Author Mary Ford’s newest book delves into Scituate history.
By Laura DeSisto
For longtime South Shore residents, Mary Ford is a household name. For over 28 years, she was editor of the Cohasset Mariner and the Hingham Journal. Upon retirement, she drew on her many years of writing experience to try her hand at penning her first book, “Boy at the Crossroads,” an ode to her husband’s turbulent boyhood. Her latest work, “Rebecca Road,” is also rooted in real life events – namely the grounding of the Italian freighter Etrusco in Ford’s hometown of Scituate in 1956.
“I was in second grade when the ship ran aground during a violent nor’easter on St. Patrick’s Day at Scituate Light on Cedar Point. At the time, my family lived around the corner in Sand Hills, so I remember it vividly,” says Ford. “In the novel, the details surrounding the shipwreck are true and readers familiar with Scituate will recognize many local landmarks and street names. However, the rest, including the characters and their interactions are all fiction.”
The main storyline of “Rebecca Road” centers on the unlikely romance of its two main characters. Irish American Cathe Flanagan is a young local widow and single mother, raising her polio-afflicted son Sean. Marco is a handsome, rugged sailor rescued from the doomed freighter. Their feelings for one another grow stronger over the many months that the repairs to the ship proceed in the waters off Scituate. As Marco’s inevitable departure looms, the tension builds. A subplot develops when Cathe is assaulted by a local man, whom she accidentally kills in self-defense, and Marco is wrongly accused of the murder.
The book has received many positive reviews, with one reader noting that, “Ford’s prose is concise, layered, and emotional…her command of place and time is exceptional – you can practically taste the salt in the 1950s Atlantic air… Ford crafts a deeply moving story about love, grief, and resilience.”
Ford is already generating ideas for her next novel and is thoroughly enjoying her second career. “I did not really plan to start writing novels in my 70s,” she says. “But I am completely absorbed by the craft and I am so grateful to have found an audience.”
“Rebecca Road” is available on Amazon and locally at Buttonwood Books and Toys in Cohasset, Storybook Cove in Hanover, and through local libraries.
Ford enjoys speaking to local book groups and can be reached at maryfordedit@gmail.com to arrange a meeting. She will be a featured speaker at the Scituate Historical Society’s commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Etrusco grounding in March 2026. For more information, visit maryfordedit.com.
