Really enjoyed this one! I should have read it so much sooner! But I don’t regret it. This maybe a new obsession! I love the characters, plot, etc.

This novel follows one Indian family in the province of Kerala for over seven decades. It begins when a twelve year old girl is married to a forty year old landowner. She doesn't know how to be a wife but slowly learns and although she starts out fearing her husband she learns to love him over the years. They have three children, JoJo, who is the husband's child from his first wife, Baby Mol and Philipose. Over the years, the young girl becomes the family matriarch known as Big Ammachi.

There is also an alternate storyline following an English doctor named Digby who is a surgeon but who ends up spending his life working in a leprosy sanitarium. The two stories end up coming together at the end of the novel.

Along the way, the reader will learn about many things; the caste system of India, the scourge of leprosy, medical practice in the 1900's in India, Indian culture and art. The family hides a secret; that the men especially have what they call The Condition. That condition is an inordinate fear of water in a watery environment and many with the condition end up drowning. As the book progresses we learn that this is a medical condition and the grandchild of Big Ammachi becomes a surgeon and dedicates her life to studying the condition.

Abraham Verghese is a medical doctor and some readers have thought there was too much medical detail in this novel. Overall, it was released to great anticipation and was an Oprah's Book Club pick. I enjoyed the novel but thought it ended too abruptly as one of the main stories was left in limbo. Overall I enjoyed learning more about the Indian culture and especially reading the twists and turns of this family over many decades. This book is recommended for readers of literary and multicultural fiction.

I loved "Cutting for Stone" so I was so excited to read this long-awaited book by Abraham Verghese. It did not disappoint! His prose is just so descriptive and poetic, it made me feel like I was really in India and could picture everything as it took place. I was pulled along by the slow warm current of this book, parts leaving me both heartbroken and hopeful. It was an emotional journey but I love how all of the parts came together. If you're looking for a longer, deeper read, this book would be perfect! I highly recommend. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Gorgeous and heartbreaking….and surprisingly fast paced for being so very long. This novel has sold so well for us, and I look forward to being able to press it into even more readers’ hands when it is released as a paperback.

I was unable to finish this book when I had the ARC, but I did enjoy what I had managed to read. I will pick up a copy to finish the book.

Cutting for Stone was one of my favourite books for a very long time. I love Verhjese's writing and the way his characters pulse off the page. The Covenant of Water had this same quality, plus the sweeping epic story that take the reader on a journey through multiple generations. Some parts of this I enjoyed, and the way the story twisted and turned, I never wanted to put it down. However, one thing about the length of this novel and the amount of time it spanned, was that I would find myself connecting to a character only to move on and lose them as time went on. That combined with the length of this novel is what brought it down slightly from a 5-star rating for me... but still a absolutely fantastic book.

"Time and water move on relentlessly."

----------------------

The Covenant of Water spans almost 80 years through three generations of a family with an unusual relationship with water, one that often leads to their deaths. The family is a part of an ancient Christian community where family and tradition are important. We get a flavor of so many aspects of life in Kerala, India at the time. We get immersed in the culture, the impact of the caste system, the impact of the world wars, the fight for independence as well as the split of India and Pakistan and the impact of leprosy and other inherited diseases. We get a deep dive into one family with several branching stories that take the long route in coming together.

This one took me more than a month to read, not because it was too long or that it wasn't good, but because there are so many intense and heartbreaking moments. There would be so much time immersing yourself falling in love with a character in the timeline and then the promised tragedy would shake me and I'd need a break. But I was always drawn back. I expected the epic multi-generational story but how this one comes together is beautiful and uplifting and heartbreaking all at the same time. In that way, it reminded me of The Love Songs of WEB DuBois. The imagery of the nature of water and the deep dive into familial love balanced with the burden of inheritance and the realities of genetics was so masterful.

This will definitely be one of my top reads of the year, if not of all time. It's worth the 31 hours of audio / 700+ pages of your time, I promise!

Thank you to @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. This is the story of a family in India, from 1900 to 1977. It’s hard to even attempt to describe it, it covers so much and so many different plotlines. It is beautifully written and probably could be considered epic. I will say it is very long and I started it several times before finally settling in and reading it. But it was well worth spending the time with this. #oprahsbookclub #thecovenantofwater #abrahamverghese #netgalley #advancedreadercopy #arc #covidnovel #bookstagram #booklover #reader #bookblog #lovetoread #fictionreader #bookreview #bookrecommendation #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #takeapagefrommybook #readallthebooks #booksbooksbooks #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #booknerd #whattoread #readingtime #bookaddict #ilovetoread #ilovebooks #needtoread #readallday

I remember reading Cutting for Stone when it first came out and being thoroughly compelled by that book, not so this one, though apparently I'm an outlier. A multiple-stranded, multiple-charactered story, that brings in everything including the kitchen sink - child-bride marriage, a strange condition that affects boys more than girls in a large and extended Indian family, the loss of babies and children, leprosy, medicine, art, mothers dead too young, politics, partition, religion, caste, and much much more. Sections of the book intrigued me, some of it I found myself skimming because of the too-muchness of it all, the neat tying up of loose ends, too neat for my taste. It's a magnus opus, a doorstopper at 724 pages, the writing not particularly wondrous, still after wading my way through this, and some of it read quickly, and some of it felt like a slog, I'm glad to have read it, and though I have no issue with long books, I love long books, either I wasn't properly settled in for this one, or, in my opinion, it could have been trimmed substantially so that not everything carried the same weight.

Thanks to Grove and Netgalley for an ARC.

This was one of my favourite books of 2023. Beautifully written and so evocative of Kerala. The plot was masterfully woven together with characters that were bursting with realism. An outstanding achievement.

Sweeping and utterly worth it. This lengthy tome covers such delights as goiter, leprosy, political turmoil, famine, and the trauma of the caste system and makes them all purely fascinating. What makes it work is that these heavy topics always take a backseat to the expertly drawn characters whom I had come to love. While the book is long, nothing is wasted, nothing taken for granted. It is purely masterful.

I love everything Abraham Verghese writes, his latest included. Long, but completely worth it. Long sweeping family drama spanning decades.

I’ve read and loved all of Verghese’s previous books. At over 700 pages this book was an example of epic storytelling . Spanning eight decades and three generations the book weaves together a family saga of history ,medicine, failures and triumphs . Definitely one of my favorite books of the year. I highly reccommend this book .
Thanks to NetGalley and the publsiher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Last night, I finished my last book of 2023 — The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. If you love literary fiction, do not sleep on this one. Yes, it is HUGE, but the 715 pages were fantastic. I loved this sweeping epic that begins in 1900 and ends in 1977 in southwestern India. There is a reason that this one is an Oprah pick.

There are many main characters in this book, but that does not detract from the story line. Usually, I have trouble with following threads when there are more than 2 or 3, but since this book takes place over 77 years, more characters work. I also enjoyed how none of the characters were totally dropped from the narrative. Just when I was missing Digby, he came back.

5 stars. Thanks to my new in-person book club for making this a December/January pick.

Abraham Verghese has done it again. He has written another sweeping epic. His writing is absolutely beautiful and you become fully immersed in this world.

An incredible masterpiece. I loved every minute of this expansive novel. I was a bit intimidated by the scope of this book initially. Also, having adored this author’s previous novels, I was apprehensive. My hesitation was unfounded . I loved every minute of it. I could not have predicted how it would all come together and I was not disappointed! This is definitely in my best of 2023 list. I took my time reading this- hence my late review. I wanted to savor and and appreciate every word and the gorgeous language. A big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this beautiful novel.

Yes, this was an amazing book, but I do not understand the hype surrounding it. It was very long and ultimately the issue with water becomes a fairly minor part of the whole story. I much preferred Verghese's Cutting for Stone.

Over 700 beautifully written pages. I tackled this master piece in 48 hours. This story of one families generational curse is an unforgettable one as a reader. The way this story was told and developed was great. This was my first read by the author and I was truly blown away!

updated: full review can also be seen @drbooksreads via Instagram.

When I first received the ARC of this book, it was intimating being over 700 pages. However, after the first few chapters I could not put it down. The entire book takes place in India and it starts with a 12-year-old girl marrying a 40-year-old man through an arranged marriage. The book tells the story of one family’s curse of drowning everyone knows about, but does not understand. Despite them, all trying to prevent it as best they can by changing daily routines for example nothing works. This book was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Character development was phenomenal. The characters felt real, raw and relatable to me. This book combined history and medicine into a powerful story of the human connection and the frailty of one family over generations. The women of this family rocked! Big Ammachi—literally “Big Mother” was the backbone and a lot of the book is her POV. The author gave powerful depictions of grief, addiction, political activism/extremism and the power of medicine to heal the body, mind and the spirit. I really enjoyed this read. The ending was perfect and I rarely EVER say that. This author hit the ending out the park. I hope you enjoy this read as much as I did. This was a beautiful 5 star read for me. Thank you to Net Galley for Grove Atlantic for the ARC of the book. Expected publication date is May 2, 2023 and it is currently available on amazon for pre order. Happy Reading!

I feel a little bit like I need to give this 5 stars because it held my attention so well over 31 hours of narration (at regular speed!). It’s very long! I loved the author’s narration and found it v soothing, v interesting. Didn’t love some of the technical medical writing but overall glad I experienced it!

Set against the backdrop of Kerala on South India's Malabar Coast, "The Covenant of Water" unfolds across the years from 1900 to 1977, traversing three generations of a family grappling with a peculiar affliction: in each generation, at least one person succumbs to drowning—no small challenge in a region where water is omnipresent. Anchored in a Christian community with roots dating back to the time of the apostles, the family, led by the formidable matriarch Big Ammachi, or "Big Mother," witnesses profound changes both within their household and in the larger world.

While the narrative spans numerous lives, generations, and locales, exploring the intricate web of connections, losses, and tragedies, there are moments when the individual stories may seem disparate. Yet, at its core, this story is about connections, illustrating how, akin to the flowing waters, individual tales eventually merge into a singular stream. "The Covenant of Water" stands as a potent, enthralling, and emotionally charged multi-generational saga that transports readers. The prose is poetic and expressive, capturing the essence of the setting. The characters are richly layered, navigating torment, resilience, and vulnerability. The plot unfolds as a heart-tugging and immersive tale, weaving together the threads of lives, love, and loss.

All the stars to this book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.