2 Books Like The Price of Dormice

I love Lissa Evans' books and this one was a real treat. She balances humour and emotion superbly. Her style is witty but not self-conscious. Her characters are colourful but not cartoonish; you can't help caring about them. Her feeling for fairly recent history - her favourite time being around the Second World War - is assured. Small Bomb at Dimperley is funny and yet it tugs at your heartstrings in a non-sentimental way. She writes cracking plots, utterly believable and (mostly) lovable characters. And I loved the new departure of locating this story in an upper class country estate . If you like Kate Atkinson and David Nicholls, you'll love this too. A classy and heartwarming read.

It’s a tribute to Julian Dutton’s way with words and characters that the reader immediately accepts its crazy premise, and is plunged into the extraordinary world of 145-year-old Lester Mayfield. Despite his age, Lester is out for revenge. The book is funny from page one, and the inventive humour never flags. Not that I would expect anything less from writer, actor, comedian and impressionist (have I missed out anything?) Dutton, who surely knows his craft. The plot bowls merrily along in a madcap fashion, introducing us to a colourful cast and taking the occasional pop at the absurdities of modern life. I inhaled this book in two sittings. My chuckle muscles are aching!