The Covenant of WaterThe Covenant of Water
What it's about
In 1900, in Kerala, in southern India, a twelve-year-old girl is married to a forty-year-old widower she has never met. Over the next seventy-seven years, as she becomes the matriarch known as Big Ammachi, her family is haunted by a strange condition: in every generation, someone dies by drowning. The story follows three generations, as well as a Scottish surgeon whose life is bound to theirs.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist and an Oprah's Book Club pick. It's an epic of love, faith and medicine from the author of Cutting for Stone.
You'll love it if you liked
The God of Small Things
A Suitable Boy
My Own CountryGood to know
It's over 700 pages, with detailed medical scenes.
By the numbers
- Readers92 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller63 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #34 of the 116 historical novels we rank
- #39 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #61 of the 481 new books we rank
- #340 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by Abraham Verghese
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Quick answers
Is The Covenant of Water worth reading?
Yes. It was a Goodreads Choice finalist and an Oprah's Book Club pick. It ranks #340 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 80.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Covenant of Water about?
In 1900, in Kerala, in southern India, a twelve-year-old girl is married to a forty-year-old widower she has never met. Over the next seventy-seven years, as she becomes the matriarch known as Big Ammachi, her family is haunted by a strange condition: in every generation, someone dies by drowning. The story follows three generations, as well as a Scottish surgeon whose life is bound to theirs.
How long does it take to read The Covenant of Water?
About 16 hours (627 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Covenant of Water?
If you liked it, try The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth or My Own Country by Abraham Verghese.