The Covenant of Water

By: Abraham Verghese

Narrated by: Abraham Verghese

OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • SUBJECT OF A SIX-PART SUPER SOUL PODCAST SERIES HOSTED BY OPRAH WINFREY

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

“One of the best books I’ve read in my entire life. It’s epic. It’s transportive . . . It was unputdownable!”—Oprah Winfrey, OprahDaily.com

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 South 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 long-existing 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, known as 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 human understanding, and a humbling testament to the difficulties undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. It is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years.

©2022 Abraham Verghese (P)2022 Recorded Books

Amazing multigenerational saga.

Adam Verghese does it again! The author also does a great job as narrator.

Professional narrator required

The author is talented at writing, but tumbles and spits the narration, and sadly the non-Indian accents are bothersome. It's taking a long time to listen, and whilst I I hoped to be captivated by the story and excellent turns of phrase, it is an effort to ignore the narration.
Having preordered this book - Cutting for Stone is a favorite - I wish I'd bought the kindle version instead.
It may not bother others, so listen to the sample before choosing a version to buy.

Beautifully Written

His writing is very soulful. Beautifully captures the human condition. Puts words in motion. He isn’t turning out endless books. Takes the time to master his creation, his story. I know I will read this again as it is too rich to fully experience with one read

Superb Story!

This was such a beautiful story. My goodness, I loved these characters and I already miss them! What a joy this read was. So many emotions were evoked. And I learned many things. Just beautiful….

Special

Beautiful story. The language, descriptions and storyline kept me gripped. I’m sad that it is over.