Mary Alice Monroe has always been an automatic read author for me. I absolutely love her Beach House series and the settings of her stories. While this book ok quite a turn away from that area and storyline, it was still enjoyable. I have to say, I did not enjoy it as much, but I still absolutely loved the writing, the story, the strong FMC, and the intricate plot weaved amongst an amazing landscape. I look forward to the next book! Thank you for the chance to review this book #netgalley #wheretheriversmerge

Thanks for the review copy. I love the cover. Monroe has been a favorite author for a long time. This was an interesting historical story.

Excellent story told by a true southern writer. There are so. many themes touched on: environmental issues, women's place in the world in the past and now, racial division from Jim Crow era to now. Monroe handles each with finesse, insight and empathy.
I can't wait for the follow-up book to learn the rest of the story.
I will recommend this book to all my friends.

Mary Alice Monroe has done it again. Her latest novel, Where the Rivers Merge, is set in her beloved Lowcountry and is a nod to heritage, strong female role models, and land conservation. It's a multigenerational tale involving complicated family dynamics throughout. The descriptions of the southern landscapes and the people are realistic, and if you don't already love the South when you start reading this book, you probably will when you finish.
I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for providing the ARC ebook that I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

Where the Rivers Merge by Mary Alice Monroe is told in a dual timeline spanning the 80 year life of Eliza, her family and her love of her family land, Mayfield. Family secrets are told along with her point of view of how life was in the early 1900's as women were still fighting for individual rights. Daughters and sons each had different expectations of what their parents wanted them to do as Eliza shared what she fought for - her family land, Mayfield. Back then the land always went to the sons. Even as she became the Matriarch of her family in 1988, she still feels like she is fighting her family, specifically her son on keeping the land in the family name as a conservation. Each chapter started with a definition of different plants and wildlife that was native to the land which was a great bonus to learn about if you didn't know that area.

It was a great read reminding me of conversations with my Oma listening to her tell me about her childhood and the simple parts of life. Although I had the physical book, I read most of it on my kindle and I totally forgot that it's a duo-telling with the sequel novel coming out later. As I was ending the book (I forgot to have my percentage that I had read on), I was yelling at my kindle because what? It's done?!?! I want more!! I need to know the rest of it!! Not a lot of writers get that response but Mary Alice Monroe definitely did that for me. Counting down until the second portion comes out to continue the story! I highly recommend this book especially if you like historical fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you Mary Alice Monroe for this book. I absolutely loved it and cannot wait for the next book in this series!

In 1908 Eliza lives in the low country of South Carolina. She is a free spirit and resists the social norms of the day. In 1988 Eliza is still a free spirit but after a lifetime of keeping her estate she is let her son take over. This book is a wonderful read. It spans decades and is at heart about family.

3 stars. I enjoyed the book, and it was an easy read, and I think a fair amount of readers will enjoy it as well. I did find it a bit simplistic and not quite believable. I also found various continuity and timeline problems throughout, which took me out of the story. Overall, I would recommend this book to a fair amount of our library patrons.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Review will be posted on 6/13/25
It's 1988 and Eliza is 88 years old and plans to set up a conservation easement for Mayfield, her ancestral home and land. She grew up there as a girl and to preserve the land, there is only one way forward, much to her greedy son's dismay. Arthur, her son, wants to develop the land for money and even tries to take away her rights. Eliza is sharing with her granddaughters her memories of Mayfield and the importance of the land, which takes readers back to 1908 in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Eliza is a tomboy; she loves working with horses in the barn, spending time in nature, and running amuck, much to her mother's disapproval. Her mother has other plans for her, plans that don't include spending time outdoors at Mayfield. While growing up at Mayfield, Eliza has a group of friends, but she is especially close with Covey, a black girl who lives on the plantation. Their friendship is certainly unconventional, but as the years go by, it lasts. As Eliza shares her life story, readers are taken back to the early 1900s and all that comes with it. There's war, racial discrimination, family issues, and more. Where the Rivers Merge by Mary Alice Monroe is a sweeping family saga that fans of Monroe will thoroughly enjoy.

I was an instant fan of Eliza in Where the Rivers Merge. How could I not be? She is a spunky tomboy living in a world that wants her to be something else. I appreciated her love of nature, horses, and her loyalty to her friends. Her naivety did get old at times, but nonetheless, I enjoyed her. Her relationship with Covey was done well and I think Monroe respected the issues surrounding racism and portrayed it accurately. I also adored Monroe's descriptions of the South Carolina Lowcountry as this is where her writing really shines. The animals, the land, and vegetation depicted were all done vividly and truly added to the story's environmental themes. Where the Rivers Merge reminded me of an older sweeping classic involving generations along with a grand setting. I will definitely be reading book two in the series when it comes out.

I loved this book and can’t wait for the second book. Beautifully written and told in dual timelines set in the south.

A beautifully written work of historical fiction, with a dual timeline of the early 1900’s and 1988. Eliza is 88 years old, and as she does not trust her son to take over her business, she has some other ideas in mind. As her granddaughter, Samantha, and her great niece Nora accompany her to the family’s South Carolina farm, Eliza begins telling them the stories of her life, including the joys and tragedies, the lost loves and lost friendships. The discussion of racism as the friendship between Eliza and Covey develops, includes the strict Jim Crow laws of the South as they impacted the friendship. Recommended. Thea is to NetGalley for the ARC.

I absolutely adored this book and it was so thankful for the advanced readers copy. I did not want it to end and cannot wait to find out what happens next. Thankful this is a two book story. I love the woven threads of the local nature facts alongside the deep family stories. Karen White did such a beautiful job showing what life was like for both whites and African-Americans through that time. It was a five star read that I will share with many.

Enjoyable family drama with strong female characters. This novel is largely told in a retrospective narration by the main character and tells of her childhood and coming of age in and near Charleston in the early 1900s. Gender and race issues impact the life of the main character, her family and her friends. The author gave us a fine historical fiction novel and easy read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This is the story of Eliza and her family. Eliza lives in the south on a farm with her mother, father and two brothers. The story starts in 1908 and goes until her 88th birthday. This is a wonderful family sago about growing up during a time when things were much different. There are many heartbreaks, people loved and lost, WW1. Eliza lived through so much and I can’t wait to read the next story!! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is by far my favorite novel by Mary Alice Monroe. I love the historical aspect of it, but what I love most is that it is told in first person point of view, something she had never done before. Eliza Rivers is the head of her corporation and Mayfield. Her son, is trying to overthrow that. The book follows Eliza back and forth between her childhood and her late adulthood. She tells her stories in a way you feel as if you were there. I am anxiously awaiting the second book in the duology which she is currently writing.

Thank you to Mary Alice Monroe and Angela May for an early e-copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review. Thank you also to Netgalley for providing the e-copy. I’m excited to say I also have a hard copy now that it has published.

Mary Alice Monroe’s books are always a must read for me! This one was different than the Lowcountry books but just as good!! I enjoyed the dual timelines and reading about this family!! I can’t wait until the second book comes out!
Thanks to Netgalley for a complimentary copy of this book!!

Where the Rivers Merge is a historical novel told in two time periods (1908 and 1988) about Eliza, and her beloved family home in Lowcountry South Carolina.

I wanted to read this novel because I love historical fiction, enjoy dual timelines, and have a soft place in my heart for Lowcountry settings.

This is absolutely a lovely book - five enthusiastic stars! I loved the characterizations, the descriptions, and already look forward to the sequel.

I've loved all of Ms. Monroe's previous books and have missed her writing! Where the Rivers Merge is, I believe her first foray into historical fiction, and it was a very different, but wonderful, reading experience than her prior novels.
Where the Rivers Merge is a multi-generational saga with alternating storylines initially set in 1908 and 1988. At its core are Eliza and her much-beloved family property, Mayfield, with the additional presence of her granddaughter, Savannah, and grandniece, Norah.
Each chapter starts with a brief description of something in nature....and you'll then see it artfully woven into that chapter at some point. By the end of the book, we're in 1928 and I can't wait for the second book to learn more about the life of Eliza and her family.
Where the Rivers Merge is such a wonderful reflection of Ms. Monroe with her beautiful prose, well-developed and interesting characters, and reflections of her long history with conservation and wildlife work.
Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read Where the Rivers Merge. I received a complimentary copy of the book and opinions expressed are completely my own.

This book, based in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, started off slow for me. It alternates between 1988 and pre and post WWI for a family of 5 where the father owned the country plantations and had a positive relationship with the African American workers. There are three children, the hardworking and handsome Heyward, the tomboy Lizzie and the small and mean youngest son Lesesne. The father married the mother for her family's wealth and ability to financially help the country property. The mother highly valued all things that were society and desperately tried to get her only daughter to be a genteel Southern woman. She was very disappointed at first at Lizzie's close friendship with Covey, the sweet and smart daughter of one of the hired helpers. Thankfully in the country, Covey and Lizzie could attend school together and be best friends. But when they head to Charleston later for further schooling, they had to pretend like they were only acquaintances and not the very best of friends. The timeline alternates as 90 year old Lizzie is telling her grandniece (who is the granddaughter of Covey and Heyward and her own granddaughter why the land is so special and why she wants to make it protected land and not just sell to another owner.

As the story is told by Lizzie, I became more invested and interested in the characters. There were many issues that came to light that definitely painted a good picture of what life was like back in the early 1920s. I would have given the book 3.5 stars had it not just ended so abruptly. I was left wanting one more chapter to further explain what would happen. It just ended.

I was given this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Where the Rivers Merge bookends and then fills in the life of Eliza Rivers, born in 1900 in a country home/rice plantation. Her father lost his fortune but he married her wealthy mother who initially agreed to raise the family at Mayfield Hall, rebuilt after it was burned during the Civil War. Eliza is the feisty, tomboy middle child whose mother despairs of her ever becoming a lady. We meet Eliza first in 1908 when she discovers an old oak tree she can fit into (this matters), a new friend who happens to be Black and tries to navigate through her desire to ride horses like a champion while learning to do what ladies do.

We also meet Eliza in 1988, the scion of a successful business that she pulled together and made highly profitable. She has always loved Mayfield Hall and she lives part time there and part time in Charleston. She has a grown son, Arther and two granddaughters in their late teens. Arthur is furious at her because she has put almost all of the land around Mayfield Hall into a conservancy. She wants the land's unique ecosystem and lovely natural state to survive. Arthur plans to try to push Eliza out of her role as chair and take over the company, but his goal is to make money and certainly not to preserve the land. Eliza's goal then is to quickly put the rest of the land into the conservancy, the part including Mayfield Hall. In the course of this family discord, an unexpected shareholder comes to the meeting. Because of this shareholder and another relative, Eliza's story of the years between her young teenaged years and the present gets told.in a totally engrossing, beautifully written, complex and satisfying way.

Read it.

Mary Alice Monroe has always been a favorite of mine with her Low Country novels, as well as Second Star to the Right. This book does not disappoint! Her writing is once again rich and descriptive, and the stories of Eliza and Covey are enthralling. I may have stayed up way past midnight last night to finish the book.

If you don't know the Low Country, you'll still be drawn into the story and you'll feel like you know it by the end. Monroe's narrative, as always, portrays the region so accurately that you can smell the pluff mud.

I would have liked to know more about Eliza's life with Tripp, as well as what happened to Lesesne. The ending seemed somewhat rushed.

I give it a 4, not because of that but because of some inaccurate vocabulary for the period. Back then, no one would have used the word "Black". They would have used the perfectly polite and appropriate term for that time: Negro. I've seen a few historical fiction novels lately that do that, and it's historically inaccurate-- as if the author is trying not to offend people.