What Are Buzz Residents Reading?: Q&A with Celia Anderson

This week, I interviewed Buzz resident Celia Anderson about what she has read recently and loved. She selected Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall. The publisher describes the book as “[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.”

Reese Witherspoon describes this New York Times bestseller as follows: “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.”

Here is what Celia has to say about it:

What is the best book you have read recently?

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall. It was Reese’s Book Club’s March pick.

What did you like about it? What made it stand out to you?

Broken Country is a historical novel with all the elements  that make for a very compelling story. Love triangle, murder and grief. Set in rural Dorset England.  We meet Beth, a pivotal character who is embracing the privileges for women in the 60s. Her goal of studying literature at Oxford is sidelined when she meets a new neighbor. Their summer romance does not stand the test of time when he leaves ahead of her to university.  A new timeline finds Beth married to a farmer and embracing a rural life.  The deviating events of her life throw her back in touch with her first love. The grief, love and emotional complexities  are heartwrenching. Deeply atmospheric, this book will keep you guessing to the end.

Did you read a physical book, a digital copy, or an audiobook?

I read a lot on an e-reader but love to support local book shops with a “real” book also.

How did you learn about the book?

I was seeing it everywhere and the reviews were so good so I decided to read it.

What are you reading now?

The best book I’ve read lately is The Hallmarked Man by Robert Gailbrath (J.K. Rowling).  At the moment I am reading the new  Elizabeth George mystery A Slowly Dying Cause.

For more book recommendations and bookish thoughts, see Cindy’s monthly Buzz Reads column, her award-winning Thoughts from a Page Podcast or follow @ThoughtsFromaPage on Instagram.