Broken Country
By Claire Leslie Hall

This is the closest to a perfect book as I have come across in ages. It's one of those stories that picks you up, carries you away and then leaves you feeling forlorn and deserted, unable to move on. It has thrown me into the worst book hangover I have had in years.

How did this author capture me so completely? With an average of 300 books a year I thought I was immune to this.

Set in the rural West counties, it opens with a shooting, a farmer kills a dog who is bothering his sheep, but it soon transpires that another death has occurred, but we don't know who died yet, or who killed them, let alone why.

What follows is a carefully structured narrative, with split timelines, first love, a trial, a tested marriage, a love triangle, a dead child, a volatile alcohol, a second chance romance.

Everything shifts from allusion to revelation over the course of the story. There are cliff hanger chapter endings, there are reveals and twists, a decent pace, however this is not a murder mystery. I mean it is, but it is so much more than that. I have seen it compared to Where The Crawdads Sing, and actually there are many elements to this story that remind me of that particular reading experience, especially insofar as the murder is not the central part of the narrative, raw human emotions are the central part, lost love, grief, the pain of betrayal, class differences, being at one with nature.

It's only February, but still, I will be shocked if this isn't my favourite book of 2025. This book has something for everyone whether plot or character are your thing, but please note trigger warnings, the most pressing might, like for me, be your inability to find any book that could possibly hold your attention after this.

Riveting from start to finish.

Publication date: 4th March 2025
Thanks to ##Netgalley and #JohnMurrayPress for providing an ARC fit review purposes.

Omg this is one of the most beautifully written, emotionally charged books I’ve ever read. I just completely fell into it and became enveloped in its characters lives that wrapped around me like a weighted blanket-keeping me grounded but obsessed by this tale of love and loss. I’ve been a fan of this author as Claire Empson so knew her ability to weave an emotional connection throughout her storyline but this is brilliance on a different scale.
Absolutely incredible book that will stay with me for a very long time.

Broken country is the story of three people who were tied together by love and divided by circumstance. Their families lived close together but we're poles apart socially. Which mattered in the mid 20th century. The characters in this book are beautifully written espe.cially the main ones. They seem so real as does the countryside they live in. The descriptions of the wildlife are truly beautiful. The triple timeline narrative works well to progress the tension of the story. Revealing the twists bit by bit as the story builds which I really enjoyed. The ending was inspired! I'm not going to say more as I don't want to spoil it but yes I cried. A really beautifully written book that I happily recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed Broken Country and can definitely see why it is getting so much love! This literary thriller sucked me in from page one and kept me hooked right up to the end - which gave me a good little cry 😭

The book moves back and forth between time periods as the tale unfolds, balancing the love story and ‘whodunnit’ elements beautifully so that you are kept guessing while becoming more emotionally invested in the characters.

The themes of first love, grief, betrayal and family bonds make for such an emotionally engaging read. The characters were beautifully written and in a story where it could have been easy to dislike many of them, I found I couldn’t (apart from Gabriel’s awful mother of course - her brief moments jumped off the page with manipulative spite!).

I won’t say more for fear of giving anything away! But if you enjoy literary thrillers with a heartfelt love story, get it on your tbr!

I'm at a loss for words. I loved this book so much that I don't think I can find the right words to express how amazing it is! This book swept me off my feet, shattered my heart and put it back together again. I want to read it again for the first time. I thought it was incredibly well written with well developed realistic characters. In fact, some of the characters will stay with me for a long time. Bobby being one. It's such a beautifully crafted story. I've no doubt it's going to be a best seller. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to read and review this book before publication. It deserves a million stars and more.

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall, what a fabulous tale of forbidden love, complex family dramas, and a murder trial set in the English countryside? Set across dual timelines, the story weaves smoothly. Well written and had me sobbing. Always worth five stars if it sets me off crying.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC, really appreciated.

Recommend.

Wow. This book has it all. Compelling reading combining mystery and romance set in a rural landscape. Love, betrayal, loyalty , guilt and sadness in a cast of flawed characters that will leave you with a tear in your eye

After a slow start, I enjoyed this book, and it made a long train journey go quickly.
The opening chapters are in a courtroom, somebody is on trial for murder, but we don't learn who and how until later in the book.
Beth, Frank and Gabriel grew up in a village in North Dorset. Gabriel was Beth's first love, but she married Frank, a local farmer, and has a happy life until Gabriel comes back and they find the attraction is still there.
The book is written in two separate timelines, from the 1950's when Beth and Gabriel first get together, then in the late 1960's when Gabriel returns and the events leading to the court case.
There are some lovely scenes in the book, particularly those set in the farm in happy times, and the introduction of Nina to the family. I loved Nina, she is her own person and has strong principles.
Recommended.

Broken Country is up there with my favourite books of 2025 and it's only February. The story begins with a murder trial although we do not know who is on trial. That forms a major part towards the end of the book. But the main thrust of Broken Country is a love triangle, beautifully portrayed with exquisite prose. The characterisation is spot on and I felt for the three people entangled in this love story.

We are led through the history of married couple Frank and Beth and the third person in their triangle, Gabriel, via flashbacks to when all three were teenagers and Beth and Gabriel, the scion of a local wealthy family, fell in love. But, like many a teenage romance, interference and miscommunication at a time when mobile phones were not the norm, Beth and Gabriel break up and she marries faithful Frank. Tragedy strikes when their young son Ben dies in an accident. Beth is still mourning her loss when Gabriel appears on the scene again and they begin an affair which, when discovered by their small farming community, causes a scandal that leads to an untimely death.

There are plenty of twists along the way, all plausible. Broken Country is a compelling book that I shall return to simply for the beautiful writing.
Very much recommended. Thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I can't remember the last time I read a novel as good as this one. I was totally hooked from the very first page to the last - and didn't want it to ever end.
The author writes such evocative phrases, creating an emotional rollercoaster which is passionate and poignant and full of characters I absolutely adore. Beth, Gabriel, Frank, Jimmy and Nina, I don't think I will ever forget any of you.
The sense of realism throughout adds an extra layer of authentic texture to a plot full of love and tragedy and unexpected twists and turns.
Five stars doesn't begin to do justice to the extraordinary qualities of this novel: Read it!

It is thanks to Bex (@BexBookaholic on Twitter) that this book came to my attention. I was in a reading slump and just couldn't focus on a book for very long and hoped this would bring me out of my slump.

And boy did it! I started it at about 8pm on Wednesday night, read until 11pm, picked it back up at about 8am on the Thursday and had finished it by 9am. I've said in previous reviews how much I love my bed and so it takes a good book to distract me from it. I usually have the intention to read in bed but I just end up falling asleep. But this one...it was like sleep had to remove it from my hands itself so reluctant I was to part with it.

We have multiple time periods with different characters (although always narrated by Beth), which I thought would be confusing but it really worked. We have the present day, the not-so-distant past, and their teenage years and it was just the best way to tell this story.

Our main character is Beth, and then we have her husband Frank, his brother Jimmy, and of course, her old love Gabriel. They are all so wonderfully created, with so much depth. None of them are heroes and none of them are villains, they all have light and dark in them which made for fantastic reading. You really are on everyone's sides all at once. You want everything to work out between them, you want everyone to be happy and get the life they deserve.

It really whacks you right in the face almost instantly and I knew it was going t o be a hard-going read emotionally; I could just see it was going to break my heart.

At its hard it is a love story - old love, new love, love for family, love for friends, parental love, lost love - but it has the excitement and rush of a thriller, which was an interesting thing to read, but really powerful.

It's not the easiest of books to read. It's complex and contains a lot of difficult themes, such as death and grief, fear, loss, love affairs, trust and dishonesty - it's hard, but it makes the brighter parts of it shine even more, because without the dark we wouldn't appreciate the light, and I think that is key in this book.

I sobbed at this so much, in so many places. It is such a perfect book I can't even explain why. It's heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measures. I am so grateful for the publisher rto send me an e-copy of it, as there's a real possibility I wouldn't have read it otherwise, and that would have been a tragedy because the writing in this book is unlike any other.

Not only will it be on my "favourite books of 2025" list, it will definitely be going on my "favourite books of all time" list. It's absolutely gorgeous. This is a book that I won't be forgetting any time soon.

3.5~4
“He is waiting for me to look at him and, when I do, he smiles to show me he is fine, the briefest nod of his head.

Say it, Beth. Say it now.

I look at his face again, beautiful to me then and now and always, one final glance between us before everything changes.”

The publisher’s blurb sums up the premise – love triangle, a murder, a trial. The timelines jump around with each section clearly labelled, but the jumps seemed to interrupt the storyline for me. I’m usually fine with them, but it did feel like a tease much of the time.

Married rural couple Beth and Frank live alone on their farm in Hemston, North Dorset. Early in the book, Frank comes home with news.

“ ‘Gabriel Wolfe is back living in Meadowlands,’ Frank says, the name exploding at me over breakfast. ‘Divorced now. Just him and his boy rattling around in that huge place.’

‘Oh.’

It seems to be the only word I have.

‘That’s what I thought,’ Frank says. He gets up from his side of the table and walks round to mine, takes my face in his hands, kisses me. ‘We won’t let that pillock cause us any grief. We’ll have nothing to do with him.’”

Frank and Beth and Gabriel all grew up at the same time in Hemston, but Gabriel’s family was wealthy and he was sent away to school.

In 1955, Beth literally bumped into Gabriel when she was out walking, daydreaming of wild romance after reading Austen and Brontë and not paying attention to where she was. She’d crossed onto Meadowlands, the Wolfe family property.

Gabriel is handsome, charming, smart and smitten with her. She feels likewise. Frank is a bit rougher but wonderful, steadfast and adoring, when she gives him a chance. Gabriel goes up to Oxford, Frank and Beth settle into a contented rural life with a child.

This is a saga that moves back and forth through the years, with romance, passionate love, unspeakable tragedy, much tugging of heartstrings, and some suspension of disbelief eventually required by me at the end.

Very early in the piece (page 21) is this:
The Trial
Old Bailey, London 1969

Nothing could prepare me for the agony of watching the man I love, sitting high up in the dock, flanked by two prison officers, as he awaits his verdict.

A man accused of an unthinkable crime.”

Perhaps the title refers to the country Beth loves being broken by tragedies. The country of her heart certainly feels broken.

I enjoyed the writing, and I know a lot of readers will love this. I admit I kept reading, eager enough to find out what happened, but frustrated with either the pace or the way it was put together – I’m not sure which.

I am sure it will be very popular.

Thanks to #NetGalley and John Murray Press for a review copy of #BrokenCountry

Broken Country is an emotional book about love and grief, as a family is torn apart by an affair which leads to murder. It starts with a dead farmer and a vague description which draws you in, hoping to unravel what has happened.

I expected the trial to be a big part of this but the narrative goes back to what happened before — both in the recent past and years ago — and reads more as melodramatic literary fiction until the last section. It’s heartbreaking in its delivery, delving into the grief and past mistakes that have changed the lives of our characters, leading to this tragic event. I loved how it explored class and gender, showing how prejudice caused Beth’s life to take a different path.

The affair was a bit of a sticking point for me. I didn’t think Beth and Gabriel had much chemistry, and actually found the scenes between Beth and Frank much more heartfelt and romantic. Maybe this was the intention though, because I was almost shouting at the book for Beth to stop making such terrible decisions. The past trauma did make this believable, I just wasn’t a Gabriel fan.

If you’re looking for an emotional read about grief, relationships and family, I definitely recommend picking this up. Thank you so much to John Murray Press and NetGalley for the chance to read this early 😊

*I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

I didn't know what to expect from this book but it was a fantastic read. Whilst the story line is filled with sorrow and a heavy past it is delivered in a way that is not at all gloomy or depressing, rather it is handled with stoicism in a traditional British manner! It is a tale of choices made and possible other lives lived that is woven with fantastic life filled characters and beautiful writing. One that lingers in the mind after the book is long finished.

This is a stunning read. A really well crafted story even though it skips backward and forward through the timeline. It is not hard to pick up the thread and it makes the twists and turns unpredictable. The characterisation is great especially the two leads. The woman is highly intelligent and forthright, yet when she commits an unforgivable sin by falling in love with two men she shows vulnerability, shame, remorse and grief. The male lead is remarkable reminding me of a Gabriel Oak type figure. The book also contrasts attitudes in a traditional rural community with a more modern, promiscuous lifestyle belonging t9 the swinging sixties. While I question aspects of the ending, it does not detract from a book that kept me on the edge of my seat while reading it

There is so much buzz about this historical fiction book amongst reviewers and now I've read it I can say that it is justified. Raw and evocative, the writing just absorbs you and takes you on a bumpy ride of shock, tragedy, grief and hope.
The opening chapter sets the scene of something horrific that has happened and there is now a case in court, the details of which are fed slowly through the subsequent chapters with flashbacks to earlier memories, then forward to the time of the tragic events, then the present day experiences of the trial. It is my opinion that this portrays British rural, farming life really accurately with the brutal beauty of working the land and all the life and death that occurs on it.
I felt more of a connection with Frank than I did to Beth or Gabriel, but this did not detract from the impact of the story, I think if anything this space was necessary to watch the characters grow and to see their flaws and faults because that's imperative for what comes next.
A truly memorable story.

I really enjoyed this book! Have to say that I took a while to get into it - it does flit around to different timelines and there is quite a bit going on - but once you get your head around that, you really get into it. It has a bit of everything - yes, it's a love story, but there is some mystery / thriller. There is young first love, a love triangle, family love and heartbreak. And all the way through, there is mention of a trial but it is not until much later in the book you get to find out whose and why. I did not guess this - it is written in such a way that I could not tell and there are plenty of twists and turns along the way, right until the very end. Wonderful characters and such a setting - I loved all the farming and the nature references to the extent that I really wanted to visit and walk those fields! Highly recommended I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review, which is what I have given.

It's hard to put into words how beautiful this book is. It's a coming of age love story, set in an idyllic rural landscape, but with a darker underlying twist.
I loved the nature elements of this book, the author brings to life the nostalgia and peace of the landscapes without making the writing too flowery which was perfect for me.
I adored the storyline which I'm hesitant to say too much about because I went into the book completely blind, and I'd recommend others to do the same. But this book shows the absolute best of people, and in some ways the worst.
This is definitely a tear jerker, but it's a wonderful, wonderful book that will stay with me for a long time.

I was sucked in albeit from a lot of people raving about how amazing this book is. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Was it the most amazing book I’ve ever read? No.

The writing style reminded me a lot of a Lesley Pearce novel, a bit romancy and a bit unrealistic, I guessed the “twist” before it came, it’s a classic what I consider to be a “happy ever after” - all is well and fluffy in the end which I can’t realistically connect to.

That being said, I wanted to keep reading and see what happened but it’s not the emotional rollercoaster I was expecting.

What a heart breaking yet wonderful story. I had heard great reviews about this book and they did the story justice.

This book captured my heart. Young love, its intensity, it’s all consuming nature is beautifully told and brought to life the love between Gabriel and Beth. As the story moves through their romance the present tense parts give such a sense of foreboding and distress. A brilliant way to capture the reader.

Frank was a wonderful character, his calm and caring nature for his brother, for Beth was beautifully shown and I thought he was the most extraordinary character I have read for a while. I loved his dedication to the farm, the land and his belief of being the custodian to pass it on.

I loved the twist in this story and the characters just made this story so enjoyable to read. I had tears in my eyes at the end, an ending so perfectly wrapped up it gave me so many emotions and a true understanding of loss and love.

Once published in paperback I’ll be buying a copy to keep forever more on my shelves.

A fantastic read and a new favourite of this year.