William Edwards is a self-taught stonemason with an impossible ambition: to build a bridge across the River Taff that will withstand the floods that have defeated those who came before him.
But the attempt will cost him more than stone and money. His reputation, his family's future and his belief in his own abilities are all at stake.
★★★★★
“This is historical fiction at its finest, thoughtful, moving, and utterly unforgettable.”
Mary Anne Yarde, Yarde Book Promotions
In eighteenth-century Wales, the River Taff is both a lifeline and a barrier. It carries water through the valleys, powers industry and shapes the lives of the communities along its banks. But when the rains come, the river can become violent and unpredictable, cutting people off and making every crossing a risk.
William Edwards grows up in this world. Born into a farming family with little money and few opportunities, he has no formal training as an engineer or architect. What he does possess is an instinctive understanding of stone, an enquiring mind and a determination to learn.
As a young stonemason, William begins to build a reputation for work that lasts. Houses, walls and smaller bridges bring him recognition, but also responsibilities. He has a family to support, workers who depend upon him and a community that knows exactly who to blame when something goes wrong.
Then comes an opportunity that will change his life: to build a permanent bridge across the Taff.
The challenge is greater than anything William has attempted before. The river is powerful, the span daunting and the consequences of failure considerable. Yet the bridge could transform the lives of those who must cross the valley, opening safer routes for families, farmers, traders and the growing industries of South Wales.
When the Stones Held follows William Edwards from his modest beginnings to the undertaking that would define him. Around him, Wales itself is changing. Old ways of life are being challenged as commerce grows, communities expand and the first signs of an industrial future begin to appear.
At its heart, this is the story of an ordinary man attempting something extraordinary, and of what ambition demands from him, his family and those who place their faith in his hands.
