Broken cover art

Broken

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Broken

By: Daniel Clay
Narrated by: Colin Moody
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £13.16

Buy Now for £13.16

Summary

Skunk Cunningham is an 11-year-old girl in a coma. She has a loving dad, an absent mother and a brother who plays more X-Box than is good for him. She also has the neighbours from hell: the five Oswald girls and their thuggish father Bob, vicious bullies all of them, whose reign of terror extends unchallenged over their otherwise quiet suburban street. And yet terrifying though they undoubtedly are, the stiletto-wearing, cider-swilling Oswald girls are also sexy – so when Saskia asks shy, virginal Rick Buckley for a ride in his new car, he can't believe his luck. Too bad that Saskia can't keep her big mouth shut. When, after a quick fumble, she broadcasts Rick's deficiencies to anyone who will listen, it puts ideas into her younger sister's silly head – ideas that will see Rick dragged off to prison, humiliated, and ultimately, in his father's words, 'broken' by the experience.

Content warning: Contains some violence and/or strong language.

©2008 Daniel Clay (P)2008 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Feel-Good Heartfelt Tear-jerking

Editor reviews

In this harrowing debut, 11-year-old Skunk Cunningham lies in a coma recounting the recent events of her neighborhood. The psychopathic Oswald sisters and their even-more-psychopathic father, Bob, have subjected the street to a cyclone of violence. The storm ultimately pulls in Skunk’s teenaged neighbor Rick Buckley, after one of the sisters accuses him of rape, and Rick becomes the "Broken" Buckley for which the book is named. While some listeners might find the grim procession of events dispiriting, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Performer Colin Moody does an excellent job conveying the emotion of the events and finding the right voice for each character.
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
All stars
Most relevant
Be prepeared for twists of human minds. Love and sorrow, parents-children relationships will grip your attention and your emotions in one tight bound. One to read. One not to forget for a long time.

Broken. can break your heart

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What made the experience of listening to Broken the most enjoyable?

The perspective it was written from, and the research that had obviously been carried out to make it credible. It also (sadly) illustrates some housing challenges in modern Britain.I did find the language a little challenging to begin with but to be honest it was justified in adding to the richness of the characters

What did you like best about this story?

The hope it gives us all and the importance of family.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The final scene when she wakes, or at least the internal dialogue is the decision to wake.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

All of it for different reasons.

Any additional comments?

Not for those who cannot tolerate bad language.

So insightful, a really good story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The performance just didn't work with the story. The quality was inconsistent and the accents are very poor in places. This jarred and spoiled the story for me.

Disappointing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you consider the audio edition of Broken to be better than the print version?

Never read the book, but great listening, I really enjoyed the characters, although language bad, but that was part of the story, wouldn't have worked without it.

What did you like best about this story?

Loved the characters and various plots going on within different families

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The scene in Broken's wardrobe towards the end, very worrying in places and I was gripped to see where it was going, and going to end.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Did make me nearly cry towards the end. Loved Skunk

Any additional comments?

In todays society, there are families like these popping up around my area, and elsewhere I should think. (Don't get me talking about benefits! ) Although this was at the worse end of the scale.
Thoroughly loved the book.

Great Story, Lots of Swearing and violence though!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you listen to Broken again? Why?

No.

What did you like best about this story?

It was very tense throughout. It is a tough listen, but a real insight into how people behave when there are no boundaries, and when deprived of a loving and caring environment.

Have you listened to any of Colin Moody’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No, but he was superb in portraying so many different characters and personalities.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I think shocked more than moved. The whole production kept me on the edge of my seat.

Any additional comments?

This book is not an easy listen, with bad language all the time, and troubled characters. I would recommend it though as the writing is gripping and narration second to none.

Dysfunctional Families, I should say so!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews