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.

I'm not going to do a formal review of this book because there's been enough buzz with it being an Oprah pick and everyone loving it etc. I will say that it took me six months to finish this book which is a long time for me. I just couldn't get into it. I don't think this book needed to be almost 800 pages long! When I did finally finish the book, yes, I could appreciate the story and the characters and their journeys. Verghese's previous book Cutting for Stone was similar in that it took me awhile to get into the story and the characters, but with The Covenant of Water, I was never fully hooked. I know I'm in the minority here - to each their own.

Thank you to Net Galley and and Grove Atlantic for the advanced copy of this book!

I really wanted to like this book, especially because the characters were Indians and St. Thomas's Christians. But I couldn't. It took me 3 months to finish this books. I generally love books with heavy themes but the fact that it had so much to do with medicines made it a bit boring for me.
But the major issue was infidelity. That is something that does not sit well with me, so I did not like the ending.

It was a 3 🌟 read for me and one star is just for Amachi, the old Mariamma💗

First of all, thank you to Net Galley and and Grove Atlantic for the advanced copy of this book! I made it 20% of the way through the book before DNF-ing it. If you are a fan of books with medical themes/perspective (one of the main characters is a doctor), you may enjoy this one. I typically love a multigenerational saga but this one did not speak to me for now. Be sure to check content warnings before picking this one up.

A beautifully written and epic novel that spans generations and continents as a family struggles to discover the reason they are afflicted with a propensity for drowning. The vivid descriptions of food, people and landscapes made it easy to savor the story and really feel immersed in a different place and time. While the plot does meander at times everything comes full circle in end. I could say so much more about how much I loved this book but I’ll keep it short & sweet. Highly recommend.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5

At the time of this writing, there is a plethora of praise for this epic novel and all of it is deserved - Verghese has a way with words and is a seemingly natural (and gifted) storyteller who seamlessly folds pertinent elements of medicine, religion, humanity, art, food, and nature into his tales.

In this tale, we are in India following the trials and tribulations of a matriarchal family lineage through several generations. We experience the impacts of loves and losses, periods of struggle and abundance, sickness and health, life and death, differing governmental regimes, and the ever-present weight and ramification of colonialism. There are also tender lessons of kindness, caring for others (brother’s keeper), and simply benevolent vibes that buoy the story at just the right moments.

This is an engaging timeless read; recommended for fans of family sagas, and historical and/or literary fiction.

Thanks to the publisher, Grove Press, and NetGalley for an opportunity to review.

4.5*

Verghese is a gifted writer who takes us on a journey to the southwestern part of India. It’s a land that long ago was converted to Catholicism by one of the apostles. The book spans three generations of one family. It starts in 1900 with a 12-year-old child being given to a forty-year-old widower as his bride. She will later become known as Big Ammachi and her descendants carry on the story through 1977.

The family that Big Ammachi is now a part of, suffers from an unknown malady or curse. Most of them die in water. This haunts the descendants their whole lives and dictates their upbringing. But though this trait is part of the undercurrent, there’s so much more to this multi-generational tale. The novel covers family dynamics, the caste system, romance, tragic loss, medicine, lepars, secrets and drug addiction.

The writing is gorgeous and the story is highly detailed. The author’s medical background is very apparent as there are a lot of medical explanations included. The only critique might be in the length of the book; there’s so much covered that the size may be daunting to some. Verghese used his mother’s own stories to build this novel. It’s masterful and powerful. Don’t let the length be a deterrent; it’s well worth the time to follow Big Ammachi and her family through the decades.

I really wanted to like this book but I did not! Reading it felt like wading through mud with so many side stories. I felt as if I was reading several books at the same time.

Everyone shouksmd very reading this evocative thought orovijibg novel. Two deeply moving storyline.

Not to be missed.