Book Review Title: The Covenant of Water Author: Abraham Verghese Publisher: Grove Press UK, 2023 Pages: 724 “What defines a family isn’t blood but the secrets they share.” This massive book explores the intricacies of human relationships with a plot that spans almost a century. The story begins in 1900 with 12-year-old Mariamma being wedded to a 40-year-old widower in whose family runs a curse: death by drowning. The story ends in 1977 with another Mariamma, the granddaughter of Mariamma the First who becomes Big Ammachi [grandmother]. A lot of things happen in the 700+ pages of the novel which has everything that one may expect from a popular novel: suspense, mystery, love, passion, power, vulnerability, and also some social and religious issues. The only setback, if it can be called that at all, is that too many people die in this novel. But then, when death by drowning is a curse in the family, we have to be prepared for many a burial. The Kerala of the pre-Independ...
Lovely pic and precious memory.
ReplyDeleteThe picture remained in a book all these years!
DeleteNice one
ReplyDeleteVery spiritual and pure. What we believe in matters! :)
ReplyDeleteThe picture is captivating and evokes nostalgia.
Each person creates his heaven/hell...
DeleteI will agree with the sentiment on one condition - no claim that all stairs get you to the same place, the Vivekanandaesque assertion, ampere assert ion, neither provable nor dis provable; an analytic.
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The inscription is right. To climb to heaven we have to build our own stairs. Nice text.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Easwar ji.
DeleteTrue indeed. We all follow the paths architectured by our deeds. Great thought.
ReplyDeleteExactly. We are the architects of our heaven. Or hell!
Deletenice one.
ReplyDeleteThank you for such a wonderful reminder .. call it karma, call it architect .. you reap what you sow ...
ReplyDeleteYes, Sangeeta. Simple truth but a profound one.
DeleteLovely picture and Lovely quote . I Loved it.
ReplyDeleteTravel India
Glad you loved it.
Deletehow true..!and we have to climb it all by ourselves....
ReplyDeleteI know .. my bit ..I am building the staircase .. step by step and with utmost care !! encounter with reality :)
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