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.

I loved the book Cutting for Stone and was so pleased to see another title from this author. And let me tell you, it was worth the wait. An immersive, sweeping, multi-generational family saga set in India. It was a beautiful book with memorable characters and moments. Knowing the author is a doctor makes all of the medical writing so interesting. The characters are resilient and strong and while tragic things happen, the end is hopeful and redemptive. A fantastic read!

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

REVIEW TO FOLLOW.

As I sit here watching my blinking curser, I’m wondering where to start with this book. Man, it was a lot. Good a lot, mostly!

The first thing I noticed was the time investment I’d need to put into it. I didn’t look at how long it was before requesting it on NetGalley, but when I finished the first chapter and my Kindle was telling me it would take 18 more hours to read the whole thing, I just about had a fit 😆. Not only is it over 700 pages, but I also wouldn’t really call it a book that reads quickly. There’s a lot going on that you don’t want to miss, plus quite a few unfamiliar words and names to stumble a little over.

Anyway, once I got over the fact that it was going to take me forever to read, I settled in and was really enjoying it. I really had no idea about the history of South India’s Malabar Coast, so it really was fascinating. It begins with the marriage of a child to a grown man, but she (Big Ammachi) lives with him for several years until anything is consummated. Everything about this was fascinating to read, especially the customs and rules and the overall lay of the land.

Man, Verghese can set a scene. The tropical forests came alive for me, which made it all into a pretty epic movie in my head the whole time. The characters were also like real people to me, like I was there.

There’s a lot of tragedy in this book, but also a lot of beauty, and that juxtaposition makes this book really, truly beautiful. I will say, though, that the tragedy almost got to be too much for me. If I’m going to stick through such a long book, it can’t be all drudgery. Just when things were getting too bleak, though, the story would switch or something would happen to draw me in again.

Speaking of story switching, this book is in chunks. You read one character’s bit, then you move on to another, and another, and then return to the first. While I did enjoy the way all the stories worked together, it was hard to get invested in one story just to be ripped away to one of the other characters’ story lines.

If you read other reviews of The Covenant of Water, you’ll probably find some that are critical of just how much history and politics Verghese jam packs into this book. And, well, they’re right – there’s a lot. For the most part, though, it added to the story. It’s really epic, really involved, and just like a whole historical novel that delivers on the historical bit in a pretty big way.

Then there’s yet another layer: the medical stuff. Just like Cutting for Stone, this novel really holds a lot of truly interesting medical history. I will completely agree with the summary when it says the book is “a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, and a humbling testament to the hardships undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today.” I especially love the mysticism in the beginning of this “condition” that’s passed down from generation to generation and they have no idea what it is, then suddenly in the 70s, the science is there to try to figure it out.

Overall, I loved The Covenant of Water. However, I did knock one star off because it was SO long, SO history and detail packed, and…well, epic. It really is an amazing work of art and an engrossing read, and I do recommend it to anyone who loved Cutting for Stone or likes these kinds of epic literary novels. Just do what I did and listen to a few audiobooks in between some of the cutaways to the other characters to give yourself some time to take it all in.

Not really sure where to begin! A short synopsis can't even begin to cover this sweeping epic that spans eight decades and 700+ pages.

At its core, this is the story about a family that is plagued by drownings; they have a hereditary predisposition to it, passed down through the generations. The family is part of a community of St Thomas Christians based in Kerala in South India, where they live surrounded by water, but the element that brings life, cleanses, and nurtures the land and people. Over three generations, spanning from 1900 through 1977, we see a family plagued by tragedy. But we also see a country, a society, in flux. Moving from colonialism through independence, through movements towards communism, lower castes questioning the lot they've been given, women pushing the boundaries of who society permits them to be.

This book is absolutely gorgeous. Abraham Verghese's writing is so poetic and lyrical, with descriptions that actually gave me chills. I don't have the words to describe just how beautiful some of these passages are. I highlighted the heck out of this e-book, but here's one sliver to illustrate what I mean:

"Just as the ocean manifests as a wave or surf, but neither wave nor surf <i>is</i> the ocean, so also the Creator–God or Brahma–generates an impression of a universe that takes the form of a Swedish doctor, or a blind leper. Rune is real. The leper is real. The fishing net is real. Yet it is all maya, their separateness an illusion. All is one. The universe is nothing but a speck of foam on a limitless ocean that is the Creator. He feels euphoric and unburdened–<i>the peace of God, which passeth all understanding</i>"

The themes discussed in this book were so impactful, as well. The way it wove together colonialism and self-governance, together with intersecting insights on caste, class, gender. Faith and privilege. Progress over time, both societal and personal. It is truly an epic scale when a book opens with a young girl–who would come to be called Big Ammachi–being married off to a stranger at age 12, and by the end of the century has her female descendants studying neurosurgery. I also thought it was interesting how the book comes to frame The Condition, how drowning runs in a family like a hereditary disease.

With that being said, did this book need to be over 700 pages? I don't think so! Readers with a higher tolerance for slow pacing might not mind, but I did find it to drag at times. I breezed through the first 40/50-ish percent before I started to feel that way. I think it started to lose focus a bit, with a lot of tangents that made my interest start to drift. This part can't really be sugar coated: this is a long, slow-paced, sad book.

So, to sum up: I'm very glad I read this, even though I had some trouble with the pacing. I would recommend it to people who are looking to deeply immerse themselves into a long, slow-paced ballad, knowing they'll come out the other end a little dazed, and very sad.

3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for this ARC to read and review.