The Metal Heart

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
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
Atmospheric, heart-wrenching, evocative - this is a gorgeously written story about the scars we carry with us, and how they can be overcome
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
Confirms Lea as a highly original and inventive writer
A story of innocents caught up in the machinery of war. Exquisitely researched, beautifully told, this tiny corner of Scotland came alive
Myth, legend, fear and superstition all play a part in this intensely atmospheric novel
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
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
A stunning World War Two novel, unlike any other
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.
Draws you into a wild landscape through an exquisitely told love story
Superbly plotted . . . a story that comes together convincingly, complete with a wonderful double-twist in its final pages
A mesmerising and atmospheric read
Praise for THE GLASS WOMAN
A fantastic, atmospheric debut
Memorable and compelling. A novel about what haunts us - and what should
An enthralling tale
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
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