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The Covenant of Water–Indian multigenerational saga
The Covenant of Water
By Abraham Verghese
Fourteen years in the making, 724 pages long, this saga that mainly takes place in India will stay with readers long after they have finished reading it. This story spans the years 1900 to 1977 and begins with the arranged marriage of a twelve year old girl who is given years to mature and grow into her role before the marriage is consummated. She becomes the matriarch of the family and is known as Big Ammachi. The family has a secret, a curse they refer to as The Condition. At least one person, usually male, in each generation has died of drowning in a country where water is everywhere.
The reader takes a deep dive into the relationships that occur over the years in this area inhabited by St. Thomas Christians. The people in the community have a Christian faith, but it is interwoven with other cultural traditions. Big Ammachi’s husband Thamb’ran has the condition and was not allowed to travel by water to school. Therefore, he is an intelligent man, but has never learned to read. He also has a hearing loss.
Just when the reader has a grasp on these characters and the plot, the story jarringly transitions to Glasgow, Scotland, in 1919, where we meet Digby Kilgour, a surgeon, and become acquainted with the caste system. Although the transfer seems sudden, the plot soon moves back to Parambil in India where it is discovered that beloved Baby Mol suffers from a medical situation that will leave her childlike all of her life.
The Covenant of Water is too long for a reviewer to detail all of the events concerning the many characters. The plot is intricate and seemingly unconnected threads are eventually woven into other threads to create beautiful scenes full of emotion and love which cross many generations. There are tragedies and victories, happiness and great sadness. Heroic actions save lives and cause personal suffering. Writing and art are tools for healing. The World War brings death to many as Japan bombs Madras in India, but also inspires Indians to seek their freedom from Great Britain. There are births under primitive conditions, the arrival of electricity, and the release of Nehru after three years of imprisonment. Fire causes permanent damage as does leprosy, but with an undercurrent of faith, there is also healing and joy. Water is a powerful theme as the water flows through the land uniting all the characters with none of them having to stand alone because they are connected by the water—physically and emotionally. Story is important to this author and more important than themes and messages. As the story unfolds, however, Verghese reveals deep meanings and understandings of human nature in his beautiful writing. Although he labored over this saga for years, the telling seems to be effortless and replete with memorable lines and phrases. It is a masterpiece of fiction that readers will want to discuss and revisit for years to come.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Fiction
Notes: I am not normally a fan of celebrity book clubs, but I listened to Oprah Winfrey’s six part discussion (available on YouTube) of The Covenant of Water with author Abraham Verghese. It is a great interview and includes Verghese reading some passages from the book. It offers interesting insights into the writing process. I don’t usually listen to audio books because of hearing issues, but I could tell that Verghese’s reading of his book would be a positive addition to the enjoyment of The Covenant of Water.
It is a long book, but I think most people in my book club enjoyed it. One member shared a 5 page list of characters she found online. Because the book is so long, I would suggest readers explore that possibility or create their own list as they read.
Publication: May 2023—Grove Press
Memorable Lines:
The grandmother is certain of a few things: A tale that leaves its imprint on a listener tells the truth about how the world lives, and so, unavoidably, it is about families, their victories and wounds, and their departed, including the ghosts who linger; it must offer instructions for living in God’s realm, where joy never spares one from sorrow. A good story goes beyond what a forgiving God cares to do: it reconciles families and unburdens them of secrets whose bond is stronger than blood. But in their revealing, as in their keeping, secrets can tear a family apart.
“Are we not doing some good here, Honorine?” he asks gently. She looks at him kindly. “Aye, bonny lad, you are! Us all are! Our hospital, the railways and telegraphs. Plenty good things. But it’s their land, Digby, and we take and take us. We take tea, rubber, take their looms so they must buy our cotton at ten times the cost…”
“Half my life is spent on trains. Strangers of all religions, all castes getting on so well in a compartment. Why not same outside train? Why not simply all getting along?” Arjun looks out of the window and swallows hard.
Surprised by Oxford–an intellectual’s search for meaning
Surprised by Oxford
by Carolyn Weber
Carolyn Weber had quite a culture shock when, as a scholarship student, she transported herself from Western Ontario into the revered halls of Oxford University. In that first year of working on her Master of Philosophy degree, she was introduced to a different system of learning and classes. She was expected to learn for the sake of learning and to pursue academic interests through tutorials—meetings of small groups of students with a professor. Along with tea or sherry, the groups dove into intellectual pursuits that exhilarated this future professor of literature.
Along the way, Weber discovered a diverse group of friends from a variety of backgrounds who challenged each other in the friendly way comrades can have in the pub over a pint at the end of a long day of studying. She discovered a diversity of spiritual beliefs from atheist to Eastern religions, but none kindled in her the desire to investigate like the Christian faith did. The Christian students and professors were not what she expected. No one was standing on street corners thumping a Bible. Instead, when they found she was interested, they encouraged her to actually read the Bible and to attend groups where the writings of C.S. Lewis were discussed.
Through Surprised by Oxford, I learned a lot about the University of Oxford that contradicted the stereotypes that are generally shared in media. It was interesting to watch her personal and intellectual growth, to see her search within herself for spiritual meaning and communication with God. Obviously a lover of literature, Weber begins each chapter with poetry and sprinkles other lines of poetry throughout the book, especially as she and her friends quote poetry to each other in the context of their discussions.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Memoir, Christian
Publication: 2011—Thomas Nelson
Memorable Lines:
I had no real need of believing in men, God incarnate or otherwise. Fathers especially were not to be trusted. They did not even seem relevant really. That much I had learned. That much I brought with me.
“Despair is the greatest sin,” Dr. Nuttham finally responded slowly. “It involves forgetting that God is there. Forgetting that He is good and that all He is and does extends from and works toward this perfect goodness. That doesn’t mean that He allows evil, or creates it, or perpetuates it. That’s our entwinement. Rather, He uses even our evil toward His good. We all need forms of remembering this first great love…writing, reading, creating, being.”
“Jesus brings the most radical message there is into any society at any time: you are beloved; you are worth a price that only the God of the universe could pay.”
Fatal Family Ties–genealogy mystery
Fatal Family Ties
by S.C. Perkins
Lucy is a genealogist with her own business in Austin. She is tracked down at lunch by Camilla Braithwaite, one of her “three least-favorite former coworkers” at a job she held four years prior at Howland University Library in Houston. She wants Lucy to disprove an article written in Chronology magazine about her ancestor Charles Edward Braithwaite who is accused of being “a coward, a deserter, and a charlatan.”
This project turns out to be a complicated task because records from the Civil War, especially from the Confederate army, are scarce, incomplete, and often inaccurate. Lucy’s expertise is just what this job requires. It is complicated further by a mysterious triptych and the sudden death of Camilla’s Uncle Charlie who was like a grandfather to her. He and Camilla each own a panel from the art set and no one seems to know who inherited the third panel.
Fortunately, as things get dangerous, Lucy’s boyfriend, Special Agent Ben Turner of the FBI, has most of a week off. His concealed carry license, law enforcement connections, and special training help keep Lucy safe. Her associations with the art restoration world through her college friend Helen help Lucy solve the murder and the triptych mystery.
I liked all the positive characters and enjoyed watching Lucy solve this puzzling case. The “mean girls” were clearly not going to give anyone warm fuzzies, but the author did not portray them in black and white terms. There was room for growth and self-realization for two of them. Suspicion landed on various characters and the ending was a surprise. My favorite minor character was Lucy’s mom. I particularly enjoyed the way she interacted with an elderly neighbor known for her grumpiness.
Genealogy is a field that has always confused me with phrases like “second cousin twice removed on your mother’s side.” Fatal Family Ties is dependent on those relationships, but I could follow the reasoning. Lucy even explains that the term “great aunt” instead of “grandaunt” is, in fact, confusing as it does not follow the established language pattern. That made me feel better! You can learn about genealogy and its importance through this book, but it is never pedantic.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #3 in the Ancestry Detective Series, but can be read as a standalone. There is not a lot of personal character backstory to catch up on. The current mystery is the focus.
Publication: July 20, 2021—St. Martin’s Press (Minotaur)
Memorable Lines:
I certainly understood Camilla’s stress, and I had immense sympathy, but I didn’t need the attitude. If I was going to be snapped at, I deserved carbs.
“Wonders will never cease,” Mom said, and I smiled at her. I always loved how she said it as a statement she was stubbornly sure of rather than posing it as the traditional sarcastically surprised question.
“Though one thing you don’t need to change, Lucy, is your willingness to give people second chances. Too few people are open like that these days. Don’t give it up, okay?”
Lowcountry Boondoggle–growing hemp for supercapacitors
Lowcountry Boondoggle
by Susan M. Boyer
I am not regularly a reader of paranormal books, but Susan M. Boyer’s cozy mysteries have a different sort of paranormal twist. They focus on Liz Talbot, P.I., who is married to Nate, also a P.I. and her business partner. It’s no spoiler in my review of the ninth book in the series to say one of the characters is the spirit of Colleen who passed away during her junior year in high school. A spunky redhead, she has returned on a mission to guard their little town of Stella Maris. There are rules she has to follow or there will be consequences. Liz and Nate are the only people who can see her. She adds humor to the books but also aids in the investigations—sporadically. I write about her at such length because she has a pivotal role in this book, but to say more would indeed be a spoiler.
There are a number of threads in Lowcountry Boondoggle. Darius, a former reality TV star has been located by Brantley, his “long-lost love child” who is the sole survivor of a fire that wiped out his adoptive family’s home. Brantley has teamed up with two other friends, Tyler and Will, to establish an agricultural business to raise hemp. The young men will be concentrating on selling the stems to make supercapacitors, and they need money to start their business.
The plot centers around arson, murder, theft, deception, and jealousy. There is some humorous relief when Liz discovers her father’s plotting to create a Halloween scene on steroids on the front lawn. What will Mama say? Foodies will enjoy descriptions of Liz’s mama’s Southern cooking as well as some of the couple’s extravagant dining at the expense of their clients.
The plot was well-devised, but seemed to drag a little. I also didn’t enjoy the characters as much as I have in some other cozy mysteries in this series. Even the setting didn’t have the pizzaz I expected. Fortunately, I have read several books in this series and know the next one will probably be more to my taste as Boyer has included several intriguing hooks in her conclusion.
I would like to extend my thanks to Edelweiss and Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #9 in the Liz Talbot Mystery Series
Publication: June 30, 2020—Henery Press
Memorable Lines:
“…bad people are often very good at hiding behind masks of fake virtue.”
My husband was up to something, just as sure as azaleas would bloom all over Charleston in the spring.
“I always thought I had plenty of time, no rush. We make that same mistake all the time, don’t we? Thinking we have time?”
education pathways 