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The Covenant of Water

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By Abraham Verghese

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 secretFrom the New York TimesNew York Times-bestselling author of Cutting for StoneCutting 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

Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of WaterThe 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 WaterThe Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, 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.

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The Covenant of Water Reviews

4.0

Dana G

Created about 1 month ago

“I purchased this book because of all of the wonderful reviews of a beautifully told story and it didn’t disappoint. However I almost didn’t finish it because of all the unfamiliar words from the Indian language but with time I was able to relate to the ones most commonly used. I also had a difficult time getting through the medical descriptions and terminology. But I am glad I finished! An epic story of a family over multi generations of love, loss, hope, devastation and healing. ❤️‍🩹”

Change and grow Epic scope Expansive Beautifully-written Descriptive Child loss Death Grief Murder Racism Violence

tamannachacko

Created about 2 months ago

Jackie Olberding

Created 2 months ago

JDUBOSE

Created 3 months ago

“If you love historical epics spanning multiple generations, this is for you! It’s about a family that seems to have a curse where at least 1 person in each generation drowns. The reader witnesses the family grapple with this beginning in colonial India all the way to the modern day. As Verghese is a doctor (a super accomplished one, btw), there is a LOT of medical knowledge weaved throughout (which made me deduct a star in the end because I found that part too technical sometimes lol). But my favorite parts were the stream of consciousness musings on Christianity and the ways of God sprinkled throughout the novel from the points of view of various family members from different generations. To me, medical science (and science in general) is resounding proof of Christ’s majesty and assurance, and it seems Verghese feels the same way. Bonus: he narrates the audiobook and he’s so talented with it! I googled him and found that he really is a renaissance man who has led such an interesting life.”

Gem222

Created 3 months ago

“I absolutely loved every bit of this novel. It drew me in and I was enthralled by the characters and how the story developed. I will definitely re-read this again and again and can’t wait to read other books by the author.”

Change and grow Diverse representation Memorable Multilayered Strong relationships Clever plotting Epic scope Atmospheric Evocative imagery Expansive Vivid descriptions Beautifully-written Descriptive Child loss