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A review by okiecozyreader
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
This is the bookclub book everyone is talking about. I have about 5 bookclubs reading it through July!
“The farmer is dead, he is dead and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.”
So begins this story where there is a murder (the reader doesn’t exactly know who or why), but someone wants answers. Then the book goes back a bit in time to 1968 when Gabriel returns to Meadowlands, and Frank tells Beth he is back.
Then before, 1955, when Beth first meets Gabriel.
The story continues to weave between 1968 and 1955, focusing on Beth’s life, her son Bobby, her husband Frank and her brother-in-law Jimmy.
The book is broken into 5 parts: 1 -Gabriel, 2-Bobby, 3-Jimmy, 4-Frank, 5 (almost an epilogue). The storyline continues mostly the same way throughout all parts of the book. I didn’t think the sections necessarily featured the person it was titled more than the rest of the book, but maybe, some.
This is a heart pounding story of love and loss (in so many ways - check triggers if you have any). It is a quick moving book that reads easily. The ending surprised me in one way I wasn’t expecting.
“I'd forgotten how young children, much like animals, can sense your pain without being afraid of it.” P34
“A stark reminder, if ever there was one, that you could never be too careful on the farm.” P122
“Where will it end, all this unresolved grief that has no place to go?” P133
“The farmer is dead, he is dead and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.”
So begins this story where there is a murder (the reader doesn’t exactly know who or why), but someone wants answers. Then the book goes back a bit in time to 1968 when Gabriel returns to Meadowlands, and Frank tells Beth he is back.
Then before, 1955, when Beth first meets Gabriel.
The story continues to weave between 1968 and 1955, focusing on Beth’s life, her son Bobby, her husband Frank and her brother-in-law Jimmy.
The book is broken into 5 parts: 1 -Gabriel, 2-Bobby, 3-Jimmy, 4-Frank, 5 (almost an epilogue). The storyline continues mostly the same way throughout all parts of the book. I didn’t think the sections necessarily featured the person it was titled more than the rest of the book, but maybe, some.
This is a heart pounding story of love and loss (in so many ways - check triggers if you have any). It is a quick moving book that reads easily. The ending surprised me in one way I wasn’t expecting.
“I'd forgotten how young children, much like animals, can sense your pain without being afraid of it.” P34
“A stark reminder, if ever there was one, that you could never be too careful on the farm.” P122
“Where will it end, all this unresolved grief that has no place to go?” P133
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion