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)

Wonderful Storytelling

Listening to this book was a great pleasure! The narration was pitch perfect and the characters were absolutely charming. This mystery was worked out with precision and the many clues build like a snowflake or an intricate minuet. The plot does move slowly, but this makes it seem completely credible. I couldn't wait to get back to it each evening and am so sorry that it is over! This book seems written to be read aloud. My favorite audiobook ever!

A waste of money, terrible narration

I read this dreadful book for an hour before I quit. Whoever read the part of the female protagonist, Mona, was just unbearable, I couldn't stand her. I threw my money away on this purchase.

Enjoyable Book with Great Characters

I got this audio book because I was interested in the dictionary setting. But my favorite part ended up being the oddball characters, and the narrator's existential quandary about his first steps into adult life.

As you can imagine, anyone who spends all day in silence poring over dictionary definitions and citations is bound to become a little weird ... and the dictionary editors certainly are. But the most enjoyable characters are the ones only loosely connected to the dictionary: the narrator's drunk neighbors, a grumbly old guy (Korean War vet) who comes into the dictionary from time to time, and all the the people who call the dictionary office or write letters with strange questions, such as how to spell "judgement day" on a tattoo, or how the dictionary can help them diagnose whether an embellishment is a pimple or a boil.

I also liked that the writer, Emily Arsenault, respects her readers. The mystery part of the plot isn't overwrought with empty twists and turns, as so many books are these days. It flows naturally, although at times a little ploddingly. The two main characters, a young man and lady, don't automatically fall in love, but struggle through their lack of chemistry and clarity about themselves. And the ending was one of the best parts.

This isn't a book for hard-core mystery readers (it's more literary than mystery) or readers looking for an "addictive page-turner", but it's a pleasant treat. And you do end up learning a lot about words and dictionaries along the way.

I'm looking forward to Emily Arsenault's next book.

An Unexpected Treasure

Where does The Broken Teaglass rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the most enjoyed books. I had no particular expectations but .... what a joy.

What did you like best about this story?

The story commences with fragments .. like a literary jigsaw in which the full story slowly falls into place. The dictionary references reminded me of The Surgeon of Crowthorne and anyone who loves words and language will find this a great book.

Which scene was your favorite?

It's difficult to tease out a single scene. The best was probably when it dawned that one of the literary citations had originated in the very office where the characters were located. Then I knew this was going to get more and more intriguing.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Does someone have to die to get a word into the dictionary?

Any additional comments?

This author deserves great acclaim for a literary triumph.

Great mystery puzzle

Such a cool book. Third time I've listened to it since I bought it in 2012 (can't listen to most more than once), and it seems to get better with time. Doesn't waste any time on endless car/foot/balloon? chases, hunts through underground caves/pipes/tunnels, any kind of hot sex, or grating self-analysis about mistreatment by mom/dads/siblings/lovers. It's a mystery with lots of meat, and I really appreciate that. Also, really clever and amusing interludes involving lexicographic issues, plus a few cute jokes.

Uneventful

The monotonous dialogue can't even hide this weak storyline. While listening, I would regularly drift off in thought. Then, when my thoughts came back to the novel, I'd find that I had missed nothing. Maybe the book got more exciting into the second section, but I didn't make it that far; deleted it.

I'd rather read the dictionary...

The best part of this novel was the publisher's summary, which got me to buy it. The first 30 minutes or so of the book were somewhat interesting but having the narrator's voice interrupted by someone just reading female dialogue was disconcerting. By the time I got used to that, the story was as dull as Billy's definition of a beauty queen. The murder mystery at the center was not compelling, the "cites" were banal, and none of the characters were fully developed. And if Billy were any more "laid back", he would be in a coma. There were so many side items, such as Billy's neighbors and their domestic issues, Mona's guilt over her family and her crush on Dan, the Korean War tangent, Billy's lymphoma and Billy's dad becoming a pastry chef,that I wondered if an editor ever actually read the manuscript. I was so relieved it when it was over. I think the author owes me an Audible credit.

Loved this one! Perfect story and narrated well

The author uses an unusual backdrop to this story, that is, lexicography. The building of the story, piece by piece was at a pace just right for me and the characters were given a wholeness which made the story perfect. Excellent work!

Never Really Started

In a word "waste" read previous reviews, but again not worth it...

Thank God It Is Over!!!

So tedious and boring.. Had to finish it but the best part was when it was done !