Madeline Archer

Heart of Stone Madeline Archer

The story begins with the 17th Century witch hunts of Salem, Massachusetts. As formal education for women lacks substance in 1904, Neila Flannigan leaves Ireland to attend Radcliffe women's college in America. Shy and introverted, Neila passes her lonesome hours sketching the Harvard grounds and sending them home to her father. A chance encounter with a kindly old Irish woman inspires her to sketch a statue in an old unused building. Desperately lonely, Neila ends up sharing her thoughts and feelings with a man carved in stone. Some days it feels like he listens. **This is a novella, meaning a short novel**