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The Covenant of Water

Abraham Verghese

Start date: September 1, 2025

Finish date: September 30, 2025

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Books of the Month

* The Names by Florence Knapp - Sep 25 Adult / Non-Fiction BOM (starts 16 Sep)
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last updated Sep 05, 2025 04:38PM

* The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - Sep 25 Theme BOM - South and South East Asia (Starts 5 September)
By Moderators of… , Challenger-in-Chief · 17 posts · 53 views

last updated Sep 05, 2025 04:36PM

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What Members Thought

Aug 07, 2023 Phyllis | Mocha Drop rated it really liked it

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 ...more

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Dec 31, 2023 Chris rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, literary-fiction, india

I know I'll be a serious outlier here, but I really feel like this is 3.5 stars and I'm rounding up only because of the quality of the writing - which really is breathtaking. It's just that this book is proof that there can be too much of a good thing. It's a good story that just goes on and on and on. It is the story of an Indian Christian family that appears to have been cursed in some way. Throughout the generations, various family members drown, sometimes in only a few inches of water. But w ...more

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Oct 22, 2023 Jenn rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, 2023-finished

This book was not on my radar to read because it didn't sound like a book I'd be interested in. My friend finished and recommended it to me and since I trust her recommendations I picked it up.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like it with the opening chapter. There was just something with the subject matter that didn't sit well with me and I thought it might be too much history driven. Thankfully I kept at it and this turned out to be quite the read.

Even though this book was a little over 700 pa This book was not on my radar to read because it didn't sound like a book I'd be interested in. My friend finished and recommended it to me and since I trust her recommendations I picked it up.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like it with the opening chapter. There was just something with the subject matter that didn't sit well with me and I thought it might be too much history driven. Thankfully I kept at it and this turned out to be quite the read.

Even though this book was a little over 700 pages I felt like I flew through reading it. I became invested in the family and the people. The story centers on a woman who is known as Big Aamachi. She is married at an extremely young age to a man who is almost 3 decades older than her. The book takes us through her life and through two more generations. There is also another story within the book about a young man who wants to become a doctor. He moves to India to continue his studies, yet his life takes a turn that is unexpected.

This book also deals heavily with faith in a bit of subtle way initially but becomes more prevalent as the book gets closer to the end. I didn't mind as I felt it pertained to the characters' storylines. Although there was event in the book that I felt it was just a bit overdone and "in your face" feeling.

Some of these characters storylines were quite heartbreaking. This wasn't the kind of book where everyone got their happy ending, which is something I like. There were some very interesting twists and the last one I had suspicions and it when it was revealed I felt it was genius as it went full circle for a couple of the characters.

This was my first book by the author and overall I did enjoy the writing style. For me it felt detailed enough without going on and on. Most of the characters were engaging. I loved how all the relationships were within this book. The medical aspect of the book there were plenty of hints given that this would be bigger as the book went on, and by the end a lot of the medical aspect came into play. Also by around the ending the politics that were going on around that time seemed to come into play, especially with one character. I am glad the author didn't spend a huge amount of time in regards to that topic, as sometimes I just start loosing interest.

Overall an absolutely wonderful read. I think this might be one book that will stay with me for a bit. ...more

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Oct 11, 2024 Kimberly rated it liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 27, 2023 Kim Benouski rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

I listened to the first half (great reader) and read the second half. What’s beautifully written story. I loved the connections and the descriptions as well as learning about medicine and lepers.

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