The Covenant of Water
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4.1 • 669 Ratings
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- $19.99
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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
So sad to leave these characters behind
Gorgeous, epic, multi-generational story, full of love and redemption. The audiobook, read by the author, is a must!
Beyond extraordinary! Just so beautifully written!
This book blew my mind. As I read on in the first 4 chapters, I was feeling quite differently than my rating above. In those chapter, it was really slow going and I wasn’t sure that I would continue reading. But an unexpected trip to LA changed everything. Being trapped in a vehicle for an obscene amount of amount of time gifted me the opportunity to dive deeper into the book and I am soooo glad I did. This is definitely one of the top 5 books ever read over the 50 years.
Thank uou
It’s a story that should have been told when it happened! Thank you to all the women who served in the Vietnam War in both a male and civilian capacity,