When the Stones Held
By David E. Owen
Publisher: Independently Published
Print Length: 331 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
When The Stones Held is an unforgettable historical novel inspired by the true story of William Edwards, the self taught Welsh stonemason who built one of the greatest bridges of the eighteenth century.
Born into poverty in the remote valleys of South Wales, William grows up in a world shaped by hard labour, dangerous rivers, and communities struggling to survive. Education is rare. Opportunity is rarer still. Yet from childhood, William becomes fascinated by stone, by balance, and by the dream of building something that will outlive him.
As the coal trade begins transforming Wales and merchants demand safer routes through the valleys, William sets himself an impossible task, to build a bridge across the fierce River Taff where others have failed. Floods destroy his work. Rivals mock him. Powerful men try to break him. Each collapse threatens his reputation, his livelihood, and the people he loves.
Set against the harsh beauty of eighteenth century Wales, When The Stones Held is a story of ambition, resilience, love, grief, and determination. It brings to life the people, language, and struggles of a forgotten world while telling the remarkable true story behind the bridge that gave birth to the town of Pontypridd.
Perfect for readers who enjoy rich historical fiction, Welsh history, and stories of ordinary people achieving extraordinary things.
Book Review - Five Stars
I knew absolutely nothing about William Edwards before picking up When the Stones Held. By the end of it, I was looking up his bridge and wondering how I had never heard of him before. I also know far more about building stone arches than I ever expected to, so there is that.
What really got me, though, was William himself. We meet him as a little boy before he becomes the man remembered by history, and his childhood is desperately sad in places. Losing his father changes everything. There is poverty, insecurity and the constant reminder that people such as the Prices have power while families like William's have very little.
Then Mr Morgan comes along, and I loved him.
He sees something in William that other people don't. He doesn't magically turn him into a master stonemason overnight either. William has to learn. He builds walls, gets things wrong, watches how water behaves and slowly begins to understand what stone can and cannot do. I really enjoyed those parts because when William eventually takes on much bigger projects, you know exactly where all that knowledge came from.
I also spent quite a lot of this book being annoyed on William's behalf. Ewan Price starts bullying him when they are children, and unfortunately the Price family don't become any more likeable as William gets older. There are some moments involving the chapel much later in the story when I was practically cheering at the page.
I honestly didn't expect to care whether an eighteenth-century stone bridge stayed up, but apparently I care very much. Every failure hurt because by then I understood what William had put into it. When something finally worked, I felt ridiculously pleased for him.
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There is much more to When the Stones Held than bridge building, though. It is about family, friendship, faith, poverty, prejudice, grief and what it costs to keep pursuing something when other people are waiting for you to fail.
I started this book wondering whether a story about a Welsh bridge builder was really going to hold my attention.
It did.
And yes, I went and looked at the real bridge afterwards.
Thanks so much for your lovely support today! Really appreciate you taking the time to read and review David's book.
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