The Broken Teaglass

WORD-SMITH - n. (1896): a person who works with words esp: a skillful writer According to the above definition in "Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary", debut novelist, Emily Arsenault, is an exciting new word-smith indeed. I sensed Ms. Arsenault's deep affection for the etymology of words as her main characters, Billy Webb and his co-worker, Mona Minot discover and try to solve a murder mystery hidden randomly among the citation files of their employer, the fictional dictionary publisher, Samuelson. What reader hasn't wondered how all of those words have gotten into our dictionary, where did they first come from and how did they evolve? The author enlightens us to the process while she skillfully evolves her characters in the same articulate and painstaking manner as her word entries in her fictional dictionary. I found myself becoming very fond of some of the characters and invested in finding out What does motivate them?, What will happen to them? and Will the murder mystery be solved? Emily Arsenault teases us along while answering all of the questions above; all the while illuminating her own sardonic wit, lexicography knowledge and skilled observations of some of the quirkiest of human behaviors. I highly recommend this novel and look forward to her next with great anticipation.

The Broken Teaglass is as fresh as it is refreshing. It's a unique story engrossing, well written and witty.

A coming-of-age novel that introduces readers to vivid characters, an engaging mystery, and the inner workings of a dictionary publishing company. A fun read that answers "Who done it?" and "How do words get into the dictionary?" all at the same time.

Billy Webb who just graduated from college begins working as a lexicographer at Samuelson Company publishers of an annual dictionary. Already employed there in a separate cubicle but in a similar editor assistant position is Mona Minot. Mona begins to find some strange notes referencing a book THE BROKEN TEAGLASS. She shows her notes to Billy, but neither can find the tome. They conclude someone previously employed at Samuelson left the citations, but not why or what they refer to. As they dig deeper and begin to put meaning to the notes, they begin to believe a murder occurred and some of their cubicle mates may have been involved. This is a fascinating mystery filled with suspense that hooks the audience who wonder along with the lead couple whether a homicide occurred and if some of the cubicle mates were involved. In some ways the story line is a coming of age transition tale as Billy struggles with the biggest life change he has ever faced having just graduated from college. Fans will enjoy this cerebral amateur sleuth as two young lexicographers search for the seemingly nonexistent BROKEN TEAGLASS. Harriet Klausner

The journal reviews have presented this book as a mystery and a romance, and someone else described it as a young-adult novel targeted at 20-somethings, but I feel that both classifications are too limited. Billy, the main character, is extremely compelling, even to this middle-aged reader, and the mystery and romance definitely do not dominate Billy's development as he negotiates his way through the first few months at his first post-collegiate job. Arsenault vividly captures the environment of cubicles and office relationships/negotiations and I was reminded of my first job after college -- of trying to make sense of the people around me and the work that was being done, but this novel has much more to offer than a glimpse at office life. The setting of the dictionary company provides the opportunity to use words as an integral part of the story - and without these words Billy's story might have been just another tale of someone "finding himself." Instead, the words of the dictionary, and of the research files, and of the characters, weave themselves in and out of various lives -- from Billy's neighbors to his officemates to the countless people who contact the dictionary company for clarification and solace - and in and out of various times, from the beginning of the dictionary to the younger days of retired employees to Billy and his peers achieving adulthood. Yes, there is mystery, there is a touch of romance, there is twenty-something angst, but there are intriguing characters that made me think and ponder and want to read more.