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Children of the Volcano
An uplifting, humorous memoir of a mother building a new life on a beautiful Sicilian island.
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.
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.
- GenresNonfiction
288 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 15, 2024
In the Spring of 2023, Ros Belford was back in Salina. A tiny island just off the coast of Sicily. It had been a while since she had been there, but the memories of that time came flooding back fully, when she stood outside the house she lived in with her daughters. The thought of breaking in as she had to do when she had forgotten her key, crosses her mind. She would love to see what the inside is like now and to bring back more memories. She doesn’t. But she does find a stone her daughters had painted of the volcano they could see from the house. She picks that up and walks away
Her earlier memories were from 2004 when her circumstances changed; splitting up from the father of her girls and a paid opportunity to update a guidebook meant that she could take them to Italy, a place she loves so much. The first trip was to Sicily and then on to Favignana. Their arrival in Sicily is an assault on the senses; the noise and the smells, the hot air blowing their hair from the open car window as it hurtles down the motorway to Trapani to catch the hydrofoil to Favignana. They arrive and just need to find somewhere to live.
She finds a room in Villa Antonella. It will do for the short term, but she needs to rent somewhere as the budget will not stretch to a hotel room for the duration. They settle into life on the island and start to get to know people.
Belford finds a suitable and affordable place to rent and moves in one evening after hurriedly buying bedding. Within a few days, it feels like home with toys and clothes strewn about the house. Life begins to feel normal once again, developing routines that fit their life there. They stay for the summer and then another opportunity to update a guidebook for Sicily comes up. When they are on the way over there, her daughter asks what those specs in the distance are. It turns out that they are the Aeolian islands and the memory of a conversation with a food critic surfaces, they loved the island of Salina.
She knew they had found their next place to live.
They travel the island on the bus, watching the raptors hanging in the air, noting the colours in the landscape as they pass. In the distance is the island of Stromboli with smoke rising from its active conical volcano. The bus driver tells them they may be able to see the lava at night.
She meets Emma, an English lady who had moved to the island to marry someone. It is the start of a long friendship. It feels, as the bus driver said, that the island has found them. As they get to know the locals, someone recommends a property to rent. It is a bit of a mess, but the view from the terrace is what sells it to her. Belford knows they will be happy there.
I really liked this book about the tiny islands of Sicily. It brought back happy memories of a holiday we had on the island in 2019. Belford’s writing is evocative, painting a picture of the landscape and the rich tapestry of life on this island. I liked the addition of two essays by her daughters at the end of the book too. They appreciated what their mother had done for them in their formative years and how living there had shaped their own lives for the good. I thought this was well worth reading.
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Her earlier memories were from 2004 when her circumstances changed; splitting up from the father of her girls and a paid opportunity to update a guidebook meant that she could take them to Italy, a place she loves so much. The first trip was to Sicily and then on to Favignana. Their arrival in Sicily is an assault on the senses; the noise and the smells, the hot air blowing their hair from the open car window as it hurtles down the motorway to Trapani to catch the hydrofoil to Favignana. They arrive and just need to find somewhere to live.
She finds a room in Villa Antonella. It will do for the short term, but she needs to rent somewhere as the budget will not stretch to a hotel room for the duration. They settle into life on the island and start to get to know people.
Belford finds a suitable and affordable place to rent and moves in one evening after hurriedly buying bedding. Within a few days, it feels like home with toys and clothes strewn about the house. Life begins to feel normal once again, developing routines that fit their life there. They stay for the summer and then another opportunity to update a guidebook for Sicily comes up. When they are on the way over there, her daughter asks what those specs in the distance are. It turns out that they are the Aeolian islands and the memory of a conversation with a food critic surfaces, they loved the island of Salina.
She knew they had found their next place to live.
They travel the island on the bus, watching the raptors hanging in the air, noting the colours in the landscape as they pass. In the distance is the island of Stromboli with smoke rising from its active conical volcano. The bus driver tells them they may be able to see the lava at night.
She meets Emma, an English lady who had moved to the island to marry someone. It is the start of a long friendship. It feels, as the bus driver said, that the island has found them. As they get to know the locals, someone recommends a property to rent. It is a bit of a mess, but the view from the terrace is what sells it to her. Belford knows they will be happy there.
I really liked this book about the tiny islands of Sicily. It brought back happy memories of a holiday we had on the island in 2019. Belford’s writing is evocative, painting a picture of the landscape and the rich tapestry of life on this island. I liked the addition of two essays by her daughters at the end of the book too. They appreciated what their mother had done for them in their formative years and how living there had shaped their own lives for the good. I thought this was well worth reading.
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July 27, 2024
Where to start...it's emotional, it's amazing, it's fabulous.
Roz takes you on an journey, her journey and that of Izzy & Juno.
Not an easy life but one filled with the wonders of a small Italian island where there is/was a community that brought happiness and friendships, along with a life that allowed them to Find Freedom.
I felt transported to the islands, to the towns and villages by the vivid descriptions of the scenery, the culture came across in such an absorbing manner.
Roz takes you on an journey, her journey and that of Izzy & Juno.
Not an easy life but one filled with the wonders of a small Italian island where there is/was a community that brought happiness and friendships, along with a life that allowed them to Find Freedom.
I felt transported to the islands, to the towns and villages by the vivid descriptions of the scenery, the culture came across in such an absorbing manner.
October 29, 2024
I wanted to love this book especially as it seemed to parallel my own experiences of moving abroad to live on a remote island with small children.
The author is an Italian-speaker so could have long involved conversations with locals but we don’t really meet our first local until chapter three. Perhaps if I’d known Italy, I would have enjoyed it more but the book didn’t take me there. I was also a little lost - this might also be my problem - and a map of Sicily with the tiny communities and beaches marked would have helped a great deal.
Belford clearly worked hard on her metaphors and similes but sometimes a phrase would be divorced from an object so Belford writes “improbably tall, skinny palms sway in the breeze, then zigzag along narrow, dark, unlit streets.” Page 23
And
[watching] “from a canopied red velvet throne on a boat of tropical wood, fitted with a Persian carpet powered by ten oarsmen.” Page 55
Nevertheless, Belford was impressive and brave to move to Sicily – home to the Maffia – a single parent with daughters aged just two and five to start life afresh in a region of a country she didn’t know. Your heart goes out to her as she struggles with a pushchair and suitcase unsure where to find a roof for the night. She succeeded, of course, and didn’t return to England until the girls were 13 and 16. Happily, attending a local school without books didn’t compromise their education. Their time in Sicily was richer educationally than any book could have been.
Mothers wanting to read about the adventures of this little family will no doubt enjoy this book, as well as those who like reading about an experience of Italy that goes beyond sunbathing and red wine.
I appreciated receiving a free copy of the book from the author / publisher for review.
The author is an Italian-speaker so could have long involved conversations with locals but we don’t really meet our first local until chapter three. Perhaps if I’d known Italy, I would have enjoyed it more but the book didn’t take me there. I was also a little lost - this might also be my problem - and a map of Sicily with the tiny communities and beaches marked would have helped a great deal.
Belford clearly worked hard on her metaphors and similes but sometimes a phrase would be divorced from an object so Belford writes “improbably tall, skinny palms sway in the breeze, then zigzag along narrow, dark, unlit streets.” Page 23
And
[watching] “from a canopied red velvet throne on a boat of tropical wood, fitted with a Persian carpet powered by ten oarsmen.” Page 55
Nevertheless, Belford was impressive and brave to move to Sicily – home to the Maffia – a single parent with daughters aged just two and five to start life afresh in a region of a country she didn’t know. Your heart goes out to her as she struggles with a pushchair and suitcase unsure where to find a roof for the night. She succeeded, of course, and didn’t return to England until the girls were 13 and 16. Happily, attending a local school without books didn’t compromise their education. Their time in Sicily was richer educationally than any book could have been.
Mothers wanting to read about the adventures of this little family will no doubt enjoy this book, as well as those who like reading about an experience of Italy that goes beyond sunbathing and red wine.
I appreciated receiving a free copy of the book from the author / publisher for review.
October 19, 2024
I absolutely adored Children of the Volcano by Ros Belford …
Having lived between London and Sicily for the past 20 years I am always on the look out for new books about Sicily and I am so glad I found this one
Ros’s story is a tale of a brave woman who moved her two young daughters to Salina, a small island off the northern coast of Sicily, on her own for a better and more wholesome life
I loved all her characters and the people of the island and by the end you feel like you know them all, including Ros and her delightful girls Juno and Izzy
She transports you to the island through her adventures and experiences and through the people she meets along the way
I loved how Ros intertwined stories of fascinating Sicilian myths and legends, interesting geological facts, the history and culture of the Aeolian Islands and of course the delicious local produce that she eats and cooks which makes you want to visit the islands
Along with her happy experiences she also shares the challenges you can sometimes face as a English woman living in Sicily
A must read !!!!
Having lived between London and Sicily for the past 20 years I am always on the look out for new books about Sicily and I am so glad I found this one
Ros’s story is a tale of a brave woman who moved her two young daughters to Salina, a small island off the northern coast of Sicily, on her own for a better and more wholesome life
I loved all her characters and the people of the island and by the end you feel like you know them all, including Ros and her delightful girls Juno and Izzy
She transports you to the island through her adventures and experiences and through the people she meets along the way
I loved how Ros intertwined stories of fascinating Sicilian myths and legends, interesting geological facts, the history and culture of the Aeolian Islands and of course the delicious local produce that she eats and cooks which makes you want to visit the islands
Along with her happy experiences she also shares the challenges you can sometimes face as a English woman living in Sicily
A must read !!!!
October 7, 2024
An uplifting, insightful and captivating brave personal story. Many of us fantasise about running away from painful, bleak, difficult or simply hum drum situations to create a better life elsewhere but few of us have the courage or grit to follow it through. Doubly hard to do as a Mum with two small children.
Ros Belford’s evocative use of language takes us from the edgy streets of London where her Children are drawn to the shiny glints of shattered safety glass to the beaches of Sicily where they gather seashells and beautiful pebbles watch dolphins and sunsets. In Sicily Ros navigates her way through a macho culture of mafia threats. Discovers and learns to cook mouthwatering traditional recipes. They become part of a community bonded through life and survival on a volcanic island. The book made me smile and brought tears to my eyes, I didn’t want it to end.
Ros Belford’s evocative use of language takes us from the edgy streets of London where her Children are drawn to the shiny glints of shattered safety glass to the beaches of Sicily where they gather seashells and beautiful pebbles watch dolphins and sunsets. In Sicily Ros navigates her way through a macho culture of mafia threats. Discovers and learns to cook mouthwatering traditional recipes. They become part of a community bonded through life and survival on a volcanic island. The book made me smile and brought tears to my eyes, I didn’t want it to end.
October 11, 2025
A wonderfully warm account of a mother and her children making a new lives for themselves in a new land. An incredibly brave move for anyone, without small children, but making a home and life with two such small children is awe inspiring.
Descriptions of places, including the weather and sea, bring the little island to life.
I had always wanted to visit Sicily, but reading this beautiful book brought Sicily to life. On a future visit to Sicily I'd like to go to Salina as I am sure I will be able to identify some of the places so beautifully painted for us in this book.
I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone.
A book I am proud to keep on my coffee table.
Descriptions of places, including the weather and sea, bring the little island to life.
I had always wanted to visit Sicily, but reading this beautiful book brought Sicily to life. On a future visit to Sicily I'd like to go to Salina as I am sure I will be able to identify some of the places so beautifully painted for us in this book.
I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone.
A book I am proud to keep on my coffee table.
October 17, 2024
A mother chooses to take her two children to an unsettling yet joyous place and bring them up there. In the book, the world of Salina is finely drawn, intact and the story draws you easily into the wildness of the island’s nature and the idiosyncrasies of everyday life. I really enjoyed the light and warmth of this story and appreciated its steely backbone. This is the story of home: its meaning, its shape, the relationships that bind it. Ultimately, home is the strong bond between these Ros, Izzy and Juno - they are each other’s world. Would highly recommend.
September 2, 2024
This is the story of a brave single mother who flees to Sicily and lives there with her young daughters for more than a decade. It is an interesting story but not as evocative and I thought it would be.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews