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)

Slooooooow

I liked the idea and it started out with possibilities, but was hoping for a bit more...drama. I kept waiting for something to happen and I was left unsatisfied.

I thought the male voice should be younger to fit the characters age and that the female voice did not do justice to the main female character - she was so unlikeable and I do not think that was the authors intent.

Intelligent Mystery

This is a mystery for word lovers. A dictionary research office is the perfect setting for this intelligent mystery. I loved how the story unfolded slowly. I loved how Arsenault used repetition to unravel the mystery and keep her readers informed. The narration is excellent! I am still fairly new to audio books and will now look for books with multiple narrators.

Fun with good characters

I enjoyed this book like a nice cup of tea. The fact that it is written about lexicographers made the use of words throughout fun. The characters were real. The readers engaging. I'm so glad I listened to this book.

word-nerd fun

There is something really sweet and innocent about this mystery set among lexicographers. Maybe it's the basically decent, mostly young characters. It doesn't have the level of violence you find in a lot of contemporary mysteries. It's a bit old fashioned in a good way. I found it compelling and very witty. One of the very few books I'd listen to again.

Worth it, I think

Story is good to keep you at it. I think it is worth the credits and if you want something to read have a go.

How intriguing

It was so enjoyable to look for the clues and put together the mystery in this clever storyline. I highly recommend this read. The narration was reflective of the mood and pace of the activities.

Could have been great.

What disappointed you about The Broken Teaglass?

Great concept but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. I don't know if it's the performances or the material but the characters weren't interesting. The writing seemed clunky to me, as well.

great idea...

... but I hated the characters! Good thing I could speed up the reading, because I struggled to finish it.

Not much excitement but overall ok.

I had to force myself to listen to the first chapters of the book because it started a bit slow. The suspense in it was ok. You could figure out the story before everything was revealed but I still enjoyed listening how it unfolded. Considering the personalities of the characters, I thought the performances were pretty good. It did have a little too much profanity in it for my taste. There is a lot of information in it on dictionaries and editing. I personally like to have that information because it interests me but I can imagine others find it quite boring.

Without Love of Words...

I thought this was a mystery for someone with a love of words written by an author with a love of language.. I find myself strangely disappointed and ashamed of myself for listening to the hype and buying this book, wasting a valuable monthly credit on a book that throws around 4 letter words like a monkey throws poo. Nasty. I'm sad that such a solid and interesting story was ruined by that kind of misuse of the english language. This entire book is about words, the meanings, their uses.... could this author not have come up with other ways to portray the characters as young, cool, modern, and complicated?
I won't be relistening this book or recommending this book sad to say.