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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 War
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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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Wonderfully engrossing and satisfying

Loved the characters and the satisfying way everything turned out. A warm hearted read from a masterly writer

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Witty and delightful story full of authentic detail and well observed characters.

I’m on board with any story set in a decaying English mansion and if interesting characters and dry wit are thrown in, then so much the better. Lucy Briers is a brilliant narrator.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant

Funny & beautifully written, a wonderful cast of characters, great narrator and a lovely story - a joy to listen to!

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Another great story by Lissa Evans

Believable characters and so much that is well observed in this book. A joy to listen to.

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Loved it!

A gentle story with great characterisation and attention to period detail. A joy from start to finish.

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A lovely uplifting story

Lovely tale reminiscent of Cold Comport Farm of the changes to rural hierarchies brought on by WWII, told with sympathy and humour that left me hungry for the happy ending…. Wonderfully uplifting.

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Well sketched out characters and small funny incidents.

Like all other Lissa Evans books, I loved the warmly written characters, story and setting. Beautifully read.

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Well played

A relaxed romantic tale with lots of detail. At least six uses of the word “greensword” would lawn not have done?

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