‘Where the Rivers Merge’
Author Mary Alice Monroe focuses on love of land in her latest summer read.
by Roy Scott
It is amazing to think that New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe has combined her passion for conservation and ability to write compelling stories to produce 30 books for adults and children, each opening our eyes and inspiring action. Her titles have received numerous awards and won her legions of devoted fans. Her bestselling novel, The Beach House, is a “Hallmark Hall of Fame” movie.
In past books, Monroe started with a species and developed her characters and stories around them, but in her latest effort, Where the Rivers Merge, she expands her subject matter to focus on land conservation and environmental preservation in the unique ACE Basin region—a large, mostly undeveloped watershed, named for the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto Rivers. Situated along South Carolina’s Atlantic Coast, it is home to diverse ecosystems, abundant wildlife and a unique cultural heritage.
“This is a bigger view than just one species,” Monroe says. “This is about habitat and resources, and both are diminishing right now. Most people don’t know that the ACE Basin is the crown jewel of South Carolina. It has it all: water, land, air and wildlife. I’ve spent five years studying the landscape, talking with landowners and learning about the history of the conservation movement there.”
According to Monroe, her research uncovered countless stories of how people struggled to hold on to family property and how ownership of the land changed hands over generations. The common theme in all of them is how this unique special landscape fostered a deep love of the land and a desire to protect it.
“This commitment led to the development of a relatively new phenomenon of protecting land for future generations of wildlife and people,” Monroe says. “Comprised of private landowners, state and federal wildlife agency representatives and nonprofit land trusts, a conservation initiative was born in 1988. This initiative, known as the ACE Basin Task Force, became the model for other initiatives in South Carolina and elsewhere. It is an exciting history filled with personal drama and I was eager to tell this history of heroes and villains and human predicaments.”
The challenge Monroe faced was how to tell this story without slipping into a nonfiction narrative. Interestingly, her research also revealed that women played a significant role in the ACE Basin conservation initiative. Then, a strong, independent woman came to life in Monroe’s imagination. She named the woman Eliza Rivers, whom she imagined to be a descendant of Eliza Lucas Pinckney (1722–1793), the individual credited with developing indigo as one of South Carolina’s most important cash crops.
Where the Rivers Merge tells the story of Eliza Rivers, from her birth prior to World War I, to her rise as a corporate CEO in the 1980s. Eliza is scheduled to meet with stockholders to celebrate her 88th birthday. Simultaneously, her money-hungry son, Arthur, begins his quest to remove his mother from control of the multimillion dollar corporation, and to delay Eliza’s bold decision required to ensure the future of her land and family.
Along Eliza’s journey, Monroe practices her modus operandi at the beginning of each chapter by educating readers about the ACE Basin region’s natural wonders, such as the red-tailed hawk, Carolina jasmine and fireflies, as well as its history, such as Jim Crow laws and climate change.
The dining room stories end with Eliza’s marriage at age 26. There is so much of her life yet to be chronicled, and of course, the future of Mayfield to be determined. A skillful writer, Monroe ends the novel by leaving readers anticipating part two of the saga.
“Buckle your seatbelts! The story is just beginning, and book two is going to have so much more to tell,” Monroe adds. “More hard lessons are coming for Eliza, but there is a grace that one only appreciates at a certain age. It’s called ‘wisdom.’ You’ll see Eliza begin to soften, bit by bit, and realize that perhaps her prayers are being answered by the two women as they curiously listen to her stories.”
Eliza announces her retirement, skips the birthday festivities and escapes to Mayfield, her family’s estate, bringing along not only her college-aged granddaughter, but also the granddaughter of her closest childhood friend. She tells the young women family stories sparked by a mural painted on the estate’s dining room wall, including tales of women’s roles, racial injustice, heartbreak and second-best love.
Where the Rivers Merge is a dramatic, multiple generational family story of unyielding love, lessons learned, profound sacrifices and the indomitable spirit of a Southern woman determined to persevere in order to protect her family legacy and the land she loves. It is a thoughtful work that Monroe’s fans and those who prize stories about preserving nature and heritage will enjoy.
Where the Rivers Merge is available now and is one of our 2025 Summer Reads.
For more information on the new book, Mary Alice Monroe and her full event schedule, visit her website.
Roy Scott is a freelance writer living in upstate South Carolina. He was the executive producer of the popular South Carolina public radio program, “Your Day,” and hosted on-air features about people, places, history and culture. In addition, he executive-produced the public television nature series “Expeditions with Patrick McMillan” and the travel series “Your Day On the Road.” An Air Force veteran, he enjoys his volunteer work with military veterans and their families.
