The Iron Woman (Deland novel)
The Iron Woman is a novel by Margaret Deland, published in 1911, and a sequel to The Awakening of Helena Richie. It is set in Mercer, a fictional town on the Ohio River near Pittsburgh, and follows Mrs. Sarah Maitland, known as the Iron Woman. She is a tough, devoted widow who runs the Maitland Iron Works with a strict Puritan work ethic.
Her adopted son, David, is ten years old, and his close friends are Elizabeth Ferguson, Blair Maitland (Sarah’s son), and Nannie Maitland. Blair loves Elizabeth, but she has a youthful affair with him and then marries him, breaking her promise to David. Mrs. Maitland disapproves and disinherits Blair. Blair is furious and cuts ties with his mother.
A disaster at the iron works injures Sarah Maitland, and she dies. Before dying, she tries to leave Blair money for a hospital by a check with Blair’s name on it, but Nannie forges the signature, and Blair stands to gain the money.
Elizabeth has always loved David and asks Blair to give him the money. Blair refuses, Elizabeth leaves him, and goes to David. David wants Elizabeth to run away with him, but Helena Ritchie arrives and tells her own story, stopping the plan. Elizabeth returns to Blair, who eventually agrees to free her so she can divorce him and marry David.
Helena Ritchie, who has attracted the interest of Elizabeth’s uncle, Robert Ferguson, finally acknowledges her love for him.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:18 (CET).