5 stars! Buy this book now! I cannot tell you how much I loved this book. I remember slowly being drawn into the narrative of Cutting for Stone, Verghese's previous novel that came out more than a decade ago. And when you start The Covenant of Water, the mastery of the novel helps you understand why we had to wait so long for another masterpiece. (That and the fact that Verghese is an MD and professor.

The Covenant of Water follows a multigenerational family in India from 1900 to 1977. It follows Big Ammachi (“Big Mother”) from a young bride through multiple generations of her family. It's partly about "the condition" in which members of her family throughout the generations dies by drowning. But it's also about family and strength and love, both marital and between parent and child. As an MD Verghese infuses deep medical knowledge throughout, but it's fascinating.

I read this 700+ book in a week. I couldn't put it down- and totally want to buy a copy to read it again.

thanks to .#NetGalley for the ARC. #TheCovenantofWater

Loving both Abraham Verghese's memoir "My Own Country" and "Cutting For Stone" plus seeing him speak at an author's event has made me impatient for him to finish and publish his latest book "The Covenant of Water". It took 14 years, but in early February I had an advanced copy and I sat down to read. Oh, I wanted to love it...and there was so much to love as his ability to paint picture with words is second to none...this man can write! Unfortunately, because of the vast amount of medical jargon and paragraphs of medical descriptions, I found myself losing the thread of the story and finding it easy to put down. Never had it taken me almost 2 months to finish a book...never! Between the medical descriptions and the amount of Indian dialect, I found myself floundering. Perhaps it's my failing, but I truly hope before publication an editor has sat down and done a heavy edit. The medical school descriptions of classes are not needed (unless you plan on being a doctor, I guess). I am glad that I was able to learn so much about India, Kerala and a people burdened with a British occupation and an unimaginable class system. Again, I'm probably in a minority but I am so disappointed and sad that I waited so long and will have to wait a long time for his next novel. I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Verghese forges these deep relationships between characters, both platonically and romantically. He writes something akin to destiny, which is a hard feeling to pin down in literature. (I think.)

I loved the medical content, like Cutting for Stone. This is right in my wheelhouse, to the point where I wished I could scrub in and be privy to the medical expertise in person! He has a beautiful way of capturing life and all of its longing.

My only concern would be the length, as there were parts that felt like the extra detail was unnecessary. I went along for the ride because I knew this would lead to something beautiful — and it did. Loved this book. Love this author.

As a big fan of Abraham Verghese’s earlier novel Cutting for Stone, I was eager to dive into his newest offering, and jumped at the chance to receive a pre-publication copy of The Covenant of Water from NetGalley. Many of the very same things I loved about Cutting for Stone were present in the The Covenant of Water: a highly nuanced family saga crossing multiple generations and timelines; well-developed, memorable characters sharing believable relationships; lyrical, evocative language that absolutely brings the setting to life; social issues you can really sink your teeth into; and interesting medical situations made relevant even for non-medical readers. Yet . . . the newer novel didn’t quite hit the same high notes for me. I found the first 350 (or so) pages to be a smooth and interesting ride (yes, there were many characters to keep track of, but a simple list helped me manage that), but there were some pacing issues for me after that. If a book is going to be as long as this one (over 700 pages), it really shouldn’t bog down in the middle. I’m sad to say, The Covenant of Water did just that. Strong editing - to keep it more in the 500 page range (like Cutting For Stone) - would have helped to tightened things up while keeping this involved story moving forward. As it is, it becomes a bit of a free-for-all of issues, characters, and near-misses in the middle section of the novel. Things do come together nicely in the end, so if readers are patient enough to slog through those middle portions, there is a nice pay-off in a satisfying - and fitting - ending.

I am happy to have read The Covenant of Water. I found it to be interesting, informative, and quite enjoyable. I think it was just a little . . . too long.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for providing me with a pre-publication copy of this book.

One of my favorite writers! This is a glorious story of superstition, social constraints and consequences, with real and perceived family ties stretching over three + generations. One family is afflicted by The Condition, which makes water an enemy and often causes premature death. There are too many moving parts to summarize here, but suffice it to say that The Condition becomes the running narrative thread, and its effects on people inside and adjacent to the family are the story. I am not doing this book justice!! It is beautiful, witty, engaging. Big Ammachi was my favorite character. Digby's story was wonderful. Highly recommended.

I read Cutting for Stone years ago and it has stuck with me as a piece of literary work that everyone should read so when I saw there was a new novel by Abraham Verghese, I knew that I would read it as soon as I could get my hands on it.

It begins in 1900 in Southern India and I honestly did not know where the story would take me. It begins with a very young bride taking care of her older husband and his toddler, and she learns she is entering a family with the odd malady of generations of drownings, even in the shallowest of water. As she gros up, she becomes Big Ammachi (big mother) and learns how to navigate motherhood knowing this could happen to any member of her family – and as the matriarch of her village, she worries about not only her children, but of many. The reader is led through the history of India through the generations of Big Ammachi’s family and her small village and through Verghese’s beautiful writing.

We are also taken through an Irish doctor’s life in India, a leper colony and some of the more wonderful characters I have read in a while. And of course, like Cutting for Stone, we learn medical history as well.

This is an epic family novel entwining many characters in its web. My only criticism is that there could have been a bit of editing, but his use of language is so wonderful, I was ok with the extra length.

I love stories that come full circle in the end and bring all the characters together and this did not disappoint on any literary front.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the chance to read and review this novel

this is a 4.25 rating

♦️When Big Ammachi gets married to the Parambil family, she is twelve. Her husband, a widower, is forty and has a child. His family has a secret. They have a history of drownings where in every generation, there has been at least one person who has drowned unexpectedly. Those people were known to avoid water throughout their life, and this trait seems to be inherited. In Kerala, a land of water bodies, it is hard to believe such a thing (as water is a part of everyone's life) until one day, Big Ammachi, too, loses a loved one. It is then that she prays to the Almighty to either cure this "Condition" (as the family calls it) or send someone who can do so. Will God listen to her prayers, or will people keep losing their lives? Starting from 1900 until 1977, this is a story spanning three generations.

💥When I was about to start this book, I was a bit intimidated, considering its length. However, the author's writing skill was enough to erase such prejudice. The way he has described the landscape of Kerala has made me yearn to visit there once again (even though I have been there once).
💥The book lets the readers experience the way of life in a Malayalam household.
💥The author's words have also done justice in describing India under British rule.
💥Even though the book has a lot of medical terms and descriptions of human anatomy, it blends well with the plot and does not disrupt the narrative.
💥Love and bond between family members are essential themes of the story.
💥There are a vast number of characters present in the plot considering its massive timeline. However, as the story proceeds, the reader will get to know them and connecting them with the account will not be an issue.
💥I was impressed by the way the author has described the medical terms so that readers not into medicine will not find any problem in understanding.
💥Though this is a family saga, there is a lot of suspense, which will grip you until the last page. It is a must-read book for all fiction lovers.

The beauty in this book is the characters. Seeing them go from black and white to color, watching the story j fold before you…that’s pure magic. This book is not a sprint- it is most definitely a slow, meandering walk and you get there, you really do- but each storyline takes a different pace. I truly loved this book. Beautifully written, expertly told. This is not for your average suburban mom book club!

I didn’t think Abraham Verghese could write a better book than his previous Cutting for Stone but he has! This beautifully written, moving drama covers several family generations. Set in beautiful Kerala, India, the location becomes a vital part of this amazing story. The lengthy saga became part of my life for several days as the characters ebbed and flowed through life and love, sadness and happiness, artful passions and scientific pursuits. The Covenant of Water is an intense, captivating treasure.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read this wonderful ARC. .

I was a huge fan of Cutting for Stone. And after such a long wait, while the author worked full time as a physician through the pandemic, this beautiful book is perhaps even better. I don't even know where to start. Verghese transports us to Parambil and the family of covenant becomes so very real. The Condition they share runs through this story which spans several generations.

As a huge fan of Cutting for Stone I was excited to see what this book had to offer. And wow does it have a lot. A compelling journey through decades in India at the turn of the century in 1900. Secrets, family, love, and intrigue is what this book offers. Another fantastic book and worth the wait since his last one!!

This is an exquisitely written book with wonderful imagery and content. I will read the book again and again. HIghly recommended

The title of the book was what intrigued me and this was far from a disappointment. There was so much to unpack within this book. I personally love to sit by the water and reflex and relax. However, the body of water surrounding this generation was more of a plague. There were many family secrets that were unraveled, filled with pain, sadness, hardship, and illness. Although this was a thick book to get through, there was so much history to unpack and explore. We learned about India over the last seven decades, and how medicine played a role back then. I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend this to my friends. I was so honored to receive an advance copy via Netgallery & Grove Atlantic.

I am not exactly on what I can say about this novel because it was so much more than just a good read. It was a story about three generations of a family in India. It was about a young man from Scotland. It was about genetic malfunctions. Those are just the outlines.

This amazing book was about life and love and suffering and death and family and secrets and almost religions. It was about politics and the separation of people by man made constructs. It was about pursuing dreams and succeeding and failing.

This brilliant book brought characters to life, filled with life. Characters that knew family and loyalty and compassion. Yes, I cried a few times reading this book.

This book was about water. If you are going to read any book this year, make it this one.

I would like to thank Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for this ARC. Thank you!!!

A tour de force of a novel, whose extreme length (over 700 pages!) may turn some off, but it's absolutely worth the journey. I have a few quibbles: some of the medical & historical passages were somewhat didactic, and a section toward the end went on too long, but the different threads of the narrative join together beautifully at the end. Verghese has a wonderful way of drawing you in to a particular character's life and then switching to another with equal felicity.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Atlantic Grove for an advance readers copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review. The Covenant of Water is a multi-generational family story set in India. We follow this family through the years and learn that someone from each generation suffers from a curse, which is that one of them drowns.

This story was very character centric and well written. It took me a little bit to get into the story and was a bit slow at times but, once you were in the story, you were in. I was interested to keep reading to see how the story would end and enjoyed the ending.

I would recommend this story to anyone who loves historical fiction or family sagas.

This big, beautiful expansive novel is a rare reading experience.

Like the very best books, it allows the reader to become totally immersed in its world. And, a complex one this is.
We follow several generations of an extended family and its community and experience all the pain, love, conflict and challenge that rural India offered in the early 20th century.

Verghase’s command of language is so impressive that even life in a leper colony offers beautiful moments and inspiration. The book is almost Dickensian in its presentation of a complex society from multiple perspectives. I was totally enthralled by this ambitious book, and warmed by the generosity of spirit of so many of its characters.

This has to be the “ must read” book of the year.

Wow! I'm not sure what else I can say. The Covenant of Water is the best book I have read in a very long time. Verghese is a master story teller and his latest work is just brilliant. The Covenant of Water is a sprawling multi-generational story about an Indian family that suffers at least one drowning every generation, but why? Verghese adeptly spins his tale of colonial rule, caste, and the desire for independence all the while cementing the importance of home and that family isn't only defined by blood.

Another masterpiece from Verghese. At 700+pages, every one is an immersive trip to India. A multi-generational saga with memorable characters and their stories, beautifully written. I wish I could go back and read it again for the first time!

At 3/4 of the way through this novel, I was enjoying it but wishing it wasn't so long. But if a novel is going to be over 700 pages, it should pay off in the end. This one did - it was well worth the time, even if I didn't always feel that way while I was reading. It's a multigenerational tale with characters who come and go until paths cross - Verghese creates a layered narrative that unpeels a little at a time. Have patience, and you'll end up with a story that will stay with you long after you've closed the book.

I still think it could have been edited at least 100 pages. It's a shame to know the length of the book will put many readers off.