A gorgeously evocative tale, ‘Vermilion Skies’ may be classed as a love story, however there is far more on offer here. Set mainly in Chile, where the scenery and society paint a vivid scene, 14 year old Milana has an understanding of humanity far beyond her years. As Milana struggles with tragedy and to find life beyond the shanty town where she lives, she explores life and love. Wendela Lumley writes with a beautiful empathy and tenderness yet she doesn't shy away from reality. The fragility and harshness of life provokes and prods at your awareness, while in the next moment, joy in the beauty that can be found in the smallest thing, shines through the pages. Travelling across years, searching for truth and understanding, this is an engaging and captivating love story. ~ Liz Robinson
A haunting love story that captures the magic and mysticism of an extraordinary country. Set in Chile, Vermilion Skies follows the life of Milana, a shantytown girl, who struggles with the legacy of an abusive step father, the daily taunts of drug pedlars who lust after her and an imagination fed by books she finds in charity bags. When tragedy tears through the flimsy fabric of her life it is Santiago, a stranger she finds working by the river who will offer her an unusual means of escape. Eligible and aristocratic, Santiago is an artist on the brink of fame who is trapped in a nightmare of his own. While their love will drive them across continents, shattering all the barriers of convention, Santiago and Milana discover themselves to be the innocent victims of an appalling crime and a secret that threatens to devastate their relationship...As the plot weaves its remarkable story, the reader will be gripped and moved by the unravelling of the human spirit in search of love. A magical and passionate tale to be enjoyed by any age.
Wendela Lumley, the daughter of a Chilean artist and a Canadian concert pianist, was born in London, where she studied Law and then a postgraduate degree in The Fine and Decorative Arts. She has travelled extensively and, after meeting her husband, they lived for many years in Chile with their five children. In 2004, they returned to England and settled near Newbury in Berkshire.
