When You Live by a River

Curl up in your favorite chair with a great fictional story by one of our local authors, Mermer Blakeslee. You won't want to put it down!

When You Live By A River is the fictional story of a Catskill Mountains valley community soon to be flooded to create a reservoir for New York City. The drama centers on a farmer whose wife dies in childbirth and on the farmer's fifteen year old niece who comes to take care of the baby in exchange for the promise of college tuition.  Set in 1931, and based in part on actual circumstances involving water rights and eminent domain, this historical novel of rural lives in upstate New York unfolds a natural love story set against a background of moral conflicts and the eroding force of modernity.  Mermer Blakeslee's love of place and of her characters brings readers an eloquent testament to the persistence and courage of the heart.

Mermer Blakeslee is the author of the novels Same Blood and In Dark Water, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection.  Drawing on her work as a professional skier, she was awarded the 2006 Narrative Prize for "Leenie" an excerpt from When You Live By A River, and was a finalist in Narrative's First and Second Annual Poetry Contests.  Blakeslee lives the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York.