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Small Bomb at Dimperley
- Narrated by: Lucy Briers
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
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Small Bomb at Dimperley
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Summary
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
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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
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Elizabeth
- 24-09-24
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bridget Cusack
- 26-09-24
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Maria Davies
- 16-09-24
Loved it!
A gentle story with great characterisation and attention to period detail. A joy from start to finish.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Peter
- 07-09-24
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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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Sarah O'Dea
- 13-09-24
Brilliant
Funny & beautifully written, a wonderful cast of characters, great narrator and a lovely story - a joy to listen to!
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1 person found this helpful