Book Info
Name of Book : The Covenant of Water
Author : Abraham Verghese
Publisher : Grove Press UK
Publication Date : 1 Jan 2023
No. of Hours : 31 Hours and 16 Minutes
Format : AudiobookWhy did I choose the book ?
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese was recommended by my buddy group as the book was nominated for International Booker Prize.
Where to get the book ?
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese is available on Amazon :
Author Introduction
Abraham Verghese is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and the author of books including My Own Country and The Tennis Partner. His most recent book, Cutting for Stone, spent 107 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and sold more than 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. It was translated into more than twenty languages and is being adapted for film by Anonymous Content. Verghese was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2016, has received five honorary degrees, and lives and practices medicine in Stanford, California where he is the Linda R. Meier and Joan F. Lane Provostial Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Blurb
Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water follows a family in southern India 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, 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 poignant beginning, the young girl and future matriarch - known as Big Ammachi - will witness unthinkable changes at home and at large over the span of her extraordinary life, full of the joys and trials of love and the struggles of hardship.
A shimmering evocation of a lost 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 hardships undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. Imbued with humour, deep emotion and the essence of life, it is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years.
My Opinion
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese is a beautiful story transcending across three generations. The story takes hold right from the start, and as a reader, you fall in love with the characters. And the more you listen, the more emotional it becomes. It is not some story where characters are just playing their parts, but they are living it. They feel like real people around you. The plot has an attraction; you just cannot stop listening to it. As a reader, I felt like it really happened. The best part for me was when I started evaluating each character and felt connected.
The audiobook is narrated by the author himself. His accent was crystal clear, even when narrating in local languages. I think this makes the book more desirable.
I must say that the book can be read or listened to again and again. Every time, it shows you new emotions and values. It focused on women, their position in society, the myths prevailing, and the education system. A story narrated during the British era and post-independence with a focus on personal lives compels you to think about the book even after you finish it. It is certainly a literary gem, not to be missed at any cost.
Ratings
- Recommendation ----------- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Cover ------------------------- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Plot --------------------------- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Writing Style ---------------- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Characters ------------------- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Climax ----------------------- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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