I’d like to thank Penguin Michael Joseph UK and NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book. I have never read anything by Caroline Lea before and have one of her previous books sitting on my kindle. When this one popped up on NetGalley I decided to read it as a buddy read with my good friends Meg and Clare. We all love historical fiction and couldn’t wait to start reading this one.

The story is told from three POV; Dorothy, Constance and Cesare, having some of the story from Cesare was a welcomed addition. I enjoyed his early chapters and learning what life was like for him as a prisoner of war. Having said that, to begin with I found this one a little slow to start, a lot of time was spent laying the groundwork. I also found the writing style to be a little different and it took a little while for me to be fully invested in the story.

Once I reached the half way point I felt the pace had picked up a bit and was really enjoying the read. The relationship between Dorothy and Constance was interesting. At times I felt that both sisters were too hard on each other, perhaps they should of had a good heart to heart to fully understand how the other was feeling. A part of the story that tested the sister’s bond was the developing romance between Dorothy and Cesare. I could understand Constance’s weariness around the prisoner’s but I found myself rooting for Dorothy and Cesare’s happy ending.

I was a little disappointed at the historical inaccuracies and how much had been fictionalised. Caroline Lea explains her reasoning for this at the end of the book but it was definitely a talking point with myself and my buddy readers. We all agreed we loved the setting and have since looked up the Orkney Chapel, which is beautiful, and added it to our list of places to visit.

What resonated throughout the story was the unbreakable bond between Dorothy and Constance. As twin sister’s you would expect them to be close but the depth of their bond was shown in the final chapters. The ending was beautiful and cleverly written. Whilst I had expected a dramatic ending I hadn’t quite expected one as shocking as that. It was packed full of drama, emotion and heart break which made me love the bond between the sister’s even more.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy to read and review.

I will be sharing a full review on my book blog on publication day.

This book is beautifully written, I was transported to the islands to meet Dot and Con. A great mixture of history and fiction, fear and romance, The pages flew by as I wanted to find out what happened next.

One of my favourite books of 2021. I now need to read Caroline's previous book too

I read a previous book and received contact from the publisher to try her next book.
Con and Dot are twins living on a small island off Orkney trying to survive since the disappearance of their parents and Constance’s brush with a violent islander.
The island is to have Italian prisoners of war help build defences against the Germans after a submarine attack nearby on a battleship.
A great story told so well I was entranced by the story and the twin ladies living in harsh conditions and having to deal with a thousand strangers close by.
I now have the desire to visit Orkney and visit the Italian church built by the prisoners.

What a beautiful, emotional slice of historical fiction The Metal Heart was! I love this genre – the blending of facts and real events with the poetic licence of fiction really captivates me. Mix in Caroline Lea’s amazing ability to weave a heart-wrenchingly emotive love story – both the romantic kind and the one between sisters – and I’m hooked!

Set in 1942, during WWII on the Orkney islands in remote, northern Scotland, this story is narrated by flame-haired, 23-year-old twin sisters Dorothy (Dot) and Constance (Con), as well as Cesare, an Italian prisoner of war.

Dot and Con live on (the fictional) Selkie Holm in a tiny Bothy, an old shepherd’s house that was abandoned and they now take refuge in. They moved from one of the bigger, more populated islands to this smaller one with no people after an incident makes Con wary of being around men.

It is decided that the islands need more war defence, so 500 Italian prisoners of war are brought over to build sea barriers between the islands. The men’s camp is made on Selkie Holm – the twin’s island. They are not happy about this but their lives do end up becoming entwined with the men of the camp, particularly one named Cesare, who changes life for the twins, particularly Dot.

The Italian Chapel (take a little virtual tour of it here) is a Roman Catholic church that was really built by Italian prisoners of war during the Second World War on the island of Lamb Holm, constructed from two nissen huts, cement, found materials and the power of craftsmen’s hands. It takes centre stage in The Metal Heart and is truly an amazing monument to peace and hope – both in real life and in the story.

During the weeks in the run up to The Metal Heart‘s publication date, author Caroline Lea posted pictures of her research trip to Orkney on her Twitter. It’s so fascinating to see both an insight to her thought process and the amazing scenery that inspired her book. It’s also where I saw that there is an actual metal heart embedded into the floor of the chapel.

I loved all the themes that are explored in this book – from how women are made to feel scared and vulnerable by men all the time, the abuse of power, the loss of identity, the true impact of war, the strength of love. Yes, there may seem like a lot but they were all so effortlessly woven into both the story and each other, it just felt rich and so satisfying to read. And some of the wonderful sentences just made my heart ache, this is such a marvellously written book.

Weirdly, I read The Metal Heart straight after finishing Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone: both books are set in Scotland and both feature identical twin sisters as their lead characters. What are the chances? Themes of identity and loss crop up in both too, but otherwise, they are very different reads. Both excellent though!

Aside from Con, Dot and Cesare’s story (which you may have gathered, I loved), I also adored learning about the Italian Chapel. I had no idea it existed, so it led to a little Googling and discovering more about this time in history. Books that tell me a great story and teach me something new – my favourite combination.

I wanted to read this to learn more about Orkney and absorb the atmosphere. However for some reason, I did not feel overwhelmed by this book. I did feel that I had to keep reading because it was a nice story, but at times I lost patience with it, as it seemed to be so slow moving.

Set in the Orkney Islands in 1940.

Twins Dorothy and Constance live alone in a remote dilapidated cottage on a small island.
The area has just seen a German submarine attack the British Navy in Scapa Flow when it is announced that 500
Italian prisoners of war are coming to the area.
The islanders are not happy with this but Dot and Con volunteer to look after the sick and injured.
Dot becomes friendly with Cesare who has plans to build a chapel. Con is distrustful of him and afraid fro Dot.
Who trusts who within the islands?

At the centre of Caroline Lea’s The Metal Heart is the Italian Chapel, a remarkable building that was constructed in the Orkney Islands by Italian prisoners of war during the Second World War. That such a beautiful thing could have been made from abandoned huts and concrete on an uninhabited windswept island is a heck of a story in its own right. It hardly seems real that such a symbol of hope and peace was created in such a difficult time by people so far away from their homes, but the chapel is a beacon of light, a real life and long lasting example of how humans are compelled to make art even in the worst times.

In The Metal Heart, Lea uses the chapel only as a launching off point into her own tightly woven tale; a fictionalised sweeping love story that encompasses traditional Orcadian folklore, the thorny politics of the war, the realities of life in a small community (islanders and POW camp), the building of the chapel and much more besides.

Following a family tragedy, twins Dot and Con have moved from their home on Kirkwall to the uninhabited island of Selkie Holm, hoping to escape the eyes and chattering mouths of their fellow islanders. When a British boat is destroyed by a German U-Boat in the supposedly safe harbour, a large number of Italian prisoners of war are brought to Orkney to build new sea defences. They are housed in a camp on Selkie Holm, and Dot and Con must learn to live alongside their new neighbours. The story alternates points of view, but most of the narrative is shared between Dot, Con and Cesare, one of the prisoners. All three of the narrators are likeable in their own ways, and truly compelling to follow through the story.

The Orcadian setting is also gorgeously rendered; island life is hard and unforgiving, and some of the people who live there are hard and unforgiving too. But there is also a ragged splendour in the wildness of the sea or the wonderfully atmospheric Selkie Holm, and so there is beauty in the life as well. Lea’s skilled storytelling makes it seem inevitable that such a place would be the eventual home to something as gorgeous as the Italian Chapel, as though the barren island has just been waiting for the right people to come along and make something of the desolate beauty they found there.

I said that The Metal Heart is a love story, and it is. Cesare is a gentle, kind man; an artist at heart, who loves nothing more than to paint. Dot is brimming with compassion, eager to help nurse the sick prisoners and make their lives as comfortable as she can. The two of them are drawn to one another, a romance so inevitable from the moment they first see one another that we can’t help but be swept along with them. It’s Romeo and Juliet, but it is utterly convincing.

But if there is a key message that I think Lea wants us to take away from The Metal Heart, it is that there are many kinds of love – and none of them are any less consuming than the other. The central relationship powering the narrative is that of the sisterly bond between Dot and Con. Where Dot is gregarious, Con is insular, nursing no small amount of trauma and guilt, and reluctant to adapt to the new lifestyle that comes with living alongside the soldiers. But no matter the disagreements, or how Dot pulls against the bounds of their relationship, they love one another deeply, and would do literally anything for each other. Lea spends a lot of time exploring their dynamic, the push and pull that comes with knowing someone so well that you wonder if you could ever survive apart from them. It is a gorgeous examination of sisterly love, and one that provides no small amount of catharsis as the story progresses.

You can come to The Metal Heart for the history, or the romance, or the Orcadian folklore, but you will find that this is very much a book that is more than the sum of the parts.

The Metal Heart by Caroline Lea


The sky is clear, star-stamped and silvered by the waxing gibbous moon.

No planes have flown over the islands tonight; no bombs have fallen for over a year.
___________

Orkney, 1940.

Five hundred Italian prisoners-of-war arrive to fortify these remote and windswept islands. Resentful islanders are fearful of the enemy in their midst, but not orphaned twin sisters Dorothy and Constance. Already outcasts, they volunteer to nurse all prisoners who are injured or fall sick. Soon Dorothy befriends Cesare, an artist swept up by the machine of war and almost broken by the horrors he has witnessed. She is entranced by his plan to build an Italian chapel from war scrap and sea debris, and something beautiful begins to blossom. But Con, scarred from a betrayal in her past, is afraid for her sister; she knows that people are not always what they seem.
Soon, trust frays between the islanders and outsiders, and between the sisters - their hearts torn by rival claims of duty and desire.

A storm is coming . . .

In the tradition of Captain Corelli's Mandolin, The Metal Heart is a hauntingly rich Second World War love story about courage, freedom and the essence of what makes us human during the darkest of times

This book is stunningly beautiful, so much so that I had to sit and think in the quiet when I’d finished it. It’s so rich in folklore, historical detail, the trauma of war and bereavement that I know I could pick it up to read again and still find something new. I immediately ordered a signed copy for my forever shelf, because it is so special. What did I love about it? The Scottish folklore, the incredible landscape, the community, the dignity of people facing the hardest times of their lives. Then amidst the chaos, violence and confinement, beauty emerges in the shape of a deep, immediate, connection and growing love between two people who can’t even speak the same language. The counterpart to this human story is the Italian Chapel, built out of the scraps of metal huts and concrete the prisoners are allowed. Yet from these humble materials a building of true beauty emerges, that still stands today. It made me emotional to think about the lovers, but also the patience and faith of these incredible men who needed a place to worship, a piece of home.

Dorothy and Constance live on Selkie Holm, a small island close to Orkney. They are isolated outcasts, strange simply because of their doubling, but also because they’re thought to have bad luck. There are myths about the island and the selkie women that might lure a man into the water. People go missing there and the old fishermen who gather in the tavern love to swap old stories about the strange shapes seen in the water. It’s said that if you live there you might go mad. Besides, the girls have had bad luck enough with the drowning of their parents as they tried to row to Kirkwall hospital in a storm. People mutter that it isn’t right for two young girls to live there alone. Surely they must need other people? Yet, that’s exactly what Con doesn’t need. They live in the bothy because of a traumatic event that happened in Kirkwall and now she’s frightened of people, particularly men. So when it’s announced at a town meeting that Italian prisoners will be housed on Selkie Holm, Con is terrified. Their protests fall on deaf ears, since the sinking of the Royal Elm, Churchill has decided barriers must be built to prevent invasion. The prisoners will build the barricades and soon there are huts and barbed wire and men with boots all in Con’s place of safety. Worst of all, Angus McLeod has been given a job as a guard on the island and the girls want to avoid him most of all.

This is a story about freedom for all three main characters. Of course Cesare is the one literally behind a wire fence, but Dot and Con’s bothy is a prison of their own making. Watching each of them try to inch towards freedom in their own ways is moving and upholds my belief as a therapist that everyone is capable of change and even in the most straitened circumstances we still have choices. Cesare finds freedom in the infirmary where he is cared for, in the Major’s office helping with correspondence, in the building of the beautiful chapel and the first time he sets eyes on Dorothy or Dorotea in Italian. His utter joy at finding something so precious amongst the dirt, the heavy labour, the biting wind and the regular beatings, is hopeful and bittersweet. Just like the unexpectedly beautiful chapel, treasures are often found in the dirt.

‘Up on the hill, the chapel gleams in the sun. I imagine the light pouring in through the window. The pictures on the walls will gleam with life. And, on the ceiling above the altar, a white dove soars through a bright blue sky. How does something so beautiful come from such darkness? The tears are flowing freely now, as I turn back to the people watching me and I force myself to say, ‘Thank you.’


Dot finds her instant love for Cesare overwhelming, but she never questions or doubts her feelings or his. Con often reminds her what men are capable of, that she can’t trust someone she doesn’t know. Yet, for the first time, Dot places a boundary between herself and her sister, simply saying ‘I am not you’. This isn’t a criticism of her twin, but just an assertion that she is different, separate, and so is her life. She also makes a point of going to work in the infirmary, leaving Dot at the bothy. This is the first time where Con can see Dot moving into a life beyond her, their psychic or spiritual link can never be broken, but to wake up and live without her physical presence must be terrifying.

For Dot freedom means the ability to live a life separate from her sister’s, but also beyond the shadow of Angus McLeod. Dot’s trauma affected both girls and when she couldn’t go out, neither girl did. They have spent every day and night together since. This wasn’t Dot’s trauma, but she stopped living just the same. Now she dreams of sitting in the warmth of Italy, with Cesare and his family eating wonderful food. The image is a mile away from the dark, cold and stormy reality. Con sees the changes in Dot, and recognises she’s drifting away from her. Fiercely protective of her twin, it takes her a while to realise that in Cesare, Dot has found a man who is gentle and won’t hurt her. She knows she can’t hold her back, but it’s a huge wrench, like giving away part of herself when so much has been taken from her already. Watching Con’s realisations about her trauma and the potential for healing was one of the most moving parts of the novel.

The historical detail in the novel is incredible. Caroline Lea writes in her acknowledgments:

I wanted the love affair between my characters to be constrained by time and intensified by the precipitous and perilous nature of war, so I took many liberties with timings and action. This was a very conscious decision: I’m painfully aware of the difficulties in fictionalizing real historical events and people and selling them as ‘fact’, especially when this involves taking on the voices of ‘real’ people: I was very certain that I didn’t want to do that.

This explains her decision to change certain things: some of the history and geography is changed; the construction of the barriers was started by Irish workers; the sinking of a ship by German u-boat features the Royal Elm, not the Royal Oak. Yet the chapel, situated on Lamb Holm, is still standing and can be visited. Even the metal heart truly exists, created by metal worker Giuseppe Palumbi for an Orcadian woman he fell in love with. He had to return home to his wife and family in Italy and left the heart behind. By doing this she has made sure that no one’s real life experiences are encroached upon. This is definitely a work of fiction, although the amount of research and love for her subject is clear to see. The descriptions of the islands are simply stunning and the relentless sea is mercurial; one moment soothing and the next a punishing, vengeful god. The inhabitants of the islands intrigued me too, in the way they slowly integrated with these prisoners of war. Even the two girls, shrouded in grief and superstition, are gently supported by this generous community. Now the chapel is part of this community’s history, with the metal heart at its centre. It shows us that light can shine into the darkest corners and choosing to love, despite the pain and grief, can be the bravest stand we can take.

‘All across Europe, bodies are falling from the sky or into the sea, or are being blown high into the air. Every explosion is a name. Every lost life is carved on someone else’s heart. Every death takes more than a single life. It takes memories and longing and hope. But not the love. The love remains’.

This will appear on my blog on 14th April 2021.

Whilst this is fiction, it managed to paint a very interesting view of how things might very well have been with POWs in the UK. An interesting tale which, due to its well-painted characters and plots, left me looking for justification to up my 3 Star rating to 4 and I am happy to say that the final part of the book provided just that. Cannot say why as that would be a spoiler for other readers and I do feel that if you are in any way tempted, give in, buy the book and discover why the final part of the book makes it a 4 Star one.

An historical romance set on Orkney in the early 1940s. Although the story is based on true events, there is no attempt to be factually accurate. This, coupled with geographical inaccuracies (you don't cross the Alps to get from France to Spain), really annoyed me. In the bibliography at the end of the book, it was clear that the author had carried out extensive reading so why not be historically accurate. The condensing of the time period was totally unrealistic.
The writing itself was easy to read although at times it was rather slow moving. I couldn't engage with the characters and using the identical (interchangeable) twin idea is just so clichéd.
I'd have enjoyed the book more if I'd felt that the writer had made more of an effort with accuracy, without that I just felt disappointed and let down.

After the popularity of Caroline Lea’s previous novel ‘The Glass Woman,’ I jumped at the opportunity to read and review The Metal Heart. The general premise is that hundreds of Italian prisoners of war arrive in Orkney in 1940 to begin the construction of enemy fortifications around the islands. Twin sisters Dot and Con are thrust into the middle of it all when the prisoners arrive on their island and a camp is erected near their house.

I expected this to primarily be a love story but instead, it explored the concepts of sisterhood, trauma, grief, and war. Whilst there definitely was a romance element, it wasn’t overly detailed and by no means would I consider it to be the main plot point. The bond between the sisters was strained by grief but their desperation to maintain their relationship was palpable.

At first I was slightly confused by the dates at the beginning of the chapters but I soon realised they were not too important as the events unfold primarily in chronological order.

The last 20% of the book is really what turned this from a good book to a great book in my opinion. I physically couldn’t read it fast enough. I would never have predicted the ending and I audibly gasped a number of times.

All in all, I really enjoyed this novel and I’m sure I’ll be keeping an eye out for Caroline Lea’s future releases. I think this is a perfect read for anyone who has previously enjoyed ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’ or ‘The Lost Lights of St Kilda.’

A huge thank you to Michael Joseph for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Based (loosely) on Italian Prisoners of War in 1940's Orkney This book is beautiful and well written I couldn't put it down, I went through so many emotions whilst reading this book.. I will definitely be reading more from this author

This novel is beautiful in every way. The Orkney setting is magical, the characters have real depth and the story was perfect.

Twins Dorothy and Con live apart from the community in a bothy, making a simple life for themselves in often harsh conditions. Then everything is turned upside down when a POW camp is built on their island. With secrets, love and betrayals, this novel evokes every emotion, and the climax does not disappoint!

I loved this book. 4 BIG stars from me, and a new found desire to visit Orkney and the Italian chapel which the story is based upon. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this e-arc.

A lovely historical fiction novel loosely based on events in Orkney during World War 2. I thought the book was beautifully written and I liked how the story moved between different characters’ points of views.

The Metal Heart is an intriguing novel with some very heartbreaking moments.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for a review.

A well-written evocative story set in wartime and exploring issues of violence, love and family. The story of Italian POWs who really did build a chapel on Lambs Holm, the book takes this factual story and weaves a whole other set of charming stories around the central character of Dorothy, an orphaned twin who becomes involved with one of the prisoners. Lovely characterisation and a story that plays out against a brutal background, it is clever and unexpected to the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for the arc in return for an honest review.

Based loosely on real events in Orkney in World War 2 when Italian POWs were kept in a work camp there, this is the story of adult twin sisters,, Constance and Dorothy. Their experiences before the arrival of the Italians, including the loss of both parents, have shaped their characters and enhanced their twin sibling bond. The experiences they have during the period of the work camp will change both their lives forever. An intriguing story told in the most beautiful lyrical descriptive language.

I really enjoyed this moving story set in 1940s Orkney. It was the setting that attracted me to read this having visited the islands several years ago. The detail in the writing really envelopes you in the inhospitable weather and intrigues you with it's folklore. Fact is woven into fiction as the Italian Chapel really does exist and was built by prisoners of war.
Constance and Dorothy, twin Orcanian sisters live a hermit like existence in a dilapidated bothy where they are shielding Constance following an attack by Angus, a young male islander.
Things change however when the islanders receive Italian prisoners and the men are enlisted to build defences. Cesare a young Italian begins to build a friendship and relationship with Dorothy and a love story ensues. The final few chapters are both tense and moving. I won't say more because it has a great twist which is part of the enjoyment factor. I would definitely recommend giving this a read.

Kindly sent from the publishing team for an honest review.

I don't think my words could do this book justice.

The opening sentence alone was eerie and I didn't want to put it down. This book is packed with themes but doesn't drown any out. It touches on relationship, love, hope, grief, trauma and phobia. I was engrossed into the story and it was truly atmospherical.

I will definitely be reading the authors other books,

This story is set during the second world war, at an interesting time when some Italian prisoners of war were sent to the Orkneys, to build a barrier to prevent German u boats attacking the British fleet, and ended up building a chapel which can still be seen today.
Twins Constance and Dorothy live alone on an uninhabited island close to Kirkwall, after a series of traumatic events made them leave their family home.
This island is where the camp for the Italians is built, and where the action of the book takes place.
The building of a relationship between one of the prisoners, and the twins is central to the plot, and drives the narrative, as does the building of the chapel, making something beautiful out of nothing. There were many twists along the way, and it made an interesting tale of how much we all really have in common.
There was a missed opportunity to explore the effect of the prisoners on the local community, and this could have made the narrative richer.
All in all, a good read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read this book.

The Metal Heart by Caroline Lea is set on the Scottish island of Orkney and the fictional island of Selkie Holm during World War 2, and is partly inspired by the real life building of the Italian chapel on Orkney.

In general I tend to stay away from WW2 novels, mostly because my grandfather fought in the war before becoming a POW and his stories always seem much more visceral and exciting than anything fictional. However, I loved Caroline Lea's first novel, The Glass Woman, so I decided to give this a try.

The book tells the story of twins Dorothy and Constance (Dot and Con) who have suffered the trauma of losing their parents and have moved off the island of Orkney, onto the nearby smaller island of Selkie Holm, which is rumoured to be cursed. There are also hints that Con has suffered some sort of attack at the hands of a local boy, Angus, which has also driven the women away from the main island.

Lea fictionalises the real life attack on the HMS Royal Oak in Scapa Flow, and turns this into the Royal Elm. This attack triggers the building of fortifications around the island, mainly with the use of labour supplied by Italian POW's. The POW's are held on Selkie Holm and inevitably Dot and Con come into contact with the prisoners. Unfortunately, Con's attacker, Angus is a guard at the POW camp.

The arrival of the prisoners and all that entails, is initially an unwelcome intrusion on the women's lives, but Dot soon finds herself falling for one of the prisoners, Cesare.

As with The Glass Woman, Lea introduces some of the mythology that comes stems from living somewhere so remote and wild. Personally for me I would have liked more of the mystical stuff in the book, but that's my personal preference. The people who are attracted to this book as a WW2 novel probably won't mind that. For me there was also a feeling of inevitability that comes whenever a writer uses twins in their work, and sure enough, there's no big surprise there.

Those are minor criticisms though, and overall I did enjoy the book. The treatment of the POW's at the hands of their captors is cruel and savage, but also the effect on the islanders of having them nearby, when so many families have lost loved ones to the war is sensitively handled. The war has overwhelmed everything and the ordinary people caught up in it are simply trying their best to keep their heads above water, regardless of what side they are on. Lea handles both sides with empathy and compassion, reminding us there are humans on both sides, and ultimately, nobody wins.