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shannon_reidwheat's review against another edition
4.0
This is a well written book. Good characters, great descriptions of the plains and on point with how a small rural town is. Not only when it comes to their sports teams, but with how events can easily tilt the town into taking sides. The "boys will be boys" attitude is too common in our world and Hull does a good job exposing it. I enjoyed it because I love sports, but also because it is a very good (and all too common) story.
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
Broken Field by Jeff Hull is an interesting portrait of a small rural town's reaction to a hazing incident perpetrated by their football team which is on the brink of a championship season.
On their way home from an away game, football coach Tom Warner breaks protocol when he allows his assistant coach to ride home with his new bride instead of on the team bus. Tom is the only adult supervising the team and not only is he distracted by a personal issue, he also drifts off the sleep. During a brief stop at a convenience store, Tom steps off the bus to keep an eye on the teenagers as they go into the store. As they prepare to leave, two cheerleaders exit the bus and the rest of their journey home is uneventful. The next day, a concerned parent contacts Tom about some disturbing photos she finds on the school's yearbook camera. The subsequent investigation reveals football players Matt Brunner, Waylon Edwards and Alex Martin were the instigators in the hazing of their teammate. Tom and the school principal investigate the incident but when the media finds out about what happened, the school board and town are divided about what, if any, punishment should be handed down.
Sixteen year old Josie Frehse is Matt's girlfriend and even before the hazing incident, she has been considering the future of their two year relationship. She has learned to manage his somewhat moody behavior but her friendship with new student, Mikie LaValle, is quickly becoming an issue. Josie is well-liked by her peers and she is friendly with everyone regardless of where they fall in school's hierarchy. She is intrigued by Mikie but Matt has taken an instant dislike to him and he frequently bullies the newcomer. As the hazing situation comes to a head, Josie is stunned by Matt's volatile reaction toward her but even more shocking is her mother's attitude about what has happened.
Although a little slow-paced, Broken Field is an engrossing novel which offers a compelling view of the dynamics of a close-knit, rural community. The characters are richly developed with relatable shortcomings and endearing virtues. The novel has a well-developed storyline in which Jeff Hull realistically explores sensitive topics such as bullying, racism and violence against women. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this thought-provoking novel.
On their way home from an away game, football coach Tom Warner breaks protocol when he allows his assistant coach to ride home with his new bride instead of on the team bus. Tom is the only adult supervising the team and not only is he distracted by a personal issue, he also drifts off the sleep. During a brief stop at a convenience store, Tom steps off the bus to keep an eye on the teenagers as they go into the store. As they prepare to leave, two cheerleaders exit the bus and the rest of their journey home is uneventful. The next day, a concerned parent contacts Tom about some disturbing photos she finds on the school's yearbook camera. The subsequent investigation reveals football players Matt Brunner, Waylon Edwards and Alex Martin were the instigators in the hazing of their teammate. Tom and the school principal investigate the incident but when the media finds out about what happened, the school board and town are divided about what, if any, punishment should be handed down.
Sixteen year old Josie Frehse is Matt's girlfriend and even before the hazing incident, she has been considering the future of their two year relationship. She has learned to manage his somewhat moody behavior but her friendship with new student, Mikie LaValle, is quickly becoming an issue. Josie is well-liked by her peers and she is friendly with everyone regardless of where they fall in school's hierarchy. She is intrigued by Mikie but Matt has taken an instant dislike to him and he frequently bullies the newcomer. As the hazing situation comes to a head, Josie is stunned by Matt's volatile reaction toward her but even more shocking is her mother's attitude about what has happened.
Although a little slow-paced, Broken Field is an engrossing novel which offers a compelling view of the dynamics of a close-knit, rural community. The characters are richly developed with relatable shortcomings and endearing virtues. The novel has a well-developed storyline in which Jeff Hull realistically explores sensitive topics such as bullying, racism and violence against women. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this thought-provoking novel.
darcymichelleb's review against another edition
2.0
Growing up in a small town of MT, this book felt a little too real. I currently attend the UM, and reading this was like a shocking fever dream. Throughout high school, the only thing talked about in my town was football. The players and the coaches got away with more than what went on in this book, except it was swept under the rug. I loved how they depicted the players and the players families reacting to punishments of their crime. This book was a five star read until about 60 pages from the end, then it took a turn for the worst. I felt like Mikie’s character deserved so much more than what the author gave. His and Josie’s relationship could have been more than what it was, and overall I thought the way this book ended was heavily racially profiled. And I feel like the ending was so horrible and did not do a justice for any of the characters. For starters, the whole part where Josie and Mikie have sex in the back of his car made my heart drop because it ruined the build that mikie’s character had through out the book. And then. The party. I was not expecting it to go the way it had gone, I had hoped that Josie would intervene Matt, and defend Mikie, but reading that Mikie would stab Matt made the book go from a 5 to a 4, but then I had hoped that it would be self defense in court, and him and Josie could end the book as friends. But the court ruled against him, so the rating went to a 3. And then. Josie visits him to tell him she’s pregnant with his baby and that he will never see the child made me instantly lose all feeling with this novel. It had so much potential but ended in a strangely weird thriller that was racially charged.
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