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Small Bomb at Dimperley

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Small Bomb at Dimperley

By: Lissa Evans
Narrated by: Lucy Briers
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Discover the heartwarming, witty, and poignant new historical novel about changing (sometimes reluctantly) with the times set in the aftermath of WW2, perfect for fans of Maggie O'Farrell and Rachel Joyce.

It's 1945, and Corporal Valentine Vere-Thissett, aged 23, is on his way home.

But ‘home’ is Dimperley, built in the 1500s, vast and dilapidated, up to its eaves in debt and half-full of fly-blown taxidermy and dependent relatives, the latter clinging to a way of life that has gone forever.

And worst of all - following the death of his heroic older brother - Valentine is now Sir Valentine, and is responsible for the whole bloody place. To Valentine, it’s a millstone; to Zena Baxter, who has never really had a home before being evacuated there with her small daughter, it’s a place of wonder and sentiment, somewhere that she can’t bear to leave.

But Zena has been living with a secret, and the end of the war means she has to face a reckoning of her own…

Funny, sharp and touching, Small Bomb at Dimperley is both a love story and a bittersweet portrait of an era of profound loss, and renewal.

'Generous, touching and romantic' Clare Chambers

'Incredibly assured and affecting... the perfect novel to be read in such dark times’ Graham Norton

'Wodehouse meets Barbara Pym… Funny, poignant, perfect' Daisy Goodwin

©2024 Lissa Evans (P)2024 Penguin Audio
Family Life Friendship World War II Funny Heartfelt Tear-jerking Witty

Critic Reviews

'An irresistible novel which combines a crumbling once-grand house, bumbling aristos clinging to the pre-war past, and the magnificent Zena Baxter, one of my all-time favourite heroines. This is Lissa Evans at the peak of her mighty powers' (India Knight)

'A glorious read. I laughed many times rejoicing in the wit, cleverness and humanity' (Elizabeth Buchan)

'I loved this. Brilliantly funny, moving and joyous. Also, there’s a perfect moment – when one character moves from liking someone to love' (Catherine Johnson)

What listeners say about Small Bomb at Dimperley

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Original writing great story

Really enjoyed the characterisation, pace and quiet intelligence of this funny and clever story. it could have been twee because of the setting but instead it is well woven and highly accomplished. Highly recommended.

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Entertaining Fun

Thoroughly enjoyable with a very laid-back, old-fashioned English wit that laughs at itself. Recommended.

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