欧宝娱乐

Why? Why did this happen? I feel like I've been ripped to sheds after finishing Broken Country!

Hemston, North Dorset, 1955 鈥� When seventeen-year-old Beth Kennedy meets her eighteen-year-old neighbour Gabriel Wolfe (home from boarding school for the summer), their attraction is instantaneous 鈥� passionate and intense. They thought they鈥檇 be together forever, but it wasn鈥檛 meant to be.

Hemston, 1968 鈥� Now twenty-nine, Beth is married to Frank Johnson, living a content life as a farmer鈥檚 wife. Frank鈥檚 the kind of man who鈥檚 been there for Beth through thick and thin, through joy and heartbreak. The kind of man she can count on. But when Gabriel returns to the village, moving back to his family's estate with his young son, old memories and temptations resurface for Beth.

The Trial, Old Bailey, London 鈥� At an unknown point in time a sensational trial has begun. Someone has been murdered. Someone else stands accused. What happened? And how did things escalate to this moment?

Broken Country was at its core a love story, but whose? It was also family drama, historical fiction, courtroom drama, and mystery. Regrets, secrets, jealousy, betrayal, sacrifice, loss and grief were all prominent themes. And prepare yourselves, because this was a very emotional read, I鈥檓 not ashamed to admit I cried at the end.

A feeling of dread was always lurking at the back of my mind while reading, because ever though I didn't know exactly where this was going, I had my suspicions, and none of them were good. As you can probably guess this novel contained a love triangle which has never been my favourite because you鈥檙e always rooting for one pairing over the other but it was interwoven masterfully. I wanted to yell at Beth for her terrible choices, to choose wisely, particularly in the 1968 timeline, as I tended to be more forgiving of her actions in the flashbacks given her immaturity and and inexperience with love and relationships.

The writing was beautiful and poetic but unusual 鈥� it had a rushed feel 鈥� and to be honest it took me a good 11% to immerse myself in the mood of the novel and feel a connection to the characters but once I was in, I was all in 鈥� completely committed and consumed.

The two main settings on the outskirts of Hemston 鈥� Blakely Farm (which had been in the Johnson family for generations) and the sprawling neighbouring estate of Meadowlands where the Wolfe family resided, gave off all the tormented, uneasy, gothic vibes. Nature held a special significance and reverence for these characters representing familiarity, connection, remembrance, and shared history.

Reading Broken Country has been an unforgettable experience.