I started to read this book a few weeks ago but stopped as I'd lost my reading mojo. After reading a couple of other books, I came back To Broken Country and I'm so glad I did this. I came at it with new appreciative eyes. What a book! I've loved Clare's previous novels but this went to a whole new level. Although it's predominately set in the 1960s, it felt as though it could have been set in any period - it's such a timeless story. The plot is gradually revealed and done in a way that you're never quite sure what's fully going on, which I found intriguing and kept me guessing. Clare Leslie Hall writes about the relationships in a beautiful and nuanced way - from tender first love to the all-encompassing love of a mother. It's a love story, a bit of crime, and elements of a saga all rolled into one. It's simply wonderful and a must-read for 2025.

I really enjoyed this book. We know from the start that someone is on trial for murder but we don't know who. Beth is married to Frank but they are both grieving the loss of their young son. Beth has never forgotten her first love, Gabriel, who broke her heart when she was 17. Now he has moved back to the village with his own young son. Can they be friends after everything they went through? This is a great read that will keep you enthralled right to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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WOW!

Some books you start and they grab you immediately, you are immersed in the story instantly, its not hardwork to retain the characters, its not a struggle to stay focused...its just a joy! This is one of those books. I have been finding it hard to get into a book for awhile and even took a break. This was the perfect book to recapture my love of reading. I devoured it. I really don't want to talk about the story, the synopsis just doesn't do it justice. This story is all about the feels...I experienced every emotion while reading this...longing, sadness, heartbreak, joy, frustration, anger; it ticked every box for me. Just trust me on this, if you loved Where the Crawdads Sing and Paper Palace I am pretty sure this will be a hit for you too. I can't wait for my girlfriends to read it so we can discuss it in detail ... just have a big box of tissues ready before you start. Enjoy!!!

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I found it a very emotional read. Such a beautiful story of a story of love, deceit, family life in a sheltered community set in 1968 and earlier. There were high points and very low points. It is extremely well written and easy to understand the characters and their emotions at the time. I highly recommend this book and completely agree with the reviewer who likened it to 'Where the Crawdads Sing'
A memorable book.

The writing style is this novel’s salvation.

Beth lives in a village in rural Dorset. Close to the village is a manor house called Meadowlands. Gabriel returns during the summer from boarding school and he and Beth meet when he finds her at the lake on his property. They fall instantly in love – sharing an interest in classic books. At the end of summer Gabriel leaves for Oxford and Beth decides to see if she can also be accepted. She goes for an interview and to see Gabriel. Beth is accepted for a place. Unfortunately, as she’s leaving to return home, she sees Gabriel with another girl and misreads the situation.

Frank has been in love with Beth since he first saw her at school. He comes from a working farming family. A family who truly live to work the land with cattle and sheep. Beth does love Frank. She finds stability that being a farmer’s wife brings. They have a son who unfortunately dies. Leaving them both heartbroken.

Gabriel returns, with his son, Leo. He has found fame as an author. Beth realises that she’s still loves him as much as she did when she was a teenager.

Clare Leslie Hall is a brilliant author. Her ability with words draws the perfect picture of the characters and the landscape. The characters jump off the page and feel as though you’re watching a movie rather than reading. The same with the landscape; the farm is real, the amount of work Beth, her husband Frank and brother-in-law, Jimmy made me feel like I was walking beside them and feeling that wonderful exhaustion that farming brings at the end of each day.

I felt restless and grumpy when I reach the end. I found the plot to be the standard format for novels featuring a love interest. Female in love with two males. Unforeseen deaths. And then finally, realisation and awakening to the truth. What made me persist and not give up was the author’s brilliant use of words.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy from NetGalley to review.

Oh goodness me, what an emotional ride this was! The dual timeline works well in this powerful read of young love, set in a different time, loss and family. The characterisation is just beautiful and believable, especially Beth and Frank, with every page filled with emotion. A beautifully written love story which I can highly recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Broken Country is an intricately woven story about first love, family and the choices we make in life.

It’s a story that will pull you in and have you in a vice like grip until that very last word.

Highly recommend.

I’m not always one for fiction that isn’t SFF, but when j read the blurb for this book I was immediately captivated. I had to wait until I felt like I was in an emotionally stable enough place to pick up this book… and even then? I am utterly heartbroken.

This book is filled with twists and turns and emotionally charged language, descriptions, dialogue, and characters. It is… for lack of a better word, spellbinding. I was invested pretty early on (not immediately, but within the first 5-10% of the book: beautifully written prose, and enlightening going on to keep me hooked. I read this book in two sittings, stopping only to carry out the daily necessities of life.

One thing that doesn’t work in its favour (for me) is the time hopping. It’s not something I can always follow, and I find it a little jarring trying to remember what date applies to which moment. Overall, however, I did follow this story and I enjoyed it. I can see why the time hopping happens. It’s just not completely for me.

There are a few warnings that should come with this book, which I wasn’t aware of before requesting it from NetGalley. Had I been aware, I might have been less tempted. But I’m so very, very glad I picked up this book. Absolute must read for 2025 if you want your heart shredded in the most beautiful way.

Gabriel is Beth’s first love, in some ways perhaps a forbidden love as they come from such different backgrounds.
Beth meets Gabriel in the grounds of Meadowlands, a large Manor House at the edge of the village. Gabriel, the only son, has had a privileged background and has been away at school so not mixed with other young people in the village.
The two teenagers spend the hot Summer together, locked in their own world and experience a deeply romantic and intense love. To Beth, who wants to study English Literature and Gabriel, an aspiring writer this is a time they will never forget.
At the end of the Summer Gabriel goes up to Oxford and Beth resumes her A level studies with the dream of joining him there the following year. However, when Beth spends a few days for her interview at Oxford she sees that Gabriel has a whole new circle of friends and part of that group is Louisa, the daughter of friends of Gabriel’s parents. Beth and Gabriel part on bad terms and broken hearted she returns home convinced that the romance has ended.
Frank, the local farmer’s son, has worshipped Beth from afar, to him she is his one true love. Seeing Beth so unhappy Frank asks her out and as Beth gets to know him better she realises that Frank’s love for her steadfast and loyal.
A decade later, Beth and Frank have experienced a deep loss in their marriage that both are finding it difficult to come to terms with even though they mean everything to each other. When Gabriel and his son Leo return to Meadowlands, past feelings are reignited and Beth finds herself torn between the two men, Frank and Gabriel.
Such a situation can only possibly lead to disaster and this love story pulled me in to Beth’s turmoil. Is it possible to love two men and how is she going to choose between them? This story had me hooked and with such descriptive writing I felt I was there with all the characters in this explosive and surprising finale. One of my favourite and unforgettable books of the year.

Broken Country is a thrilling love story with a crime. Set in the English countryside of the 1960s (with a second timeline taking place several years before), protagonist Beth is shaken to the core when an old flame returns.

The novel is beautifully told, with gorgeous imagery and heart-stopping cliffhangers. I felt totally immersed in Beth's story and found myself turning the pages quickly (and staying up through the early morning hours to finish).

It's a fantastic novel, with lots of discussion points for book groups in particular. I can tell it's going to be very big come 2025.

Thank you for the advance copy. I devoured it and was left truly and beautifully broken by it.

I’ve been hearing so much about this book already and I was so excited to receive a copy. Put simply, this is a beautifully written and heartrending book about a woman who falls in love with two different men. The book is set in a small rural Dorset village and alternates between 1955 and 1968 - with a few scenes of a court room interspersed which hints at impending tragedy.

We first meet Beth, married to her husband Frank, living a content life as a farmer’s wife. We then flash back to when Beth was eighteen and started a passionate relationship with Gabriel, the son of local gentry who lives in the manor house next door. Beth and Gabriel seem like a meeting of minds and destined to be together. However, when life and miscommunication tore them apart, Beth picked up the pieces of her fragile heart, changed her ambitions and built a very happy life and marriage with Frank on his farm. That is until, years later, Gabriel returns to the village with his son and forces each character to confront the emotions of their past and sets off a tragic chain of events.

This is such a moving and emotive book. What sounds like a very simple love-triangle plot conceals a multitude of layers. The characters are vividly realised and the reader feels for each and every one individually. The author does a really good job in not apportioning moral blame to any of the characters, so the events of the book almost unfold like a Greek tragedy. Fate brings the characters together and then tears them apart. The depictions of rural life were a wonderful backdrop to the unfolding relationship dynamics and felt entirely authentic. This is a book about love and loss, grief and life, breaking and healing. It’s sweeping, romantic and has all the hallmarks of a modern classic. The characters will stay with you for a long time after you close the book and I predict it's going to make a lot of people weep!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the manuscript in exchange for an honest review.

When teenagers Beth and Gabriel fall passionately in love, their future together seems assured, despite his wealthy background and the differences in their lifestyles. When Gabe goes to Oxford University, however, things fall apart, and Beth rebuilds her shattered life, becoming a farmer’s wife and finding happiness in a happy marriage and a young son. Her contentment is destined not to last, though, and when Gabe returns after many years, their old feelings resurface, and the legacy of secrets and deception soon leads towards tragedy. A gripping and emotional read, the characters are vivid and relateable and the setting evocative. Sadness and joy both fill the narrative, and story is very nuanced- there are no heroes or villains here, just very human people who sometimes make bad choices which will result in trauma that they never dreamed of. A beautiful book.

I received an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, John Murray Press, and the author Clare Leslie Hall.
This story was gripping and very emotional. It was absolutely heartbreaking at times and the characters and storyline were well developed and involving. Would recommend for fans of The Paper Palace, Where the Crawdads Sing, and similar stories. 4 stars.

Broken Country by Clare Lesley Hall should be called Broken Woman, because that is how it has left me. I am a sobbing mess.

What a beautiful book and an amazing debut. Do not hesitate to read it, and definitely pick it for your book club. It will be perfect for an indepth discussion. (Invite me along - I want to be there!)

Set in the 1950s and 60s, in rural Devon, it portrays the time and place so well. I was there. It is heart wrenching, throught provoking and simply stunning.

An easy five stars and massive recommendation from me.

Read it! Can I finish my review there?

From the very first page I was swept up in the mystery, the emotion, and the characters of this novel. I loved the storytelling style, the way the story unfolds across changing timelines works so well.
It’s by far the most invested I’ve been in a novel for a long time, I couldn’t put it down. One to watch in 2025!

Broken Country is one of the most beautifully written, though-provoking novels I have ever read.
Hall evokes the heady passion of first love perfectly and she portrays how the reappearance of said love reappearing after tragedy could affect someone with exquisite description.
Absolutely superfluous plotting.
I have no words to describe how deeply affected I was by this novel. Everything about it is just utter perfection. I only wish I could experience reading it for the first time again.

What an amazing book. For a story that seems so straightforward and not all that uncommon - a love affair that destroys lives - this book is so much more than that. The author weaves together events and characters in such a way that we feel we are living there alongside them. And the fact that we see them at different stages of life only adds to their weight and the realism of the characters.

The story moves forward and back in time, so that we have hints of a tragedy that looms ahead without knowing the full details. All we know is that there is a trial going on about a shooting. We then go back in time, and get to know the key characters.

We meet Beth, the central character who tells much of the story, as a young student. She is interested in writing and has a fairly ordinary life until she meets Gabriel, a posh boy who lives nearby. They strike up a passionate love affair, seeming to be perfect for each other. But Gabriel's snobby and obnoxious mother disapproves.

When Gabriel goes off to university, Beth's doubts about whether she is enough for him start to grow. After becoming convinced he's betrayed her, she begins a relationship with Frank, a local who has liked her since they were at school together.

The author conjures up Beth's relationships really well. Sex and intimacy are described with a lack of judgement or stereotype, which is great to read particularly as the book is set in the late 60s, although I wondered once or twice whether Gabriel and Frank were just too good to be true! Beth settles into a happy and fulfilled life with Frank on his family farm, along with son Bobby and Frank's brother Jimmy. But a tragedy strikes and although Beth and Frank remain together, there's then a difficulty in their relationship.

I think the author does a truly brilliant job in getting across the complexities and nuances of romantic relationships. Beth sees Frank as her soul mate and best friend, and in so many ways they are a very solid couple. But this doesn't mean that everything is perfect, and she is still attracted by Gabriel and the memory of her first relationship with him.

The 'side' characters - Jimmy, his wife Nina, Beth's parents and Leo, Gabriel's son - are all convincing and interesting personalities. The plot is about how lives can unravel and the impact that grief has on individuals and their relationships. I loved how the outcome of Beth's affair didn't follow an expected pattern, and the ending of the book had me in tears.

As I said at the beginning, the basic storyline might not seem very exceptional, but this really is a brilliant book. It's heartening to see the depths of character that people have somewhat hidden beneath surface appearances, and the lengths that people will go to for those they love. I will be recommending it to everyone, and thank Netgalley for the preview.

Gorgeous, heartbreaking and utterly immersive. This is a fabulous novel. I flew through it,. It’s very cinematic (I can absolutely see this as a movie) too.

Clare Leslie Hall’s Broken Country is a gripping and beautifully written novel that delves into themes of identity, trauma, and the search for belonging. Set against a richly described yet fractured landscape, the story captures the struggles of its characters as they confront the scars of the past while striving to shape their futures.

Hall’s prose is both lyrical and evocative. The emotional depth of the narrative is matched by the complexity of its characters, who are flawed, resilient, and deeply human.

Broken Country is a thought-provoking read that lingers long after the final page. It’s a testament to healing and the enduring strength of the human spirit, making it a must-read for fans of contemporary literary fiction.

Set in a small Dorset village in the 1960s, Broken Country tells the story of Beth, a farmer’s wife grieving the loss of her son. When her first love, Gabriel, returns to the village with his son, her life is changed forever.

The book moves between the past, present and the court case .I admit that I found this a bit confusing at first and had to go back a couple of times to establish where in time we were. That said, I found this to be an emotional and truly beautiful read! The perfect read for a cozy winter evening. One of my top 5 of 2024. I anticipate that this will be the one to read in 2025!