When the Stones Held
By David E. Owen
Publication Date: 16th May 2026
Publisher: Independently Published
Print Length: 331 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
When the Stones Held is a historical novel inspired by the remarkable true story of William Edwards, the self-taught Welsh stonemason who built one of the great bridges of the eighteenth century.
Growing up in rural South Wales, William lives in a world of hard physical labour, dangerous rivers and limited opportunity. From an early age, he develops an instinctive understanding of stone, balance and the possibilities hidden within the landscape around him.
As the coal trade begins to transform the valleys and the need for safer routes grows, William accepts an extraordinary challenge: to build a bridge across the River Taff at Pontypridd. He is twenty-seven years old and has never built a bridge before.
What follows will test far more than his skill as a stonemason. Flood destroys his first bridge. Later attempts bring new failures and new problems to solve. With his reputation, livelihood and family affected by every decision he makes, William must decide how much he is prepared to risk for something no one can promise will succeed.
Set against a South Wales beginning to experience profound change, When the Stones Held is a story of ambition, family, community and resilience, and of an apparently ordinary man whose determination would leave a legacy that survives more than two and a half centuries later.
Any Triggers: Drowning, poverty
Review
Book Review
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I knew absolutely nothing about William Edwards before I picked up When the Stones Held. To be fair, a book about an eighteenth-century bridge builder probably isn't one I would automatically have reached for either, but it came highly recommended by Mary Anne Yarde and she always has good taste in books. As it turns out, I would have missed a very good book indeed, if I had passed it by.
William's life is hard almost from the beginning. He loses his father to the river, his family loses their home, and poverty isn't just a threat it is very real. Yet there is something about William that makes you want him to succeed. He is determined, stubborn and refuses to accept that where he came from should decide what he can achieve. He is also a very quite sort of character, who simply gets on with things. His delight at earning money for the family, even at such a young age, shows maturity or maybe necessity way beyond his years. The fact that he was a better stone mason than many adult sums up his whole character - if a job is worth doing, do it properly.
I became surprisingly invested in his attempts to build a bridge across the River Taff. Every time something went wrong, I was willing him to try again. And plenty goes wrong. William is bullied and belittled, from both children and adults alike, nature certainly doesn't make things easy for him, and there are people who would quite happily see him fail. But he has a quiet determination that I could not help but admire. Failure was not an option, and when each attempted did fail he would simply learn from it and try again.
When the Stones Held really surprised me. I didn't expect to become quite so caught up in William's story, but once I started reading, I didn't want to put it down.
Five very well-deserved stars from me. ✰✰✰✰✰
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David E. Owen
After decades spent teaching around the world—from the UK to the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East—I came to writing fiction later in life. I started with fantasy before finding my voice in fast-paced, real-world spy thrillers. My stories are grounded in current issues like corruption, gender bias, and power, but always emphasise pace, surprise, and character-driven tension.
I’ve visited over 80 countries, worked as a radio host in Abu Dhabi, directed Shakespeare for African audiences in the bush, and even survived a flash flood in Mali and an armed hold-up. I was arrested for drug-smuggling in Nigeria but was eventually released when I refused to pay off the police captain, and I was boat-wrecked alone on a desert island in the Arabian Sea (but no tree) and rescued through a police search. Now retired from teaching, I split my time between writing, photography, and trying to get fit (thanks to a stubborn rowing machine). My latest novel, Hate Machine, tackles misogyny and gender radicalisation — not typical thriller territory, but I like a challenge.
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