January 11, 2026

Where The Rivers Merge, Mary Alice Monroe,

Told in the dual voices of 88-year-old Eliza and the young Eliza of 1908-1928.

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. A free spirit, she refuses to be confined by societal norms and spends her days exploring the vast property, observing wildlife, and riding horses. But the Great War, coastal storms, and family turmoil bring unexpected challenges to Eliza, putting 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.

Set against the evocative landscape of the twentieth-century Lowcountry, Where the Rivers Merge is a dramatic and sweeping multigenerational family story of unyielding love, lessons learned, profound sacrifices, and the indomitable spirit of a woman determined to persevere in the face of change in order to protect her family legacy and the land she loves.

The end of the book is a disappointment, though as it says in big letters, “End of Book One” “Continue reading more of Eliza’s story in Book Two: The Rivers’ End.” What a bummer. After I couldn’t find it on either the library catalog or Amazon’s website, I googled the book and found that the second book is not due out until either 2026 or 2027, depending on which item you read.

To read about the author click here  Books Q& As with Deborah Kalb.