4.5 stars
This was an engaging and emotional read. Set in the islands of Orkney, the author sets the scene with descriptions of the landscape, the people and their superstitions. Added to this are the Italian prisoners of war and the twin sisters, Dorothy and Constance and their interactions. There are traumatic events in the sister’s background that they have yet to come to terms with. The harsh realities of day to day life of the prisoners and the building of the church are all set out for the reader. A very tender romance begins but is it able to develop further, given the circumstances. There are some very tense events, heartfelt moments and I couldn’t help but wonder how it would all end. This book inspired me to read about the actual Italian chapel, it is really amazing and beautiful. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a beautiful, sad, heartwarming, heartbreaking novel.

It follows Orcadian twins Dot & Con, who, after the loss of their parents, move from Kirkwall to a tiny, supposedly cursed island, populated with only some ruined huts and the half-ruined bothy in which they live. Their peaceful life is shattered by the building of a prisoner of war camp and then influx of the Italian POWs and their guards. It is a story of finding love in the unlikeliest of places, of fighting against all the odds, of faith and belief and trusting in oneself. It is beautiful and I almost cried into my coffee finishing it this morning.

And excellent atmospheric novel set in 1940 on Orkney. It’s so descriptive you can imagine yourself there amongst everyone and feel the tensions etc. Twin sisters return to live alone on an island that has bad folklore and end up involved in the prisoners lives as they are brought to their island.

The Metal Heart is a captivating, historically accurate and exquisitely written epic set in Bonny Scotland and telling the story of all the innocent people caught up in the machinations of a brutal war. In the dark days of World War II, an unlikely romance blossoms between a Scottish woman and an Italian prisoner of war in this haunting novel with the emotional complexity of The Boat Runner and All the Light We Cannot See—a powerful and atmospheric story of love, jealousy, and conscience that illuminates the beauty of the human spirit from the author of The Glass Woman. In the wake of the Allies’ victory in North Africa, 500 Italian soldiers have been sent to a remote island off the Scottish coast to wait out the war. Their arrival has divided the island’s community. Nerves frayed from three years of war and the constant threat of invasion, many locals fear the enemy prisoners and do not want them there. Where their neighbours see bloodthirsty enemies, however, orphaned sisters Dorothy and Constance see sick and wounded men unused to the freezing cold of an Orkney winter, and volunteer to nurse them. While doing so Dorothy finds herself immediately drawn to Cesare, a young man broken by the horrors of battle. But as the war drags on, tensions between the islanders and the outsiders deepen, and Dorothy’s connection to Cesare threatens the bond she shares with Constance. Since the loss of their parents, the sisters have relied on each other. Now, their loyalty will be tested, each forced to weigh duty against desire until, one fateful evening, a choice must be made, one that that will have devastating consequences.

This is a richly told tale that pulled me in from the first few pages and refused to let me go. Set in the wild, remote, stunning Orkney Isles at the height of World War II, Dorothy and Constance are beautifully developed characters and the narrative between Constance and Italian POW Cesare is a love story to end all love stories. It's a complex, emotional and visceral read with intelligence and a real warmth that means you cannot stop reading and you take the bulk of these fantastic, relatable characters into your heart. A story packed with heart and soul, charm, wit and peopled with an unforgettable cast. Darkly atmospheric and sometimes unsettling, Based on the true story of the building of the Orkney Wedding Chapel during the Second World War and set in a vanishing world of myth and superstition, The Metal Heart is an astonishing novel about an island community torn apart by the arrival of outsiders. Heartbreaking and thrilling in equal measure, Caroline has created a fascinating love story. I was very much swept up in the lives of these damaged yet hopeful characters, to experience the exquisite beauty of art in war, and to be as moved by these extraordinary real-life events as I have been. The novel really comes to life with the introduction to the Italian Chapel in Orkney: it is a breathtaking testimony to the hope that exists, even in the darkest of times. In the current, fractured climate, beautiful creations like the chapel act as reminders. Highly recommended.

After reading The Glass Woman with the wonderful #HFBookClub last month I jumped at the chance to read Caroline Lea's newest novel, and Oh My Word... I LOVED it!

Set in Orkney 1940 I already knew I was going to love the setting of this one, and Lea did what she does best; she promised us a story with lots of heart in a wild and windswept setting with buckets of atmosphere, and boy does she deliver!

This one tells the tale of twin sisters who have removed themselves from society and live outcast and alone, until that is, five hundred Italian prisoners of war arrive to fortify the island. The story that unfolds from there is both beautiful and heart-aching in equal measure.

This was a total delight to read, I reveled in every page and absolutely flew through it. The beginning packs a real punch and sets the tone for what is to come, with secrets and mystery, love and betrayal, this tale draws you in and holds your interest until the very last page.

If you enjoyed The Glass Woman then there is no question, you are going to love The Metal Heart too. The writing here is instantly familiar and truly beautiful. For all lovers of Historical Fiction, do yourself a favour and pick up these books - Caroline Lea is now an auto-buy author for me and I cannot wait to see what's next!

5 glorious stars.

Thank you so much to Penguin Michael Joseph for sending me a copy of this gorgeous book in exchange for an honest review.

I was absolutely delighted to be offered an ARC of this book, given how much I loved Lea's last book: The Glass Woman. Both books have a setting that is utterly atmospheric and remote and both weave narrative with historical fact. I liked both books equally, though they're very different stories.
I suppose this book, at its essence, is about prisons: those we make for ourselves and those that are forced on us. It also explores trauma, identity and love in its many forms. The characters here were beautifully drawn and each had an opportunity to have their voice heard and the writing is rich and evocative. I was completely hooked from the outset.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Michael Joseph and Caroline Lea for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a real page turner for me with some great plot twists I didn't guess! I loved the fact that at the end of the book the author explains that many aspects of the story had some basis in real life, though with a slightly skewed take on timelines. I could imagine how the Orcadian's felt having an influx of foreign prisoners of war and also how the sisters were viewed by both sets of people too. It felt very atmospheric - loved the cover too.

I enjoyed Caroline Lea’s previous book, The Glass Woman, but even if I hadn’t already known that I liked her writing I would have been drawn to The Metal Heart anyway by that beautiful cover! Books don’t always live up to their covers, of course, but I think this one almost does.

Set during World War II, the novel takes as its inspiration the building of a chapel in the Orkney Islands by Italian prisoners of war. Around this, Caroline Lea has created a fictional story involving two identical twin sisters, Dorothy and Constance – known as Dot and Con. The sisters have very different personalities but are devoted to each other, so when Con suffers a traumatic experience which leaves her afraid to be around other people, the two of them leave their home in Kirkwall on mainland Orkney and take refuge on the small, uninhabited island of Selkie Holm. Needless to say, Con is not at all happy when hundreds of Italian prisoners arrive on the island, along with their guards, and when a romance begins to blossom between Dot and Cesare, one of the Italians, the sisters’ bond becomes strained.

The novel is written from several different perspectives, giving Con, Dot and Cesare each a chance to tell their own side of the story. Despite their identical appearance, the twins have opposite outlooks on life – Dot is warm, friendly and trusting, while Con, understandably, is withdrawn, cautious and slow to trust. There is a romantic element to the novel, of course, but although the love story between Dot and Cesare is important, its real significance is in the impact it has on the relationship between the sisters. When we first meet Dot, she has sacrificed her own freedom and happiness for Con’s sake, but over the course of the novel, through her romance with Cesare – and also her work in the prisoners’ hospital on the island – she must find a way to lead her own life while helping Con to lead hers.

Although the author has changed some of the historical and geographical details, such as names and dates, we know that there really was a prisoner of war camp in Orkney and that the Italian prisoners really did create a chapel from metal and concrete, which can still be seen on the island of Lamb Holm today. Through the story of Cesare and the other prisoners, we see what conditions were like in the camp and the treatment they received from the guards, as well as their reaction to being ordered to build barriers to prevent further attacks on the harbour at Scapa Flow (these would become known as the Churchill Barriers). At the end of the book, Caroline Lea explains which parts of the novel are based on fact and which are fictional, but while I could understand why she adjusted the timeline to give the story more urgency, I couldn’t see why it was necessary to create a fictional island, Selkie Holm, when we know that the name of the island where the camp was located was Lamb Holm.

Anyway, this is a beautifully written novel (apart from the fact that it is written in the present tense, which is never going to be my favourite style). The descriptions of the Orkney Islands – the landscape, the sea, the people and the Orcadian folklore – are atmospheric and vivid; I have never been, but I’m sure it must be a fascinating place to visit. Of the two Caroline Lea books I’ve read, I preferred this one, although I did love the Icelandic setting of The Glass Woman too and will look forward to seeing where her next book will be set!

The Metal Heart by Caroline Lea
This was a story set during the war but with the unusual perspective of being set in 1940 on Selkie Holm, a small island in the Orkneys. Twins Dot and Con live there alone after they have fled following the disappearance at sea of their parents. The island is then turned into a prison for 500 Italian prisoners of war and their lives and that of the islanders is turned upside down.
This is an episode in the war about which I knew very little. I was also fascinated by the story of Dot and Con and the reasons why they had hidden themselves away on this barren island. Their initial meeting with the prisoners is powerfully drawn and the relationship which develops between Dot and the Cesare is beautifully evoked.
I was fascinated to discover that the chapel which is built on the island is based on a real building and it made me keen to travel to these far flung islands once the Covid situation allows. The story kept me engaged throughout and I became emotionally involved in the twins’ story. I will definitely look out for other novels by this author. I would like to thank the author, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Oh, my heart. This book is something truly beautiful. From the moment I read the chilling, tense and gripping prologue, I knew this was going to be something special, that this was going to be one of the best books I’ve read this year. But I was unprepared for just how magnificent it would be. I was mesmerised, lost in the pages, breathing the author’s words in like I needed them for my own survival. This book has reached into my soul and taken up residence there.

This is a story of love, sacrifice, fear and survival set against the backdrop of war. It explores how joy and hope can be found in the most unexpected and darkest of places, and how those who should be our enemies might turn out to be a friend. It is a story of star-crossed lovers, perfectly capturing the heady feeling of falling in love, the power of passion, and the hopefulness new romance brings. She has taken the true story of the building of the Orkney Cathedral and crafted a spellbinding story and compelling, richly drawn cast of characters that feel completely real. It is exquisitely written, with a cinematic quality that made me feel like I was watching everything happen in vivid technicolour. It was like I was right there, living every moment alongisde the characters.

Another theme that ran through this book was prisons. Selkie Holm is a prison twice over; an enforced one for the POWs and a chosen one for the sisters. There are also emotional and mental prisons, such as the ones Con’s trauma has put her in, and the prison that Dot has made for herself in order to help protect her sister. We also see how Dot, Con and Cesare all have a desire to escape their prisons; to live, be free, and find happiness. But they are all bound by their shackles, be they metal or mental, and don’t know how to break themselves free.

I loved the trio of narrators and the different perspectives they brought to the story. I was totally invested in Dorothy and Cesare’s love story and was rooting for them to have their happy-ever-after, even against seemingly insurmountable odds. I liked how different they were yet how they fit together so perfectly, overcoming language barriers and hailing from countries that are sworn enemies. While their feelings for each other are immediate, I liked that the author wrote their story slowly as it made it believable.

I admit, at first I did wonder why Constance had been given as much of a voice as Dorothy and Cesare, seeing as this was their story. But it soon became clear that she had a vital perspective and role to play in what transpired. I liked how her perspective, experience and relationship with her sister tempered the joy and excitement of the lovebirds, adding a layer of tension and unease that seems partly an overreaction, but is also understandable given the trauma she’s experienced. I also liked how it showed us a real selflessness to Dot’s character as she weighed up her loyalty to her sister against her own desires.

But it isn’t just the narrators who make this story what it is. The background cast are as important to propelling the story forward, and the backdrop is a character in itself; the vivid imagery of this bleak, unwelcoming place, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere where there is no escape, only helplessness and despair.

Hauntingly atmospheric, addictive and breathtaking, this novel reminds of the best and worst of humankind, shattering your heart and then giving you hope again. I can’t recommend this enough and even after days of agonising over this review, I worry I haven’t done justice to this phenomenal novel.

YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK!

A heartbreaking tale of the love that sisters share set on the backdrop of war. When Italian prisoners of war are sent to the tiny almost uninhabited island in the Orkneys, love blossoms and what transpires is a very shocking twist. A brilliant novel that I couldn’t put down.

The Second World War, 1940 sees 500 Italian prisoners-of-war shipped to the Orkney Islands to build sea fortifications to protect the islands from German U-boats. Twins Dorothy and Constance have already lost their parents and Constance suffered a traumatising experience which left her fearful of men so they are living on one of the deserted islands, but this is the one where the POWs will be housed. At first they try to keep to themselves, but their bothy (shelter) needs major repairs and so the sisters volunteer to work in the camp infirmary. Dorothy falls in love with Cesare, one of the POWs, whilst Constance is terrified to see that her attacker is working as a guard at the camp.

The book is a mixture of historical fiction based upon true facts (the small chapel still exists). I really felt for Constance, her experience basically left her traumatised and even her own sister became impatient with her at times. It was well-written but there was something missing for me. I don't like to compare books but not that long ago, I read another book set in the same time period and it absolutely shredded my emotions. I didn't feel that with this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Penguin Michael Joseph UK, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I loved this book.

Set in the harsh landscape of the Orkney islands during WW2, two sisters make their home in a hut on a deserted island; soon they are sharing the island with a thousand Italian prisoners of war, arrived to create defences against the German navy.

Caroline Lea creates the landscape so vividly - the bleakness, the weather, the temperature - you can feel it all, alongside the beauty and the power of the environment. Her ability to create believable and tangible characters is also exceptional - from the twins Dot and Con, the prisoners, the local Orcadians, the Major in charge of the unit... all are lifelike, all have distinct personalities, and you love and hate them as appropriate.

A well-crafted story with plenty of atmosphere, this is a really enjoyable read; the ending was particularly brilliant - I didn't anticipate it at all.

The Metal Heart by Caroline Lea is set on Orkney during WW2 when Italian prisoners of war tasked with building fortifications following a German U-boat attack. These men are imprisoned on a small island believed by locals to be cursed, where the only two inhabitants are Dorothy and Constance, twin sisters who have been living in a derelict bothy to escape their grief and fear. When Dorothy saves one of these Italian men from drowning, a relationship against all odds is born, testing the sister’s loyalty to its limits.

I devoured this book in just a few days, I loved the storytelling and was completely absorbed in the characters and their connections to one another. Lea’s writing is beautifully moving, I was transported to the freezing Orkney island and fully invested in the story between Dot and Cesare. It is told from three points of view, which I enjoyed as it revealed more of the complexities of their character and the shape of their pasts as the story moves along. Despite being a bleak and remote setting, this is a heart-warming story about how there is always love, beauty and humanity to be found even during the darkest of times. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for a digital copy for review.

I was sent an uncorrected advance proof copy of The Metal Heart by Caroline Lea to read and review by NetGalley. This was an engaging and emotive novel concerning, at it’s heart, humanity during wartime. Sensitively and quite romantically written, I really enjoyed reading it, with my only criticism being that it became rather repetitive at times. I believe that this was a foil used purposefully by the author, after reading the authors notes at the end of the book, however I would personally have preferred a little less of it. Ultimately a really good read that very nearly reached the pinnacle of 5 stars.

'The Metal Heart' is inspired by the true history of the chapel that was built on Orkney during the second world war, by the Italian POW's that were held there at the time. Alongside this inspiration Caroline Lea has interwoven the fictional narrative of two sisters torn apart by love and yet forever bonded through the power of sisterhood and myth.

Excited by the author's inspiration, I was, however, very surprised to come across a number of plot holes, continuity issues and, for historical fiction - many historical inaccuracies. I completely appreciate the blending of truth and fiction - the role of artistic license as-it-were to serve the story. But here, the fictional narrative did not feel strong enough on it's own to carry the continual overriding/total omission of historical details; this sadly prevented me from connecting properly with the story as much of the events lacked a sense of credibility.

Despite these issues, it was an atmospheric read and I very much enjoyed the descriptions of the chapel - a beautiful place I knew nothing about and am now keen to one day visit!

Unfortunately I just disliked this book, it didn’t hold my interest, and the twin characters were really annoying, and I disliked them immensely.

I’m not quite sure what the picture of a lighthouse on the front cover has to do with the book as well, other than making it look pretty!

Sorry, just not for me.

My thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph (especially as this one was an invitation!!!!)

I loved Caroline Lea’s first book, The Glass Woman, so I was delighted when I learned she had a new novel on the way. Set in the Orkney islands during World War 2, The Metal Heart is inspired by the true story of how Italian soldiers constructed a chapel on the island of Lamb Holm (Selkie Holm in the book) during the period it was used as a prisoner-of-war camp. You can find photographs of the chapel, the island and the surrounding landscape on Caroline’s Instagram feed.

Alongside the building of the chapel, the author has created a wonderful story involving twin sisters, Dorothy (known as Dot) and Constance (known as Con). Although identical in appearance, as the reader learns from the sections written from each sister’s point of view, they possess a very different outlook on life. For Constance, haunted by an experience that has made her distrustful of others, the dilapidated bothy on Selkie Holm which has become the sisters’ home is a refuge, a place she can feel safe. So the arrival of hundreds of male prisoners along with the often brutal men who guard them, reawakens disturbing memories. These, and feelings of guilt about her role in the fate of their father and mother, makes Con determined to protect her sister from experiencing anything like the trauma she has undergone. In contrast, for Dorothy, bolder in spirit than her sister, the arrival of the prisoners to the island opens up the possibility of a different future.

The arrival of the prisoners is initially greeted with suspicion by the Orcadians, the inhabitants of the Orkney islands. Fiercely independent, for them ‘mainland’ does not refer to Scotland but to the largest island in the group and the location of the centre of the community, Kirkwall. Their reservations partly ease when some of the prisoners are deployed as much-needed labour on local farms. The rest of the prisoners remain employed on Selkie Holm quarrying rocks in order to build barriers that will prevent German U-boats attacking the British fleet anchored in Scapa Flow. In one of the many interesting contradictions the book explores, the barriers eventually form causeways, making access between some of the islands easier than before for the local people.

I loved the way the author exposed the natural beauty of what could be viewed as a harsh, even bleak environment in some wonderful descriptive writing. ‘The sky is clear, star-stamped and silvered by the waxing gibbous moon.’ The signs of earlier inhabitants of the island – barrows and caves – combined with the myths associated with the island create a wonderful atmosphere. (While reading The Metal Heart, I was reminded of Amy Liptrot’s book The Outrun also set on Orkney and was delighted to see it mentioned in the author’s bibliography.)

The sections of the book describing the construction of the Catholic chapel are absolutely fascinating, with the prisoners making ingenious use of everyday objects and materials reclaimed from the damaged hulks of ships that surround the island. For the prisoners, and Cesare in particular, the building of the chapel is both a connection with home and a way of distracting themselves from the daily hardships of life in the camp: the gruelling, dangerous work; the brutality of the guards; the cold; the sickness that sweeps through the prisoners. ‘He is, for a moment, no longer a prisoner. His muscles do not ache, his stomach does not gripe. He is a free man, standing in a church in his own country. War and death are things that happen to other people, in other places. The chapel will be a place of peace.’

The chapel may be a place of peace but there is danger on other fronts, forcing each sister to make a heartbreaking choice and risk everything to do what they believe is right. A fascinating blend of fact and fiction, The Metal Heart is a touching love story and a message of hope that beauty can emerge from unexpected places, even in time of war.

The Metal Heart is told from three different character POVs and I thoroughly enjoyed reading all three. Dorothy, Constance, and Cesare. The story was very interesting, although a tad slow at the beginning, and it took me a little while to settle into the story. The writing itself was stunning and I found myself transported to the islands which was brilliant and such an escape. The characters Con and Dot are twins living on the island of Orkney and their story about how they survive the harsh conditions while dealing with Italian prisoners of war. The story flowed and the author's ability to weave in so much emotion and heartache is superb. There was so much to love in this historical fiction story, especially the Italian Chapel, and I can't wait to read the author's next book.

I struggled to connect with this book and I found I wasn’t really enjoying it even though the subject matter is a genre I’m usually interested in. At this time this book wasn’t for me. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.