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!

This is a great novel! Moving back and forward in time Beth tells the story of her loves and losses, the sacrifices made and the rewards. I won’t spoil the novel for other readers, but suffice to say it’s a poignant love story of a farmer’s wife and her family. Written with a good grasp of a country life, the close knit community and class divide.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers John Murray Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Highly recommended reading for chilly winter weather.

Wow what a story. Thankyou NetGalley

A married lady mourns the tragic loss of her son, living in a small English village.

Then her first love moves back into the village and thus setting off a journey that will change forever.

This is the authors debut novel and what a novel. A love triangle, first love and scrifices all rolled into one.

So recommended loved this beautiful book.

A good read once I got into it. Thank you to the writer, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

It took me a while to get into this one and I'm not sure I really ever warmed to Beth. I found some of her decisions and motivations a little off though the devastation around the loss of her son was beautifully handled.

Broken Country has been compared to Where the Crawdads Sing but that really didn’t come across for me and I didn’t feel as invested or gripped by the storyline. That being said there are a couple of twists to keep you guessing in this

Well written and after the first section, well paced ,but this was just a good rather than great read for me.

Wow so I loved this!! Didn’t know what to expect but it was so beautiful and the reveals at the end totally took me by surprised. The writing itself was so lovely and heartwarming whilst also being devastating at the same time at points! I loved that we didn’t have any unanswered questions at the end and it was resolved so nicely. Loved loved loved it!! So much I want to say but I can’t without spoilers so just read it! 😭

I took a while to get into this but when I did it really got me. The characters were were skillfully drawn and the full story was revealed slowly, with twists that changed perspective and gripped me. It's a love story but it's so much more, heart breaking, surprising and hopeful.

This story was multilayered and moved through different timelines so seamlessly.

The characters are very relatable and you feel every emotion with them like you are right there. From their teenage years right through to adulthood you see how the different choices they make weave this beautiful story together.

There is a lot of suspense and mystery as the story unravels which keeps you engaged and wanting to know what happens next. You start to wonder who will get their happy ending if anyone at all.

This book, is love, loss, grief, sacrifice and is bittersweet to the very end.

Nothing is left unknown as this story unfolds and tragedy brings unity in those final chapters. I even had a little cry 😢

There will be no spoilers from me here but if you are intrigued then this book is set to release 4th March 2025.

I really enjoyed this book and thank you Netgalley for this amazing ARC.

First things first –I kept thinking: Wow, this whole thing reminds me so much of “Where the Crawdads Sing”. And what do you know! Reese Witherspoon has already acquired film rights to “Broken Country”. So if you read any books in the Reese’s book club, you know what to expect (promise you!). I finished the book today and was not as moved as my fellow readers here by the love triangle country girl-wealthy boy-farmer, although there were a couple of unexpected twists (at least one that I didn’t see coming!).

To summarise: if you loved “Where the Crawdads Sing” you will most probably love the book (prepare to shed a few tears), if you didn’t care for/hated “Where the Crawdads Sing” – you will not be impressed (and might get very annoyed by the timeline jumps and no system to the narrative), and if you didn’t yet have a pleasure (or displeasure!) to read “Where the Crawdads Sing” – give “Broken Country” a chance. It’s a quick read and perhaps you’ll love it!

A sweet little read – no more. And the title – broken country? Why not broken hearts? Much more suitable.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was so much more than I expected - each character is crafted with a deep sense of empathy, all the shades of grey in human actions captured with balance and compassion, and the plot so beautifully, and gently, twisting it's a truly compelling insight into love, loyalty, betrayal and grief. It's exquisite.