Welcome to Litsy!

The combination of high expectations and high page count mingled together to make me want to quit this many times. I persevered (I‘m leading the book club meeting for it tomorrow) and the ending was worth it! A family saga across 70 years set in India…unbelievably tragic and relentless in its melodramatic tone but despite myself, I loved the family matriarch and cried at the end. Heavy on the medical/disease/hospital scenes which aren‘t for me.

I finished one more since this was sent to me so 52 books this year!

Tagged was my favourite, I think. It‘s hard to pick!

#goodreadsyearinbooks

How can I put into words how much I loved this book? I loved every bit of this 715 page story! Not a word of it felt drawn out, and I didn‘t want it to end. I learned so much about India, about surgery, about leprosy, about politics in India, and more! I loved so many of the characters and began to feel that I knew them personally. I highly recommend this book!

I‘ve still got time to read more books so this won‘t be my final count, but I did meet my Goodreads Challenge of 100 books, so that seemed worth celebrating. Apparently Covenant of Water was the longest book I read this year and it I think will also make my top 10. But I am not one to do a Best of the Year List until I actually reach the end of the year! So that‘s still to come. And if you‘re a Goodreads user, send me a friend request.

I still haven't completely made up my mind whether I hate the bits where people blame God for all bad things, or simplistically and irrationally see his hands in events, but I do love the general feel and writing of the book. I laughed out loud once and cried multiple times. It made me think a lot about my life right now and my hopes and dreams, and what gives true joy. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

At times I feel like this book should be called "How many horrible things can happen to one family".

From the connecting train being delayed this morning to finding out I would be spending the whole of the afternoon and evening alone instead of seeing a friend, I was quite low by the time I got off the aeroplane in Cape Town. And my book, my one book I had idiotically packed, was nearly finished. So I consoled myself...

Dive into "The Covenant of Water" by Abraham Verghese, a captivating multi-generational saga and a must-read for fans of epic novels that you wished never ended. Another amazing pick from Virginia on Book Interrupted‘s Blog.

https://www.bookinterrupted.com/post/manuscript-monday-the-covenant-of-water
#bookinterrupted #TheCovenantofWater #OprahBookClub #bookstoread #epicnovels #booksthatyouwishdidntend #bookpodcast

I'm not going to lie, it took me a while to read, and I thought of bailing. But I'm glad I didn't.
The beginning was hard, because I didn't see the links with the different characters, but eventually everything links together.
I liked learning about Kerala, about the politics, about the progress in medicine along the pages. Some parts of this family saga are more interesting than others, but so is life. A solid 3/5 for me.

Absolutely fantastic! This epic story will have me thinking for years to come. A real #chunkster , this story follows generations of families from India and Ireland, a community dealing with Leprosy and other challenges, and Doctors called to serve their people with empathy and grace. Wonderful on #audio, Verghese delivers another world class novel worth every minute of your time. #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

This one is much more of an epic than I‘d thought it‘d be, going in. It tells a very human story, firmly rooted in the geography and culture that it is set in, benefitting from the author‘s own heritage.

This is a beautiful book. I could not put it down. It spans from the 1900s to the 1970s.
The book starts with a twelve year old girl who is marrying a forty year old widower with a son. His side of the family suffers from a 'condition' that has caused several family tragedies related to drowning across generations.
The way all of the characters are introduced and how their stories intertwine is so well done.
This is a must-read.

This is a slow burn of a read. I loved the story and the characters and this was probably the best ending to a book I‘ve ever read. *I took my kindle on a backpacking trip in Wyoming and my son snapped a picture of me reading by the water ❤️

This book was almost 900 pages, but quite frankly I couldn‘t put it down. The story is that of 3 generations and the hardships, secrets, and love they share. There was a morbid touch to the novel (with it‘s medical aspects), but that part of it really had me hooked. Loved all the women and their tenacious personalities.

4.5 ⭐
I chose the Italian cover because it was so pretty.

So this took me forever to finish. It is a slow story and I would pause it read/listen to two other books and then get back to it. I can definitely quit books, but something would not let me do that with this one. After several months I finally finished and can say it is such a beautiful and sad story. Definitely worth the time.

"She is twelve years old, and she will be married in the morning."

#FirstLineFridsys
@ShyBookOwl

#aboutabook #published2023

My favorite of 2023!

@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Just finished. I have been reading this one for a while. I moved towns. Lost reading motivation for a little bit. Almost gave up but pressed on. I think there were 10 parts of this book. It was a bit of a winding ride with alot of ups and downs. Overall I thought it was a beautiful story that carried me along for the ride.

“The Covenant of Water“ weaves a beautifully intricate tale, seamlessly blending elements of fantasy and adventure. The narrator's skillful delivery brought the characters to life, making their struggles and triumphs feel incredibly real....
Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5577140912

Saw @Soubhiville post and explain how to get this from StoryGraph (a new feature if you select the month and scroll to the bottom)!

This was a great reading month for me, I usually average 2 books a month.

Favourites were The Covenant of Water (tagged) and A Sweet Sting of Salt.

Salt doesn‘t have the best reviews but I found it engrossing and just what I wanted mood wise, whereas Covenant was just fantastic.

The Covenant of Water is a lusciously descriptive novel I was completely immersed in, the characters their interesting backstories, and interconnected lives. Verghese writes with such passion about relationships, history, and medical procedures. I loved the audio but the medical procedures were not my favorite.
Such wonderful symbolism throughout this novel
#ReadAway2024 book 21

Starting The Covenant of Water 💧📚🤓

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow

This one is heavy, bother literally and figuratively, at >700 pages, but it‘s worth it. But I loved it as I loved his last novel, Cutting for Stone.

This reminds me a bit of A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, an epic tail of loss and life. Which was written by my English teachers husband, and is fantastic if you get a chance to read it.

This novel follows 3 generations of an Indian family following their life‘s ups and downs.

My reading buddy, Hazel, needs attention!

Making good progress on this. It‘s a huge book but so good! 550/700 pages in.

#catsoflitsy

Reading after canoeing in Algonquin Park, Canada, while my family goes on a hike! I like to paddle but hate hiking lol.

Loving this so far but I‘ve got a long way to go.

Just a few pages in that magic book-chemistry was there and I was instantly absorbed into this epic family saga centred around the family estate of Parambil in Kerala, India. The story spans 1900 - 1977, across three generations, many of whom suffer the mysterious “Condition” which makes them avoid water, at risk of drowning. There are so many threads and strands here, such a sad but beautiful story, I loved it.

Oh man, what a book! This will live rent free in my head for a long time. I absolutely loved the characters, the setting, the plot, all of it!

Wow what a big story! I feel like I‘ve been immersed in this story for months even though I finished it in days. Spanning generations this book connects people and families through life and tragedies and ends with a beautiful surprise. It‘s a long book, I‘m not going to lie. I almost gave up a few times when things would lull but then something would happen that would reel you back in. It was worth sticking it out…beautiful story!

Time to start a new book!
I loved Cutting for Stone and my brother gifted me this on a recent trip to India. 💚

Despite being 467th in line for this book, it's somehow become available. The cover is kinda cut off for the ebook so I'll use this photo instead.
I had Cutting for Stone in my pile for years before I just read it and actually really liked it much more than I thought I would. So, I've decided to try this one out also

Oklahoma Litsy friends, you good? Tornadoes all day and into tonight have me up right now. About to head to bed to read a bit to wind down and try to sleep. Pictured is my peony blooms that I'm not sure have survived the storms.

Still making my way through this lovely book, and I think I'd like to re-join #LitsyLove but I'm not sure how to go about doing that. Can anyone help?

It was good, as predicted. But too long. Couldn‘t this story have been told in 400 pages rather than 715? Enjoyed learning more about leprosy and the Communist movement in India.

This book is 715 pages long and takes place over 77 years in South India, following multiple generations of a family with a hereditary curse involving aversion to water and a tendency to drown. It was absorbing, & I enjoyed it, despite my own aversion to magical realism & gruesome depictions of medical procedures. Around page 400 though, I started getting sick of the relentless tragedy. A memorable, often beautiful novel, but crushingly depressing

"She is twelve years old, and she will be married in the morning."

Tackling this hefty book set in early 20th century South India for book club--I'm normally not a big fan of either magical realism or gruesomely detailed medical procedures, but this is a gripping read so far.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

#

Starting today. I purposely lowered my yearly reading goal to read more chunky books, so here goes!

#bookspinbingo

Great book. Really insightful into life in India over multi generations. Easy to read and captivating

I love building these grids because it‘s not until I build one that I consider the entire reading experience. The tagged is epic!

5* = Loved It, want to shout out loud about this book! I do/will own/keep a physical copy. A+
4*= I liked it, would love to discuss. Solid B
3*=Meh, no need to discuss. Avg C
2*=Nope D
1*=DNF F

What did I just read! I finished sections of this book and spoke out loud to the universe and author as though I could somehow effect change or come to terms with my nooooo‘s. My IRL bookclub does not discuss this book until June so I just want to reread these 715 pages over and over again.

I loved this read! It was a long book but I never got sick of the story of the family. Each character was a welcome addition and likable. I could clearly picture Paramble in my mind and would recommend this novel. 5/5

“The Ordinary Man has managed something extraordinary.” 💛 This touched me.

#two4Tuesday @TheSpineView
1. I daydream about the future a lot, I will likely retire this year but I have a lot of unknowns niggling at me. What does the future look like for me and my family. I hope it‘s a warmer location at some point, lots of exploring and finding new purpose.
2. Any magical realism inspires me but also family epics in different places has me wondering about what it looks like. The tagged book right now has me dreaming.

“It‘s fiction! Fiction is the great lie that tells the truth about how the world lives!”

It‘s awkward to be the only person posting about this book who didn‘t love it. I thought it was in desperate need of editing and lacked continuity. He touched on so many interesting topics but didn‘t develop any of them. I think it would have worked much better as a collection of connected stories. Disappointed 🫤

I simply adored Verghese‘s Cutting for Stone, and this one was equally fantastic. They both share the author‘s gorgeous prose, fascinating medical plot elements, and evocative descriptions that create an almost tangible sense of place. Covenant of Water spans three generations of unforgettable characters, multiple locations around the globe, and is just impossible to put down. I inhaled it in three days, despite it‘s chunkster status. Loved it.

What a lovely story. I was so happy it was a lengthy book as I wanted to sink into the story. It‘s interesting, heart breaking at times, and beautifully told. You will be glad you invested the time.

“‘What mistake is that . . . Celeste?‘
‘The mistake, Digby, of choosing to see more in your future mate than the evidence has already suggested.‘”