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The Covenant of Water
- Narrated by: Abraham Verghese
- Length: 31 hrs and 16 mins
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The Covenant of Water
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Summary
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.
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What listeners say about The Covenant of Water
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sally Goldman
- 08-08-23
Beautifully told tale of family journeys
I absolutely loved reading a hard copy of Cutting for Stone many years ago, so was delighted to see a new Verghese book available on Audible. Set mostly in India, it follows a family over several generations and connects them to a doctor from England. Verghese is himself a doctor and I found all the medical details fascinating, particularly as my own mother had an acoustic neuroma. The setting, initially in colonial India and later after independence, was also an interesting angle.
I found it a bit confusing initially, but that may have been due to me not sitting down and listening for a concentrated period, as well as there being many characters, all with names unfamiliar to me. I almost felt I needed to have a written list of names to which to refer. But once I got into the story and felt it was going somewhere, I was hooked. Verghese describes Indian life and customs so beautifully and I found myself doing extra chores around the house just to listen to another chapter. I did not realise, until the acknowledgements at the end, that this novel is based on his own family, that one of the central characters is his mother.
Verghese's narration is so-so. I usually really enjoy an author reading his/her own work, as there is an increased passion and understanding of the text, but I would say his reading is not up to the standard of his writing. Several words were mispronounced (he obviously understands their correct use, but not how to say them, and these were not just American options) and I thought he had only one voice and inflection for all the women.
So his narration and the slightly slow start lost this book a star, but otherwise I highly recommend spending a credit on this great listen.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs Alison M Howard
- 13-02-24
The connectedness, the interdependence of all those characters within this wonderful story - thank you.
The epic story telling with elievable characters, the telling of great sadnesses, relationships, beliefs and value of family and traditions was breathtaking in it's scope. I disliked the fact it ended.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jane E.
- 11-06-23
Incredible.
A simply amazing epic story, so moving, and well researched, spanning many generations. Its a very long book, but keep going as it's 100% worth it. This is one of my favourite books ever, as was Cutting For Stone. The audible narration was superb too.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Julie Ann Brewer
- 03-10-23
Great story
I loved how the characters lives and relationships were connected throughout the story. Loved the ending!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Saadia Alege
- 18-12-23
Accepting what will be.
Great quality of writing and reading. Long but I followed to the end as it was very engaging.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Charmaine Abeynaike
- 20-01-24
Unexpected Twists of Life
So many unexpected turns and entertaining narrations. A definite must read or listen. Totally understand why it was an Oprah’s Book Club pick.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ananda
- 05-04-24
Absolutely stunning
It’s one of those books I feel lucky to have found. It felt as if every character was with me on the journey. I lived their joy, mourned their losses, and will miss them now I have finished. Beautiful narration, description and bringing to life of a world that is not mine but for a short while, while listening, felt close. Thank you Abraham Verghese
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joy Holmes
- 12-04-24
The beauty of the writing and storytelling.
A. V. Careful and measured narration highlights the beauty of the descriptive writing about the natural world, the human relationships and the insightful understandings. There are occasions when the accents of the characters is less than accurate but it somehow does not detract from the overall impression of an outstanding author painting a very human and believable family.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 16-04-24
Riveted for days.
I havent enjoyed a book as much as this in so very long. The ability to evoke the characters and the places (having visited Kerala and South India ) made the experience and immersion total. I lived the characters through the narration and such excellent story yelling.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ladypea
- 22-05-23
Brilliant
Wonderful intertwining stories, narrated beautifully. Enlightening of a culture from a person who knows. Really felt he bright the characters to
Live
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1 person found this helpful