Most visitors to Lanzarote are drawn by the traditional holiday combinations of sun, sea and sand. Many, when they tire of these, will head for the Timanfaya National Park, a stark and dramatic volcanic landscape largely formed by the multiple eruptions which took place between 1730 and 1736.
J. H. Wallace visited Lanzarote more than once during her career as a cook on charter yachts based in the Mediterranean, and was struck like many others by the wild beauty of the landscape, but she was also moved to investigate the island’s history and think about the effects which such a cataclysm must have had on the lives of ordinary people.
Her researches formed the basis for her novel Lanzarote, the story of a young and innocent islander who is seduced by a visiting fisherman and leaves the stifling security of her middle-class home to be with him and have his child. But their plans for a better future together are wrecked when the volcanoes deep under the surface of the island erupt, destroying whole families and their property.
What readers are saying:
"A gripping dark tale of thwarted love, one woman's struggle to survive in the hostile world where the church was all powerful."
"An extremely graphic account of how people can keep going even in the face of the most severe hardship."
"Enjoyed this compelling novel - the main characters kept me hooked throughout."
"[The author] has combined her experiences of life at sea, detailed research and a vivid imagination to make this tragic tale a cracking read - I couldn't put it down."