This book caught my eye in Waterstones because I’ve visited The Orkneys and the beautiful Italian Chapel, lovingly created by Italian prisoners of war in WW2. It was an act of true devotion.
This book was well researched, filling in many details of the life of the men on the tiny island of Lamb Holm, and a fitting tribute to them. The author describes how he has woven facts into fiction and is honest where he has embellished the truth for the sake of creativity.
I really enjoyed this novel, the characters were so well described, as was the sense of place, in contrast to their Mediterranean home.
It was quite a different style to Caroline Lea’s ‘The Metal Heart’ which I reviewed four years ago, but I believe both have a place amongst good Scottish Historical Fiction.
Diana Jackson 