The Broken Girls

By: Simone St. James

Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman

Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

The "clever and wonderfully chilling" (Fiona Barton) suspense novel from the award-winning author of The Haunting of Maddy Clare....

Vermont, 1950. There's a place for the girls whom no one wants - the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good. It's called Idlewild Hall. And in the small town where it's located, there are rumors that the boarding school is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their budding friendship blossoming - until one of them mysteriously disappears....

Vermont, 2014. As much as she's tried, journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot stop revisiting the events surrounding her older sister's death. Twenty years ago, her body was found lying in the overgrown fields near the ruins of Idlewild Hall. And though her sister's boyfriend was tried and convicted of murder, Fiona can't shake the suspicion that something was never right about the case.

When Fiona discovers that Idlewild Hall is being restored by an anonymous benefactor, she decides to write a story about it. But a shocking discovery during the renovations will link the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past - and a voice that won't be silenced....

©2018 Simone St. James (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“[The Broken Girls] mixes a creepy supernatural tale with a gripping mystery. It also works well as a story about unshakeable friendship, parenting issues, obsession and sexism folded into a satisfying plot that straddles two eras of time.” (Associated Press)

“An intense, genuinely creepy novel that links the ghostly, gothic strands of a 60-year-old murder with secrets about to be unearthed in the present day.... With a ghostly setting and an addictive plot, St. James’ story is as haunting as it gets - poignant, evocative and difficult to forget.” (BookPage)

“The Broken Girls is equal parts captivating and disturbing.” (HelloGiggles)

Great book, read my comments about complaints

I read a few bad reviews of this book and all most didn't listen. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes. I really liked this book. There is good character development. There is a good super natural aspect to it which adds some character and depth to the story as a whole and is an obvious but good metaphor. It is somewhere between The Haunting of Hill House and The Rules of Civility(? not sure about this one but for the historical aspect). Its not a fast paced book nor is it a page turning suspense novel (sometimes yes sometimes not so much).
Some complaints by others who have given negative reviews and my response:
1) "The characters are cringeworthy cliché.": No not really maybe a bit at the end but I liked the way the book wrapped up. Not perfect but IMHO hardly cringeworthy. The end of the novel felt a little rushed which is why some of the characters might feel a bit cliche at the end but its minor. For the most part the characters are well developed consistent and represent very real aspects of humanity.
2) "Fans of romance novels, maybe. The writing is too much about "his gorgeous mouth" and "his sleek muscles" for me.": This isn't a romance novel at all. Yes there are parts, very brief parts that use the above but they are short and very much not the focus of the novel. I find Nora Roberts books difficult to listen to because of the romance parts LOL, Why I occasionally listen to her books is a mystery to me. There is some other content to Nora Roberts but well anyway this is far far from a Nora Roberts novel.
Because of the above two complaints I nearly didn't listen to this book. Glad I read it anyway.

Great book!

This was a great story, an amazing blend of murder mystery and ghost story. I loved it, but I did feel the narrator was a little bland/flat in parts, where someone with a bit more range of voices could’ve really made this a “best audiobook of the year” kind of listen.

For fans of Kate Morton

In the last week I read two books by this author I must say I feel like I found a very good companion to my Kate Morton books. Saint James offers, for me at least, everything I am seeking in a book at this moment… Ghosts, world war history, intrigue, and romance.

A Must Listen!!!

What a great book in every way!!! From the plot, to the characters, the history and the twists. I absolutely loved this book! The narrator was perfectly matched for the story. I would highly recommend this to everyone who likes a good mystery.

5 star ghost story.

This book pulls you in right from the start and doesn’t let go. The mystery and suspense is steady and constant throughout the story. This is one of the best ghost stories I’ve read or listened to in a while. I loved the story, the characters, the setting, all of it!

Amazing!

Something about this book caught my attention when looking for my next listen. Not disappointed. Great narration and story.

The broken girls

This book was excellent. There were two murder mysteries and a supernatural twist. I think this is the best book Simone St James has written since Maddy Claire

Amazing!

An incredibly well written and narrated story, I was hanging onto every word, and cannot wait for another!

Excellent story!

Well written characters and a creative story line. Excellent historical references. A very enjoyable book.

So good!!!!

I enjoyed it very much!!! Plot, pass, writing, all great. My only complaint is she used one unique word too many times. See if you can figure out which one.