The Last Night on the Titanic

Unsinkable Drinking, Dining, and Style

By: Veronica Hinke

Narrated by: Gary J. Chambers

“Veronica Hinke has taken a story that we all know so well and interwoven delicious recipes that are historic and old, but classic and worthy of any modern-day table. She has unearthed a vibrant culinary subtext that often left me breathless and dreamy-eyed. She skillfully captures the magical avor of a fascinating era in our history. Two spatulas raised in adulation.” (Chef Art Smith, James Beard award winner, Top Chef Masters contestant, former personal chef to Oprah Winfrey)

April 14, 1912. It was an unforgettable night. In the last hours before the Titanic struck the iceberg, passengers in all classes were enjoying unprecedented luxuries. Innovations in food, drink, and décor made this voyage the apogee of Edwardian elegance.

Veronica Hinke’s painstaking research and deft touch bring the Titanic’s tragic but eternally glamorous maiden voyage back to life. In addition to stirring accounts of individual tragedy and survival, The Last Night on the Titanic offers tried-and-true recipes, newly invented styles, and classic cocktails to reproduce a glittering world of sophistication at sea. Listeners will experience:

• Recipes for Oysters a la Russe, Chicken and Wild Mushroom Vol-au-Vents, and dozens of other scrumptious dishes for listeners to recreate in their own kitchens
• A rare printed menu from the last first-class dinner on the Titanic
• Drink recipes from John Jacob Astor IV’s luxury hotels, including the original Martini
• The true story of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown”
• An extraordinary eyewitness testimony to Captain Edward Smith’s final moments
• Intimate and captivating stories about select passengers - from millionaires to third-class passengers

©2019 Veronica Hinke (P)2019 Regnery Publishing

Unique take on famous tragedy

This book was not quite what I had expected, but I admit that was because I didn't take the time to read the description. I just saw the title and immediately assumed it was just another book on the Titanic, which of course I like to read about. That aside, the stories surrounding the food and drink served on that famous voyage were pretty good. I'm sure they would be much more interesting to cooking aficionados or bartenders because at the end of each chapter the author not only list the recipes ingredients but fully explains how to cook the food and mix the drinks. So I would say this is like a cookbook with colourful historical context.
*I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Setting a Different Course

How many books have been written about the Titanic. Hundreds? Thousands, maybe? Finally, we have one with a different twist. The last night on the Titanic gives us the usual little tidbits about the ship, its passengers, and its demise but it also delves into the food, drink and ambiance of the doomed liner. Recipes for cocktails of the time and their backstory are scattered throughout the book like wine bottle in the debris field itself.

If only for its unique approach, this is worth a listen.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this review voluntarily.

Not What I Expected But Very Interesting

I felt that this book was much more fact statement than flowing narrative. I think with a bit of editing it could flow quite a bit better, but then that depends on Ms. Hinke’s goal. The background research that had to be involved with this novel is amazing. I was expecting more of a narrative, but the novel was fascinating and the recipes for the classic food and drink from the titanic is a great bonus.

Ms. Hinke provides snippets of life on board the titanic from first class to third and from officer to engine room all while weaving in the food and drink for the time and their status. Unexpectedly, Ms. Hinke then also provides history of many of the dishes and drinks and their subsequent evolution to what we may know them as today.

Mr. Chambers provided the narration for the book and I often found his narration to be stilted. Then if they were aiming for more a fact driven novel than a flowing narrative, this is more appropriate. Once I started to think of it in that fashion it was easier to listen to.

I was provided with a free copy of this audio book for my honest review. The views expressed here are entirely my own.

Interesting but Choppy Flow

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily posting this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.

I have read multiple books on the Titanic, viewed multiple museum collections, and watched multiple documentaries - so I am certainly interested in the topic. Most of what was contained in this book, I had read or seen elsewhere but it was still interesting to hear the stories of the passengers of that fateful night and their fate. This, I found, to be the most enjoyable part of the book. There are recipes interspersed through the chapters and some of the recipes are contained as entire chapters. This, in my opinion, interrupted the flow of the book. Perhaps, this would have been easier if I had a hardcopy of the book and was not listening to it, as listening to a recipe being read is, overall, not very stimulating and can cause you to tune out a bit.

The narrator, Gary Chambers, was fine - although I did find his pace a bit slow. I ended up speeding up the narration.

An OK Listen

The Last Night on the Titanic: Unsinkable Drinking, Dining, and Style
Veronica Hinke

This book pretty much covers the same materials most Titanic books cover. However it is the first book that I've found that offers recipes for food and drink that was probably been served on-board the Titanic.



The narration was well done, by Gary J. Chambers.



I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Dining on Titanic

This book is full of tales of heroism, tales of terror and tragedy. Among these are recipes for food and drinks, so you can dine in style like those on the Titanic.

Interesting but would hsve been better as an ebook

I liked and disliked the book. The parts that told the actual story were interesting. This part was good and enjoyable. The sections that included the receipes was boring and slowed the book down. It would be easier to do the receipe part in other formats.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Titanic from an angle never heard before

This is the first book I’ve read/listened to by this author and I would listen to another. The publishers summary is good. I am not sure why other reviewer‘s were surprised that this was half cookbook half historical content.
This book is a very unique perspective on the Titanic. We get some of the usual history of the sinking intermixed with little insights and more detail on some people and the ship itself. It’s fresh perspective on events with focus on the food and drinks.
I never knew so many things were invented for or tried for the first time on the Titanic- actually dinning on a ship for one. And to learn some people of wealth, when grabbing something to take off the ship, instead of taking their money, extra jewels or furs, took oranges. Did not know the Titanic was on fire since it had left South Hampton, long before hitting the iceberg. Now I also have many yummy sounding recipes I could try.

This is the first book I’ve listened to by this narrator ( Gary J Chambers ) and I would listen to another. I think he read this content well. His pacing was good and diction clear.

There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence or swearing.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

Insight into the elegance before the disaster

This was an interesting book and I'm glad I listened to it. It detailed what exactly life was like on the Titanic on her ill-fated maiden voyage. It also gives an interesting look at the people and times of the titanic. As an extra bonus, it has recipes, just in case you ever wanted to have your own Titanic inspired party. If course, you'll need a pen and paper so you can copy it all down.

Personally, I've always been fascinated by the Titanic. I saw the movie twice in theatre and named two of my favorite stuffed animals after the ill-fated romantic leads. This book gave me a chance to learn more about the real people that lived through the Titanic.

I only have two real negatives for the book:
1) It might have been better to include the various recipes in a PDF that accompanied the audiobook.
2) The narrator. He did this really bad fake upper-class trans-atlantic accent when reading quotes and he struggled with several place names. I cringed every time he said Wissota or Fond Du Lac and other Midwestern city names.
So, if you're interested in the TItanic but not deeply versed in it's characters and lore, this is a good book for you. If you've ever wanted to know what the upper-crust of the Edwardian era ate, this book is for you.

I was given this book in exchange for a fair review.

The last night on the Titanic

Wow!Who knew?! Not me. This was very interesting for the most part.There were boring recipes for drinks that I didn't pay much attention to.I enjoyed the glimpse into what was served wher and who said what to whom at the very last minute.We will never get enough of the Titanics stories.Gary J. Chambers was a fine narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'