Lissa Evans – författare

The secrets of a woman and her adopted son struggling to survive the London Blitz are about to be exposed in this “darkly comic” (Booklist) novel.

It’s late 1944. Hitler’s rockets are raining down on London with vicious regularity and it’s the coldest winter in living memory. The Allies are gaining ground, but victory is certainly dragging its feet.

In a large house next to Hampstead Heath, Vee Sedge is barely scraping by with a herd of lodgers to feed and her young charge Noel, almost fifteen now, to clothe and educate. When she witnesses an accident and finds herself in court, the repercussions are both unexpectedly marvelous and potentially disastrous. Because Vee is not actually the person she’s pretending to be, and neither is Noel.

Victory is coming. Yet the end of the war won’t just mean peace, but discovery . . .

With caustic wit and artful storytelling, Lissa Evans summons a time when the world could finally hope to emerge from the chaos of war. As witty as Old Baggage and poignant as Crooked Heart, V for Victory once again reveals Evans to be one of the most original and entertaining writers at work today.

“A book to be treasured and returned to again and again.” —The Independent (London)

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Old Baggage written by Lissa Evans, read by Joanna Scanlan.''The work of a novelist in her prime'' Daily Telegraph''Wise and witty'' Sarah Hughes, Observer''Essential . . . Evans is a brilliant storyteller'' StylistWhat do you do next, after you’ve changed the world?It is 1928. Matilda Simpkin, rooting through a cupboard, comes across a small wooden club – an old possession of hers, unseen for more than a decade.Mattie is a woman with a thrilling past and a chafingly uneventful present. During the Women’s Suffrage Campaign she was a militant. Jailed five times, she marched, sang, gave speeches, smashed windows and heckled Winston Churchill, and nothing – nothing – since then has had the same depth, the same excitement.Now in middle age, she is still looking for a fresh mould into which to pour her energies. Giving the wooden club a thoughtful twirl, she is struck by an idea – but what starts as a brilliantly idealistic plan is derailed by a connection with Mattie’s militant past, one which begins to threaten every principle that she stands for.Old Baggage is a funny and bittersweet portrait of a woman who has never, never given up the fight.''Utterly wonderful and intelligent'' India Knight, Sunday Times Magazine''A timely, bittersweet comic novel'' Guardian''This beautifully written story teems with atmosphere and perfect period detail but it’s the brave and brilliant Mattie that makes it unforgettable'' Sunday Mirror''A thoughtful, funny, companionable novel, offering an invigoratingly fresh vantage on a well-trodden period'' Patricia Nicol, Sunday Times

Brought to you by Penguin.It’s late 1944. Hitler’s rockets are slamming down on London with vicious regularity and it’s the coldest winter in living memory. Allied victory is on its way, but it’s bloody well dragging its feet.In a large house next to Hampstead Heath, Vee Sedge is just about scraping by, with a herd of lodgers to feed, and her young charge Noel ( almost fifteen ) to clothe and educate. When she witnesses a road accident and finds herself in court, the repercussions are both unexpectedly marvellous and potentially disastrous – disastrous because Vee is not actually the person she’s pretending to be, and neither is Noel.The end of the war won’t just mean peace, but discovery...With caustic wit and artful storytelling, Lissa Evans elegantly summons a time when the world could finally hope to emerge from the chaos of war. As sharply comic as Old Baggage and emotionally poignant as Crooked Heart, V For Victory once again shows Lissa Evans to be one of our most brilliant and subtle writers.Lissa Evans'' writing is:Wise and witty - Sarah Hughes, ObserverOriginal and so timely. And it made me weep at the end. - JoJo MoyesBittersweet and comic. - GuardianInspiring, moving, warm and wry...wonderful! - Marian Keyes© Lissa Evans 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Brought to you by Penguin. Longlisted for the Baileys Women''s Prize for Fiction, 2015When Noel Bostock - aged ten, no family - is evacuated from London to escape the Blitz, he winds up in St Albans with Vera Sedge - thiry-six, drowning in debts. Always desperate for money, she''s unscrupulous about how she gets it.The war''s thrown up all manner of new opportunities but what Vee needs is a cool head and the ability to make a plan. On her own, she''s a disaster. With Noel, she''s a team.Together they cook up an idea. But there are plenty of other people making money out of the war and some of them are dangerous. Noel may have been moved to safety, but he isn''t actually safe at all . . .© Lissa Evans 2014 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

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©2024 Lissa Evans (P)2024 Penguin Audio