Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall is set to be one of the best books of 2025. This statement is not hyperbole, certainly not made lightly, as this book is literally blinding

Beth and Frank are married, and live in a rural English community. They had lost their young son and were rebuilding their lives day by day. That is, until Beth's brother-in-law shoots a dog that he thought was after his sheep, only to discover, the dog belongs to Gabriel, the love of Beth's life, who has now returned to the village...

A happy marriage, a love triangle, hidden, dangerous secrets, jealousy and spite, all wrapped up in one tiny rural community, beautifully constructed by Hall with twists and turns that are matched only by English country lanes (facts because I drive them often)

The sheer humanity of the story kept me gripped until a dumptruck of a plot twist came along and floored me and I mean, floored me.

Yes, this is going to be a belter of a book when it gets here in 2025 and if it is not straight into the bestseller echelons on release, I will be very, very surprised

Thank you to NetGalley, James Turner Publishing and Clare Leslie Hall for his stunning ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

This book was no what I expected, it was better. The description of life at the farm and of livestock and then of all human feelings like love, loss and grief it feel like a full experience but then there is the plot that just made it all complete.

The story is based round three main characters: Beth, Gabriel and Frank. It starts with a dog being shot for killing three lambs. Ten years on there’s a murder trial at the Old Bailey. There are several twists, though one concerning Beth didn’t ring true to me.

Brilliant. Just brilliant. I read this in one day and was glued to it! The unexpected twists and turns were incredible and the way the book came together was excellent. I felt like I knew every character very well and it read like it was a true story. I’ll be looking out for Claire’s next one.

Just found out this being made into a film! Can’t wait to watch it!

Wow! This book took me by surprise, befriended me, frustrated me, disheartened me and took me top speed on an emotional roller coaster and I loved it!

The author played with every human emotion to perfection! Her characters were full, honest and oh so vulnerable and I adored each one of them. I wanted to love them, hate them, befriend them, protect them and I felt like I knew each of them so well.

This is a twisty emotional read and I’d thoroughly recommend it. What a joy!

I love this novel so much!

The story of Beth and Frank and Gabriel will stay with me for a long time. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' meets 'Where the rawdads Sing'.

Set in 1960s America, Frank's brother Jimmy shoots Leo (the son of Gabriel and Beth's first love's) pet dog. This begins a chain of events that will test all the characters to their limit.

Beautifully written, perfectly paced with wonderful characters - I highly recommend this book. I believe film rights have already been sold, and I am not surprised!


Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This was an interesting read but not the heart-pounding love story that the blurb promised. The relationship between Beth, Frank and Gabriel is well developed and there are several twists in the plot to keep you guessing. I found the attraction between Beth and Gabriel once they met each other again hard to accept and I think she acted very selfishly. That said, it’s a good read and I’m sure will be very successful.

I thought there would be more substance to this book . The strong character is Frank who unconditionally loved Beth , Bobby , Leo and his brother Jimmy and sacrificed his happiness for them . The book described his journey to make their lives better. The premise of this book is a familiar one with the woman wanting to have it all with her relationships and life at the expense of hurting others. A book about lost loves, child loss, forgiveness, doing the right thing and finding out that the someone special is that and so much more. A decent read but not over the top for me.

Broken Country is a beautifully written heart wrenching novel.I found myself weeping as I turned the pages following the characters different storylines .This is a story that stays with you even after you finish.#netgalley#johnmurraypress

Stunning book. One of favourite, if not my overall favourite reads of this year. Beautifully written, it will break you into pieces & then put you back together again. What a triumph…

Simply stunning. Love, life, loss, lust, passion, guilt and characters who will stay with you forever. Such beautiful writing. Such evocative emotions. I will read whatever this author writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. Perfect.

Evocative, heartbreaking - told in stunning prose, this is a sweeping love story that is reminiscent of first love.

An absolutely incredible story, it was breathtaking. It was so intense, twisty and heartbreaking at times. I’d give it more than five stars if I could.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

This was a great story where I really didn't see what was coming! It kept me gripped from start to finish and is well worth every moment spent reading it.

The author is described as loving The Go-Between, with Broken Country being a nod to it. It is certainly set in the countryside, and the main plot is of an unlikely, impossible love affair. The book goes backwards and forwards, and as the story unravels, so does the mystery. "The Farmer is dead ..." begins the story. And soon you are wondering just which farmer, as there's more than one. And then the farmer is on trial - and you still don't know which one or who is dead! Along side this is the love story of Gabriel, the handsome son of the big house, and the narrator, happily married (or is she?) to Frank, who is goodness personified. Actually, I found him to be a little too good, too forgiving, too willing too undertake .... oh, but I mustn't give away the plot!
These are (mostly) very relatable characters, with their flaws, their secrets, their loves and their losses. A love triangle which resurfaces after many years and causes more heartache and tears. And more than one secret and mystery, which, when all is finally understood, suddenly make sense and bring such huge sadness and longing. For the characters as well as the readers.
I was hooked to the end - a real page turner, and one I shall re-read, even though I know the ending and all is now clear.
Best read with hankie to hand....

With thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Shuster for the opportunity to read the ARC.

I've just finished #BrokenCountry and I am floored. Weeping. The writing is superb and the description of loss, grief and love are perfect. I possibly may never be able to read another novel. Just brilliant

This is one of those books that will stay with you forever and shape how you read in the future. This book is a complete experience. I cried so much, there is no review that will ever do this book justice. Brilliant characters and an incredible storyline. This authors writing is immense, so incredibly written the words are stunning. This is going to be big in 2025! What an incredible love story with such a fitting ending. Devastating, heartbreaking and intense.

So much more than a love story this novel is so compelling and confusing (in a good way) I really didn’t know how I wanted it to work out as you’re drawn to every character and understand their different positions. It was refreshingly different and although very sad in places I highly recommend. My only question was, what happened to the dog?

Thanks to Netgalley and John Murray Press for this ARC

Written from Beth's viewpoint, Broken Country charts her passionate love affair at 18 with Gabriel Wolfe, the handsome son from the big house in the village. He's due to begin his degree in Oxford after the summer and Beth is encouraged to apply for a place at one of the women's colleges there, reading English. Accepted, she dreams of Gabriel and their life together as students. But fate has other ideas.
Ten years later, Beth's life has changed beyond recognition. She is married to Frank, who runs Blakely Farm, where she lives with him and his younger brother Jimmy. She has totally embraced her role as farmer's wife, playing an indispensable and supportive role to the two men. Beth and Frank have a small son, Bobby, and she is happy and settled in her new role. But tragedy is about to strike, and these events, coupled with Gabriel's return to the village, have a huge impact on her and those around her, leading to even more tragedy.

Broken Country is a very addictive and emotional read. The descriptions of life in rural Dorset were brilliant - I grew up in rural Wiltshire, an experience which felt very similar. If there is one slight problem, it’s the construction of the story. The reader moves back and forth between 1955 (when Beth and Gabriel’s affair begins) to 1969. In between, there are also separate headings. I managed to navigate my way around this but there might be some who find headings without dates confusing. Other than this, however, it’s an emotional rollercoaster. Beth’s holds onto a naïve belief that their relationship is strong enough to overcome their different backgrounds . It isn’t, and I felt Gabriel was less than honest with her once he was at Oxford and distance and time changed everything.
Frank for me was the ultimate hero. A decent man who although losing so many of those close to him, made the ultimate sacrifice. I had expected from reading the synopsis that Beth would have been in an unhappy marriage, so that when Gabriel returned, they would automatically take up where they left off. That was not the case. Beth loved Frank, but had an irresistible passion for Gabriel which could not be ignored – one that I personally thought he didn’t deserve. Is there a happy ending? Well sorry, but you are going to have to read the book to find out.

My thanks to John Murray Publishing, the author and Netgalley for an ARC of Broken Country in exchange for an honest review. PS The new cover is wonderful!

Clare Leslie Hall ensures that the central characters in her latest novel, ‘Broken Country’, are fully formed in the reader’s mind early in the novel. Perhaps this is because of the carefully structured past and present episodes that make up the narrative. We understand very clearly both the teenagers they were and the adults they have become because we are side by side with Beth, Frank and Gabriel for over a decade.
The author asks us to sympathise with all her characters, even Jimmy, Frank’s alcoholic, wayward brother, and we do. Seen through Beth’s eyes we understand both his impetuosity and his specific loyalties. Clare Leslie Hall’s depiction of two small boys is also convincing: very different in some ways because of their upbringings, they are both sensitive, creative and loving.
Whilst this is first and foremost a complicated love story, it is also a court room drama. A man dies several years after a child, and in a very different manner. Who has killed him? Was it an accident? Who will be punished?
This is certainly going to please many readers – and so it should. Plot twists, passion, trials and tribulations, all set in the countryside. The author lives in Dorset and there are echoes of Hardy here! Nevertheless, ‘Broken Country’ is a little under-developed in some areas. I would have liked more focus on the landscape. The mainly 60s setting does not convince, other than through a few descriptions of Beth’s and Nina’s clothes. Beth’s parents play an important role and clearly influence her a lot, but they are very shadowy creatures. Likewise, Frank’s father.
A good read and it will be interesting to see what the author writes next.
My thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.