The Broken Teaglass

By: Emily Arsenault

Narrated by: Eileen Stevens, Oliver Wyman, Therese Plummer

Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

The dusty files of a venerable dictionary publisher, a hidden cache of coded clues, a story written by a phantom author, an unsolved murder in a gritty urban park. All collide memorably in Emily Arsenault's magnificent debut, at once a teasing literary puzzle, an ingenious suspense novel, and an exploration of definitions: of words, of who we are, and of the stories we choose to define us.

In the maze of cubicles at Samuelson Company, editors toil away in silence, studying the English language, poring over new expressions and freshly coined words - all in preparation for the next new edition of the Samuelson Dictionary. Among them is editorial assistant Billy Webb, just out of college, struggling to stay awake and appear competent. But there are a few distractions. His intriguing coworker Mona Minot may or may not be flirting with him. And he's starting to sense something suspicious going on beneath this company's academic facade.

Mona has just made a startling discovery: a trove of puzzling citations, all taken from the same book, The Broken Teaglass. Billy and Mona soon learn that no such book exists. And the quotations from it are far too long, twisting, and bizarre for any dictionary. They read like a confessional, coyly hinting at a hidden identity, a secret liaison, a crime.

As Billy and Mona ransack the office files, a chilling story begins to emerge: a story about a lonely young woman, a long-unsolved mystery, a moment of shattering violence. And as they piece together its fragments, the puzzle begins to take on bigger personal meaning for both of them, compelling them to redefine their notions of themselves and each other.

Charged with wit and intelligence, set against a sweetly cautious love story, The Broken Teaglass is a tale that will delight lovers of words, lovers of mysteries, and fans of smart, funny, brilliantly inventive fiction.

©2009 Emily Arsenault (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A literary gem.” (New York Times Notable Crime Books of 2009)

“Word lovers won't want to miss this one.” (Library Journal)

“The very definition of a promising debut.” (Booklist)

Bland

The isn't anything terribly wrong with this little tale, there just isn't anything terribly right with it. The male narrator sounds way too much like Casey Casom for me to associate this story with anything but blandness. The idea is unique but I want more in a story; there just isn't enough going on. A one credit cure for insomnia.

Certainly Repays Attention

This book may well not be an instant crowd pleaser but is all the better for it. A charming and somewhat eccentric blend of a commedy of manners, a romance and a mystery within the setting of an office of lexicographers makes for a delightful read.

Would've enjoyed print version more

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Perhaps an abridgement, to about half its nearly 12-hour length, and more energy and enthusiasm from the narrators would have helped, but not enough for 4 stars.

What do you think your next listen will be?

An unabridged recording of one of Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon novels

What three words best describe the narrators’s performance?

Grating (the narrator that voiced Mona)
Lethargic (the narrator that voiced the male roles)
Self-consciously sensuous (the narrator that voiced the mystery woman)

What character would you cut from The Broken Teaglass?

There were so few, none were non-essential.

Any additional comments?

Knowing this book had been a best seller, I expect either to love it or hate it, but I'm feeling neutral. The setting and initial introduction were great. The lead characters were not bad. The action was way too slow, and the

Something Missing

The premise of the story was great and I enjoyed the unusual setting and even liked the characters, but I thought the book lacked drama and suspense. After the first part (14 chapters!), I was beginning to wonder when something was going to happen. Or, as my home-from-college son asked, "Have they found the corpse yet?" It's not a bad story at all, I just missed some excitement. I found the last few chapters interminable, like a sermon that goes on for too long. No one likes to wait for the end!

Intellectual whodunnit

Sometimes clues to a mystery may be found in the most unlikely places--even in dictionary entries. This is the premise to this well-paced and engaging story. The 2 protagonists piece together the clues to uncover an old secret. Held my interest right up until the end.

intriguing

I really enjoyed listening to this book. It held my interest, and I was quite fascinated with learning about what is involved in creating and revising a dictionary. I would recommend it.

Not terrible

I really liked the idea of a mystery set in the office of a major dictionary company. All the word analysis was cool. But the mystery turned out to be a bit of a snooze and the prologue seemed deceitful by the end. Nothing very big or exciting happens, though there is lots of promise that it might.

I found it distracting to have the first person narrator (male) pause for a female voice to jump in. It seemed stilted and detracted from the story. By the end I think I was more used to it but in many places it didn't flow well.

It kept me interested, but at the end all I could think was, is that all?

Good idea, bad format

Somewhere in this audio book is a great story. Unfortunately, it is forced to hide among bad dialogue and a boring plot while two dull and flat characters dig out the history of a long forgotten murder. It would have been ten times better to have just stuck with the murder mystery.

Unique storyline. Intriguing.

Slow start and some unsavory words, but unique story line and I ended up liking this book! I enjoyed the various narrators and the aspect they brought to the story. Very good read!

Different plot line

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

It was very draggy and repetitive and the characters were rather contrived

What was most disappointing about Emily Arsenault’s story?

Contrived characters and slow developpment

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Good narrators but I have not heard them before

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Not that jump to mind

Any additional comments?

I will stick to my historical novels and hard core mysteries