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Miss Veal and Miss Ham
"The moving and surprising story of a discreet love, put to its greatest test". The Reverend Richard ColePublic companions, private lovers. 1951, behind the counter of a modest post office in a Buckinghamshire village Miss Dora Ham and Miss Beatrix Veal maintain their careful facade as respected local spinsters. But their true story is one of passion, and together they have built a life of quiet dignity and service in rural England. 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 their true story is one of 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 first night of the Blitz. Together they have built a life of quiet dignity and service in rural England. Now 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
July 31, 2025
Don't talk to me I'm grieving. I really thought this would be a fun, reflective novel of two older lesbians running their little post office / sweet shop and I am now emotionally wrung out.
June 17, 2025
Vikki Heywood's Miss Veal and Miss Ham is one of those novels that at first seem straightforward, but that keep unfolding in one's mind into increasingly complex works—not because of plot twists, but because the simplicity of the story allows the reader to see how very complicated even a simple story can be.
Veal is the younger of the pair by about ten years and identifies as what I would call butch, while the older Ham leans femme. I'm using these terms because I think the women themselves would approve of them and because they aptly describe parts of their personal style and their relationship with one another. Veal and Ham met in London between the two World Wars and moved to the countryside as World War II began. Men were going off to war, and what had once been men's work was now becoming women's work—but only until the men return, mind you.
The pair run a small, local post office that they have expanded to include a candy shop as well. Veal staffs the post office; Ham staffs the candy shop, with Veal doing all the bookkeeping. Most of the lower floor of their home is taken up by these retail efforts, with just a small kitchen and dining area behind. Upstairs, each of the two has her own bedroom, though they always sleep together.
Early on in their countryside move, they would travel back into London for evenings at a favorite lesbian bar, but those trips ended when the blitz began. And as the war continues, the candy shop produces even less than its usual small profits—sugar is being rationed, so anyone's ability to purchase sweets is limited even should they have the money. The women have sunk into debt and are on the brink of being evicted without any clear sense of where to go.
The novel's action takes place over the course of a single day—the day that will be their last in their home. Their plans are still vague, but the reality of their situation is looming over them, casting an increasingly dark shadow.
A single day, two very closeted women, a home both loved and held in ambivalence: when explored in the right way, these offer the makings of a complicated tale. Much is bleak in the novel, but there are moments of light and possibility, even if the possibilities are limited. If you enjoy queer lit or historical fiction set in the mid-20th Century, you'll find riches here. Heywood offers them in a straightforward manner leaving readers to see the layers upon layers of experience and action embedded within that 24-hour period.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.
Veal is the younger of the pair by about ten years and identifies as what I would call butch, while the older Ham leans femme. I'm using these terms because I think the women themselves would approve of them and because they aptly describe parts of their personal style and their relationship with one another. Veal and Ham met in London between the two World Wars and moved to the countryside as World War II began. Men were going off to war, and what had once been men's work was now becoming women's work—but only until the men return, mind you.
The pair run a small, local post office that they have expanded to include a candy shop as well. Veal staffs the post office; Ham staffs the candy shop, with Veal doing all the bookkeeping. Most of the lower floor of their home is taken up by these retail efforts, with just a small kitchen and dining area behind. Upstairs, each of the two has her own bedroom, though they always sleep together.
Early on in their countryside move, they would travel back into London for evenings at a favorite lesbian bar, but those trips ended when the blitz began. And as the war continues, the candy shop produces even less than its usual small profits—sugar is being rationed, so anyone's ability to purchase sweets is limited even should they have the money. The women have sunk into debt and are on the brink of being evicted without any clear sense of where to go.
The novel's action takes place over the course of a single day—the day that will be their last in their home. Their plans are still vague, but the reality of their situation is looming over them, casting an increasingly dark shadow.
A single day, two very closeted women, a home both loved and held in ambivalence: when explored in the right way, these offer the makings of a complicated tale. Much is bleak in the novel, but there are moments of light and possibility, even if the possibilities are limited. If you enjoy queer lit or historical fiction set in the mid-20th Century, you'll find riches here. Heywood offers them in a straightforward manner leaving readers to see the layers upon layers of experience and action embedded within that 24-hour period.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.
August 14, 2025
The bailiffs are on their way.
What a magnificently ‘quiet’ book. Miss Veal and Miss Ham probably won’t have the reach and razzamatazz of a celebrity author’s work, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t truly magnificent. It’s a wonderful story.
I loved the dramatic unity of time and place as the events revolve around one day at the combined shop and post office run by Beatrix Veal and Dora Ham. This unity gives a completely satisfying and beautifully balanced structure. It would be easy to imagine Miss Veal and Miss Ham as a wonderful stage play because their voices and personalities are so clear. The writing is so effective. Dialogue is naturalistic and there’s a beauty in the quiet moments of the text that draws in the reader throughout. Beatrix in particular displays a sharp wit that provides dramatic light relief and serves to heighten the emotion of her memories of her childhood and her grief.
Whilst both women have had exciting pasts, living life to the full in the gay bars of London, being involved in the suffragist movement and maintaining the secret of their love over decades and through war, much of this present time in their lives is mundane and prosaic – apart from the fact they are about to lose everything. Dora struggles with her balance and walking and Beatrix tends her hens and goes on walks with great friend Oliver. However, it is this very ordinariness that is the huge success of the story. The concept of overlooking ‘spinster’ women and making assumptions about them, threads through the story. There’s a huge depth of feeling just beneath the surface and I found the book totally absorbing and very moving.
As Beatrix leads the reader through this one day, her conversations with Dora, her frustration at the impasse she and Dora find themselves in, and her stoic approach, feel all the more emotional as life begins to unravel. Set against the backdrop of love, Vikki Heywood weaves in the niceties of society, the control of the patriarchy, and the way post-war life impacted women, so convincingly that it is impossible not to be infuriated at the casual way events mean Beatrix and Dora are essentially discarded. As the day progresses, Beatrix’s life unravels like the wool from Mrs Hodge’s hand-knits, providing the reader with a vivid insight into how finely balanced and precarious life can be.
I thought Miss Veal and Miss Ham was one of those perfectly crafted stories that feel akin to drinking champagne in a world of rough cider. It provides insight into an historical era, whilst celebrating love and loyalty. It takes the reader by surprise in its ordinariness and, ultimately, in its drama. It’s a book I would urge readers not to overlook. I loved it.
What a magnificently ‘quiet’ book. Miss Veal and Miss Ham probably won’t have the reach and razzamatazz of a celebrity author’s work, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t truly magnificent. It’s a wonderful story.
I loved the dramatic unity of time and place as the events revolve around one day at the combined shop and post office run by Beatrix Veal and Dora Ham. This unity gives a completely satisfying and beautifully balanced structure. It would be easy to imagine Miss Veal and Miss Ham as a wonderful stage play because their voices and personalities are so clear. The writing is so effective. Dialogue is naturalistic and there’s a beauty in the quiet moments of the text that draws in the reader throughout. Beatrix in particular displays a sharp wit that provides dramatic light relief and serves to heighten the emotion of her memories of her childhood and her grief.
Whilst both women have had exciting pasts, living life to the full in the gay bars of London, being involved in the suffragist movement and maintaining the secret of their love over decades and through war, much of this present time in their lives is mundane and prosaic – apart from the fact they are about to lose everything. Dora struggles with her balance and walking and Beatrix tends her hens and goes on walks with great friend Oliver. However, it is this very ordinariness that is the huge success of the story. The concept of overlooking ‘spinster’ women and making assumptions about them, threads through the story. There’s a huge depth of feeling just beneath the surface and I found the book totally absorbing and very moving.
As Beatrix leads the reader through this one day, her conversations with Dora, her frustration at the impasse she and Dora find themselves in, and her stoic approach, feel all the more emotional as life begins to unravel. Set against the backdrop of love, Vikki Heywood weaves in the niceties of society, the control of the patriarchy, and the way post-war life impacted women, so convincingly that it is impossible not to be infuriated at the casual way events mean Beatrix and Dora are essentially discarded. As the day progresses, Beatrix’s life unravels like the wool from Mrs Hodge’s hand-knits, providing the reader with a vivid insight into how finely balanced and precarious life can be.
I thought Miss Veal and Miss Ham was one of those perfectly crafted stories that feel akin to drinking champagne in a world of rough cider. It provides insight into an historical era, whilst celebrating love and loyalty. It takes the reader by surprise in its ordinariness and, ultimately, in its drama. It’s a book I would urge readers not to overlook. I loved it.
July 20, 2025
Miss Veal And Miss Ham is the first novel by British theatre producer and author, Vikki Heywood. Miss Beatrix Veal and Miss Dora Ham have been together for forty years, the last thirty-four in a village near High Wycombe, running the Post Office/Newsagency/Confectionery, and living above the shop. But two years ago, the GPO removed their postal agency and now, on an October Thursday in 1951, having used up all their savings trying to keep the business going, they are on their last day before the bailiffs arrive.
Their penny-pinching landlord is impatient for them to hand over the keys, and they will then be homeless. Miss Veal might be able to live with her married younger sister but, unless Alice and her husband feel generous, Miss Ham fears she will end up in a dreaded, likely grim, public nursing home. So they have made a plan…
They go on as they normally would, sorting papers for delivery, serving their regular (often quirky) customers, fielding an enquiry from a soldiering mate of the previous owners, and Beatrix tends to her hens and her garden. She has to get up the courage to telephone her sister, and she also needs to catch up with her dear friend, the shy (and secretly queer) Oliver, having posted a letter to him that needs retracting.
Patience is required as, in the first few chapters, Heywood really labours the point of the unfortunate situation in which the women find themselves. While there are some surprises, the ending is telegraphed early on, the pair’s backstory isn’t all that interesting, and they are hard to connect with. Mercifully short.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Muswell Press.
Their penny-pinching landlord is impatient for them to hand over the keys, and they will then be homeless. Miss Veal might be able to live with her married younger sister but, unless Alice and her husband feel generous, Miss Ham fears she will end up in a dreaded, likely grim, public nursing home. So they have made a plan…
They go on as they normally would, sorting papers for delivery, serving their regular (often quirky) customers, fielding an enquiry from a soldiering mate of the previous owners, and Beatrix tends to her hens and her garden. She has to get up the courage to telephone her sister, and she also needs to catch up with her dear friend, the shy (and secretly queer) Oliver, having posted a letter to him that needs retracting.
Patience is required as, in the first few chapters, Heywood really labours the point of the unfortunate situation in which the women find themselves. While there are some surprises, the ending is telegraphed early on, the pair’s backstory isn’t all that interesting, and they are hard to connect with. Mercifully short.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Muswell Press.
July 25, 2025
I must say, Miss Veal and Miss Ham is definitely not my usual type of read, but i'm so glad I gave it a go, as I really did throughly enjoy it. I also think it's important for authors to have the perspective of readers who are not necessarily their target audience, so I try to read outside of my comfort zone as often as I can.
So all in all, this was such a wonderfully warm-hearted read, full of tender, poignant moments, with characters that I genuinely cared for, and a lovely, quaint 1950's small village setting.
It's the story of two elderly ladies, who fell in love during their suffragette years, now living in a small Buckinghamshire village and running the Post office/ shop while dealing with debt, bailiffs, their girdles and hens.
The two's pace of life is slowing down, and there is certainly some sadness and heartbreak to this story, but it's ultimately a tale of love and complex emotions, with some hilarious moments to boot.
5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
So all in all, this was such a wonderfully warm-hearted read, full of tender, poignant moments, with characters that I genuinely cared for, and a lovely, quaint 1950's small village setting.
It's the story of two elderly ladies, who fell in love during their suffragette years, now living in a small Buckinghamshire village and running the Post office/ shop while dealing with debt, bailiffs, their girdles and hens.
The two's pace of life is slowing down, and there is certainly some sadness and heartbreak to this story, but it's ultimately a tale of love and complex emotions, with some hilarious moments to boot.
5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
July 24, 2025
This was such a fascinating book and quite unlike anything else I have read. It is so beautifully written with a poignancy and heart at a time with so much change, the resilience, friendship and love formed through the toughest of times.I am always amazed by the suffragete movement, the tenacity and bravery shown by those women never ceases to amaze me and witnessing a love story that is illegal and the levels in which they needed to hide it saddened me.I absolutely adored this book.
January 8, 2026
Beatrix Veal and Dora Ham have been a couple for forty years. They have run the village post office for 30 years.
History was cruel to women who took up work during the Second World War, after it was over they were redundant. So it is in this story, with the Post Office not only taking the postmistress role away from them but also selling the building out from under the two women.
This was short but quite devastating read that made me so glad I didn’t live in the past and be very grateful for the present (mostly)!
History was cruel to women who took up work during the Second World War, after it was over they were redundant. So it is in this story, with the Post Office not only taking the postmistress role away from them but also selling the building out from under the two women.
This was short but quite devastating read that made me so glad I didn’t live in the past and be very grateful for the present (mostly)!
January 16, 2026
beautiful and sad. very effective
July 20, 2025
This short novel is undeniably charming and warm which makes for a very pleasant read.
It is afternoon tea British which I loved. The characters and setting adds to this feeling.
I enjoyed the realism in the character dynamics for the time it is set in and they are brought to life wonderfully by Heywood.
The description in this book is so fine, I could feel the horse chin hair and smell its breath. I could vividly imagine walking around the village and I loved that.
It was a bit slow in places, but I think that’s a personal preference because I believe it’s meant to be. I wanted to feel more, to be left crying, but unfortunately, it didn’t. I would have loved the book to be longer, exploring more of their love story as I imagine they had quite a life.
This book is perfect for a cozy cuddle up with a hot cup of tea.
It is afternoon tea British which I loved. The characters and setting adds to this feeling.
I enjoyed the realism in the character dynamics for the time it is set in and they are brought to life wonderfully by Heywood.
The description in this book is so fine, I could feel the horse chin hair and smell its breath. I could vividly imagine walking around the village and I loved that.
It was a bit slow in places, but I think that’s a personal preference because I believe it’s meant to be. I wanted to feel more, to be left crying, but unfortunately, it didn’t. I would have loved the book to be longer, exploring more of their love story as I imagine they had quite a life.
This book is perfect for a cozy cuddle up with a hot cup of tea.
August 26, 2025
4.5 stars
There is such a quiet and gentle dignity about this book (although I loved the one time we see Beatrix let loose against the ghastly Terry!)
Beatrix and Dora have lived together for most of their lives; as Beatrix calls Dora, "her public companion, her heart's secret." As they reach old age, the world seems to be done with them, when all they ever wanted was to live quietly together, earning enough to live in a dignified manner.
This is as much a book about aging as it is about a forbidden love. "It was a slow stripping, now she thought about it." Age strips away your physical abilities, your independence and your choices until you feel you have nothing left. Society often does not treat the elderly with the care and respect they deserve.
Beautiful in its simplicity, a story told in one day, yet utterly heart wrenching as we see back into Beatrix and Dora's pasts, the sacrifices they made for their love and the heartbreak that they must hide it, even into death.
Thank you to Netgalley and Muswell Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
There is such a quiet and gentle dignity about this book (although I loved the one time we see Beatrix let loose against the ghastly Terry!)
Beatrix and Dora have lived together for most of their lives; as Beatrix calls Dora, "her public companion, her heart's secret." As they reach old age, the world seems to be done with them, when all they ever wanted was to live quietly together, earning enough to live in a dignified manner.
This is as much a book about aging as it is about a forbidden love. "It was a slow stripping, now she thought about it." Age strips away your physical abilities, your independence and your choices until you feel you have nothing left. Society often does not treat the elderly with the care and respect they deserve.
Beautiful in its simplicity, a story told in one day, yet utterly heart wrenching as we see back into Beatrix and Dora's pasts, the sacrifices they made for their love and the heartbreak that they must hide it, even into death.
Thank you to Netgalley and Muswell Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 25, 2025
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Miss Veal And Miss Ham' by Vikki Heywood
This is actually Vikki's DEBUT novel, not that you would ever think that!!! If this is what you have come out with for your first book I cannot wait to see what talent you have hidden under your sleeve for your next one!!
I am absolutely mind blown that this amazing and wonderful book is actually the first book that Vikki has written and yet it has been written as if it has been written by an author who has written hundreds!! She has managed to get the storyline, characters and emotional impact perfect from start to end!
The first thing I have got to say is an absolutely HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to the incredible author Vikki Heywood!! I was surprised that when I had finished this book and went to add the rest of her books to my wish list and realised that it is actually her debut book!! What a beautiful debut novel it is and if this is what you can create for your very first book then I just cannot wait to see what you will come out with next!! I will start by saying that this isn't my typical choice of book but I'm an eclectic reader and happy to read most books and I wanted to give it a try. I must say that if you are the same as me and this what not be your usual type of book do not let that put you off, expand your reading genres and give this book a try!! I must also admit that I had no idea quite what to expect when I started reading this but I am very pleased that I did. While this book has not got any action or drama per say what it lacks in those it makes up in abundance with poignancy, tenderness, history and heartbreak. Vikki transports her readers back to the year 1951 where they will meet Beatrix Veal and Dora Ham. They met in the 1900's as suffragists and from their friendship came love. However, during that 1951 same sex relationships were illegal so they hid behind the pretence that Beatrix was Dora's carer and companion as Dora was 10 years older. They moved from London to Buckinghamshire where they ran the local post office and sweet shop with Beatrix's job as post mistress was classed as a non establishment work contract which was a mechanism for protecting jobs for returning soldiers. They ran the shop for 34 years but now they are awaiting the bailiffs as they are losing their home and jobs. This short story is set over a day and begins with the pair having a plan to go out with a bang. However, the events of 24 hours take them on a rollercoaster ride and everything changes. It is a beautifully written and poignant storyline filled with history, heartache, romance, love, sweets, loss and so much more. It truly opens the readers eyes to what it must have been like to live in those times where you had to hide your feelings if they were for someone of the same sex. Thankfully, for the most part, the world has changed and those who are in love no longer have to hide it away (again, sadly this is not always the case generally but legally in most areas it is socially accepted). Considering the paperback version of this book is just 208 pages long Vikki has rammed it with emotions and we see the Dora and Beatrix so through a range of emotions personally and as a couple. Thanks to Vikki's beautiful emotive and evocative writing skills and descriptions she ensures the readers can see, feel and hear everything that Beatrix and Veal are seeing, hearing and going through during this short time frame. I was completely invested in both women and was rooting for them from the moment I met them. They were very different to each other, like chalk and cheese, but they do say opposites attract. With realistic personalities and well built character development Vikki truly brings them and the other characters to life at the turn of a page. It is a beautiful and easy to read book which I also thought was quite eye opening. Vikki has very thoughtfully included some historical notes at the end which I found fascinating so thank you so much for these Vikki. Not only did I find this an interesting and beautiful story but I also learned several things from it. before I read this book I had no idea that during the women's suffrage movement that there were two separate "groups" with one being suffragettes and one being suffragists. I also learned mote about non-establishment work contracts so thank you so much again Vikki. I love it when I learn more about history from books. Vikki has clearly done plenty of research which shines through the pages. It is my pet hate when authors do not do enough or even any research on their chosen topics and then their books are needlessly littered with unnecessary mistakes which can ruin a storyline but Vikki has managed to avoid this by taking time to do plenty of research. This book would definitely make an intriguing book for book clubs and for English, History, Humanities and Sociology students as there are plenty of topics to discuss from the laws on same sex couples to the War, Barnardo's children to the jobs of Women during the War.
Overall an poignant and beautiful story filled with history, War, love, heartbreak and society.
#MissVealAndMissHam #VikkiHeywood #DameVikkiHeywood #MuswellPress #NovelTours #Novel.Tours #Bookstagram
@VikkiHeywood @DameVikkiHeywood @MuswellPress @NovelTours @Novel.Tours
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Review for 'Miss Veal And Miss Ham' by Vikki Heywood
This is actually Vikki's DEBUT novel, not that you would ever think that!!! If this is what you have come out with for your first book I cannot wait to see what talent you have hidden under your sleeve for your next one!!
I am absolutely mind blown that this amazing and wonderful book is actually the first book that Vikki has written and yet it has been written as if it has been written by an author who has written hundreds!! She has managed to get the storyline, characters and emotional impact perfect from start to end!
The first thing I have got to say is an absolutely HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to the incredible author Vikki Heywood!! I was surprised that when I had finished this book and went to add the rest of her books to my wish list and realised that it is actually her debut book!! What a beautiful debut novel it is and if this is what you can create for your very first book then I just cannot wait to see what you will come out with next!! I will start by saying that this isn't my typical choice of book but I'm an eclectic reader and happy to read most books and I wanted to give it a try. I must say that if you are the same as me and this what not be your usual type of book do not let that put you off, expand your reading genres and give this book a try!! I must also admit that I had no idea quite what to expect when I started reading this but I am very pleased that I did. While this book has not got any action or drama per say what it lacks in those it makes up in abundance with poignancy, tenderness, history and heartbreak. Vikki transports her readers back to the year 1951 where they will meet Beatrix Veal and Dora Ham. They met in the 1900's as suffragists and from their friendship came love. However, during that 1951 same sex relationships were illegal so they hid behind the pretence that Beatrix was Dora's carer and companion as Dora was 10 years older. They moved from London to Buckinghamshire where they ran the local post office and sweet shop with Beatrix's job as post mistress was classed as a non establishment work contract which was a mechanism for protecting jobs for returning soldiers. They ran the shop for 34 years but now they are awaiting the bailiffs as they are losing their home and jobs. This short story is set over a day and begins with the pair having a plan to go out with a bang. However, the events of 24 hours take them on a rollercoaster ride and everything changes. It is a beautifully written and poignant storyline filled with history, heartache, romance, love, sweets, loss and so much more. It truly opens the readers eyes to what it must have been like to live in those times where you had to hide your feelings if they were for someone of the same sex. Thankfully, for the most part, the world has changed and those who are in love no longer have to hide it away (again, sadly this is not always the case generally but legally in most areas it is socially accepted). Considering the paperback version of this book is just 208 pages long Vikki has rammed it with emotions and we see the Dora and Beatrix so through a range of emotions personally and as a couple. Thanks to Vikki's beautiful emotive and evocative writing skills and descriptions she ensures the readers can see, feel and hear everything that Beatrix and Veal are seeing, hearing and going through during this short time frame. I was completely invested in both women and was rooting for them from the moment I met them. They were very different to each other, like chalk and cheese, but they do say opposites attract. With realistic personalities and well built character development Vikki truly brings them and the other characters to life at the turn of a page. It is a beautiful and easy to read book which I also thought was quite eye opening. Vikki has very thoughtfully included some historical notes at the end which I found fascinating so thank you so much for these Vikki. Not only did I find this an interesting and beautiful story but I also learned several things from it. before I read this book I had no idea that during the women's suffrage movement that there were two separate "groups" with one being suffragettes and one being suffragists. I also learned mote about non-establishment work contracts so thank you so much again Vikki. I love it when I learn more about history from books. Vikki has clearly done plenty of research which shines through the pages. It is my pet hate when authors do not do enough or even any research on their chosen topics and then their books are needlessly littered with unnecessary mistakes which can ruin a storyline but Vikki has managed to avoid this by taking time to do plenty of research. This book would definitely make an intriguing book for book clubs and for English, History, Humanities and Sociology students as there are plenty of topics to discuss from the laws on same sex couples to the War, Barnardo's children to the jobs of Women during the War.
Overall an poignant and beautiful story filled with history, War, love, heartbreak and society.
#MissVealAndMissHam #VikkiHeywood #DameVikkiHeywood #MuswellPress #NovelTours #Novel.Tours #Bookstagram
@VikkiHeywood @DameVikkiHeywood @MuswellPress @NovelTours @Novel.Tours
https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__...
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https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3...
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July 8, 2025
Real Rating: 4.25* of five
The Publisher Says: Public companions, private lovers.
1951: behind the counter of a modest post office in a Buckinghamshire village Miss Dora Ham and Miss Beatrix Veal maintain their careful facade as respected local spinsters. But their true story is one of passion, and together they have built a life of quiet dignity and service in rural England.
Their true story is one of 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 first night of the Blitz. Now 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.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: The antique dramatic structure of setting the action of your tale over the course of one day is antique for a reason: Focus. Audience focus, author focus, character focus, are all enhanced...even compelled...by setting all the action in one day. Author Heywood does that very well in Veal and Ham's life-challenging day.
These women are, very quietly, living as open a queer life as is possible in most of the world even today. Keep your head down, do your job, and people will mostly ignore you. Best you can hope for is that it will be a benign form of ignoring, not one of silent sneering. Veal and Ham, since they do work that's useful and even pleasant to the villagers they serve, get a big dose of selective attention on their service not on their behind-the-scenes lives; their dishonesty, though, in not being open does create mild ill-will instead of quiet acceptance. It's the last piece of even qualified good luck the ladies have on this terrible day.
Losing one's home is an absolute emotional tornado. Veal and Ham, after moving out of London to escape the Blitz, have lived the quiet village life...with excursions back to London for lesbian companionship...for a decade. In fact, the world around them is not the world they know, and still less the world they knew as suffragettes. The economic realities of the 1950s are austere and unforgiving, they are focused on survival as the people adjust their lives to being one among many markets not The British Empire. The main income Veal and Ham have had, expensive candy, is drying up in this new world so they can no longer make a go of it as they have been earning steadily less.
Does any of this ring any bells?
In the story we're told, no plan is in place for their future. They are...numb...at the overwhelming nature of losing home, livelihood, and status all at the same time. The one intention they had formed, a very permanent one, is for several reasons not carried out. But what are they to do? A mild enough venting of feelings against their odious landlord isn't a plan for a future.
Does there need to be a future? Are we...am I...so deeply conditioned as to find an ambiguous ending intolerable? No; not at all. I'm only giving this book four stars because it is a solid piece of plotting and a lovely job of writing about one day in a long life together. It is a complete story, as is the later-published (1973) original ending of Mrs. Dalloway called Mrs. Dalloway's Party. It was excised for a reason; where the novel ends is exactly where it should. Likewise, in this book, there are things as missing that should not be. Or, if a truly satisfying one-day novel was to come to being here, a different ending point (at 97%, if you're a curious Kindle reader) should have been chosen. As it stands, this is a marvelous story only a bit away from being excellent.
It is still a story I hope you will find and read.
The Publisher Says: Public companions, private lovers.
1951: behind the counter of a modest post office in a Buckinghamshire village Miss Dora Ham and Miss Beatrix Veal maintain their careful facade as respected local spinsters. But their true story is one of passion, and together they have built a life of quiet dignity and service in rural England.
Their true story is one of 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 first night of the Blitz. Now 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.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: The antique dramatic structure of setting the action of your tale over the course of one day is antique for a reason: Focus. Audience focus, author focus, character focus, are all enhanced...even compelled...by setting all the action in one day. Author Heywood does that very well in Veal and Ham's life-challenging day.
These women are, very quietly, living as open a queer life as is possible in most of the world even today. Keep your head down, do your job, and people will mostly ignore you. Best you can hope for is that it will be a benign form of ignoring, not one of silent sneering. Veal and Ham, since they do work that's useful and even pleasant to the villagers they serve, get a big dose of selective attention on their service not on their behind-the-scenes lives; their dishonesty, though, in not being open does create mild ill-will instead of quiet acceptance. It's the last piece of even qualified good luck the ladies have on this terrible day.
Losing one's home is an absolute emotional tornado. Veal and Ham, after moving out of London to escape the Blitz, have lived the quiet village life...with excursions back to London for lesbian companionship...for a decade. In fact, the world around them is not the world they know, and still less the world they knew as suffragettes. The economic realities of the 1950s are austere and unforgiving, they are focused on survival as the people adjust their lives to being one among many markets not The British Empire. The main income Veal and Ham have had, expensive candy, is drying up in this new world so they can no longer make a go of it as they have been earning steadily less.
Does any of this ring any bells?
In the story we're told, no plan is in place for their future. They are...numb...at the overwhelming nature of losing home, livelihood, and status all at the same time. The one intention they had formed, a very permanent one, is for several reasons not carried out. But what are they to do? A mild enough venting of feelings against their odious landlord isn't a plan for a future.
Does there need to be a future? Are we...am I...so deeply conditioned as to find an ambiguous ending intolerable? No; not at all. I'm only giving this book four stars because it is a solid piece of plotting and a lovely job of writing about one day in a long life together. It is a complete story, as is the later-published (1973) original ending of Mrs. Dalloway called Mrs. Dalloway's Party. It was excised for a reason; where the novel ends is exactly where it should. Likewise, in this book, there are things as missing that should not be. Or, if a truly satisfying one-day novel was to come to being here, a different ending point (at 97%, if you're a curious Kindle reader) should have been chosen. As it stands, this is a marvelous story only a bit away from being excellent.
It is still a story I hope you will find and read.
October 14, 2025
Thank you to Muswell Press, the author and NetGalley for a DRC in return for an honest review
Vikki Heywood is an established figure in the arts: Having been the Executive Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 2003 to 2012 and has been involved with both the Royal Court Theatre and the Royal Society of Arts. In 2020 she was honoured with a Damehood for services to the arts. Miss Veal and Miss Ham marks her debut as a novelist.
The cover art for this book is beautiful but unfortunately I haven't been able to ascertain the artist - if I manage to find out, I shall edit my review accordingly. A delightful extract from the book, read by Juliet Stephenson is available on the author's website and Instagram account.
Set over the course of a single day, this circadian novel uses its compressed structure to striking effect. The confined timeframe allows the author to explore the inner worlds of her characters in remarkable depth, gradually revealing layers of emotion, memory and quiet resilience. The pacing is gentle yet purposeful, drawing the reader into a world where even the smallest gestures carry emotional weight.
The novel opens with William, the newspaper boy, arriving at Miss Veal and Miss Ham’s shop to collect the papers. His thoughts as he waits for one of his employers to answer the door, ominously foreshadow the events that will unfold over the course of the day.
It’s easy to imagine this story being translated to the stage - the close attention to character dynamics and rhythm of conversation feel inherently theatrical. I would think that, with the author's theatrical connections, that this could be a possibility - fingers crossed. The premise reminded me of the British TV sitcom Vicious, starring Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Derek Jacobi as Freddie and Stuart, an elderly gay couple who have been together for 50 years. I urge you to check it out if you aren't already familiar with it, (One of the show's writers was Gary Janetti, whose credits also include Will & Grace and Family Guy no less!).
As historical fiction the novel is richly detailed without ever feeling heavy-handed. The reader is immersed in post-war Britain - a world of quiet endurance, ration books and social change - while Heywood subtly weaves in reflections on class, gender and belonging. Her prose captures both the dignity and vulnerability of ordinary lives lived with extraordinary grace. The bitter irony is that whilst 1951 symbolises post-war renewal for Britain, for these two women it brings only decline.
Within these pages are details of the FIRST Post Office scandal (which saw women, who ran the Post Offices whilst the men were away fighting in the war, yet again cast aside - without pensions -once the men were home again) and the suffrage movement, with the important distinction of the differences between suffragists and suffragettes, a subtle nuance that seems to have been lost over time.
At the end of the book the author provides historical notes for context. The most interesting, for me, was the revelation of the heroism of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, also known as the Six Triple Eight. In 1945 these 855 heroines rescued 17 million letters and parcels stranded in Birmingham, UK and successfully delivered them to US troops and families. They were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2021.
I understand if some readers don't like the emotionally tragic yet ambiguous conclusion, but for me it was a beautiful and fitting ending to a bittersweet love story. What makes Miss Veal and Miss Ham so memorable is its emotional honesty. Heywood handles themes of love, companionship and ageing with compassion and restraint. The result is a deeply human story that feels at once nostalgic and timeless. This is a debut of real charm and emotional depth - beautifully observed, quietly humorous and ultimately uplifting.
I very much hope that Vikki Heywood will continue to write. If her future work matches the elegance and poignancy of her debut, then I can guarantee she has a follower for life in me.
#MissVealandMissHam #NetGalley
Vikki Heywood is an established figure in the arts: Having been the Executive Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 2003 to 2012 and has been involved with both the Royal Court Theatre and the Royal Society of Arts. In 2020 she was honoured with a Damehood for services to the arts. Miss Veal and Miss Ham marks her debut as a novelist.
The cover art for this book is beautiful but unfortunately I haven't been able to ascertain the artist - if I manage to find out, I shall edit my review accordingly. A delightful extract from the book, read by Juliet Stephenson is available on the author's website and Instagram account.
Set over the course of a single day, this circadian novel uses its compressed structure to striking effect. The confined timeframe allows the author to explore the inner worlds of her characters in remarkable depth, gradually revealing layers of emotion, memory and quiet resilience. The pacing is gentle yet purposeful, drawing the reader into a world where even the smallest gestures carry emotional weight.
The novel opens with William, the newspaper boy, arriving at Miss Veal and Miss Ham’s shop to collect the papers. His thoughts as he waits for one of his employers to answer the door, ominously foreshadow the events that will unfold over the course of the day.
It’s easy to imagine this story being translated to the stage - the close attention to character dynamics and rhythm of conversation feel inherently theatrical. I would think that, with the author's theatrical connections, that this could be a possibility - fingers crossed. The premise reminded me of the British TV sitcom Vicious, starring Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Derek Jacobi as Freddie and Stuart, an elderly gay couple who have been together for 50 years. I urge you to check it out if you aren't already familiar with it, (One of the show's writers was Gary Janetti, whose credits also include Will & Grace and Family Guy no less!).
As historical fiction the novel is richly detailed without ever feeling heavy-handed. The reader is immersed in post-war Britain - a world of quiet endurance, ration books and social change - while Heywood subtly weaves in reflections on class, gender and belonging. Her prose captures both the dignity and vulnerability of ordinary lives lived with extraordinary grace. The bitter irony is that whilst 1951 symbolises post-war renewal for Britain, for these two women it brings only decline.
Within these pages are details of the FIRST Post Office scandal (which saw women, who ran the Post Offices whilst the men were away fighting in the war, yet again cast aside - without pensions -once the men were home again) and the suffrage movement, with the important distinction of the differences between suffragists and suffragettes, a subtle nuance that seems to have been lost over time.
At the end of the book the author provides historical notes for context. The most interesting, for me, was the revelation of the heroism of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, also known as the Six Triple Eight. In 1945 these 855 heroines rescued 17 million letters and parcels stranded in Birmingham, UK and successfully delivered them to US troops and families. They were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2021.
I understand if some readers don't like the emotionally tragic yet ambiguous conclusion, but for me it was a beautiful and fitting ending to a bittersweet love story. What makes Miss Veal and Miss Ham so memorable is its emotional honesty. Heywood handles themes of love, companionship and ageing with compassion and restraint. The result is a deeply human story that feels at once nostalgic and timeless. This is a debut of real charm and emotional depth - beautifully observed, quietly humorous and ultimately uplifting.
I very much hope that Vikki Heywood will continue to write. If her future work matches the elegance and poignancy of her debut, then I can guarantee she has a follower for life in me.
#MissVealandMissHam #NetGalley
June 23, 2025
Their declining years haven’t been kind to Dora Ham and Beatrix Veal, the eponymous and intimate protagonists of Vikki Heywood’s finely wrought “Miss Veal and Miss Ham,” which opens with the two women’s circumstances in post-World War II England having become so severe that they've even made a suicide pact which they intend to carry out that very night.
On the eve of their intention, though, Dora signals her wanting to back out, leaving Beatrix to rush to try to intercept a letter she has just gotten off to a fellow-traveler male friend in which she has disclosed their plan and their intention for him to be the one who discovers their bodies.
Not, as she conveys to him when they get together for a walk, that anything has really improved in their overall circumstances, which include, in addition to their having never really felt welcome in the rural community to which they’ve escaped after the Blitz in London, the financial toll having finally made itself felt from Beatrix having been let go from her postmistress job – indeed, the bailiffs are due in the morning.
All this the more affecting for the restrained or undramatic manner in which author Heywood conveys the women’s plight, reminiscent for me of the style of Edith Wharton, though more the Edith Wharton of “Ethan Frome” than of some of her other works, what with the occasional departures from the novel’s more moderate tone – when, for instance, Beatrix eggs the car of their loathsome landlord –“ambitious little s**t of a man,” she calls him – or when she recalls the times in London clubs when Dora was more taken than she with the more flamboyant clientele “as they leered at the younger, fresher meat as it arrived on a Saturday night.” Indisputably offensive, such depictions, by today’s PC standards, but nevertheless enlivening a novel with its perhaps too-seemingly-sedate appearance for some readers.
Indeed, it’s as much with the hope of drawing greater audience numbers to a book that may not seem at first blush to be their cup of tea – in the manner of Jude Hayland‘s quietly engaging “The Odyssey of Lily Page” I found it – that I’m awarding it five stars even as I appreciate that its appeal will nevertheless be limited to a particularly discerning audience – the “happy few,” in Stendahl’s felicitous characterization.
On the eve of their intention, though, Dora signals her wanting to back out, leaving Beatrix to rush to try to intercept a letter she has just gotten off to a fellow-traveler male friend in which she has disclosed their plan and their intention for him to be the one who discovers their bodies.
Not, as she conveys to him when they get together for a walk, that anything has really improved in their overall circumstances, which include, in addition to their having never really felt welcome in the rural community to which they’ve escaped after the Blitz in London, the financial toll having finally made itself felt from Beatrix having been let go from her postmistress job – indeed, the bailiffs are due in the morning.
All this the more affecting for the restrained or undramatic manner in which author Heywood conveys the women’s plight, reminiscent for me of the style of Edith Wharton, though more the Edith Wharton of “Ethan Frome” than of some of her other works, what with the occasional departures from the novel’s more moderate tone – when, for instance, Beatrix eggs the car of their loathsome landlord –“ambitious little s**t of a man,” she calls him – or when she recalls the times in London clubs when Dora was more taken than she with the more flamboyant clientele “as they leered at the younger, fresher meat as it arrived on a Saturday night.” Indisputably offensive, such depictions, by today’s PC standards, but nevertheless enlivening a novel with its perhaps too-seemingly-sedate appearance for some readers.
Indeed, it’s as much with the hope of drawing greater audience numbers to a book that may not seem at first blush to be their cup of tea – in the manner of Jude Hayland‘s quietly engaging “The Odyssey of Lily Page” I found it – that I’m awarding it five stars even as I appreciate that its appeal will nevertheless be limited to a particularly discerning audience – the “happy few,” in Stendahl’s felicitous characterization.
June 21, 2025
The story in this book takes place over the course of a day. At first glance, it seems a straightforward happening, two older women have fallen into arrears and their home and livelihood will be cruelly taken from them when the bailiffs arrive the following morning.
Appearances can be very deceptive. That is the charm of this novel, you are seduced by the ordinariness of events, and before you know it, you are invested in these women and fighting in their corner for a good outcome, even as you become filled with hope and dread in equal measure.
Miss Veal and Miss Ham are spinsters who happen to live and love together. The year is 1951, they run a post office / shop together in a small village. Previously they had lived in London, but moved to the small village when war broke out. Men had been called up for the war effort, and women took over many of their jobs, only to be cast aside when the men returned. In the small village, tongues began to wag upon their arrival and no social invitations were ever offered to these two dear friends.
Now, age is catching up with Dora, she is ten years senior to Beatrix, her memory and mobility is getting worse, and they are both thinking the unthinkable, will they be forced into a home and relinquish opportunities to be together, or do they do a courageous thing and be together for ever.
A simple story, but their shared history is one of endeavour, pushing against boundaries and refusing to be cowed by accepted conventions.
A very sad tale, but so thoughtful, honest and filled with love. I myself have met and known such women when I was growing up, the gossip and disgust that was aimed at ladies such as these, attitudes have now changed thank goodness.
There is a dark shadow of inevitability over their story, but you feel honoured to have shared their life events.
Such a wonderful piece of writing about the social history of lesbians of the older generation, their story is not often told due to shame or repression.
A five star read, I have already recommended it to my local library, our human library group( oral histories) and my book group.
Appearances can be very deceptive. That is the charm of this novel, you are seduced by the ordinariness of events, and before you know it, you are invested in these women and fighting in their corner for a good outcome, even as you become filled with hope and dread in equal measure.
Miss Veal and Miss Ham are spinsters who happen to live and love together. The year is 1951, they run a post office / shop together in a small village. Previously they had lived in London, but moved to the small village when war broke out. Men had been called up for the war effort, and women took over many of their jobs, only to be cast aside when the men returned. In the small village, tongues began to wag upon their arrival and no social invitations were ever offered to these two dear friends.
Now, age is catching up with Dora, she is ten years senior to Beatrix, her memory and mobility is getting worse, and they are both thinking the unthinkable, will they be forced into a home and relinquish opportunities to be together, or do they do a courageous thing and be together for ever.
A simple story, but their shared history is one of endeavour, pushing against boundaries and refusing to be cowed by accepted conventions.
A very sad tale, but so thoughtful, honest and filled with love. I myself have met and known such women when I was growing up, the gossip and disgust that was aimed at ladies such as these, attitudes have now changed thank goodness.
There is a dark shadow of inevitability over their story, but you feel honoured to have shared their life events.
Such a wonderful piece of writing about the social history of lesbians of the older generation, their story is not often told due to shame or repression.
A five star read, I have already recommended it to my local library, our human library group( oral histories) and my book group.
August 19, 2025
I really liked the conceit of this-during World War 2, in the UK, when many of the men were away on the battlefields, women stepped up to perform all those professions that they hitherto weren’t allowed to enter. Once the war was done though, all these women were expected to remember their place and step aside. This is the story of a couple, Miss Veal and Miss Ham, who take up a position at a provincial Post Office and the attached little shop, and build a life there. Nearly 20 years later, the war’s over, and across the country, as part of a cost-cutting drive, post offices were shut down, and hundreds of women lost their jobs, and weren’t given a pension-they were told they were ineligible because they were technically “temporary workers”, doing work that was essentially men’s work. The book deals with the aftermath of this policy, on this couple. Throughout the book, you get glimpses of their past, meeting as suffragists, partying in the inter-war years, facing the Blitz. I really liked those bits, and maybe Heywood should write a prequel about their past! It kept me reading but it was just a bit too heavy on the gloom, for people who led happy, full lives. And the ending seemed to pile on the sadness, with a resolution that could have arrived just a bit earlier. I would recommend this, though, because the context is so interesting.
October 2, 2025
Short but devastating
—
In this quiet yet moving and determined novel, Heywood evokes the rash of forces swirling around Britain mid-twentieth century: the aftermath of war, the erosion of empire, the onward ascendance of capitalism, the fear of difference, all in the lives of two committed spinsters, Beatrix Veal and Dora Ham, forty years together and more than thirty running the village post office. History was unkind to women who took up work during the second world war, and so it is in this case, with the Post Office not only taking the postmistress role away from them but also selling the building out from under the two women to an unpleasant oik. With the bailiffs poised to turn up the next day, the novel follows the two women on their last day in their home.
Never shying away from the seriousness of the situation, Heywood brings us tightly into the strong, beautiful relationship between Beatrix and Dora, and the decision that they have already made, to own their own ending. They have distant (in miles) relations who might grudgingly help out for a while, but only one friend knows the truth of their friendship. If only they had consulted him first! This a short but devastating novel that will make you despair for the past and be glad for the present (well, mostly), and wish that there was more time to be spent with this charismatic pair.
—
In this quiet yet moving and determined novel, Heywood evokes the rash of forces swirling around Britain mid-twentieth century: the aftermath of war, the erosion of empire, the onward ascendance of capitalism, the fear of difference, all in the lives of two committed spinsters, Beatrix Veal and Dora Ham, forty years together and more than thirty running the village post office. History was unkind to women who took up work during the second world war, and so it is in this case, with the Post Office not only taking the postmistress role away from them but also selling the building out from under the two women to an unpleasant oik. With the bailiffs poised to turn up the next day, the novel follows the two women on their last day in their home.
Never shying away from the seriousness of the situation, Heywood brings us tightly into the strong, beautiful relationship between Beatrix and Dora, and the decision that they have already made, to own their own ending. They have distant (in miles) relations who might grudgingly help out for a while, but only one friend knows the truth of their friendship. If only they had consulted him first! This a short but devastating novel that will make you despair for the past and be glad for the present (well, mostly), and wish that there was more time to be spent with this charismatic pair.
February 7, 2026
I am the exact target audience for this book and i loved it. 4.25 stars is probably a more accurate rating. An excellent reflective little novel, heartfelt and sad and triumphant in turns. Up the suffragettes! (and yes, I mean suffragettes!)
Some spoilery ramblings:
Some spoilery ramblings:
July 15, 2025
Don’t be misled by the cover: Miss Veal and Miss Ham isn’t just another cosy British novel, at least not in the traditional sense. Set in post–Second World War England, the story follows Dora and Beatrix on their final day working at their old post office and stationery shop.
This novel is full of tenderness, but also full of heartbreak. It was an absolute pleasure to read a story centred around characters so often overlooked or forgotten in literature: older women, lesbians, and women who refuse to be silenced or dismissed.
This only makes the novel all the more poignant. Set over the course of a single day and told through Beatrix’s thoughts, it’s impossible to remain indifferent to their story. You can’t help but feel moved — and outraged — by the injustice they face. Watching these two women — and, by extension, so many others like them — being quietly dismissed and pushed aside after the war is deeply affecting. “Thank you for your service — now back to the kitchen, the men will take it from here.” That’s the unspoken message, and it lingers heavily between the lines.
Throughout the day, you can’t help but hope that something — anything — might go in their favour. That perhaps they’ll be granted a small, well-deserved reprieve. But that moment never comes.
A truly beautiful discovery for lovers of historical fiction.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Muswell Press for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
This novel is full of tenderness, but also full of heartbreak. It was an absolute pleasure to read a story centred around characters so often overlooked or forgotten in literature: older women, lesbians, and women who refuse to be silenced or dismissed.
This only makes the novel all the more poignant. Set over the course of a single day and told through Beatrix’s thoughts, it’s impossible to remain indifferent to their story. You can’t help but feel moved — and outraged — by the injustice they face. Watching these two women — and, by extension, so many others like them — being quietly dismissed and pushed aside after the war is deeply affecting. “Thank you for your service — now back to the kitchen, the men will take it from here.” That’s the unspoken message, and it lingers heavily between the lines.
Throughout the day, you can’t help but hope that something — anything — might go in their favour. That perhaps they’ll be granted a small, well-deserved reprieve. But that moment never comes.
A truly beautiful discovery for lovers of historical fiction.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Muswell Press for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 12, 2025
i picked this up on a whim a couple of days ago – it isn’t often that i’m able to read about older lesbians, and the opportunity to do so during pride month seemed altogether timely. the entirety of this book takes place over a single day – a life changing one, for the titular misses veal and ham – and i felt entirely immersed in it through the lens of beatrix’s point of view (that’s miss veal, for the uninitiated).
i find it particularly interesting when a day that is, indeed, life changing isn’t necessarily action-packed. i actually found myself reminded a lot of the buffy the vampire slayer episode “the body” – i don’t want to reveal too much, but the feelings it invoked and the impact it left on me felt similar. i do wish we’d seen a bit more glimpses of beatrix and dora originally falling in love, but i suppose that would’ve spoiled the purity of the single day narrative. regardless, though this work wasn’t very long, it left a touching, emotional impact.
thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
i find it particularly interesting when a day that is, indeed, life changing isn’t necessarily action-packed. i actually found myself reminded a lot of the buffy the vampire slayer episode “the body” – i don’t want to reveal too much, but the feelings it invoked and the impact it left on me felt similar. i do wish we’d seen a bit more glimpses of beatrix and dora originally falling in love, but i suppose that would’ve spoiled the purity of the single day narrative. regardless, though this work wasn’t very long, it left a touching, emotional impact.
thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 21, 2026
This is maybe more like a 3* read, but I don't want to discourage anyone from picking it up. Like it's 3* for a first novel from someone with potential as a writer, not 3* for someone who's at the top of their game and just can't write all that well.
This is a quiet story with well drawn main characters and a strong sense of time and place. I think what I would have liked from it would be more development of the relationships within it, so I felt more for the main characters, Oliver, maybe some of their friends in London. The book tries to balance character development with imparting historical knowledge and some of the conversations have a bit of an "info drop/reader education" vibe instead of feeling like natural reminiscing. Reworked, this could be very emotionally hard-hitting.
But still, worth reading for the kinds of characters who don't usually get much page time.
This is a quiet story with well drawn main characters and a strong sense of time and place. I think what I would have liked from it would be more development of the relationships within it, so I felt more for the main characters, Oliver, maybe some of their friends in London. The book tries to balance character development with imparting historical knowledge and some of the conversations have a bit of an "info drop/reader education" vibe instead of feeling like natural reminiscing. Reworked, this could be very emotionally hard-hitting.
But still, worth reading for the kinds of characters who don't usually get much page time.
October 8, 2025
Sometimes people just run out of road, no matter how much their friends and family would like to think otherwise. For Miss Veal, a temporary post-mistress whose job has been taken from her in the name of efficiency with no compensation or pension, and for her partner of over thirty years, Miss Ham, there seem to be no reasonable options left that allow them to remain alive and together. So, they have a plan to exit the world on their own terms, and have reached the final day.
This is a lovely short novel about growing older and trying to belong in the world with dignity when so much is changing and the world has moved on. Not a happy novel, but a story perhaps too many readers can relate to.
This is a lovely short novel about growing older and trying to belong in the world with dignity when so much is changing and the world has moved on. Not a happy novel, but a story perhaps too many readers can relate to.
July 7, 2025
How does one describe such a book? It’s full of empathy and in-depth emotions as both ladies approach the finality of being penniless and homeless and death. The Misses Veal and Ham have long lived together, shunned by society for their relationship. The Blitz and age were factors in their move to a small village outside London where they assumed ownership of the local post office and sweet shop. The author broaches some very delicate subjects with skill, but the end result is just so sad. Bravo, a true page-turner of a novel.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me this ARC for review.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me this ARC for review.
July 22, 2025
1950’s High Wycombe, Beatrix Veal and Dora Ham have run the post office and sweet shop for 34 years. Dora is 10 years older than Beatrix and feels burdensome but they live a quiet life of togetherness. Life is changing for them - their employment, their home, their health. This is a tender, heart warming, heart breaking book depicting the women’s pace of life slowing down after their early years as suffragists. Dancing at the turn of the century and still now, always in secret, always in love. With their hens, dentures, girdles and rouge I was captivated by this book. A great first novel, I can’t wait to read the next.
October 21, 2025
Set in the 1950s, this gentle and dignified story follows two elderly spinsters quietly running a village post office. But behind the routine lies a rich history—these women were once suffragists, fighting for women's rights, and they share a secret: they’re a couple. Now, with the post office in trouble and the end approaching, the question hangs in the air—how and when will it all unravel?
It’s a sad but sweet read, full of quiet strength and understated emotion. The writing is tender, and the themes—love, secrecy, resilience—are handled with care. A lovely book that lingers after you finish it.
It’s a sad but sweet read, full of quiet strength and understated emotion. The writing is tender, and the themes—love, secrecy, resilience—are handled with care. A lovely book that lingers after you finish it.
June 18, 2025
1951. Dora Ham and Beatrix Veal are respected spinster ladies who live together. What no one knows is that they are secretly a couple. Now they are being kicked out of their home. What will they do next?
I enjoyed this book very much. Not a lot is written about lesbians in that day and age, so the material felt fresh and original. I did guess a major plot point but it in no way interfered with my enjoyment of this book. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
I enjoyed this book very much. Not a lot is written about lesbians in that day and age, so the material felt fresh and original. I did guess a major plot point but it in no way interfered with my enjoyment of this book. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
June 23, 2025
A beautifully written account of a climactic day in the life of a devoted couple…or is it?
This sensitive, all-encompassing novel explores the complex lives of Beatrix Veal and Dora Ham, shop-owners and pillars of the community by day, secret lovers by night.
A poignant description of post-war life in the Home Counties as Britain tries to shrug off rationing, the loss of empire and emerge blinking into the second half of the twentieth century embracing a new belief in openness and equality. A first novel and a tour de force.
This sensitive, all-encompassing novel explores the complex lives of Beatrix Veal and Dora Ham, shop-owners and pillars of the community by day, secret lovers by night.
A poignant description of post-war life in the Home Counties as Britain tries to shrug off rationing, the loss of empire and emerge blinking into the second half of the twentieth century embracing a new belief in openness and equality. A first novel and a tour de force.
July 9, 2025
A sensitive, moving, and bittersweet novel, covering an important day in the life of two women living together in suburban post-war England.
Miss Beatrix Veal and Miss Dora Ham are respectable spinsters in public. Privately, they are long term partners in a world where being gay is not acknowledged or socially acceptable. The stifled feeling of the 1950s is well evoked, especially compared to the London life the women have left behind.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Miss Beatrix Veal and Miss Dora Ham are respectable spinsters in public. Privately, they are long term partners in a world where being gay is not acknowledged or socially acceptable. The stifled feeling of the 1950s is well evoked, especially compared to the London life the women have left behind.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
June 30, 2025
Miss Veal and Miss Ham Is a short book, but packs a huge emotional punch.
The couple have spent years together, running a small shop and sub-post office, but are brought to the brink of bankruptcy when the General Post Office decides they are surplus to requirements after the end of World War Two. We meet them on the day before the bailiffs are due to arrive to take everything away from them and leave them homeless and near destitute.
A beautifully told story about love, grief, queerness and keeping living despite it all. A very highly recommended read.
The couple have spent years together, running a small shop and sub-post office, but are brought to the brink of bankruptcy when the General Post Office decides they are surplus to requirements after the end of World War Two. We meet them on the day before the bailiffs are due to arrive to take everything away from them and leave them homeless and near destitute.
A beautifully told story about love, grief, queerness and keeping living despite it all. A very highly recommended read.
June 30, 2025
I’m lucky enough to have read an advance copy of this and must say I completely loved every minute of my reading experience. The 1950s setting is brilliantly evocative with the chilly outside loo! The two women at the heart of the story are instantly brought to life and the dilemma they face is so powerful and moving. The book is beautifully written too, with a light touch, gentle humour and a deftness that sets it above much of what I’ve recently read. Highly recommend!
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