The Chapel at the Edge of the World by Kirsten McKenzie

The Chapel at the Edge of the World

Kirsten McKenzie

1942: Emilio is a prisoner of war in Orkney, fiancee Rosa is at home in Italy. Whilst Emilio and the other prisoners spend their time making a chapel out of a derelict hut and hoping the war will end, Rosa is drawn into the resistance movement. Will their love last? Will they survive the war? A moving story that will will keep you turning the pages.

Extract
She looked up, above the steaming lake to the deep blue mountains, peaks rising to crisp sugared points in the sky. There her own holidays had been spent, at her grandparents' home in the folds of Monte Galbiga. It was there that she had first met Emilio, and she saw him again now, a small stick boy, up to his knees in water, eyes darting, watching the silver fish slip past him as he dipped down to catch them, each time emerging with an icy splash and empty hands, but laughing, happy to fail.
Parallels
  • The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies
  • Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres