The Watch That Ends the Night

Voices from the Titanic

By: Allan Wolf

Narrated by: Michael Page, Phil Gigante, Christopher Lane, Laural Merlington, Angela Dawe

Audie Award, Distinguished Achievement in Production, 2012

Arrogance and innocence, hubris and hope - 24 haunting voices of the Titanic tragedy, as well as the iceberg itself, are evoked in a stunning tour de force.

More than 2,000 men, women, and children are on board. Here on the first-class promenade is millionaire John Jacob Astor, who hopes his return from Egypt with his pregnant teen bride will invite a minimum of media attention. And here, in the third-class common room, a beautiful Lebanese refugee, on her way to family in Florida, discovers first love. And there in the distance, shrouded in darkness, an ancient iceberg lies patient, awaiting its encounter.

The voices in this wholly unique re-creation of the Titanic disaster span classes and stations, from Margaret (“the unsinkable Molly”) Brown to Captain E.J. Smith, who went down with his ship; from the lookout and wireless men to a young boy in search of dragons and a gambler in search of fools with money to lose. Slipping in telegraphs, undertaker’s reports, and other historic records, poet Allan Wolf offers a breathtaking, intimate glimpse into the lives of two dozen passengers and crew, told with astounding emotional power.

©2011 Allan Wolf (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“How do you tell a dramatic story when you know that everyone already knows the ending? Allan Wolf has combined meticulous research with open-hearted poetry to craft the story of the Titanic in a fresh and compelling way. A remarkable accomplishment.” (Helen Frost, author of Crossing Stones and Hidden)

"Allan Wolf has imagined his way deep into the cold, dark waters of history and has come back carrying a couple of dozen voices that he discovered there, voices whose authenticity is not only convincing but compelling. With the publication of this fine book, we know at last - and we know as well as sisters and brothers - some of the people who went down with the Titanic.” (Ted Kooser, former US Poet Laureate and winner of the Pulitzer Prize)

Amazing concept!

I was drawn in for the first. l loved how the book unfolded from the different characters perspectives. BRILLIANT! !!

Characterizations and poetic writing

I had a little trouble with the rat noises and postal workers noises, but I grew to enjoy them. The book was overall a very interesting and unique telling of the story and stands out to me as a very worthwhile listen. I especially enjoyed the postlude and addendums with the author’s explanations of how he handled his characters and the semi-fictional parts of the story. The narrators were all good.

Really interesting!

While the overall story is familiar - this telling is very interesting. With its different views and internal monologues from individuals at every level of the disaster, it made for a really interesting way to tell the story of Titanic. I thought the individuals that had their stories portrayed a good cross section of the passengers, crew and even the rat.

Great narration

Loved the narration and flow of the book and recommend it to Titanic enthusiasts and it’s a good story for all

A favorite no matter how many times I’ve read it or listened to it…

This has been one of my favorite Titanic novels as I absolutely love its presentation on the written page in verse. Incredibly creative! The audio version also did not disappoint. I highly recommend reading along while listening to appreciate fully the written art that’s on each and every page.