Stone Angels

by Michael Hartigan

Guilt will always find you. Augustine Shaw knows this better than most. No matter how far he goes, he can’t escape the tragedies that punctured his college life in Providence, Rhode Island. Augustine is poisoned by the heartache he caused, the reputations he shattered, the two friends he killed. Now, the lies he told to keep it all secret are crumbling.

Augustine seeks relief in a spring break road trip to Key West, where he hopes the sun, sex and insobriety will drown his past. The reprieve is temporary. On the long, dark road home Augustine is forced to relive the erratic series of events that changed his life, and ended others. Augustine races towards a final decision: bury his secrets forever, or seek redemption in the arms of a full confession.

Genres: Fiction

340 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 2015

Reviews

[Ruth Scaife Scaife · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book

This was a good book and held my interest, however, I think other words could have been used to describe things or used how people talk. It's a shame books could be really good without the use if vulgar language! Good plot and unfortunately this is the life a typical college student minus perhaps the deaths.

[Lzarrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great novel by a local author.

[Deirdre · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, thank you, Michael Hartigan, for an autographed copy of your book. I like discovering a new author with a unique voice, and this book fulfilled that. Your unique voice is testament to a poetic mind, with a talent for enriching your characters' inner personas, making them all the more real.

I am guessing that the book I received has not been given a final edit or a final proofing. There are two continuously appearing errors that became irritating to me. One is grammatical and the other is the same punctuation error, each appearing about 30 times or more throughout the book. Punctuation: always place a comma before the person's name who is being addressed, i.e., "it's up to you, Lucy". The second error is where one character and the person writing in first person mistakes the correct way "me" and "I" are to be used. The solution is very simple to determine if the first person puts themselves first: "He made it clear to me and Henry". He didn't make it clear to I, so it shouldn't read "Henry and I"; it should read "Henry and me".

Other than those two problems (which are probably only mine), I found this book engaging, the characters interesting enough for me to want to know more about them, and the writing at times very pleasantly surprising me.

[Brandy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book on a Goodreads Giveaway. I’m so glad I did. From the moment I picked this book up I couldn’t put it down. It completely engulfed me. Shaw makes many mistakes throughout his life, some of those mistakes cost his friends their lives. The author takes you through this emotional journey with Shaw on his life, lessons, guilt and realizations. It was an emotional roller coaster and thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

[Bridgett Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tells the story of young man, Augustine Shaw. And his life while attending Providence College, studying English and Psychology. Shaw, is a likable, honest and intense young man who grows up before your eyes, Facing all of the tragedies that occur in his life. Such as his girlfriend Lily. At a party one night, Lily has too much to drink and is egged on to drink more by Shaw. The result is death by alcohol poisoning, and Shaw blames himself. He seeks relief in a spring break road trip to Key West, where he hopes the sun, sex and plenty of drinking will drown his past. The break is only temporary. On the long road home Augustine is forced to relive the series of events that changed his life, and ended others.
I started reading this book last night and could not put it down! I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for a second book.

[R.W. Lang · Rating 4 out of 5]

College life is the backdrop for the story which is the complex psyche of Augustine Shaw. Shaw, Ben and Duncan share a room their freshman year, but Duncan becomes Shaw's nemesis and does everything he can to infuriate Shaw, including insulting his girlfriend, Lily. At a party one night, Lily has too much to drink and is egged on to drink more by Shaw. The result is death by alcohol poisoning, and Shaw blames himself. The testosterone-fueled feud continues and erupts in a fight behind a bar where Duncan is killed by some thugs after Shaw leaves him unconscious. Shaw accepts the blame for his death. Finally, on the ride home from the Florida Keys on senior spring break, Shaw finds the way to release the guilt and hopefully change his life.

[Pam Mooney]

Intense - caught my attention right from the start. I felt like I was dropped into the story - a peripheral person walking along with the group. I love books when you are in the characters thoughts to really get their motivation. A bit scary coming from the guy next door. Great plot, writing, and fast paced. A good read.

[Estelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-paced, emotionally intense book with identifiable characters and situations. This is one of those books where you see the train-wreck coming but you have to watch it anyway. Very well done. I received the book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. That's the word that came to mind after I read the last line. As a commuter student to college I never crossed paths with the college residents. This wasn't a relive your college years, at least not for me. It's about growing up, facing life's ups and downs, relationships and taking responsibility. It may be a story told by a college student but it could have been told by anyone. It's difficult to follow the author's jumps in time periods as he goes back and forth through the story of his main characters college experience but you catch on quick. Sit down and read the book in one sitting. It's not only a great, well written book but a powerful message.

[Denise]

A lesson in learning to control yourself. There is always going to be someone or something that will act toward disrupting/messing up your life. Only you can control what the final verdict is.