Fall Into a Good Book…yes again!

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghase—As promised I finished this grand book and I say grand because it has grand themes: love, loss, family secrets, the forces of nature, of Indian politics and the power of medical science. But it all starts in 1900 in Southwestern India with a 12-year-old girl, Mariamma, on her way to marry a taciturn 43 old widower with a 6-year-old son. It is the last time she will use her name, forever after known as Ammachi (mother) and finally Big Ammachi, a name she is proud to accept. It is through her bravery and her devotion that we get to know her children and grandchildren and it is through her namesake that we discover the family secret.

We are also introduced to Digby Kilgore, a young doctor from Scotland who moves to India. His journey takes him to places he never would have ventured as he meets Rune, a doctor from Sweden who founds St. Bridgets, a leper colony. It is all entwined with the family from Parenbil, and you must read this amazing book to follow the plot twists and fall in love with these amazing characters.

You need to know that Abraham Verghase is first and foremost a physician and so there is a lot of medicine in this book. But there is also his grandmother’s reflections that make up the core of Parenbil.

I not only read it but listened to it as well…made it go faster…and Verghase himself narrated it. Surprisingly, he was very good at different accents, especially Scottish! So, if you have the time, read this sweeping saga. You will not regret it.  

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett—Another novel set in Covid Time, but really only part of the time. Lara, her husband Joe and their three young adult daughters are quarantined on their cherry orchard in Michigan, and to while away the hours as they pick cherries, the girls have coerced their mom into telling them about her days as an actress, especially about her time with Peter Duke. There is a dreamy quality as Lara goes back in time telling her daughters and us about what led to her acting. And why she stopped. She was a young, naïve, actress who had only played one part, Emily, in “Our Town”, the role she apparently was meant to play. It was there she met Duke who captivated her right from the start.

She tells the story as the girls pepper her with questions. They swoon listening to her and probably all fall in love a little with Duke and his brother Sebastian as she recounts the bittersweet tale of those young days when she thought her days were all mapped out for her. And how she ended up on the cherry orchard.

I found Patchett’s use of the plays “Our Town” and “The Cherry Orchard” very intriguing and how she deftly wove them into the story.

I cannot tell you how much I loved this book, and it was possibly because Meryl Streep narrated the audio book. I’ve spoken to many who have read it and although they enjoyed it, they didn’t love it. Somehow, Streep was Lara. I can certainly picture the movie, with of course Streep as the older Lara and even the younger Lara. What a delight.

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano—William grew up lonely and miserable with parents that couldn’t seem to love him after after the death of his 3-year-old sister. His only happiness was basketball and as a tall young man, he finally felt at home and garnered a friendship with his team.

Julia grew up with her 3 sisters in a loving boisterous family, and when William met Julia, he was attracted to her family as much as to her take charge attitude. Julia would take care of him, and she did. Guiding him into an academic career in history where the only subject that truly interested him was the history of basketball. When Julia’s younger sister got pregnant out of wedlock, Julia decided to have a baby to make her mother happy. William tried to warn her that he wasn’t ready. And that’s when his life began to fall apart. Julia didn’t understand, but her sister Sylvie did.  When he left his wife and their baby, Julia never followed…. but Sylvie did. His subsequent suicide attempt led Sylvie to sit by his side for months as he lay in his hospital bed. She never told Julia.

Sylvie and William began to live their new life, while her sisters were realizing their new lives as well, including Julia and her daughter, Alice, who William gave up voluntarily. Julia moved to NY and cut off all ties with the family.

What brings her back is something you’ll have to read yourself. This is a story about the power of a family where there’s either too much love or not enough. The relationship between these sisters is key. Have tissues handy, after all it is an Oprah book.

And here are two articles from my Gaithersburg Gazette (RIP) “Check It Out” column from last century (1992 and 1995):

Patty Jane’s House of Curl by Lorna Landvik—If your taste runs to the great tearjerker movie “Steel Magnolias” then you must read Patty Jane’s House of Curl. Focused on the title character’s beauty parlor, we meet and fall in love with the wisecracking Patty Jane as well as all the women in her family. Not to mention all the men that come in and out of their lives. Their problems include love, alcoholism and death. (the 3 big ones)

Although this is a testament to the strength of women who face constant turmoil, it is far from depressing. The author uses her characters’ humor to balance the darker elements of the story. And if you like her writing, there are many more of her feminist-based Minneapolis novels.

The Queen and I by Sue Townsend—If you thought the English royal family was crazy in real life, here is a novel written in 1992 that takes them one step farther out of reality. Townsend has written a very funny yet cautionary tale about what happens when the People’s Republican Party is elected and the royal family is banished from their various palaces to live in the projects, cut off from their wealth.  Aside from a social worker, there is no one to help them. Every family member must stand on their own merit. What I found most interesting, and maybe not surprising is that the women, and especially the Queen, survive much better than the men. No one is surprised at that. (We’ve all seen “The Crown”)