Broken Country
This poignant love story is mainly set in the Dorset countryside, in the 1950s and 1960s. As a teenager, Beth falls in love with Gabriel, the son of the owners of Meadowlands, the big house in the village. Academically and emotionally they have lots in common, but their backgrounds are worlds apart. Their love affair comes to a troubled end during Gabriel’s first year at the University of Oxford. Heartbroken, Beth marries Frank, a local farmer, and falls in love with him and their land. Their marriage is strong through life’s trials, until Gabriel returns to Meadowlands with his young son. Gabriel and Beth get reacquainted, and she is pulled in two directions because she loves two men at once.
This is a very well written story with well-rounded characters. The narrative flits between the drama unfolding in the present (1968), and the past (1955 through to 1968), and this structure succeeds in telling an interesting story. There are lots of unexpected plot twists and turns along the way that I did not foresee coming. I greatly enjoyed this book while I was reading it. However, as I was pondering on the story afterwards, I realised that the whole novel pivoted on one miscommunication, which irked me a bit, but showed that I cared about the characters.
Romance fans who like a tangled love triangle, with a good dash of passion and a modicum of sex, will enjoy this story. I am sure it would make a great film or TV adaptation.
