Small Bomb At Dimperley
Published on 14. August 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-1-80499-197-8 (ISBN)
Description
Discover the heartwarmingly witty new historical novel about changing (sometimes reluctantly) with the times in the aftermath of WW2, perfect for fans of Maggie O'Farrell and Rachel Joyce.
'A deeply pleasurable postwar tale' Guardian
'Generous, touching and romantic' Clare Chambers
'One of our finest writers of literary entertainment' Spectator
'Sometimes books that are this funny are easy to underestimate, but Small Bomb at Dimperley is wiser than a good many ponderously serious tomes. An absolute joy to read' The Times
__________
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.
____________
More praise for Small Bomb at Dimperley
'A future classic' Woman&Home
'This is Lissa Evans at the peak of her mighty powers' India Knight
'Brilliantly written, gloriously funny... a heart-warming read about learning to live again' Sun
'Incredibly assured and affecting... the perfect novel to be read in such dark times' Graham Norton
'Perfectly pitched, funny tale, sprinkled with peppery observations and speckled with a poignant bitter-sweetness' Daily Mail
'A deeply pleasurable postwar tale' Guardian
'Generous, touching and romantic' Clare Chambers
'One of our finest writers of literary entertainment' Spectator
'Sometimes books that are this funny are easy to underestimate, but Small Bomb at Dimperley is wiser than a good many ponderously serious tomes. An absolute joy to read' The Times
__________
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.
____________
More praise for Small Bomb at Dimperley
'A future classic' Woman&Home
'This is Lissa Evans at the peak of her mighty powers' India Knight
'Brilliantly written, gloriously funny... a heart-warming read about learning to live again' Sun
'Incredibly assured and affecting... the perfect novel to be read in such dark times' Graham Norton
'Perfectly pitched, funny tale, sprinkled with peppery observations and speckled with a poignant bitter-sweetness' Daily Mail
Reviews / Votes
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 Funny poignant, perfect period detail...it's as if Barbara Pym and Evelyn Waugh had a secret love-child...Heaven! -- Daisy Goodwin A glorious read. I laughed many times rejoicing in the wit, cleverness and humanity -- Elizabeth Buchan This is better than Wodehouse, in my humble opinion, because it's believable as well as funny ... Lissa Evans is a great comic writer and her portrait of an aristocratic family trying to cling to its privileges in the unforgiving aftermath of WW2 is all the funnier for being generous, touching and romantic rather than mean -- Clare Chambers 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 Loaded with period detail, primed with characters you feel you've known for years, Small Bomb at Dimperley explodes comically, lovingly and very slightly wistfully into absolute delight. My best book (by a country mile) this year -- Hilary McKay Deeply enjoyable, lovable and poignant. I love Lissa Evans' writing. Her characters are created with such affection and care it makes you wish you could step into the story and become one of them -- Miranda France I loved Small Bomb at Dimperley. From the first page I knew I wanted to spend time in this world, and when the time came, I didn't want to leave it. The blend of funny and moving is notoriously elusive, but Lissa Evans finds the sweet spot with apparent effortlessness. Sharp, witty and warm. Press it on friends -- Lev Parikian I loved Small Bomb at Dimperley so much, I found myself reading slower & slower because I didn't want it to end. Brilliantly funny, with a sharply observed cast of eccentric but utterly believable characters, it's a masterclass in understated British fiction -- Frances Quinn One of our finest writers of literary entertainment * Spectator *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Transworld Publishers Ltd
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 131 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
232 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80499-197-8 (9781804991978)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Lissa Evans
Small Bomb At Dimperley
The joyful new historical novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Old Baggage
E-Book
09/2024
Transworld Digital
€8.99
Available for download
Person
Since producing Father Ted, Lissa Evans has written seven novels, including the bestselling Old Baggage, Their Finest Hour and a Half (filmed as Their Finest), Small Change for Stuart and Wed Wabbit, both shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, and Small Bomb at Dimperley.