Lissa Evans

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 imperious 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 writing currently producing rather disturbing stories at school about flesh eating lizards and anthromorphised dogs, in a few years time.

Thank you to Transworld/Doubleday for granting me a review copy through Netgalley.… (more)

Read for irl book club. "Prologue" is told from child's pov and is brilliant & beautiful.
The rest of the novel is engaging, too, and not too intense; not too much for my 'weak stomach.' Poignant, moving, yes, but not the stuff of nightmares. I know, because I was so engaged that I was up past midnight finishing it and still slept well.

So anyway. No idea what the red jaggedy cover is all about. The quiet slate-colored one makes more sense. I appreciate that we get to know the depths of the different characters better as we go along. Not in any obviously writerly sense, but naturally, as one would get to know a neighbor, or as they get to know each other (and themselves) better.

Note: Vee isn't a bad woman and didn't dragoon Noel into mischief. Nor are the capers and criminal acts themselves the point of the story nor do the adventures dominate the pages. Nor do any of the main characters die nor does anyone die onstage. It's a quieter, more interesting book than default cover and blurb imply. I hope we have a good discussion, but even if we don't I'm glad I read something I never would have picked up on my own.

And I will most def. look for more by the author, and recommend this.… (more)

Look at that cover. Look at the strength & joy... and think about how much we owe those brave women. (the yellow one with the photo; much better than the woodcut and the passive woman)

A British suffragette has had success, but learns that there's so much more that she can learn and do with her life. Yes, Evans is earnest, and the book almost too educational. But it's also a joy to read. Inspirational in the very best sense. One is never too old to make a difference in the world... or to own up to and learn from one's mistakes.

A couple of bookdarts (though I could have marked dozens of passages):

When Mattie was young, the teacher saw she was bored, and gave her access to interesting books. "I would be required to memorize the first and last pages, and to write a summary of the contents. A tick would then be applied to the list and the next book substituted."

"'Abused patience turns to fury.'"

Btw, it turns out that I have enjoyed several by the author. I will continue to look for more.… (more)