The Covenant of Water
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4.1 • 934 Ratings
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
From the New York Times–bestselling author of Cutting for Stone comes a stunning and magisterial epic of love, faith, and medicine, set in Kerala, South India, following three generations of a family seeking the answers to a strange secret
The Covenant of Water is the long-awaited new novel by Abraham Verghese, the author of the major word-of-mouth bestseller Cutting for Stone, which has sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States alone and remained on the New York Times bestseller list for over two years.
Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere. At the turn of the century, a
twelve-year-old girl from Kerala’s Christian community, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this unforgettable new beginning, the young girl—and future matriarch, Big Ammachi—will witness unthinkable
changes over the span of her extraordinary life, full of joy and triumph as well as hardship and loss, her faith and love the only constants.
A shimmering evocation of a bygone India and of the passage of time itself, The Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to humanunderstanding, and a humbling testament to the hardships undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. Imbued with
humor, deep emotion, and the essence of life, it is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Prepare to be swept away by this multigenerational epic novel from Abraham Verghese, an infectious-disease expert whose previous novel, Cutting for Stone, was a bestseller. In 1900 India, a 12-year-old girl becomes the child bride of a much older man and the stepmother to his young son, quickly earning the moniker of Ammachi (mother). Verghese’s sweeping novel draws us into her life as well as the lives of her children and grandchildren, expertly tying the family’s story to larger issues in politics, religion, and medicine. Verghese’s obvious knowledge of and enthusiasm for topics like leprosy and brain surgery are surprisingly captivating, and the author’s unvarnished reading adds charm to his intricate narrative. A portrait of the seismic social shifts that reshaped India throughout the 20th century, The Covenant of Water is a winding journey that’s worth every step.
Customer Reviews
Sneak Attack
Long, beautiful story. Getting through chapters 10-22, I struggled, but afterwards, it totally blossoms beautifully.
I didn’t give it a full 5 stars simply because some of the connections could’ve been reached and concluded much sooner.
Beautiful
This was a such a beautiful story. I loved every minute.
Too long to be this depressing
A book should not be this depressing AND this long. A book can be depressing and moderate sized. A book can be long with depressing elements, but have more uplifting moments to bring it balance. But it should never be this depressing AND this long. Life is hard enough without an extra 31 hours of pain. That’s like adding an additional sad day onto the year. Pain can be important, it can teach us, but this was just too unrelenting in its length.