[Mrs Y Reviews] The Dining Car by Eric W. Peterson

Today's Audiobook adventure comes from the mind of Eric W. Peterson. Today I'm reviewing "The Dining Car," and I purchased this myself from Audible. One of the reasons that this book grabbed my attention is the cover. I don't often talk about book covers, but I liked this one. The font, for example, has a striking sort of tone to it, and it pairs lovely with the picture of the inside of the train car.

I'd like to give some context to this story without any spoilers before I go into the review. "The Dining Car" is a story about Jack, who happens to find himself through a fantastic way, employed by a wealthy magazine columnist, Horace Button. Horace's life is one of wealth and comfort, and he lives on a beautiful old-fashioned rail car. This story is set in modern times and feels similar to "The Great Gatsby" with "The Food Network" in bits, mixed with a splash of modern political news coverage. Along the journey, Horace eventually deals with a situation involving his sister. Jack eventually comes to a point in choosing what path he wants to go down to enrich his life. Overall, the story has a beautiful theme, that a family is not always who you are blood-related to; it's sometimes who you pick for yourself.

Now, let's get into this review! I will begin with some critiques I have, and one has to do with a tension factor that is placed during the story after the first act, a subplot. The tension has to do with a particular character getting to another character in a matter of time to do something in another place but finding themselves stuck between things. My issue with this tension factor is it's one of those "Ticking Clock" tropes that are often used in stories to add a kind of pressure to a character. If the foundation to set up the trope isn't perfect, the "Ticking Clock" feels contrived and can leave a reader confused or dissatisfied.

For "The Dining Car" specifically, this "Ticking Clock" involves two people, and to keep from having spoilers, I'm calling them "Person A" and "Person B." For me, "Person A" never actually was into "Person B" enough to make this entire situation worth discussing, let alone put a clock on it. It came across insincere due to the circumstances where "Person B" was overdoing their hand in trying to get "Person A" in the first place. The main breakdown from what I took away, "Person A" wanted employment, "Person B" wanted a different kind of arrangement. "Person A" caved for some reason that is still beyond me and set into motion the "Ticking Clock."

I didn't like how this came together. It was a great way to add tension to scenes at times, but in the back of my mind, as I read it, I constantly questioned the foundation. Why were they even getting together? That's the question I kept asking myself. It was so apparent to me, despite some injected parts where it felt added later to give some kind of foundation, but it just didn't come together enough to believe it. Thus, if a reader or listener is questioning the foundation of a theme or plotline, or whatever it is from the get-go, it breaks the tension. I had to stop, rewind and sometimes relisten because I kept thinking about the lack of foundation, and it distracted me at times.

And that, my friends, is it on the critiques. It's small, but it was sometimes distracting, but it was the only one I had.

So now let me go into what I loved about "The Dining Car." I like trains, and this book is chalked full of train goodness. There is a sense from the reader or listener's perspective that you are part of the train. Listening to this story made me into an unseen character. I was the fly on the wall; I was in "The Pioneer Mother" listening to the stories, I was a part of the parties, enjoying the sound of the shaker at the bar being put together and the martini's being poured. I loved that immersive element to "The Dining Car."

Another thing I really loved was how the character development went along with all of the characters. From a side character not meant to be there long in the story, every character, to a character who was the main character, had an authentic voice and person in this story. One of those characters is the train car itself, "The Pioneer Mother," and she is just as much a part of this story as Jack or Horrace is. I really enjoyed the character and feel of every piece in this tale, and the settings were so colorful and well done so that each character could move through the story.

Next, I adore when a writer tells me what I am smelling, hearing, or sensing in a scene. This story has a lot of that. There are so much gourmet food and perfectly crafted cocktails that I felt I would gain weight. I was part of it all by listening to it. It was fantastic, and I can see why this book won awards. It has all those elements that make a book stand out for wining things.

My favorite part of the story is the blend of emotions that come in. There is anxiety, humor, grieving, and even longing deeply embedded in the tale's fabric. At one point, because Horrace is a gourmet, he has quail and scrambled eggs for breakfast in the most bougie sort of breakfast imaginable. His niece is appalled by the idea of the quail on a plate, and she asks, "What if the Quail's family misses this Quail?" I got a very deeply familiar vibe. My son is a picky eater. Anyone with a picky eater knows that sometimes you can't sneak in some foods without questions. And like Horrace's niece, my son asks existential questions about broccoli or other vegetables and, that's when conversations about "It's cooked, just eat it" come into play. This grounded and realistic question from a child is a detailed example of what makes this story so alive. The grieving sequences, make sense and I can tell that a lot of attention was given to those details as much as the story outline was.

Finally, can I swoon over the narrator, Graham Hamilton? He had such an excellent vocal range in this story. His voice was deep where it needed to be, comical at times, and even in drinking sequences, I could hear him stretching to make it sound that there were inebriated characters versus the sober ones. Graham's vocal mastery did justice to an 11-year-old girl and made audio antique gold out of a high society widow. I truly enjoyed his performance. I may look for other books that he narrated only because he narrated them.

Overall, I am scoring "The Dining Car" with a 94% on my scale, and that's a 5-Star Review. I highly recommend "The Dining Car" on anyone's reading or listening list. This is an award-winning book, and I feel anyone who reads it or listens to it would find a satisfying fiction to relax with. I'm putting it on my Recommended list, the first in my Audible Reviews. Enjoy!

2 people found this helpful

Trains Food Libations

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

2 people found this helpful

Disappointing

I wanted to like this book, but just couldn’t get past the shallow plot, one-dimensional characters, and weak dialogue which was filled with cliche’s. Honestly, it read like a dime store novel.

1 person found this helpful

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.

1 person found this helpful

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.

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.

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.

Fabulously Entertaining

A in inventive story with truly unique characters A great read. I stayed up late listening!

Fun

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

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!!