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.

4.5 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and Grove Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I loved Cutting for Stone and was excited to know that the author had another fiction title coming out. But, the sheer length of the book was daunting. I finally mustered up the courage and commitment to read this book. It definitely was a beautifully told story but it still felt too long lowering the number of stars by 0.5 stars. We follow an Indian family from the early 1900s to 1977 who is cursed by tragedies involving water. We start the story with a young girl, I believe she's 12 years old, who has been matched to get married to a 40 year old widower, whose family is affected by water. We follow three generations of the family, which parallels India's history in the southwestern region - from plagues, Japanese invasion, colonization and religion, politics and cultural and gender beliefs. We are introduced to a surgeon, Digby from Scotland, who is training and is involved in a tragedy that forever changes his life. Philipose, the son and 2nd generation, marries Elsie and we follow their story and tragedies. And, it's the third generation where the story comes together, intertwined with all the other characters, and all the secrets are revealed. Having read both his fiction books, that are filled with so much sadness, grief, loss, and sacrifice that the happy aspect is usually bittersweet. If you're ready to experience a master storyteller's epic and want to get immersed in a different world, this is the one for you!

What a journey. Literally. Through time, along a river, through history. All at the same time I was privileged to be immersed in the lives of extraordinary characters - Big Ammachi, Philipose, Baby Mol, Elise,Uplift Master. I believe this last point is most important to me because by the end of this book I felt I knew them! I understood their thoughts and dreams. I laughed outloud and sobbed (sorry no spoilers).

At the end, I felt so content and at peace that it made it difficult to move on to the next book (I finally chose Taking Paris by Dugard for some quick paced history).

This is a great book club read as there are so many directions to discuss - spirituality, the significance of water and The Condition, the evolution of society and the affects on the characters, the caste system and yes, the characters.

Yes, it is 715 pages. I suggest you read it slowly - 20-30 pages a day. Savor the prose, the descriptions that make you feel like you are in the middle of a train station or sitting at Philipose’s desk or in the kitchen.

Thank you Abraham Vereghese for taking 14 years to bring this story to life.

Without question 5 stars.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

I am going to start with the fact that I couldn't wait to read this book. This is a book about Kerala, India from 1900-1977 and a Christian woman married off when she was a child. She would later become the matriarch of the family and be known as Big Ammachi. This story could be about my grandmothers, my Ammachi's. They were both Malayali Christian women who had arranged marriages in their teens. They were both strong and beautiful and I loved them. But as a child I never thought to ask them about their youth and their stories. Growing up in America my life was so different from theirs. This book gave me a glimpse of that time and place in Kerala, of what it might have been like for them. The author bought this epic, multi generational saga to life with his incredible storytelling. You can feel his love and connection to Kerala through the pages. This book is about curses, love, loss, afflictions, faith, hope and the connections of family that remain strong across generations. Thank you #NetGalley.

I avoided this book for a while, because I knew 1- I would not be able to start reading once I started and this book is a doorstopper; 2- I knew it would make me cry like Cutting for Stone did. And sure enough, once I started this book four days ago, both of these things happened. I read every minute I could get, and toggled between audio and print so that I could keep reading at every opportunity.

I'm in awe of Verghese's ability to write such a complicated epic that draws so many disparate threads into one moving story. The Covenant of Water is at once a love story, an intricate work of historical fiction, a medical mystery, and an exploration into faith and suffering. I loved being immersed in the landscape of Kerala and the multigenerational family stories, even as the author broke my heart many times. Brace yourself.

There was something about this book that just wasn’t for me and I ended up DNFing it. Each section I would just be getting really into a plot line and then the characters would change and the sections just felt to long and I had then forgotten about older plot lines before they circled back.

An epic masterful story by the writer of one of my favorite books, CUTTING FOR STONE. Opening in the early 1900s in a Southern Indian region of Keralia, a young girl heads by boat to her wedding to a 40 year old widower. That's the beginning of the story of this family. Haunting, beautifully written story interweaves between the family, the "Condition" of the family that takes someone by drowning in every generation, the culture and political history this area of India, and medicine. Just when the story starts going there is almost an abrupt switch to Scotland and a young to-be-surgeon. Have no fear these different paths are important and ultimately everything pays off. Admittedly the middle part of the book was slow going but it was more than worth it. And the last third of the book flies by.

WOW! What an involved read. This author emerges you into the story from page 1. The research placed into the story is very detailed and on point. At some
Points thru book I felt I was reading a medical journal.
I’ve read his first book (cutting for stone) which is still a favorite. My expectations of Water was high. The journey you take with the author is long winded road.
I enjoyed this book but towards the end I felt like it could have been wrapped with fewer pages and less background.
Bravo great story

Oh my goodness, where to start? Abraham Verghese is such a wonderfully complex writer. In this novel, he weaves together so many characters and stories, from India to Glasgow, and the reader manages to keep track and be interested in all of them. I loved this book.

This is the best book I have read in 2023 (so far)!! In fact, at age 71, it’s in the top 5 of books I’ve ever read in my LIFE!! I get emotional even thinking about it, and can’t wait to discuss it at our newly created online book club, created because of this book! And today I listened to Episode 1 of Oprah’s podcast with him.

Dr. Abraham Verghese is a master storyteller (loved Cutting for Stone just as much). Even all the medical topics I loved and found fascinating, because he explained each in such clear detail! He told Oprah it took him 14 years to write it!

I cannot lie; I love fat books, and at 726 pages (31+ Audible hours) it did not disappoint. I switched from the Kindle version to the Audible version pretty quickly after starting, just so I could hear the author narrate it himself, hear his pronunciations and inflections. And, because I loved it so much, tomorrow for my 71st birthday, my husband is getting me the hardback version to keep forever!

I highly recommend this book. It gripped me from the first paragraph!

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of this beautiful story. This incredible story of different generations of a family will leave its mark on any reader. Verghese is an artist when it comes to crafting stories that go beyond the words on the page. You feel a part of the family. Please don't wait so long to write your next novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for the ARC of this book. I was highly excited to receive this advanced copy, in spite of the fact that I don't often like books that are in the Oprah Book Club. I did enjoy Cutting for Stone so I was looking forward to this novel.

I loved the epic story of three generations and the incredibly detailed descriptions of India. It's no surprise that the author, being a physician, has used his medical knowledge within the book's narrative, which I did find to be a bit distracting.

I do think the book could have been edited into a shorter version and it was difficult to get through. Without no fault of the book, I don't think I was in the right frame of mind to read a depressing book, perhaps I'll pick it up again at another time.

What to say about this book except get it, read it and enjoy every word. Truly an exceptional story of three generations of women in India and their families. The characters are beautifully written. The story covers 70 years, hopes, dreams, loss, medicine and so much. Destined to become a classic. Don't miss this one.

Wow. I had my doubts that this book could live up to my expectations since Cutting for Stone is one of my absolute favorites. I shouldn't have. This was such a journey. Really it was an epic. I loved almost every minute, every twist and turn, every triumph. So much sadness but also so much redemption. I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.

I enjoyed this book and I could not put it down. I really enjoyed the characters and the writing was really well done. It made you want to keep reading.

Dr. Verghese has written another amazing epic novel. It did not unseat his prior novel, Cutting for Stone, as my all-time favorite book but it is a great read. He also narrates the audio book if you enjoy listening. I also highly recommend the multi-part Oprah podcast. I know, you're thinking, "What?? This book is already a door stopper, now you want me to spend hours listening to the author talk about it?!!". Trust me, it's worth it and really adds to the reading experience. FWIT, I couldn't have ever imagined I would be recommending an Oprah podcast...

The Covenant of Water is truly an epic tale that spans generations, confronts class struggles, and leverages the growth of knowledge in the medical industry to move a diagnosis from a family secret to something tangible. Each character was an important part of the tale. I couldn't recommend this more highly!

This magnificent novel is difficult to finish. I will miss its rich story. Set in Kerala, India between 1900 and 1977, this family saga, tells of the mysterious Condition that takes a life in each generation, advances in medicine, strong women, colonialism and much more.