embarrassing spectacle of himself!

If you could take any character from The Dining Car out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Wanda. I feel we really didn't get to know her as well as I would have liked. Besides, she is a fantastic chef!!

Any additional comments?

Just go out and get this audible version now!!! You will enjoy it immensely!!

Orson Welles, Bohemian Grove and Sunset Magazine~

Enjoyable lightweight fun that lampoons stereotypical bugaboos held by American conservatives
against liberals, American liberals against conservatives, American westerners vs. easterners, older generation vs. younger generation, and a 1930's style cockamamie (think "Bringing Up Baby") plot that pits all these things against each other with 2 good-looking young people trying to survive and weave it all together. The main character sounds like Orson Welles, while the protagonist (named "Jack", of course, like all good 1930's American heroes) ostensibly from small town Texas, doesn't have a Texas accent. The story starts in a thinly disguised Bohemian Grove, and the magazine they work for is eerily similar to "Sunset" magazine. The action takes place primarily on board trains, in a restored grand
Pullman car, our grandfathers' "magic carpet made of steel." Almost all the action is dialogue, appropriate to lengthy train travel, where people actually have time to get to know one another while being disconnected from the rest of the world; a rare experience these days. There are also good descriptions of actual train travel, so the author must have researched it in person. I've done enough train travel to know that one can truly "see" America when one travels via trains as opposed to planes. All in all, I recommend this as a good read that will likely leave you smiling.

A very fun read!

As a big fan of anything fine and luxurious, I loved stepping into the characters shoes to experience his adventures aboard this unique railcar!

The descriptive nods of appreciation to all things decadent were very enjoyable.
A great salute to unique luxury experiences rarely still celebrated these days.

Who doesn’t love train cars

While I enjoyed the descriptions of the train car the political references were unnecessary and a total turnoff. A paragraph or two about Democrats scouring the graveyards for dead voters? You lost me.

Modern, intelligent, and humorous story

I love audio books and this one has a superb narration. The modern story holds a consistent high level of interest all the way through. The characters are quirky, intelligent, and interesting, while being over the top in their extremes. Eccentric characters add lots of humor and often represent parts of us that we suppress for different reasons. I really enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot and the setting of an opulent private train car. This book kept me listening as much as I could and I finished it in record time! If you can keep politics subjective, that part of the story won’t bother you. I viewed it as fuel for hilarity and part of a good story. I wouldn’t recommend it to those who are easily offended.

Entertaining

Nice story. Too long. A little predictable but entertaining and the audio is well done