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Small Bomb at Dimperley
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.
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.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published September 5, 2024
About the author
Lissa Evans
20 books497 followersAfter a brief career in medicine, and an even briefer one in stand-up, Lissa Evans became a comedy producer, first in radio and then in television. Her first novel, Spencer's List, was published in 2002, and since then she has written three more books for adults (two of them longlisted for the Orange/Baileys Prize) and two for children (the first of them shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal). Her two most recent books for adults were set in London during the Second World War; one of them, 'Their Finest Hour and a Half' has now been made into a film entitled 'Their Finest', starring Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin and Bill Nighy
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 259 reviews
August 18, 2024
Lissa Evans’s books are so dependably entertaining that the publisher could confidently issue a money-back guarantee with each new release. Small Bomb at Dimperley finds humour, romance and pathos in the austere, tough days after the end of the Second World War. The setting of a minor country house and its somewhat reduced estate will be familiar to anyone who has read any of the many histories of the decline of the English House: eldest sons lost to the war, damage to the fabric by whoever happened to have been billeted there, no money for even basic repairs, insoluble staffing problems and more. Endowment to the National Trust was a solution for some of the greatest houses, particularly those that still had land to provide an income, but not for most, and certainly not for Dimperley; that option is soon shut off following a visit from the Trust’s inspector (a brilliant and hilarious pastiche of James Lees-Milne in all his waspishness). But all is not lost, and this good-humoured and life-affirming novel follows the ups and downs of an engaging cast of characters as they find a way to make a new future.
September 3, 2025
Kind of odd and unexpected but I rather loved it by the end. I’ll write more soon because I want to do it justice. I started out not loving any characters and feeling unsure what the story was about. Also because the house is so decrepit to start it was rather offputting but it all starts to emerge and become cohesive in a rather lovely way. It reminds me somewhat of The Half-Crown House by Helen Ashton, which I also loved.
**
Later review. This is a country-house-falling-into-ruin-post-war story. Part of the problem for Dimperley is that it was requistioned to house pregnant mothers during WWII so they would be safe from the bombing. One bomb fell near Dimperley but it didn't do any harm and it's now part of the village/house lore. With the lack of staff and the many mothers who came in and out, both the inside and outside of this very odd mansion are worse for wear. And now the family has received word that the heir, Felix, is confirmed dead. He was missing in action for years. The middle brother is not competant to take over, so the very-much younger brother, Valentine, has become Sir Valentine. He finds out at the beginning of the novel and he is dismayed. He's been in the army during the war, but for some reason did not take advantage of his class and enter as an officer. He's been in with the regulars blokes, one of whom is a particular friend of his and pops back up later in the story.
Valentine comes home to a mother who can't let go of the old ways of living, even though the evidence is all around her that Life Has Changed, and to his older sister-in-law, who sent her two daughters away to America at the beginning of the war. Barbara doesn't fit naturally into her role as Lady of the Manor and she feels estranged from her two daughters who have just arrived back and are strangers to everything English and to their family. Valentine's uncle lives at Dimperley as well and has been long engaged in writing a history of the Vere-Thissett family (which maybe no one will ever read??). One of pregnant mothers stayed on at Dimperley both because she was immediately smitten with the house and because she has the secretarial and organizational skills that Uncle Alaric needs for his book. Zena Baxter now has a three-year-old daughter named Alison and an uncertain future.
Of course Valentine has come into a messy situation with massive debts and death duties and a family that is estranged from each other simply because they seem to have nothing in common except Dimperley. The narrative moves between all the viewpoints of the main characters. It took me a while to adjust to that but after the first few chapters, I was hooked. I got a sense for the story and which characters were likable. Once I had the toehold, I found that all the characters developed in different ways and enjoyed the ride. There are a number of interesting situations caused by the war. Plus will the National Trust take the house? If not, what on earth are they to do with it? Here Zena Baxter comes unexpectedly to the rescue.
Mild spoilers ahead:
I loved Zena. She's a much lower class than the Dimperley household, but she has a natural competance and sagacity that make her worth her weight in gold. It's an interesting commentary on how England was changing. It's rather Wodehousian, actually. The competant characters are the lower class ones and they're surprisingly well educated. (And much more practical.) I found Valentine more and more likable as the novel goes on. He was a third son and 12 years younger than the heir at that, so he grew up in a kind of obscurity, never expecting to be landed or titled. He wears his "crown", so to speak, uneasily and he has a delightful humility about him. There is a reason for his choice to enter the army as a common man and it ends up serving him well there and in the long run too. He has a sweetness about him that I loved reading. He doesn't mind being ridiculous. Will he save the family by marrying money? Who knows...
There was some great humor in this and though it was a bit crass at times for me, that was mild enough that it didn't detract from the overall read. There's a goodheartedness to it that I found delightful. I immediately went off to put Lissa Evans' other books on hold, and I look forward to reading the very much!
**
Later review. This is a country-house-falling-into-ruin-post-war story. Part of the problem for Dimperley is that it was requistioned to house pregnant mothers during WWII so they would be safe from the bombing. One bomb fell near Dimperley but it didn't do any harm and it's now part of the village/house lore. With the lack of staff and the many mothers who came in and out, both the inside and outside of this very odd mansion are worse for wear. And now the family has received word that the heir, Felix, is confirmed dead. He was missing in action for years. The middle brother is not competant to take over, so the very-much younger brother, Valentine, has become Sir Valentine. He finds out at the beginning of the novel and he is dismayed. He's been in the army during the war, but for some reason did not take advantage of his class and enter as an officer. He's been in with the regulars blokes, one of whom is a particular friend of his and pops back up later in the story.
Valentine comes home to a mother who can't let go of the old ways of living, even though the evidence is all around her that Life Has Changed, and to his older sister-in-law, who sent her two daughters away to America at the beginning of the war. Barbara doesn't fit naturally into her role as Lady of the Manor and she feels estranged from her two daughters who have just arrived back and are strangers to everything English and to their family. Valentine's uncle lives at Dimperley as well and has been long engaged in writing a history of the Vere-Thissett family (which maybe no one will ever read??). One of pregnant mothers stayed on at Dimperley both because she was immediately smitten with the house and because she has the secretarial and organizational skills that Uncle Alaric needs for his book. Zena Baxter now has a three-year-old daughter named Alison and an uncertain future.
Of course Valentine has come into a messy situation with massive debts and death duties and a family that is estranged from each other simply because they seem to have nothing in common except Dimperley. The narrative moves between all the viewpoints of the main characters. It took me a while to adjust to that but after the first few chapters, I was hooked. I got a sense for the story and which characters were likable. Once I had the toehold, I found that all the characters developed in different ways and enjoyed the ride. There are a number of interesting situations caused by the war. Plus will the National Trust take the house? If not, what on earth are they to do with it? Here Zena Baxter comes unexpectedly to the rescue.
Mild spoilers ahead:
I loved Zena. She's a much lower class than the Dimperley household, but she has a natural competance and sagacity that make her worth her weight in gold. It's an interesting commentary on how England was changing. It's rather Wodehousian, actually. The competant characters are the lower class ones and they're surprisingly well educated. (And much more practical.) I found Valentine more and more likable as the novel goes on. He was a third son and 12 years younger than the heir at that, so he grew up in a kind of obscurity, never expecting to be landed or titled. He wears his "crown", so to speak, uneasily and he has a delightful humility about him. There is a reason for his choice to enter the army as a common man and it ends up serving him well there and in the long run too. He has a sweetness about him that I loved reading. He doesn't mind being ridiculous. Will he save the family by marrying money? Who knows...
There was some great humor in this and though it was a bit crass at times for me, that was mild enough that it didn't detract from the overall read. There's a goodheartedness to it that I found delightful. I immediately went off to put Lissa Evans' other books on hold, and I look forward to reading the very much!
June 13, 2026
Dimperly is an old manor, falling apart. Most of the family are living in the past, assuming that after WWII things will get back to normal, but that proved to be a false assumption. It had been transformed into a hospital for pregnant women during the war, and Zena was the only one who stayed after it was closed, along with her 3 year old daughter. She became secretary to old Uncle Alaric, waiting for her husband to come home.
That sets up the premise, but there is a lot going on around Dimperly, both overtly and covertly, which is where most of the humor and plot takes place. Lissa Evans has written an entertaining novel that was perfect for a light summer read.
That sets up the premise, but there is a lot going on around Dimperly, both overtly and covertly, which is where most of the humor and plot takes place. Lissa Evans has written an entertaining novel that was perfect for a light summer read.
September 10, 2024
Dimperley is a unique, some might say strange, old manor house in Buckinghamshire. With its many architectural styles, its turrets, bays, pillars, tunnels, topiary, copper dome, and moat, it was quite an eyesore - but its history and its bizarreness added to its appeal.
Home to the Vere-Thissett family since 1404, the manor has fallen on hard times. World War II has just ended. The eldest Vere-Thissett son was a victim of the fighting. The middle son was struck down with 'brain fever' (encephalitis) at the age of ten and suffered from brain damage as a result. That left the youngest son, Valentine, age 24, to take up the reins which were now his legacy. A legacy that he did not want, but could not refuse.
"a millstone rather than a manor"
Just de-mobbed, Valentine returns to his ancestral pile to find it in extremely poor repair. Also, he finds that the once plentiful staff have been reduced to only a gardener, and a housekeeper. His widowed mother, his sister-in-law, his two teenage nieces, and his uncle are the only residents now. His eccentric uncle, who is writing Dimperley's memoirs, has a secretary named Zena who travels from the village with her three-year old daughter on a daily basis.
Zena adores her daughter, Allison, and has become quite fond of the old manor house. Never really having had a home of her own, Zena cannot imagine how Valentine feels about the place. Her loyalty, intelligence, and efficiency are just what Dimperley needs.
Irene, Valentine's mother, is struggling to accept the social change that has come about since the war. She is a stickler for appearances, tradition, and formality. Meanwhile, her granddaughters who were sent to live in the United States for the duration of the war, are experiencing severe culture shock at being back at Dimperley.
Meanwhile, the old manor is getting so dilapidated that immediate repairs must be done. Death duties and other family debts have left the family extremely 'cash-poor'. The only way to raise some much needed money is to open the house to the public. An idea that is anathema to Irene, the formidable Lady Vere-Thissett.
Although I struggled a bit to get in to this novel, I'm SO happy I persevered. The Vere-Thissett family grew on me, and now I wish I could spend some more time with them.
A love story rendered with humour and poignancy, it was a very enjoyable read with an ending that tied up all the loose ends in a very satisfying manner. Fans of "Downton Abbey" or the works of P.G. Wodehouse will probably enjoy it as much as I did.
Home to the Vere-Thissett family since 1404, the manor has fallen on hard times. World War II has just ended. The eldest Vere-Thissett son was a victim of the fighting. The middle son was struck down with 'brain fever' (encephalitis) at the age of ten and suffered from brain damage as a result. That left the youngest son, Valentine, age 24, to take up the reins which were now his legacy. A legacy that he did not want, but could not refuse.
"a millstone rather than a manor"
Just de-mobbed, Valentine returns to his ancestral pile to find it in extremely poor repair. Also, he finds that the once plentiful staff have been reduced to only a gardener, and a housekeeper. His widowed mother, his sister-in-law, his two teenage nieces, and his uncle are the only residents now. His eccentric uncle, who is writing Dimperley's memoirs, has a secretary named Zena who travels from the village with her three-year old daughter on a daily basis.
Zena adores her daughter, Allison, and has become quite fond of the old manor house. Never really having had a home of her own, Zena cannot imagine how Valentine feels about the place. Her loyalty, intelligence, and efficiency are just what Dimperley needs.
Irene, Valentine's mother, is struggling to accept the social change that has come about since the war. She is a stickler for appearances, tradition, and formality. Meanwhile, her granddaughters who were sent to live in the United States for the duration of the war, are experiencing severe culture shock at being back at Dimperley.
Meanwhile, the old manor is getting so dilapidated that immediate repairs must be done. Death duties and other family debts have left the family extremely 'cash-poor'. The only way to raise some much needed money is to open the house to the public. An idea that is anathema to Irene, the formidable Lady Vere-Thissett.
Although I struggled a bit to get in to this novel, I'm SO happy I persevered. The Vere-Thissett family grew on me, and now I wish I could spend some more time with them.
A love story rendered with humour and poignancy, it was a very enjoyable read with an ending that tied up all the loose ends in a very satisfying manner. Fans of "Downton Abbey" or the works of P.G. Wodehouse will probably enjoy it as much as I did.
June 15, 2024
4.5* Small Bomb at Dimperley is a warm hug of a read infused with superb characters and sharp dialogue. I absolutely loved it.
Valentine Vere-Thissett was the son not meant to manage the family pile; Dimperley a house from the 1500s which has been extended with new wings in every time and style in the passing centuries. When Valentine is demobbed after the war, having almost bored himself to death as a corporal, rather than the officer class which would have been the norm for his social class, he goes home to a family in chaos. His mother still assumes herself wealthy and is in high demand to open local village fetes. His sister-in-law has a secret. His uncle is on the umpteenth volume of the family history he is writing and his nieces are just returned from the US with a modern outlook that doesn’t fit with the twee family name. Can Valentine bring the family together and are his key allies those who can see the world a little more objectively.
Warm, funny and with an absolutely fantastic cast of characters, Dimperley is a triumph. I loved Lissa Evan’s trilogy starting with Crooked Heart and this book delivers in all the same ways. This isn’t wham-bam humour, it’s a smart underlying tickle that gets under your skin amidst a tight plot. The skill is not just that each character is so well imagined, but that their interactions sparkle off the page. I hope that the author goes back to these characters again, as they will certainly be staying with me.
Thanks to Transworld and Netgalley for an ARC.
Valentine Vere-Thissett was the son not meant to manage the family pile; Dimperley a house from the 1500s which has been extended with new wings in every time and style in the passing centuries. When Valentine is demobbed after the war, having almost bored himself to death as a corporal, rather than the officer class which would have been the norm for his social class, he goes home to a family in chaos. His mother still assumes herself wealthy and is in high demand to open local village fetes. His sister-in-law has a secret. His uncle is on the umpteenth volume of the family history he is writing and his nieces are just returned from the US with a modern outlook that doesn’t fit with the twee family name. Can Valentine bring the family together and are his key allies those who can see the world a little more objectively.
Warm, funny and with an absolutely fantastic cast of characters, Dimperley is a triumph. I loved Lissa Evan’s trilogy starting with Crooked Heart and this book delivers in all the same ways. This isn’t wham-bam humour, it’s a smart underlying tickle that gets under your skin amidst a tight plot. The skill is not just that each character is so well imagined, but that their interactions sparkle off the page. I hope that the author goes back to these characters again, as they will certainly be staying with me.
Thanks to Transworld and Netgalley for an ARC.
January 3, 2026
August’s book club read
Incredibly sad to have finished this gorgeous little book. The family will stay with me for a while. I’m sure that I’ll reread or listen to it. (I did a combination of both.)
It made me snort with laughter, eyes fill with tears and my heart beat faster with indignation for the poor treatment of one of the characters.
My suggestion for one of my bookclubs. If the majority disliked it I’ll seriously consider leaving! ;-)
It may begin rather dryly for those not usually drawn to historical fiction but it then gathers pace and gallops along. It’s funny and has a lot of heart. Lucy Briers (Richard’s daughter) is a superb actress and so completely brings ALL the characters to life. I will look for more narrated by her. If anyone is struggling to get into this book then I heartily suggest listening to a little, or all, to pick up the tone of the book and characters’ voices.
Those who enjoyed this may appreciate Clare Chambers Learning to Swim and Mary Wesley’s The Camomile Lawn. Also, try Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris, Thorneyhold by Mary Stewart. You’ll be reading some of my favourite reread, comfort books.
19/8/25
Incredibly sad to have finished this gorgeous little book. The family will stay with me for a while. I’m sure that I’ll reread or listen to it. (I did a combination of both.)
It made me snort with laughter, eyes fill with tears and my heart beat faster with indignation for the poor treatment of one of the characters.
My suggestion for one of my bookclubs. If the majority disliked it I’ll seriously consider leaving! ;-)
It may begin rather dryly for those not usually drawn to historical fiction but it then gathers pace and gallops along. It’s funny and has a lot of heart. Lucy Briers (Richard’s daughter) is a superb actress and so completely brings ALL the characters to life. I will look for more narrated by her. If anyone is struggling to get into this book then I heartily suggest listening to a little, or all, to pick up the tone of the book and characters’ voices.
Those who enjoyed this may appreciate Clare Chambers Learning to Swim and Mary Wesley’s The Camomile Lawn. Also, try Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris, Thorneyhold by Mary Stewart. You’ll be reading some of my favourite reread, comfort books.
19/8/25
July 16, 2024
The story takes place at the end of the WWII, but it is a kind of cozy read. I really liked the characters and the place. Considering the characters there are some nice developments and I started to like them with every page more and more. They aren’t the typical one-dimensional characters, they are people you could imagine to live in real life. I liked Zena and Valentine the most. The place is quite strange but loveable (I would like to visit it). The situation of the gentry was shown very nicely and one can learn a lot about the situation changed by the war.
I recommend this book highly.
I recommend this book highly.
August 13, 2025
this gave such eva ibbotson vibes that's probably why i liked it so much
March 12, 2025
Very jolly, probably suffering from too many characters to do most justice but enjoyable nonetheless.
August 28, 2025
A delightful, heartwarming and gently humorous story with great characters you’ll enjoy spending time with. Really looking forward to reading more by Lissa Evans.
September 23, 2024
4🌟
Lissa Evans has the unfailing ability to write characters you end up caring enormously for. Charming.
Lissa Evans has the unfailing ability to write characters you end up caring enormously for. Charming.
Read
January 29, 2026I'm surprised that Lissa Evans' newest book doesn't seem to have been released in North America yet. So I first tried ordering it as an ebook from Amazon UK but that wasn't permitted. Then I bit the bullet and ordered it in print. Amazon said it would take between 1 -2 months to arrive (presumably from the UK through the unreliable Canadian postal service). It did arrive just under the 2 month deadline. Well worth the hassle. This Downton like story set just after WWII, is as charming, funny and romantic as Evans always is. I hope it will eventually make its way to North American libraries and bookstores.
August 12, 2024
A cozy comfort read about life in a country house immediately after the Second World War and the attendant changes in society. The wide cast of characters is well drawn and likeable, and if they’re not likeable they’re at least sympathetic. The plot is oiled just enough to make developments and turns seem natural and not happening at the authors whim. It’s an easy and entertain book, perfect for a long journey.
November 23, 2025
This was really entertaining - low-key satire, the story of a British aristocratic family trying to find their way in the cultural change emerging post-WW2, with lots of endearingly humourous characters, a predictable but sweetly satisfying love story, and one of the most believable representations of the strangeness of a 3-year-old child that I think I've ever read.
April 7, 2025
Had to DNF this book :( it was boring and poorly written-just had no plot development. even by over halfway through it had no character or anything that gripped me. I know it is loved but it was just way too slow.
March 13, 2026
I have no idea what happened in this book, too many characters and seemingly no story line, but also I did just keep reading it??? Confused
November 5, 2024
Small Bomb at Dimperley is a social comedy, set in 1945, about a large crumbling country home in a Buckinghamshire village. Valentine Vere-Thissett is a younger son and now unexpectedly a reluctant heir to the title and estate, as his glamorous older brother Felix is now confirmed dead, He comes home to his imperious mother, his uncle Alaric who is writing a very dull family history and Felix's widow Barbara and her daughters, who have also recently come back to England after spending the war in America as evacuees. Zena Baxter has lived in Dimperley for three years with her young daughter, after arriving there as a pregnant evacuee, and being taken on as a secretary.
Much of the humour of the novel comes from the characters struggling with their place in this strange new postwar world. Most of the servants have gone, the estate is burdened with debt, and Valentine's mother, Lady Irene and his uncle Alaric are clinging to their prewar roles and assumptions, keen to continue as if nothing has changed. Valentine is advised that he must marry a nice girl with enough money to save the family estate, but will anyone with the money want him?
The story is wrapped up quite nicely for the main characters of the novel, but I would love to read a follow up about Priscilla Vere-Thissett, a budding author, apparently writing rather disturbing stories at school about flesh eating lizards and anthromorphised dogs.
Thank you to Transworld/Doubleday for granting me a review copy through Netgalley.
Much of the humour of the novel comes from the characters struggling with their place in this strange new postwar world. Most of the servants have gone, the estate is burdened with debt, and Valentine's mother, Lady Irene and his uncle Alaric are clinging to their prewar roles and assumptions, keen to continue as if nothing has changed. Valentine is advised that he must marry a nice girl with enough money to save the family estate, but will anyone with the money want him?
The story is wrapped up quite nicely for the main characters of the novel, but I would love to read a follow up about Priscilla Vere-Thissett, a budding author, apparently writing rather disturbing stories at school about flesh eating lizards and anthromorphised dogs.
Thank you to Transworld/Doubleday for granting me a review copy through Netgalley.
October 31, 2024
Valentine Vere-Thissett returns from the war to Dimperley Manor to find he is now a Baronet, since his oldest brother has been killed and his second brother is brain damaged (in reality hereditary titles don’t work like that - brain damage does not prevent you inheriting a title - nothing but death prevents you inheriting a title. That’s really the point of them). Anyway, the house is falling apart and he has to find a way to make the place pay if he wants to go on living there. In residence there are also his mother, sister in law, uncle, and two nieces just returned from spending the war inAmerica. And his uncle’s attractive secretary,Zena, and her infant daughter. Some of these characters have more to do than others. The sister in law and teenage nieces are quite prominent in the early part of the book, but the author seems to lose interest in them about halfway through and they mostly fade into the background. The bomb mentioned in the title doesn’t play a very big part in the story. A fairly pleasant but on the whole unremarkable novel. And despite what other reviews have said,it is nothing like P.G. Wodehouse.
May 26, 2024
Fantastic. Loved it. My first Lissa Evans. Now off to hunt out her backlist
December 12, 2025
A real cutie !!
June 11, 2026
All the elements were there, but they never came together. This book:
- Has a light and witty tone, but addresses serious themes
- Is set in the years right after WWII
- Is about a family of British minor aristocrats struggling to keep their name and house afloat
- Includes a set of potentially quirky characters: the third-son war veteran that unexpectedly becomes the head of the household, a competent single mother that arrives during the Blitz and stays on as the secretary of the pedantic useless uncle, the matriarch that refuses to accept it’s a brave (and less hierarchical) new world.
This is my personal literary catnip. Take my money! And yet :(
The story only moves forward in the last chapters and 70% into the book we’re still being introduced to new characters, which prevented me from caring about any of them very much. The romance, which also only happens later in the book, is only remarkable because of how unremarkable it is - no chemistry, just a couple of dialogues before they fall in love, and a half-hearted attempt at tension with 11th-hour drama.
So much potential, such great ingredients, but a bit half-baked.
- Has a light and witty tone, but addresses serious themes
- Is set in the years right after WWII
- Is about a family of British minor aristocrats struggling to keep their name and house afloat
- Includes a set of potentially quirky characters: the third-son war veteran that unexpectedly becomes the head of the household, a competent single mother that arrives during the Blitz and stays on as the secretary of the pedantic useless uncle, the matriarch that refuses to accept it’s a brave (and less hierarchical) new world.
This is my personal literary catnip. Take my money! And yet :(
The story only moves forward in the last chapters and 70% into the book we’re still being introduced to new characters, which prevented me from caring about any of them very much. The romance, which also only happens later in the book, is only remarkable because of how unremarkable it is - no chemistry, just a couple of dialogues before they fall in love, and a half-hearted attempt at tension with 11th-hour drama.
So much potential, such great ingredients, but a bit half-baked.
Did Not Finish
June 9, 2026I’m stopping at around 20%. There’s still no sight of a plot, just a steady stream of new characters—none of whom I find engaging. I’m also not particularly drawn to a story centred on an aristocratic (even if likely penniless) family grieving the loss of their heir in the Second World War.
Also the writing itself isn’t the issue, but the light tone doesn’t feel quite right with what should be a heavy subject.
Also the writing itself isn’t the issue, but the light tone doesn’t feel quite right with what should be a heavy subject.
October 2, 2024
Lissa Evans has done it again. Charming characters and a story you want to devour in one sitting but are wise to savour over days. She is also so good at writing children - Allison is the epitome of 3.
September 11, 2024
Charmingly amiable - full review to follow
April 24, 2026
thank you to netgalley and random house uk for providing me with this arc of lissa evans’s small bomb at dimperley
i didn’t really like this book too much. i liked a couple of the characters and the plot twist towards the end, but that was pretty much it. i felt that we didn’t really get an idea of what was wrong with ceddy, which i feel would have added to the story. speaking of the story, i feel that the story didn’t particularly match up to the book description, and i was left feeling rather underwhelmed.
i didn’t really like this book too much. i liked a couple of the characters and the plot twist towards the end, but that was pretty much it. i felt that we didn’t really get an idea of what was wrong with ceddy, which i feel would have added to the story. speaking of the story, i feel that the story didn’t particularly match up to the book description, and i was left feeling rather underwhelmed.
February 23, 2025
(3.5). I was a big fan of the wartime series starting with ‘Old Baggage.’ And I do miss Noel, whose role grew as the series continued.
Here, through her customary wit and warmth, the author portrays the austerity of post-war Britain and the challenge for those whose ancestral homes were crumbling and unaffordable. It felt more twee and predictable than her earlier works and I did not warm to the Vere-Thissett family as much as her previous characters. Not her best work and a rather silly title but still an enjoyable and heartwarming read.
Here, through her customary wit and warmth, the author portrays the austerity of post-war Britain and the challenge for those whose ancestral homes were crumbling and unaffordable. It felt more twee and predictable than her earlier works and I did not warm to the Vere-Thissett family as much as her previous characters. Not her best work and a rather silly title but still an enjoyable and heartwarming read.
November 28, 2024
I'm utterly convinced Lissa Evans can do no wrong. Another delightful read, and so very, very British. I can usually read British English very well but it would have been nice to still have a vocabulary notebook to jot down new words (total nerd, here). For most of the book I was certain that the small bomb at Dimperley was a metaphor for upheaval, although a bomb had fallen during WWII. Maybe there's a double meaning, maybe not. You should probably read the book and tell me.
December 29, 2024
Lissa Evans doesn't put a foot wrong. A fabulous post Christmas read, full of wonderful characters, that you feel you do get to know.
Ok, so slightly predictable but the various twists,and turns keep you engaged.
I suppose if I'd had to sum it up in a,sentence I'd,say... Carry on Downton Abbey!
Glorious
Ok, so slightly predictable but the various twists,and turns keep you engaged.
I suppose if I'd had to sum it up in a,sentence I'd,say... Carry on Downton Abbey!
Glorious
January 15, 2025
Wonderful! I had to pause and savour the moment at the end of a chapter. Lots of surprises, superb drama, I found it thrilling and captivating and I loved every minute of reading this novel.
Great setting, fascinating characters and a gripping storyline.
This was my first Lissa Evans book, I look forward to reading my next one.
Great setting, fascinating characters and a gripping storyline.
This was my first Lissa Evans book, I look forward to reading my next one.
September 3, 2024
Drifting somewhere in-between Greham Green and Downton Abby...
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