March 2025

There are books that are hard for me to describe as all I want to say is “I loved it.” BROKEN COUNTRY by Clare Leslie Hall is one of those books. How is this for a description? One night I stayed up until 2:45am reading it, and when I turned the last page, I took a quick picture and posted it on Instagram with some praise attached. It is the first time that I ever have done that in the wee hours of the morning.

I am not sure what I loved the most. Was it the characters, the plot, the twists, the writing…or how all of these elements came together so brilliantly? If I am asked to compare it to another book, the easy reply would be THE PAPER PALACE, as it also is about a woman who has loved two men. But then I think of the way that the farm is so beautifully described, and I am pulled in other directions on how to bring readers to it. Oh, and it takes place in the ’50s and ’60s, the decades that set a tone themselves.

A teenage Beth met Gabriel when she wandered onto the land that his family owned, where a large mansion sat. The spark between them was instant. He lived in a world that she craved for herself. He was a student at Oxford, his life was worry-free, and love came easily when she was with him. He loved her for who she was, and the passion between them was brisk and powerful. But life got in the way, and they ended up parting ways.

Beth gave up her literary dreams and became a farmer’s wife at Blakely Farm working beside her husband, Frank, and his often wayward brother, Jimmy. Her tasks are physical, and through them she shows her love. She raises her young son, Bobby, there until he dies in an accident, which haunts her. While it’s not the literary existence she dreamed of, life is fulfilling and good. Then one day, Gabriel comes back into her life as he once again lives in the mansion that his family has continued to own. From there, lives are upended in ways we may not have predicted.

You are going to have to read the book for yourself, because you will want to unwrap this story with your own eyes. There is so much to discuss and unpack. I will make this prediction: BROKEN COUNTRY will be a favorite of many readers in 2025 and will appear on numerous “Best Books of the Year” lists.