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The Broken Hours cover art

The Broken Hours

By: Jacqueline Baker
Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
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Summary

In the cold spring of 1936, Arthor Crandle, down-on-his luck and desperate for work, accepts a position in Providence, Rhode Island, as a live-in secretary/assistant for an unnamed shut-in.

He arrives at the gloomy colonial-style house to discover that his strange employer is an author of disturbing, bizarre fiction. Health issues have confined him to his bedroom, where he is never to be disturbed. But the writer, who Crandle knows only as "Ech-Pi", refuses to meet him, communicating only by letters left on a table outside his room. Soon the home reveals other unnerving peculiarities. There is an ominous presence Crandle feels on the main stairwell. Light shines out underneath the door of the writer's room, but is invisible from the street. It becomes increasingly clear there is something not right about the house or its occupant.

Haunting visions of a young girl in a white nightgown wandering the walled-in garden behind the house motivate Crandle to investigate the circumstances of his employer's dark family history. Meanwhile, the unsettling aura of the house pulls him into a world increasingly cut off from reality, into black depths, where an unspeakable secret lies waiting.

©2016 Jacqueline Baker (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Broken Hours

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Subtle and chilling even if you work it out!

Having read this I went back and found all the discrepancies and clues embedded in the text. Do not read this if you want schlock horror - read it if you want subtlety and a growing chill. Will definitely be listening to this again.

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10 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great story!

I was a litle worried because of the reviews but this is a great story, and yes it does have an ending. Excellent writing, very athmospheric, captivating. I was thinking all the time I need to re-read Lovecraft's biography just to calm my curiosity. I loved the slow metamorphosis and the eerie way the characters helped it come about. If you like H.P. Lovecraft's fiction you will enjoy this psychological story. The narrator was excellent!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A Long Eight Hours Listen for Not Much Reward.

I stuck with this convoluted tale to the end, against my better judgement, hoping all would be revealed. It wasn`t. I read a lot of actual H.P. Lovecraft as a teen but this wasn`t anything like it, except in the dreary relentless atmosphere, which I found exhausting and in the end quite disappointing. The narrator made a good stab at reading it and his voice was easy on the ear, but sadly, the story itself was lacking in content and the loose ends were left hanging as if the writer got bored with it and, having written a quota of pages, simply gave up.

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1 person found this helpful

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Didn’t know what to expect

After reading the reviews I was in two minds on listening
To the people that say this book has no ending, The title has the words, A novel of H.P. Lovecraft, there’s your massive clue.
If you know about him, the book will make sense. It’s tried for the feel of his books too.
H.P was only 46 when he died, and he’s influenced so many authors.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Strange book

I’ve no idea what the conclusion of this book is 😂
Performed beautifully though, narrator has a really nice, soothing voice

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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Disappointing

The story has no real ending, just finishes. Disappointing as the story has been engaging up to that point.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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No real story or ending

No real story, no real ending. What a terrible waste of time listening to it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Quirky

Loved it! Not sure why but I will look for more work by this author.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Tedious, depressing

This is one of the worst books I’ve ever listened to. All characters are so unlikeable, the story has no discernible plot line, there’s no really ending. The narrator up speaks all the time, very irritating. What a depressing waste of time.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Different and enjoyable

I really enjoyed this book! There are lots of twists and turns, and you never really get to the bottom of it. I loved that sense of not being 100% sure what happened, and it’s even more interesting because of the links to H. P. Lovecraft (I did a lot of googling afterwards!)

It felt very much of the horror genre but not gory or unpleasant - I would definitely recommend.

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