33 Comments
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Jan 29
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Thanks Vickie. Hope you enjoy the book if you decide to read it.

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Great review. I love his writing.

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Thanks Susan. I am looking forward to exploring some of his other works since I enjoyed this one so much.

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What a beautiful review!! I love this book

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Thank you Preeti! Really appreciate that. This book had a powerful impact on me.

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What a beautiful description of the book and your experience of it. It makes me want to read it!

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Truly grateful for your kind words Anne Margaret. Glad that my review gives you the desire to read it as it was a really powerful book for me. If you do read, I hope you enjoy.

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And the book is released in May!

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I have it on my list already after reading your recommendation to someone in a Note. Now I'm going to put a hold on it at the library! Thanks for this. Good work, Matthew!

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Don - I hope you enjoy it! I listened to the audiobook first which was truly exceptional and then I ended up buying the hardback as well!

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Check out Verghese interviewed by Oprah about the book on YouTube. It’s a six part series and fascinating. His notes at the end of the book show how widely read he is. Truly a universal man.

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Christine - thanks for the heads up on that! I will definitely check out that interview. Not surprised that he is widely read, he seems to be a very erudite individual.

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I really enjoy books that span large periods of time, and central female characters. And I love literary fiction mixed within historical. It sounds like I must read this book asap. :)

Also this sentence is heartbreaking and a grand story opener: "The girl becomes first a wife then a mother and finally a woman."

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I had that same sentiment!

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Monica - yes, this book was pretty much the perfect mix of all the qualities that attract me to read fiction. I first listened to the audiobook which is narrated by the author. It was superb. Then I went and bought the hardback and read back through some of my favorite parts. It is going to be a book I come back to frequently.

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Saving for after I have read. I can't wait to hear what you think of Cutting for Stone as well!

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I am going to have to shift some things around in my reading plan so I can get to that one a little sooner than originally planned. I hope you enjoy The Covenant of Water.

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Very powerful review, thank you. I think I will give this book a read.

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Jenn - glad you enjoyed the review and hope you love the book as much as I did!

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This is on my list thanks to your recommendation. Thanks!

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My pleasure! I hope you enjoy it.

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Such a good review Matthew, I am going to have to put this on my TBR for the year.

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Thank you! I hope you enjoy it.

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This is a wonderful review! I did my best to read it but I lost momentum and I had to give it up. I might pick it up again one day.

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It is a large book. I listened to the audiobook, which the author narrates, and he did a fantastic job. I hope you give it another try, but I also understand that not every book is for everyone!

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I’ll try the physical book. I read it on Kindle and for some reason, it diminishes the experience unless it’s a truly entertaining book.

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With all the hype, I wasn't sure if this book would be worth the time. But I will put it back in my queue after reading your synopsis.

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Thanks Abra. It is interesting because I had actually never heard of the author or the book before I purchased it. I had an extra credit on my Audible account and this popped up and I thought it looked interesting. The audio book was so well narrated that I ended up buying the physical book as well. It wasn't until after I finished the book that I learned about all the noise surrounding it. In my opinion the hype is justified so I hope you enjoy it.

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Yes, I was thinking this is an audio book choice for me.

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Curious to understand the specific order of 'The girl becomes first a wife then a mother and finally a woman'.

Could you please elaborate ?

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She was just a young girl when she was married to a much older man - wife. He already had a child from a previous marriage that she now took care of - mother. It was some years before she finally came of age - woman. Hope that helps.

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Just beginning it based on your gracious gift and recommendation. I can already smell and feel the landscape through his powerful words. ❤️

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Glad you are enjoying it my friend.

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