Miss Veal and Miss Ham by Vikki Heywood

Public Companions, Private Lovers….
It is 1951 and behind the counter of a modest post office in a leafy Buckinghamshire village Miss Dora Ham and Miss Beatrix Veal maintain their careful facade as respected local spinsters. But behind their public façade is a story of passion:  suffragist activists who fell in love at a rally in the 1900s, danced in London’s secret gay clubs between the wars, and comforted one another during the Blitz.  Together they have built a life of quiet dignity and service in rural England.
Over the course of one pivotal day their carefully constructed world begins to fracture. Through Beatrix’s wry perspective we witness the severe impact of post-war changes on their peaceful existence. Changes that will lead to heart-breaking decisions for Miss Veal and Miss Ham
At the heart of this intimate, moving and witty novel is a story of resilience, the dignity of love that cannot be spoken, and the challenges that come when the future no longer feels safe.
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‘The moving and surprising story of a discreet love, put to its greatest test amongst the tuppenny-ha’penny stamps and mint imperials of a little English post office at the start of the 1950s’   The Reverend Richard Coles
 
‘A gloriously warm-hearted tribute to the courage of hidden lives’ Francis Spufford
 
'Tender, delightful and heartbreaking, I absolutely couldn't put this book down'. Karen McLeod