Debuting her first-ever historical fiction publication, New York Times bestseller Mary Alice Monroe joins the Library Society for her pub-day premiere of Where the Rivers Merge. We are honored to be the first to share her highly anticipated new work of historical fiction. At once dramatic and heartfelt, Where the Rivers Merge explores dual timelines from the perspective of a woman fighting for her family and to preserve the land she loves in the face of change. Set against the evocative landscape of the twentieth-century American South, Monroe’s latest novel is a multigenerational family story of unyielding love, lessons learned, profound sacrifices.
If you are unable to attend the event, but would like to purchase one or more signed copies, please visit Buxton Books here.
About the Book
1908: The Lowcountry of South Carolina is at the cusp of change. Mayfield, the grand estate held for generations by the Rivers family, is the treasured home of young Eliza. Free spirited, she refuses to be confined by societal norms. Instead, Eliza revels in exploring the golden fields and sparkling ponds of Mayfield, observing wildlife, and riding horses. But her halcyon days are cut short by the Great War, coastal storms, and unexpected challenges to Mayfield. As Eliza battles personal pains and the ravages of family turmoil over the years, her love and devotion for the natural world puts her on a collision course with the patriarchal traditions of a bygone era. 1988: At 88, Eliza is the scion of the Rivers/DeLancey family. She’s fought a lifetime to save her beloved Mayfield and is too independent and committed to quietly retire and leave the fate of the estate to her greedy son. She must make decisions that will assure the future of the land and her family — or watch them both be split apart.
About the Author
Mary Alice Monroe is the New York Times bestselling author of 27 books, including The Summer of Lost and Found, the 2021 installment in her beloved Beach House series. Monroe has also published children’s books which complement the environmental themes she is known for in her adult novels. Monroe’s middle grade series, written with Angela May, The Islanders, debuted #2 on the New York Times in 2021. The second book in the series, Search for Treasure, will be released in summer 2022. Nearly eight million copies of her books have been published worldwide. Mary Alice has earned numerous accolades and awards including induction into the South Carolina Academy of Authors’ Hall of Fame; the Southwest Florida Author of Distinction Award; South Carolina Award for Literary Excellence; RT Lifetime Achievement Award; the International Book Award for Green Fiction, and the prestigious Southern Book Prize for Fiction. Her bestselling novel The Beach House is a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. Monroe is the co-creator of the weekly web show and podcast Friends and Fiction. Mary Alice Monroe has championed the fragility of the earth’s wild habitat. The coastal southern landscape in particular has become a strong and important focus of many of her novels. For her novels Monroe immerses herself in academic research, works with wildlife experts, and does hands-on volunteering with animals. She then uses the knowledge and experiences to craft captivating stories that identify important parallels between nature and human nature. Sea turtles, bottlenose dolphins, monarch butterflies, shorebirds are among the species she has worked with and woven into her novels. Monroe is an active conservationist and serves on the South Carolina Aquarium Board Emeritus, The Leatherback Trust, The Pat Conroy Literary Center Honorary Board, and Casting Carolinas Advisory Board. She is especially proud to be a twenty year plus state-certified volunteer with the Island Turtle Team. Mary Alice has a home in South Carolina and North Carolina. When not writing a novel, she is with her family or busy working with wildlife somewhere in the world.
