Water, Stone, Heart

Newly divorced, Andrew Stratton lives in his head. He teaches architectural theory but has never built anything. He writes about communities where form and material are in harmony, but has no sense of where he belongs. He is capable of deep emotions, but is unable to express them. When his wife leaves him, Andrew is like a house shaken off a faulty foundation. He now must figure out what should be salvaged and what should be scrapped. Escaping from the routine of his university, Andrew travels to Boscastle, England where he'll learn to build stone walls. There he discovers a landscape of dizzying cliffs, jagged coastline, lush valleys, and hills lined with stone hedges that have stood the test of time - and he immerses himself to the grueling tasks of stonework. Moved by the warmth and connectedness of the village, Will begins to shed his sheltered self. But his willingness to open his heart is tested when he falls for Nicola Rhys-Jones, an American expatriate seeking to escape a history of abuse. "North deftly creates an enchanting and touching love story reminiscent of those by Nicholas Sparks." - Booklist. "A simple, mildly old-fashioned, intelligently written... love story." - Kirkus Reviews