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Friend of the Year Award
Congratulations to Lynda Austin, who earned "Friend of the Year 2023" kudos from Kent District Library's Alliance of Friends group.
Lynda has been a Friends of the Englehardt Library volunteer since 1998 and says that the first recipient of this award, Joy Smith, was an excellent example of a great volunteer. "I am just following in her footsteps," she says.
Pictured is Lynda Austin and KDL Volunteer Coordinator, Deb Schultz.
What we are reading this month
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
The Covenant of Water is a 2023 novel by physician and author Abraham Verghese. The novel tells the story of an Indian Malayali family living in southwest India, in the Kerala state, with the narrative spanning three generations, from 1900 to the 1970s.
I listened to the audio version of this book read by the author himself and enjoyed it immensely. His voice and accent was perfect for recounting the story of a family plagued by “the Condition” in which some family members through the generations die by drowning.
The story begins with a 12-year-old girl, Mariamma, who moves to the town of Parambil to marry a 40-year-old widowed man in an arranged marriage. The marriage develops into a loving one and Mariamma eventually becomes the overseer of the 500-acre family estate and the matriarch of the family. She becomes known as Big Ammachi (Big Mother). Her son, Philipose, grows up to be a celebrated writer. Other members of the family become physicians and search for a cure for the Condition.
The book may be intimidating at over 700 pages but it is a epic story of love, faith, and medicine that will live on in your memory and heart.
Review by Stephanie Weaver
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