Children of the Volcano

Immensely enjoyable... Ros's experiences are fascinating. She's clearly a woman who doesn't let the obstacles life throws at her get her down — Chris Stewart, author of Driving Over Lemons

Reeling from a broken relationship, Ros Belford decides the best chance she has of healing, while giving her daughters a childhood to remember, is to move to Italy and live by the sea.

After a false start in a town where machismo is ingrained, they find the small, lush, delightful island of Salina. Izzy and Juno grow up playing on the beach, learning to swim over volcanic bubbles, hearing tales of Aeolian witches and watching Stromboli erupt on the horizon.

It is not entirely paradise, however. The school is atrocious, there are power cuts and an earthquake, and property speculators threaten the island's fragile beauty. But an eclectic community of islanders take them to their hearts, friendships are forged and Salina becomes home.

Full of humanity, vitality, honesty and optimism, Children of the Volcano is for anyone unwilling to give up dreams of adventure and excitement simply because of parenthood, lack of money and not getting things right the first time.