Broken Country

This was a lovely read that quietly works its way in. It reminded me of Kristin Hannah, particularly True Colors and The Four Winds, with its blend of intimate family drama and sweeping emotional arcs. The narrative flows across three timelines, but the transitions are smooth and clear, maybe too clear? I wanted a few more surprises or deeper twists, nothing was unexpected to me. The characters’ motivations felt natural and understandable, which is impressive given we see them all through the lens of the main character. Everyone is flawed, deeply human, and loveable, except for HER (if you know, you know). The story explores themes of passion, love, heartbreak, guilt, and duty beautifully. It didn’t break me open, but it probably show more left an impression.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advance copy. show less

Broken Country is one of the best stories I have read this year even though it had what seems to be a popular way of writing for some authors. The dreaded, for me, bouncing between before and now. After the reading the story for a while, I understood the need for the back and forth and it actually made the plot better. The story was extremely well written with great character and place descriptions and a depth of feeling that I have experienced from only a very few authors. The descriptions of the sensual feelings before, during and after making love were the best I have read in a long time.
This is a love story that is also a mystery but the mystery is only for the reader, not the characters. It is not only a woman/man love story, it show more is a story of the love of nature, the love of family, the love of life and the hard work to build that life and love. It is a complicated plot that I will not get deep into because I try not do spoilers. Beth is the main character who is a farmer’s wife that, in her teens, was in love with Gabriel, the son of a wealthy family. They have a torrid affair during the summer before Gabriel goes to Cambridge. Beth believes that Gabriel cheated on her while he was at Cambridge and breaks off the relationship. Did I mention Gabriel has an over protective bitch of a mother who involves herself in Beth and Gabriel’s relationship.
Beth is pregnant and starts a relationship with Frank who has loved her since they were thirteen and they marry even though he knows she is carrying another man’s child. Their son dies when he is nine whose death creates the grief and pain for Beth and Frank.
She loves her husband but deep inside still loves Gabriel. The two men are as different as two men could be. Their farm is next to the estate that, after being gone for ten years and becoming a world renowned author, Gabriel returns to with his son Leo. And that is where the trouble begins. Beth begins to see Gabriel under the guise of watching Leo while Gabriel writes. Frank's brother knows about the affair hates Gabriel. He is murdered during a drunken rage in a fight with Frank and Frank is accused and tried for the murder. Many things in the book are kept from the reader until well into the story and there are many surprises and plot twists. The story has a satisfying end after a lot of grief and pain for all the characters.
It is hard for me to express why, but this story really stuck a chord with me. In my late teens I loved two girls at the same time and with the same depth of tenderness, desire and emotion. I did not understand how that could have been possible then and do not understand it now. Maybe that is why I was so drawn into the story and experienced their love, grief, pain and happiness along with them.
I rarely give five star ratings and it is extremely rare for me to say that a book is great and recommend that you read it. show less

I didn't care about any of these characters a bit, and as the book went on, I started to seriously dislike some of them in a way that was just irritating rather than interesting. Hall also chose a type of structure I pretty much always hate, wherein the narrator hides details which there is no good reason to hide (neither within the story nor in terms of the telling of the tale) and which get revealed in the end in order to make everything that came before finally resonate. If you have to hide who's dead, who killed them, and who a child's father is in order for there to be a story, you don't have a story. This isn't a murder mystery wherein the characters don't know what happened or a psychological tale in which the narrator is show more unreliable and misdirecting cleverly to a purpose. This is a story about people to whom some bad stuff happened and what they did about it. Leaving out the salient details until the end is just a trick, and an infuriating one at that. People who study writing craft and work with writers call this "hiding the ball" precisely because it feels unfair in the same way that it does when a baseball infielder hides the ball in order to secure an out. It's a legal play in baseball--provided the player follows the relevant rules. Broken Country breaks the rules, and the result is neither compelling nor entertaining, but simply foul. show less

Beth is happily married to Frank and together they operate a farm in Dorset. Their marriage has remained strong despite the death of their 9-year-old son Bobby, although each privately mourns his loss every day. Enter Gabriel, Beth’s first love, who returns to the village after a divorce. Gabriel’s son Leo reminds Beth of Bobby, and against her better judgement she grows close to Leo and her increasing contact with Gabriel has dramatic consequences.

But Broken Country is not only a love triangle romance; it’s also a suspenseful thriller. The narrative moves between 1968 and “Before,” slowly creating a picture of Beth’s teenage years, her relationships with both Gabriel and Frank, Bobby’s death, and Beth and Frank’s show more gradual healing. Through vague references, omissions, and time gaps it becomes apparent that a significant event will transform all of their lives. The tension builds steadily, and even when the event occurs the specifics are sketchy. The real “punch” comes from misdirects created by details left unsaid, and their slow reveal resulted in several satisfying “aha” moments.

This “twisty romance” really worked for me. I loved everything about it: the characters, the setting, the plot, and the author’s gift for weaving it all together. I found myself caught up in both aspects, reading this book every time I had a spare minute. show less

Broken Country is a multi-layered, beautifully written story of first love, enduring passion and second chances. Beth and Gabriel fell in love when they were just kids really, seventeen and head over heels in an all-consuming love affair. It's Frank who rescued Beth when it all went wrong and offered her a home on his family farm, his love and the warm embrace of his own family. Beth loves Frank intensely but the unfinished business with Gabriel is hovering in the background waiting to resurface and turn Beth and Frank's lives upside down once again, for Beth also still loves Gabriel.

I can't think of anybody else who writes such achingly exquisite stories about the pain of all-encompassing love in the way that Clare Leslie Hall does. If show more you haven't read her other books (written as Clare Empson but soon to be republished as Hall) then I heartily recommend you do so as you will find similar features there. It's the main reason why I love her writing and why I was so thrilled when I heard about Broken Country.

The characterisations are utterly sublime, from Beth struggling with her feelings, to Gabriel's intensity, to Frank's stoic support. Each of these three main players jumps off the page and I felt like I was right there with them. The other supporting characters are just as well-formed and I very much liked the setting of the farm which felt like a character of its own, continuing to draw Beth in and provide salvation to her.

If you want a an epic love story that burrows its way deep into your heart then Broken Country is for you. The way Hall depicts heartbreak is so so special and tears were shed!. It is the work of a writer par excellence. show less

This US debut novel is a beautifully written story with characters that readers won't soon forget. This is a story full of love and forgiveness, grief, anger and hope for the future. One of the characters made a mistake by trying to relive her younger years without worrying about the recriminations that it would cause in the present.

The story is told in two timelines- 1955 and 1968. Both timelines meld together very well to tell the story.

1955 We learn all about young Beth's affair with Gabriel. Beth is a young country girl looking for a romance as wonderful as the poetry she loves. Gabriel is rich and when he isn't in school, he lives with his parents in their large estate home. When they meet, Beth is sure that Gabriel is the man who show more will fulfill all of her romantic yearnings and they spend a lot of time together during that summer. Often a deep romance can't stay the same as life gets in the way and when he goes back to college, their plans begin to crumble.

1968 - Thirteen years later, Beth is married to Frank. He is a gentle farmer who values Beth and their marriage despite a catastrophic event that took place several years earlier. When Gabriel and his young son, Leo, suddenly move back to the family home, Beth finds herself torn between the past and the present. As she begins to spend more time with Leo, her feelings for Gabe begin to resurface. How will Beth handle her memories of her past happiness with her present day love for her husband?

I loved this novel. The characters were wonderfully written and realistic. I especially liked Frank who was quiet and loved his wife. My feelings for Beth vacillated between like and dislike as she faced the changes in her life. This is a beautiful slow moving love story - a triangle between 3 people who all have to decide if their past happiness is stronger than the lives they are leading now. show less

This one sounded SO good in reviews by people whose judgment often aligns with mine. But somehow it just failed to ring my bell. I never trusted or sympathized with the narrator. I was always aware of being misdirected, in a way that tended to throw me out of the story. I couldn't just let it wash over me the way I prefer this type of fiction to do. Maybe I've read too much of this sort of thing....seen too many TV "murder shows" where it's the person no one even considers, so THAT's how you know. Maybe it's lack of authorial skill. Or maybe I'm just cranky about women who have good options and don't choose them. YMMV.