Book Club Meets: First loves and sliding doors, with Clare Leslie Hall
About this episode
<p>If you had a second chance at your first big love, would you take it? What about if you were already married to a very different kind of person? This is the dilemma Beth is faced with in Broken Country, the Happy Place Book Club novel for March.</p><p> </p><p>In this chat Fearne and author Clare Leslie Hall talk about why first love can be so intoxicating, and why it’s only human to feel the pull between very different lifestyles, knowing there are multiple ways you could be happy...</p><br><p>Clare explains that Broken Country used to be a very different book, and she almost abandoned it entirely, so what can we learn about being patient with our creative blocks?</p><br><p>Plus, if you ever fancy going to Dorset – where the book is set - Fearne and Clare go off on a tangent about all the best places to visit...</p><p> </p><p>Thank you to John Murray Press for the use of Broken Country audiobook, narrated by Hattie Morahan.</p><p> </p><p>If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://pod.fo/e/2b5d15" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Listen to Book Club Meets: Holly Bourne</a></p><p> </p><p><a href="https://pod.fo/e/2a9766" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Listen to Book Club Meets: David Larbi</a></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><a href="https://pod.fo/e/298eb6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Listen to Book Club Meets: Dame Harriet Walter</a></p><p> </p><p>Child on the line is a three-part documentary podcast series celebrating the Volunteer Counsellors of Childline, and the brave children & young people who contact the helpline service.</p><p>Listen here: <a href="https://www.childonthelinepodcast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.childonthelinepodcast.com/</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Listen to this episode in English to learn English
Podcast episodes are one of the highest-density ways to absorb English at native pace. Book Club Meets: First loves and sliding doors, with Clare Leslie Hall from Happy Place gives you natural dialogue, unscripted speech, and vocabulary that actually appears in real conversations.
In the Hinto app, every word in the transcript is tappable. Tap an unknown word, see the translation in your language instantly, and keep listening without breaking flow.
Episodes to Learn English
- Book Club Meets: Bringing back Miss Marple, with Lucy Foley Nov 5, 2026
- Will Mellor: “Wait another day, don’t give up” Fame, family and managing grief Nov 2, 2026
- Happy Place Hotline: Excruciating embarrassment and resisting rest Oct 29, 2026
- Dr Sophie Bostock: “I think about rest as protection” Sleep, stress and feeling safe Oct 26, 2026
- Happy Place Hotline: Ending friendships and embracing hibernation Oct 22, 2026
- Gemma Cairney: “We need mischief in our lives” Sisterhood and challenging the status quo Oct 19, 2026
- Chris Olsen: “Addiction is so complicated because there’s no right answer” Oct 15, 2026
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson: “If things don’t scare you, what’s the point?” Facing fear head-on Oct 12, 2026
- “I know I’m safe but my body doesn’t!” Megan McKenna is coping with PTSD and sleep paralysis Oct 8, 2026
- Stephen Graham and Orly Klein: "Consent, compassion, condom!" The advice teenage boys need Oct 5, 2026
- Book Club Meets: Murder mysteries and naming emotions, with Susie Dent Oct 1, 2026
- Miquita Oliver: "I thought I hated you Fearne, I was actually scared!" Debunking female rivalry Sep 28, 2026
- Am I too old to run?! Fearne on why movement is vital for mental health Sep 24, 2026
- Tom Read Wilson: “My quirks are my superpower!” Be ok with people not liking you Sep 21, 2026
- Fearne: “There are good eggs out there!” How to ignore the tw*ts and stay positive Sep 17, 2026
- Caitlin Moran: "I’m two years anxiety-free!” How I finally calmed my nervous system Sep 14, 2026
- Fearne: Why your 40s are ace and how to cope with imposter syndrome Sep 10, 2026
- What if the universe is trying to tell you something? How to trust your intuition Sep 7, 2026
- Monty Don: Get out of your bubble! Immerse yourself in a new culture on holiday Sep 3, 2026
- “I did things I’d never do sober” Consent concerns and social anxiety, with Millie Gooch Aug 31, 2026
- Book Club Meets: Holiday romance and friendship in your 40s, with Chloe Ashby Aug 27, 2026
- Joe Lycett: "Nerves and excitement are the same!" How to reframe anxiety Aug 24, 2026
- “Wear the OTT dress!” Fearne’s got wardrobe and dating advice Aug 20, 2026
- My OCD gave me existential dread! Finding meaning in difficult times, with poet & actor Lucas Jones Aug 17, 2026
- Chris McCausland: “Dependence is exhausting!” Holidaying with a disability Aug 13, 2026
- Ruby Wax: “I was addicted to rage!” How to respond instead of reacting Aug 10, 2026
- Feeling stressed? You’re probably dehydrated! Make hydration a habit, with Phizz Aug 6, 2026
- Book Club Meets: Fertility pressures, medical racism, and hen parties, with Candice Carty-Williams Aug 3, 2026
- Making sense of big feelings and busy brains, with Paul Whitehouse & Dr Mine Conkbayir MBE Aug 3, 2026
- Sam Thompson: "My mind doesn’t switch off!" People pleasing and ADHD hyperfocus Jul 27, 2026