What readers think of The Covenant of Water, plus links to write your own review.

This is, in a word, fabulous. How can I adequately review THE COVENANT OF WATER to convey just how fabulous it is? This book is lovely from beginning to end. It's a big one, but, honestly, you'll wish Abraham Verghese had made it longer.

THE COVENANT OF WATER is mostly about a certain family in India, from the time a 12-year-old girl is made to marry a man in his 40s. He turns out to be a good and kind man, but he has a physical "condition" that runs in his family. This condition is real, by the way, and has a real name, but it is a mystery throughout this story.

THE COVENANT OF WATER also has another main character, a man from Scotland who comes to India to practice medicine. His story is dramatic, but after a time Verghese seems to forget about him. Don't worry (as I did), he'll be back.

If you have been wondering what Verghese has been doing in the years since CUTTING FOR STONE, here it is, one of the best books you'll ever read (along with CUTTING FOR STONE, probably).

"The Covenant of Water" is a story about love, loss, family, marriage, children, parenting, aging, living, illness, dignity, secrets and fears, the value of the home, dreams, death, complex relationships, and struggles with the demands of loyalty. It is a fierce and tender combination that takes the reader on a long, difficult journey that is occasionally heartbreaking and upsetting.
I can relate to this book because I have experienced tough times and sometimes I give up.
Because reading Verghese's scholastic prose was frequently just too taxing.
For me, it appeared as though two things were occurring at once the characters' forward motion and information to 'learn' about the descriptions that have been included in the plot/plots themselves.

This is a uniquely written generational saga and I enjoyed every page turned!

This book captivated me from the first few pages. I love to read foreign stories and learn about the history, customs and traditions.

This enthralling epic was worth the decade plus wait since Cutting for Stone. As a doctor - I enjoyed the clinical color- and medical accuracy- when the characters have recognizable illnesses whose diagnoses rely on the history and the physical findings rather than sophisticated technology. Medical students will learn about the sequelae of leprosy in the pre-antibiotic era, the clinical presentations of goiter, cretinism, typhoid fever, obstetrical complications, maternal hemorrhage, domestic violence and even the consequences of medical error-but never in a pedantic way/ the reader won’t feel like they’re being instructed. True also for students of history interested how Madras was impacted by colonialism, then WWII, and later how communism offered a violent path to disrupt casteism and oppressive social hierarchies is Southern India.

I strongly recommend the audio version of this book, read by the author himself, who displays not only acting talent, but facility with a wide array of accents: from Kerala, to Glasgow, to Corpus Christi, Texas. And through it all we see the truth of our shared humanity: our tragic defects and flaws as well as the forgiveness- the majestic creativity and spiritual resilience that allow us to survive the struggle, to repair ourselves and to find meaning in our existence.

I've been waiting for Verghese's next novel since Cutting for Stone. The characters are so complex, beloved and relatable. The writing is beautiful and the setting fascinates.
A big book (!) that I couldn't put down.

Listening to the Audible version and finding it difficult to carry on due to the terrible Scottish and Geordie accents. Very distracting.

Abraham Verghese's book Cutting for Stone is my favorite book of all time. Whereas I found The Covenant of Water to be the opposite. I felt as if I were doing penance the whole time I was reading it. It was a depressing experience. I did not enjoy the writing at all.