The Covenant of Water, Abraham Verghese
The Covenant of Water, Abraham Verghese
154 Rating(s)
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The Covenant of Water

Bestseller

Author: Abraham Verghese

Narrator: Abraham Verghese

Unabridged: 31 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 05/02/2023


Synopsis

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.

About Abraham Verghese

A practicing physician and a professor of medicine at Stanford University, Abraham Verghese is the author of My Own Country and Cutting for Stone. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, and other publications. He lives in Palo Alto, California.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Karen on November 28, 2024

I almost walked away. I was intimidated by the size of this book. 715 pages. I often wonder why an author feels they need this many pages to tell a story. But…It was a library book, and I had waited months for it. And…It was the talk because it was Oprah’s 2023 Book Club pick. And…I don’t typically......more

Goodreads review by Karen on May 01, 2023

Well… I’m not really finished with this book. I got to 40% and i am wiped out. I’m done.. no enthusiasm to pick this up anymore, and I am so disappointed because when I saw that this author had a new book, I was very excited. I’m a huge fan of Cutting For Stone! So, this was way too tedious and I just......more

Goodreads review by Flo on May 14, 2023

DNF after more than a third. The writing is suitable for a mainstream plot-driving book. It didn't impress me, but it wouldn't have been a problem if the story had kept my attention. I was intrigued by the idea of a curse related to water. It reminded me of a story by Dino Buzzati. I think it's call......more

Goodreads review by Sharon on October 29, 2023

I listened to Abraham Verghese's novel, The Covenant of Water, on audiobook. Verghese is a phenomenal narrator and I highly recommend listening to this powerful story. The Covenant of Water illustrates how we are all inextricably linked. Verghese masterfully weaves a rich tapestry that encompasses t......more

Goodreads review by Carol on May 28, 2023

I heard Dr. Verghese speak recently about his book. He said his editor told him “it needed to be as long as it needed to be.” His editor, in my opinion is wrong. I read all 725 pages trying to decide what it was that was bothering me. I loved, loved, loved Cutting for Stone and I had been looking fo......more