The Metal Heart: The beautiful and atmospheric story of freedom and love that will grip your heart

(Paperback)

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A sweeping Second World War novel about two sisters and the prisoner-of-war whose life will entwine with theirs, inspired by a true story Orkney, 1940. On a remote island, a prisoner-of-war camp is constructed to house five hundred Italian soldiers, where a freezing winter and divided community await them. Orphaned sisters Dorothy and Constance volunteer to nurse the men. Dot is drawn to Cesare, a young man fighting on the wrong side, broken by war and destruction. The soldiers spend their days building a secret barricade between the islands. By night, however, they construct a reminder of their native land - an exquisite chapel. As tensions between the islanders and outsiders grow, the sisters' loyalty is tested. Will Dot choose love, or family

Reviews

A tense, passionate and deeply atmospheric novel about a community in wartime - and two defiant hearts. Orkney was so perfectly realised, too, that I almost felt windblown. I loved it all the more so for having read it during lockdown: Caroline's beautiful transported me entirely to another time and land -- Susan Fletcher
A powerful Second World War love story. As tensions grow between the Italian PoWs and the Orkney men, the scene is set for a dramatic reckoning. Lea writes beautifully of island life and love, and the sacrifices that both demand * The Times *
Atmospheric, heart-wrenching, evocative - this is a gorgeously written story about the scars we carry with us, and how they can be overcome -- Gytha Lodge
Uses the true story of the building of the chapel on Orkney by Italian prisoners during the Second World War to fashion a fast-moving and very touching story of sisterly devotion and passionate love -- Adle Geras
A stunning novel . . . impeccably researched, gorgeously written, and deeply evocative of Orkney and its wild beauty. I loved this tale of sisters, salvation and sacrifice from the first page -- Emma Stonex, bestselling author of The Lamplighters
Confirms Lea as a highly original and inventive writer * Sunday Times *
A story of innocents caught up in the machinery of war. Exquisitely researched, beautifully told, this tiny corner of Scotland came alive -- Mary Beth Keane
Myth, legend, fear and superstition all play a part in this intensely atmospheric novel * Choice Magazine *
A beautiful, heart-breaking tale of grief, love and the bond between sisters. I read it in a day, desperate to know what would happen -- Louise Hare
Lea deftly taps into an age-old theme: suspicion and mistrust of outsiders. Woven throughout The Metal Heart is the potent reminder that there are always innocents caught up in the cruel, unforgiving machinery of war * Herald *
A stunning World War Two novel, unlike any other * Sun *
The remoteness of the Orkney islands intensifies the hopes and fears of war. The Metal Heart is a story of passion and separation in which the isolation of twin sisters within a tight-knit community threatens tragedy. A deeply atmospheric novel of hope and redemption. -- Isabelle Grey
Draws you into a wild landscape through an exquisitely told love story -- Elodie Harper
Superbly plotted . . . a story that comes together convincingly, complete with a wonderful double-twist in its final pages * The Orcadian *
Uses the true story of the building of the chapel on Orkney to fashion a touching story of sisterly devotion and passionate love -- Hope Adams, author of Dangerous Women
A mesmerising and atmospheric read * Culturefly *
Praise for THE GLASS WOMAN * - *
A fantastic, atmospheric debut * The Times *
Memorable and compelling. A novel about what haunts us - and what should
An enthralling tale -- Stacey Halls, bestselling author of The Familiars
Intensely written and atmospheric, with an unusual setting, this is a stark evocation of a community where fear of the outsider is rife and unsettling * Daily Mail *
A perfect, gripping winter read. I loved it
Utterly unputdownable. Rich in superstition and mystery, it pulled me in. An incredible novel
A chilling tale * Good Housekeeping *

Author Bio

Caroline Lea grew up on the island of Jersey and gained a First from Warwick University. Her fiction and poetry have been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, while her debut novel, The Glass Woman -a gothic thriller set during the Icelandic witch trials - was shortlisted for the Historical Writers Association Debut Crown Award. Her next novel, The Metal Heart - a powerful Second World War love story set on the island of Orkney - was selected as a Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month. Prize Women, her latest novel, is inspired by film footage Caroline found, showing the women who took part in the Great Stork Derby. Caroline was immediately struck by the awful implications of a competition which made women compete to have children, and by the fact that such a shocking story had remained buried for so long.