Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - Sep 25 Theme BOM - South and South East Asisa



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

Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on 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 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, 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 hardships undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. Imbued with humor, deep emotion, and the essence of life, it is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years.

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nominator:

Chapter Breakdown

Date		Chapters 	Pages		MPDQs
Sept 5 -	 Part 1 - Chap 1-13 - 		Catherine
Sept 6 - 	Part 2 - Chap 14 - 27 - 	Lexi
Sept 7 - 	Part 3 Chap 28 - 44 - 		Amanda
Sept 8 - Break
Sept 9 - 	Part 4 - Chap 45 - 56 - 	Catherine
Sept 10 - 	Part 5 - Chap 57 - 69 - 	Lexi
Sept 11 - 	Part 6 - Chap 70 - 84- 		Amanda

Guidance for DQ setters
Aim for a reasonable number of questions: 4 - 5 is typical. Please don't post too many - any more than 7 gets unwieldy!
Use consecutive numbering of the DQs for your days. So, for example, if Day One is posted as questions 1-4, Day Two should start at number 5 etc.
Don't worry too much about your questions: you aren't being tested on how clever your questions are!
Hints and tips:
- Is there a quote that jumped out at you? Use that in a question.
- What about the characters - do they generate strong feelings? No feelings? - either way, we can explore that!
- What about that plot twist?!
- Explore the writing style: is there an unusual structure being used? what's the tone of voice like? or the point of view?

Want more information about how NBRC runs their Book of the Month discussions? Check out the information here

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I'm in for DQ's

I'm almost finished with this book (about 70 pages left) so I'm down to write DQ's!

Also, to clarify, it starts Sept 25th?

I can write DQ's as well.

Sorry for the confusion with the date. I have now added in. let's start 5 Sept

Does anyone have a copy where they can have a go at the breakdown?

I can. How many sections should I divide it up into?

Lexi wrote: "I can. How many sections should I divide it up into?"

Since there's only 3 of you for the DQs and the book is rather big - how about 6 parts, and then you can do 2 sets of DQs each? We can add a break day in between as well if you guys prefer / need a day in the middle to catch up.

Though you have the book in hand and can see how it's potentially divided up, so whatever feels good for the breakdown. If 4 days or 5 days is better than 6, then go for it. We trust your judgment :-)

I'm new to this group, how are sections typically divided? Like does one person do the DQ's for part 1, then someone else for part 2? Or does each person have a day (or 2) in each part?

If it's the former and not the latter, I would prefer to cover the parts towards the end of the book since that will be the freshest in my mind :)

Sorry, yesterday was a bit hectic, but here are the sections.

Sept 5 - Part 1 - Chap 1-13 - Catherine
Sept 6 - Part 2 - Chap 14 - 27 - Lexi
Sept 7 - Part 3 Chap 28 - 44 - Amanda
Sept 8 - Break
Sept 9 - Part 4 - Chap 45 - 56 - Catherine
Sept 10 - Part 5 - Chap 57 - 69 - Lexi
Sept 11 - Part 6 - Chap 70 - 84- Amanda

I'm cool with covering those parts.

Same!

Great, thank you

Part 1 - Chap 1-13 (Sorry easier questions but still am interested in your answers, I am happy to add another one or two if you like.)

1. This book is written in 3rd person. Does that make it harder to read or is that your preference?

2. This is a more religious type read. Mentioning the Bible, conversing with the Lord, and praying, which seems to be an important part of the book. Are you surprised they have not mentioned so in the book summary. Do you find this to makes the book more powerful?

3. The book is narrated by the Author, are you reading by audio or with your eyes? If audio, do you feel the author reading his book makes it more authentic?


Also I hope this comes through because I have to use my phone.

Lexi wrote: "Great, thank you"

Should I wait for you to post part 2's questions before posting part 3? I'm technically supposed to today. Im fine with whatever. I've finished the book now and it can be a more tedious read at moments because the author goes in so much detail, so I get if it's taking people longer to get through it! Just lmk :)

Part 1 - Chapter 1-13 Answers:


1. This book is written in 3rd person. Does that make it harder to read or is that your preference?

At first, I think it did make it harder for me to connect with the characters as quickly as first-person would. However, I think I do prefer it for this book as its a saga and has dual-storylines. I think a first person would be confusing.

2. This is a more religious type read. Mentioning the Bible, conversing with the Lord, and praying, which seems to be an important part of the book. Are you surprised they have not mentioned so in the book summary. Do you find this to makes the book more powerful?

Hmm, it does mention "faith" briefly in the summary, but I guess faith can mean different things to different people. To me, I think of faith with God so I had an idea that there would be some spirtual elements in it. I was suprised that it wasn't listed as one of the MPG's though. I wouldn't say it takes up a huge portion of the book, but it is a consistent underlying theme that is there throughout the whole book (if that makes sense lol)

3. The book is narrated by the Author, are you reading by audio or with your eyes? If audio, do you feel the author reading his book makes it more authentic?

I read the book with my eyes :) I am curious how the audio version is though bc the author goes into so much detail I often found myself skimming through a page and a half while he went on the tangent. This was annoying at times bc it distracted me from the main storyline. I wonder if the audio version makes it a little less tedious?

I thought I was today. I’m so sorry. I lost a day somewhere and I made the schedule. I’ll get them up shortly but feel free to post yours too.

Lexi wrote: "I thought I was today. I’m so sorry. I lost a day somewhere and I made the schedule. I’ll get them up shortly but feel free to post yours too."

No worries at all, I was worried I was going to forget tbh lol

Part 1 - Chap 1-13
1. This book is written in 3rd person. Does that make it harder to read or is that your preference?
I haven't read a book in 3rd person in a hot minute so it was a bit hard to start.

2. This is a more religious type read. Mentioning the Bible, conversing with the Lord, and praying, which seems to be an important part of the book. Are you surprised they have not mentioned so in the book summary. Do you find this to makes the book more powerful?
It seems appropriate for the story and title. It did seem weird mentioned with a story about India. but I am not familiar with regions and religion that much.

3. The book is narrated by the Author, are you reading by audio or with your eyes? If audio, do you feel the author reading his book makes it more authentic?
I am enjoying listening to the audio with the book read by the narrator as the accent does take you to the time of the story.

So, today did not go as planned and I am still just done with the first section. I am very sorry but real life does that sometimes and I will be caught up tomorrow. At least we have a rest day. Sorry, again

Part 1 - Chap 1-13
1. This book is written in 3rd person. Does that make it harder to read or is that your preference?
A lot of what I read is in third person if not most and I find it easier to follow than first a lot of the time. Second is becoming more popular and is very hard if not done well.

2. This is a more religious type read. Mentioning the Bible, conversing with the Lord, and praying, which seems to be an important part of the book. Are you surprised they have not mentioned so in the book summary. Do you find this to makes the book more powerful?
I agree that it works with the title. Also, I knew it was set in Kerala, India which has a large number of Christians, so that wasn't a surprise to me. I did my PhD field work in Tamil Nadu, right next door so I am familiar with the area.

3. The book is narrated by the Author, are you reading by audio or with your eyes? If audio, do you feel the author reading his book makes it more authentic?
I am reading it but will add the audio in as I drive to work this week and look forward to the author being the narrator. That usually means accents and names are done correctly, which is very helpful when I read it as well to get names right.

No worries we can extend the timeline since its just us.

DQs Part 2 - Chap 14 - 27

4. I enjoyed the part in Madras, as I have been there, as I stayed at a medical school in Tamil Nadu for 3 months during my PhD. If you are less familiar with this or any part of India, have you looked up anything online? In general, do you look thing up when reading if you are unfamiliar with food, clothes, places etc?

5. We then return to the first charecter and go back in time. Do you like the switching between characters? Is there one story you prefer so far and why?

6. There is a lot of discussion of the interactions of nationality (Indian v British), caste and religion in the book so far. Are there any thoughts that have really stuck with you so far in the book?

7. Death and the presence of water continues in this next section. What do you think about the family's "condition" and how it effects the children, as we see more variations between generations?

Catherine, since I think you also play over in Hooked on Books. Do you have any interest in adding an informal buddy read over there?It is a big enough book to be worth quite a bit of points in the year long solo challenge.

Lexi wrote: "Catherine, since I think you also play over in Hooked on Books. Do you have any interest in adding an informal buddy read over there?It is a big enough book to be worth quite a bit of points in the..."

I just joined that group as well!

I can request a thread after work today. All three of us would count as the higher level buddy read and you only need four comments each.

DQ Part 3:Chapters 28-44 Questions: Feel free to answer all or choose a few to answer!

8. Philipose’s fear of water is more than a phobia—it’s a thread tying him to his family’s past. In what ways does water act as both a boundary and a bridge in these chapters? (Chapters 39-41)

9. Books become Philipose’s chosen companions after his hearing loss. What do you think literature offers him that real life cannot, and how does this shape his sense of possibility? (Chapters 28, 41)

10. Joppan challenges Philipose’s assumptions about caste and justice. If you were Philipose, what question would you ask Joppan to better understand his experience—and what do you think Joppan would say?(Chapters 39–41)

11. Compare Philipose’s outlook with that of Joppan or Uplift Master. How do their backgrounds and personalities lead them to respond differently to adversity?

12. Many characters are known by nicknames or roles rather than their real names. Has there ever been a nickname or label that shaped how others saw you—or how you saw yourself? Did you embrace it or resist it? Or, how do you think being called by a title or nickname instead of your real name might affect how you see yourself?

13. By the end of Chapter 44, which character has changed the most, and what events or realizations have driven that transformation? Do you think this change is permanent?

I'll be back to answer the new questions but here is our new thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...