A. (Abraham) Verghese Knihy

77 dlouhých let, jihoindická Kérala a tři generace rodiny, která trpí zvláštním prokletím. V každé generaci nejméně jeden člověk utone - a v Kérale je voda všude. Na přelomu století je dvanáctiletá Mariamma provdána za o mnoho let staršího muže. Sňatkem s čtyřicetiletým vdov- cem vstupuje mimo jiné i do křesťanské rodiny, jejíž kořeny sahají až do dob apoštolů. Od této chvíle se dívka - a budoucí matriarcha rodiny, známá jako Big Ammači – stává svědkem nepředstavitelných změn. Zatímco ve světě zuří války a Indie usiluje o nezávislost, v jejím domovském Parambilu se staví silnice a škola, do obydlí se zavádí elektřina a lidem se dostává lékařské péče. Zdá se, že i záhada, kvůli které má rodina obrovský strach z vody, může být konečně rozluštěna. Úmluva s vodami je úchvatným obrazem zmizelé Indie. Je to oslava nejhlubšího lidství, je to příběh o překonávání hranic napříč kastami, o pokroku medicíny a zároveň pokorné svědectví o útrapách, které minulé generace snášely pro blaho těch, kteří žijí nyní.

Strhující sága vzdává hold náročné práci chirurgů a umožňuje zblízka nahlédnout do života lidí, kteří své úsilí zasvětili poslání lékaře. Marion a Shiva Stoneovi jsou dvojčata narozená z tajného vztahu krásné indické jeptišky a britského lékaře v etiopské misijní nemocnici. Mezi chlapci vládne výjimečná duševní spřízněnost a spojuje je i zájem o medicínu, i když u každého se projevuje jinak. Bolestněji než skalpel je však rozdělí láska k ženě.

"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 South 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 long-existing 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, known as 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 difficulties 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"-- Provided by publisher

AN OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB SELECTION'One of the best books I've read in my entire life. It's epic. It's transportive . . . It was unputdownable!' Oprah Winfrey, OprahDaily.comSpanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water follows a family in southern India 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, 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 poignant beginning, the young girl and future matriarch - known as Big Ammachi - will witness unthinkable changes at home and at large over the span of her extraordinary life, full of the joys and trials of love and the struggles of hardship.A shimmering evocation of a lost 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 humour, deep emotion and the essence of life, it is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years.

Neskutečně dojemná, jedinečná osobní zpověď Paula Kalanithiho, jehož život změnila nevyléčitelná choroba, nám pokládá ožehavé otázky: Jakou má život cenu? Proč se vyplatí žít? Co je pro nás opravdu důležité, když se ocitneme tváří v tvář smrti? Jak byste se zachovali, kdyby vás už nečekala žádná budoucnost? Jaké je to vychovávat dítě, budovat nový život, když váš právě končí? Paul Kalanithi zemřel v březnu 2015 během psaní této knížky, ale jeho slova jsou stále živá a slouží nám jako návod na lepší a smysluplnější život.

By the bestselling author of Cutting for Stone, a story of medicine in the American heartland, and confronting one's deepest prejudices and fears. Nestled in the Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee, the town of Johnson City had always seemed exempt from the anxieties of modern American life. But when the local hospital treated its first AIDS patient, a crisis that had once seemed an urban problem had arrived in the town to stay. Working in Johnson City was Abraham Verghese, a young Indian doctor specializing in infectious diseases. Dr. Verghese became by necessity the local AIDS expert, soon besieged by a shocking number of male and female patients whose stories came to occupy his mind, and even take over his life. Verghese brought a singular perspective to Johnson City: as a doctor unique in his abilities; as an outsider who could talk to people suspicious of local practitioners; above all, as a writer of grace and compassion who saw that what was happening in this conservative community was both a medical and a spiritual emergency."

When Abraham Verghese, a physician whose marriage is unravelling, relocates to Texas, he hopes to make a fresh start as a staff member at a county hospital.