Price: $28.99 - $16.50
(as of Aug 08, 2025 02:30:08 UTC – Details)
A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK | A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is an unforgettable story of love, loss, and the choices that shape our lives…but it’s also a masterfully crafted mystery that will keep you guessing until the very last page. Seriously, that ending?! I did not see it coming.” —Reese Witherspoon
“Stirring and mysterious…fires directly at the human heart and hits the mark.” —Delia Owens, New York Times bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing
A love triangle unearths dangerous, deadly secrets from the past in this thrilling tale perfect for fans of The Paper Palace and Where the Crawdads Sing.
“The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.”
Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.
As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.
A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.
From the Publisher
Publisher : Simon & Schuster
Publication date : March 4, 2025
Language : English
Print length : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 166807818X
ISBN-13 : 978-1668078181
Item Weight : 1.03 pounds
Dimensions : 6 x 1.4 x 9 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #42 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in Family Life Fiction (Books) #3 in Literary Fiction (Books) #5 in Women’s Domestic Life Fiction
Customer Reviews: 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 37,950 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers say
Customers find this book to be a powerful love story with a twist, featuring deeply developed characters and an engaging pace. Moreover, the writing style is praised for being well-crafted, with customers noting they couldn’t stop reading it. Additionally, the book explores themes of grief and healing, with one customer describing it as a healing tale of loss, love, and redemption. Customers appreciate the believable narrative structure, with one review highlighting the seamless transitions between different timelines, while another notes how it reflects the culture and times.
Gregory Dornbush –
A Powerful, Haunting Story That Stays With You
Broken Country is one of those rare novels that grips you from the very first page and refuses to let go. As a Reese’s Book Club pick, I expected it to be compelling—but it far exceeded those expectations. The writing is raw and poetic, and the characters are beautifully layered with depth, emotion, and conflict.Set against a backdrop of war, displacement, and identity, the story explores themes of trauma, survival, and what it truly means to find “home.” The protagonist’s journey is heartbreaking and hopeful all at once. The way the author weaves personal loss with cultural resilience is both powerful and deeply human.What I loved most is how the novel balances intimate storytelling with broader social and historical context. It’s not just about one person’s story—it’s about generations, nations, and the silent wounds people carry. The pacing is steady, the prose is elegant, and the emotional weight is undeniable.This is not a light read, but it’s an important one—the kind of book that sparks conversation and leaves a lasting impression. Highly recommend for anyone who appreciates literary fiction with meaning and heart.A standout choice for Reese’s Book Club, and a story I won’t soon forget.
Carpool Book Club –
Beautiful, Brutal, and Unforgettable
Some books quietly work their way into your heart. Others grab you from page one and refuse to let go. Broken Country is firmly in the latter camp. I devoured it in two days, completely swept up in its pages. It’s one of those rare reads that pulls you in so deeply, the real world fades away. I didn’t mind the escape.This novel manages to be a lot of things at once without ever losing its footing. It has a haunting love story, a twisty murder mystery, and it absolutely qualifies as historical fiction. But more than any of those labels, it’s simply really good literary fiction. It reads like a slow burn and a gut punch at the same time.Clare Leslie Hall’s (not her real name) writing is mesmerizing. Her prose is lyrical without being overwrought, and her characters are so carefully drawn, they feel like people you’ve known in another life. The landscapes are rendered with such poetic detail, you’ll swear you smelled the dust and felt the wind. The emotional weight is heavy, but in the best possible way. This book made me feel everything—love, longing, grief, redemption. At times, it was almost too much, but that’s what makes it unforgettable.The story lingers in the gray areas: between right and wrong, between justice and mercy, between love and obsession. It never feels like it’s trying too hard to be profound, yet it leaves you thinking long after the final page.This is a book I would actually re-read, not because I missed something the first time, but because I want to feel it all over again.An easy five stars. Highly recommend to anyone who likes their fiction smart but readable, soulful, and just a little devastating.
Bonnie Brody –
A Twisty Page Turner and an Obsessive and Riveting Love Story
Some reviews describe ‘Broken Country’ as a romance, and others describe it as a thriller. It is both but, more importantly, it is a literary novel of historical fiction that is a great read. Whether you want a novel for your airplane ride, or you want a deep read, you will get both in this novel.The novel centers around a married couple, Beth and Frank, who live on a farm in England. They love each other deeply despite the tragic death of their son several years ago, for which Frank feels responsible. The novel is told in different timelines, one in the relatively near past and one in the present, late 1960’s. They are very close with Frank’s brother Jimmy who appears to be an immature binge drinker. All is copacetic until Gabriel, Beth’s first love, enters their lives after Frank shoots and kills Gabriel’s son’s dog who is a danger to the farm animals.It is not difficult to see where the narrative is going and what will happen in the immediate future. What is difficult to fathom is where the novel is headed down the line. There are twists and turns as the author explores the impact of infidelity on the marriage, on Beth, and on Gabriel and his son. We know from the very beginning that someone has been killed. Who it is, why they were killed, and who the killer is, is not revealed until the very end of the novel.I loved the book and had my head in it for two days, until I finished it. It is mesmerizing, well-written, and the characterizations are strong and carefully drawn out. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves literary fiction, historical fiction, a twisty murder mystery and an obsessive love story.
Jenniraereads –
This will be a favorite.
Two days of reading and a world of change. I loved this book, the writing, and the characters. The story of love, loss, excitement, discovery, tenderness, heartbreak, and secrets.
PB –
Great Beach Read
I must say that I really enjoyed this book. It has twists I never saw coming and extremely well developed characters. The author has a great skill in a manner of making you feel you are right there as one of the people.IMHO definitely put this on your reading list if you enjoy love stories!
BARBARA mANNING –
Read this book now
Gorgeous writing with enough heart, grit and emotional depth to sink the Titanic. Deeply developed characters and a story as stories should be told. Read this book NOW. I will be recommending it to family friends and my bookclub
Kirsten Pursell –
Beautiful story of loyalty and love
This was such a beautiful, heartfelt story about making choices in life and love. The narration was beautiful. The storytelling of before, current, and after tied perfectly together. I liked that all the potential loose ends were neatly tied together. Young love can be so gut wrenching – the author does it brilliantly for all of the characters!
Gianfranco Lopane –
Excelente libro y la portada es muy bonita
Lavita Dhar –
Wonderful read.
Always Need More Books –
There has been so much hype around Broken Country and I can confirm it is all deserved! Set in 1968, a tragic farm accident results in Beth’s childhood sweetheart Gabriel coming back into her life with his young son Leo. Beth is married to Frank and despite hardships, they are solid and in love. But as Beth starts spending time with Leo, she starts again to feel the attraction she had for Gabriel when they were teenagers in 1955. The chapters are split over both timelines, with also an odd chapter thrown in that cover a trial in the Old Bailey in which someone has died.The characters in this are outstanding – I loved Frank especially but I also enjoyed Beth’s voice as she changes her life’s dream of being a poet to becoming a farmers wife. The story is perfectly paced and I liked the two timelines and the detail of what farming work is like. I would say this might be my book of the year so far which means I’m not writing a very good review! It really is a very special book which has everything – historical fiction, romance, emotion and some mystery. Just trust me when I say, it is brilliant.
Amazon Customer –
This is a fantastic book! It took a bit to know all the characters but what a story! Loved it! It has love, romance, heartache and a murder mystery all in one!!!
Aapjebaapje –
A beautiful story of teenage love and how distance can break up the strongest relationships. A beautiful story of parental love, which cannot be broken even by death.A good book, not a great book. But definitely worth reading.