The book Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall was being talked about all over the internet when I picked it up several months ago. It’s a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick for March 2025.
Look at the dustcover. It’s gorgeous! I love the font and picture. It’s the perfect depiction of the book’s setting. It drew me in.
The story is a flashback narrative that begins in 1955, set in the rural countryside of Dorset, England. Beth, Frank, and Gabriel are the characters who make up the love triangle in this novel. They, along with Jimmy, Frank’s brother, work the family farm. Jimmy is hardworking but an unstable, violent alcoholic since the death of their mother.
When Gabriel comes home with his son Leo, the flame between him and Beth ignites again, years after they were teenagers. There is a void in Frank and Beth’s lives after losing their son in an accident, so their emotions have never stopped festering. What unfolds is a crazy roller coaster ride of betrayal, hope, love, and more tragedy.
The expectation of this book is not what I expected. Most of the reviews described it as a ‘mystery”. I suppose you could call it that, but in my eyes, it reads more like a love story, which is not my kind of book.
Was it good? Yes. But it wasn’t what I was anticipating, so it threw me off. I began reading it before we started our big move and read bits and pieces of it when I needed a break from packing. In all fairness, I probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t taken so much time between chapters. But, I have to say, the ending was something else! In a good way…
Everyone has different tastes in books. I’m not a “fluff chick” reader. I like my books with a lot of bite and depth. This one hit the mediocre range on those levels for me. You may be different. It’s definitely entertaining, but it wasn’t specifically to my taste.
Book reviews are so subjective. I always write a quick non-spoiler synopsis and my honest opinion. Then it’s up to you to take it from there, knowing the type of books I have really enjoyed from my previous posts. Happy reading!
Nicole MacPherson
I’ve seen this around but haven’t been tempted. I do like a love story, less so a mystery, so maybe it will work for me. I don’t know, it will have to wait as I currently have TWELVE library books here. Twelve!
myheartinpen
I love that you are committed to so many books. It’s impressive! I am that type of person who reads for 20 minutes and finds another household task to complete. I admit I feel guilty for reading and I know it’s MY issue and I need to get over it!
Suz
I’ve heard a lot of good things about this book, so I did enjoy reading your thoughts on it too. Books are so subjective. (Literally-ha!)
myheartinpen
They certainly are! There are many popular titles to me where just mahh…The book, Buckeye, was Amazon’s pick for 2025 and my sister put it down. But that’s not going to stop me from trying it!