{"product_id":"the-metal-heart","title":"The Metal Heart","description":"\u003cb\u003eWild, beautiful and spellbinding, this is the compelling wartime story of freedom and love on the windswept islands of Orkney\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Powerful . . . Lea writes beautifully of island life and love, and the sacrifices that both demand' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eTHE TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Deeply evocative of Orkney and its wild beauty. A stunning tale of sisters, salvation and sacrifice' \u003c\/b\u003eEmma Stonex\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe sky is clear, star-stamped and silvered by the waxing gibbous moon.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNo planes have flown over the islands tonight; no bombs have fallen for over a year.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e___________\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOrkney, 1940.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFive hundred Italian prisoners-of-war arrive to fortify these remote and windswept islands.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eResentful 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSoon 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut Con, scarred from a betrayal in her past, is afraid for her sister; she knows that people are not always what they seem.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSoon, trust frays between the islanders and outsiders, and between the sisters - their hearts torn by rival claims of duty and desire.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA storm is coming . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn the tradition of \u003ci\u003eCaptain Corelli's Mandolin\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Metal Heart \u003c\/i\u003eis a hauntingly rich Second World War love story about courage, freedom and the essence of what makes us human during the darkest of times.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e___________\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Confirms Lea as a highly original and inventive writer' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A tense, passionate and deeply atmospheric novel . . .\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eCaroline's beautiful transported me entirely to another time and land' \u003c\/b\u003eSusan Fletcher\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A beautiful, heart-breaking tale of grief, love and the bond between sisters' \u003c\/b\u003eLouise Hare\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Myth, legend, fear and superstition all play a part in this intensely atmospheric novel' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Atmospheric, heart-wrenching, evocative' \u003c\/b\u003eGytha Lodge\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003ePraise for Caroline Lea:\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Enthralling'\u003c\/b\u003e Stacey Halls, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Familiars \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Foundling\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Fantastic' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Memorable and compelling'\u003c\/b\u003e Sarah Moss, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Times \u003c\/i\u003eBook of the Year \u003ci\u003eGhost Wall\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Intensely written and atmospheric'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Gripped me in a cold fist. Beautiful'\u003c\/b\u003e Sara Collins, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Confessions of Frannie Langton\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Brilliant'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eDaily Express\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47110323667154,"sku":"9780241423301","price":31.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/1089\/8005\/files\/1_e58f6226-89ed-4c84-8991-ba2704f5c845.jpg?v=1781730416","url":"https:\/\/indigo-pre-prod.myshopify.com\/products\/the-metal-heart","provider":"Indigo Pre-Prod","version":"1.0","type":"link"}