I kept hearing what a wonderful author she is and was fortunate to obtain an ARC of this book. However, this one apparently isn't her usual. I don't like giving 3 stars or less reviews but this book was exceptionally difficult to get to the characters and the real story because I felt it was bogged down with so much Egyptology and quantum physics detail. While I truly enjoy Egyptian history I'm not sure I wanted to know as much information as is given. I do appreciate that she must have spent a great deal of time researching the information for its reason I'm going with 3 stars. The story itself ,once you get to the basics, is all about choices and is likeable but by then I was exhausted from the details and I really didn't care for the last few pages. No spoilers. If you like a LOT of scientific detail woven into your stories them you may enjoy this book. I will try another of her books, this maybe wasn't the one I should have read first.
I received an Advanced reader copy of the book and was under no obligation to provide a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author,publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I always love Jodi, and this was no exception! I loved learning about all the Egyptology, and even just a little bit of quantum physics.

"Picture the person you thought you'd wind up with with."

"How can you even put into words the confession that you made a mistake, that you want to turn back time and try again?"

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors, and I was so excited to get an advance copy of The Book of Two Ways through Net Galley. Though the book was compelling enough for me to want to keep reading it to find out what happened, it fell short for me compared to some of Jodi Picoult's novels for two reasons. In many of Jodi Picoult's other novels, one of the things I love most is that the point of view comes from many different characters. I appreciate that in this book, the reader gets to follow the story through two different narratives of Dawn, the main character, but I did miss the other voices.

Additionally, I am always impressed by the amount of research that Jodi Picoult does when writing a novel. I always feel like I learn something new about a specific topic. It was incredibly clear how much research went into this book, however, specifically with the Egyptology throughout the book, it was overwhelming. For someone with no background in the subject, I felt lost at times trying to keep up with the history and explanations for much of the text related to Egyptology. I can understand that there is no story without that information, but it felt like it was too much of it.

All in all, I am glad I read The Book of Two Ways, but it was not quite what I expected.

This book's premise is very interesting. I started off thinking it was one thing and in the last 50 pages or so everything was turned on its head. The writing as usual was excellent. It was obviously very well researched. The level of detail on the Egyptology sections seemed slightly superfluous at times, but was still interesting. I enjoyed this book and I think other fans of Ms. Picoult will too. Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for granting access to this book in exchange for an honest review. I will be posting this review today to my Bookstagram and companion Facebook page @thatreadingrealtor.

The Book of Two Ways explores Dawn Edelstein’s past, present, and future. It’s structured to illustrate the two possible futures she could have, the ‘two ways’ her life could go. This parallels the ancient Egyptian Book of Two Ways, a map of two possible routes through the afterlife. The structural tie into the focus on Egyptology throughout the story itself, was unique and very cool, although it made for a bit of confusion as to when different timelines were actually taking place.

Dawn lives with her husband Brian, and daughter Meret, and works as a death doula, aiding her patients comfortably toward their deaths. Dawn is haunted by her past as a Yale PhD candidate, studying at an archaeological dig site in Egypt. More specifically, she’s haunted by the man she left behind there, Wyatt, and what could have been if she pursued the path to complete her PhD.

These dueling possibilities drive the storyline, and create a rich and layered character in Dawn. The descriptions of her past made for a really interesting and unusual story, and I liked seeing how it informed her future, and how she got to the place she was. This book offered an in-depth look at the complexity of the decisions that altered the course of Dawn’s life. The painful confusion associated with the ‘what-if’s that Dawn grapples with are emotions that I think a lot of people can relate to.

Dawn’s work as a death doula was fascinating, and I liked learning about how this profession works. The amount of history about Egypt and Egyptology was also extensive. That being said, at times the scenes with her patients seemed a little unnecessary to the overarching plot, and I occasionally found myself skimming the depictions of hieroglyphics and historical context. Regardless, there is a staggering amount to learn from this book, and the extent of the research that went into bringing Dawn’s story to life is evident in every page.

Review posted 9/9:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CE7iLpdA-8C/
https://treatyourshelf.home.blog/2020/09/09/the-book-of-two-ways-by-jodi-picoult-book-review/

The Book of Two Ways gave me so much to think about. Egyptology, quantum physics, death and dying. And I learned so much! Sometimes it was too much information and I glossed over the details. But what made me think most was the conversations about living How every decision you make is affecting other people in your life. And then the people in their lives. Dawn was an amazing character, very intelligent and thoughtful. I may have enjoyed her conversations with the dying Win the most. Both Brian and Wyatt were great men and I didn’t envy Dawns dilemma. Everyone would love to go back and redo something in their life. But should you?

We meet Dawn in the middle of a nightmare. A plane crash. There’s no time to think or strategize about your next move, or even to think about the fact that the plane is crashing. At this point, everything is involuntary. And as Dawn’s life flashes before her eyes, we see Wyatt. A strapping archaeologist and academic she left behind in Egypt years ago. The one who got away.

And I have to wonder, how does one allow a man like Wyatt just slip away? But as we get to know Dawn more, we realize that life isn’t easy. It’s complicated. And even though he was everything she ever wanted, she didn’t quite realize it and probably suffered from some type of imposter syndrome.

So, instead of living her life abroad as an archaeologist, doing ground-breaking research, she instead settles into life as the wife of a scientist, and an entrepreneur, owning her own death doula business. It’s Picoult for sure. Because that sounds a little far fetched to me that this is all ordinary, but the way she writes, Dawn might as well be my next door neighbor she seems so normal.

But it’s clear she settled. Because why would you choose the “safe” life when such an exciting existence was possible. Or is that maybe what we all do, or most of us? Because maybe the excitement will only take us so far before everything crashes and burns?

The Book of Two Ways was a good read and an interesting meditation on life. What we dream, what we hope for, and how we view our past. Always wondering, what if, always glamourizing the road not taken. But it wasn’t taken for a reason, right?

I definitely recommend this one to Picoult fans. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because personally, it wasn’t my favorite of hers. But still a well-written and much needed escape from our everyday right now. Special thanks to Random House and Netgalley for a e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out September 22, get your copy! My review will be posted on my blog, Women in Trouble Book Blog on September 18, 2020.

The Book of Two Ways⁣
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Buckle up folks because I've got thoughts about Picoult's newest-The Book of Two Ways. First off, her last name is pronounced like the tea, as in orange pekoe. I've been following and autobuying this author for 15 years now. I've even considered her my "book mom" as I've practically read everything by her and about her since I was 14 years old. It all started in high school when we read Plain Truth for book club. Anyway, with that said, on to the review.⁣
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For the first 75% of this novel I trudged. And I mean trudged through it. It wasn't her writing style, which is superb. It was the subject matter. This was a depressing book. It centers around our main character and narrator, Dawn, who has a unique profession as a death doula. Fifteen years prior she worked on her dissertation in Egyptology. More specifically, she studied the coffin text of mummies and theorized about the Book of Two Ways which was printed in the coffin as well. Picoult's novels are drenched in research, which typically I thoroughly love. However, I have read more about Ancient Egyptian mythology over the last week than I care to ever read again. It was almost overwhelming to me. Granted, some of the factual research about necropolis and how ancient Egypt functioned as a society was quite interesting. So much so that my curiosity got the best of me and I was searching for shows about Egypt on the public broadcasting channels. Why was the novel so hard to get though? It was utterly visceral when talking about human emotion and death (the woman can write). But, it continued to pull me back like the moon does the tide. This is synonymous with Dawn's journey as she is pulled back to her past that she has never let go of. The way Jodi writes about the complexities of relationships is beyond remarkable. The last 25% of the book redeemed it in its entirety. It is one I will never forget and I will probably come to love..eventually. I also loved the character Win, an artist, who actually inspired me with my own art through the pages. ⁣
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I'm so happy I was able to get an advanced copy (thank you @randomhouse Publishing - and Ballantine publishing and @netgalley). I'll still buy this one to add to my collection of Jodi's books that I have decoratively displayed beside lamps and on accent tables. If you have read this far, I thank you for sticking it out with me! I would love to hear your thoughts on this one!!

Jodi Picoult's The Book of Two Ways is a well-done character-driven novel about love, relationships, the choices we make and the paths our lives take because of or regardless of those choices. It speaks to the "what ifs" that linger in us all, dreams set aside but not forgotten, regrets, second, third, fourth... chances, and what our choice would be if given the opportunity to take the path not taken before.

The book covers many different topics (some would argue too many), among them Egyptology, quantum physics, neurosurgery, death and dying, and body image. It is obvious that Picoult did a lot of research in several fields of study prior to writing this book, and as a result this book educates as it entertains. Don't let yourself get intimidated or bogged down by the depth presented in these topics, rather see them as the frameworks that the various characters relate to, are comfortable with and act in accordance with.

Dawn McDowell Edelstein is on a flight home to Boston when the flight crew calls a "planned emergency". The plane is going to crash, and the crew prepares the passengers as best they can for the impact. Afterwards, Dawn learns she is one of only 36 survivors. Living through something like that makes a person reexamine their life and their choices and starkly brings home the fact that our life can end at any moment. Dawn is surprised that in what she thought were her last moments her thoughts were not of her husband Brian, or their 14 year-old daughter Meret; they were of Wyatt Armstrong, her first love, a man she hasn't seen in fifteen years.

The book goes back and forth in time and place as it shows readers the two roads in Dawn's life: the one she had planned to take with Wyatt, working as an Egyptologist; and the one she travelled with Brian, after she returned from Egypt to care for her dying mother and her younger brother. I personally love the way that Picoult tied Dawn's two paths to the two roads (Water and Land) discussed in The Book of Two Ways, the first known map of the afterlife in Egyptology. These roads come closer and closer together until they come to a crossroads and Dawn must decide what to do.

This is a wonderfully written, deep and emotional storyline enhanced by complex characters (fully flawed, fully human) and vividly described scenes that resonate. I found it an enthralling read, but admit there will be those who don't feel the same.

My thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for allowing me to read a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions stated here are my own.

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. What I like most about her books is that they always deal with the dynamics involved in family relationships. They also usually end with a twist at the ending. This is Jodi's newest book The Book of Two Ways, and I think it may be her best book yet. It begins with a young woman Dawn who is on a plane going to Egypt to finish her PhD. that she started years ago. But life happens, and she never got to complete it. Her plane has to make a crash landing, and she is one of the few people who survive it. The story goes back and forth from the past to the present explaining the two men that Dawn Edelstein fell in love with. The first was the Earl of Atheron Wyatt a fellow PhD student whom she met and became involved with during their investigations of an Egyptian pyramid, where she learns about The Book of Two Ways also known as The Book of the Dead in ancient Egyptian mythology. Dawn was called back home because her mother was dying. She goes back to be with her mother, and it's there in the hospital that she meets and falls in love with Brian Edelstein whom she marries. She later becomes a Death Doula to help people who are dying and their loved one in the passage to death. To be honest, I had never known there were Death Doulas, but I can certainly see how they are needed. This is a beautiful, touching story, sometimes humorous and sometimes sad, but so good. I don't want to give too much away so I won't tell you more except to say that one of Dawn's clients as a Death Doula, asks her, "Isn't there someone that you loved that you have left behind?" And that centers on a big part of the plot. Thanks to Net Galley, Jodi Picoult, and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book. Check it out for a thoroughly entertaining read!

This is pretty different than any Picoult book that I've read and I was not expecting this. While there are two interesting storylines going on here, it is too difficult to get beyond the detailed facts in the book. I am even interested in egyptology and this is too much for me. I understand that a few facts from a main character's occupation may be in a fiction book, but why is this so detailed? Some of the facts about egypt and hieroglyphics take up pages and pages. I just want to get to the story! I'm not sure why the book is so heavily researched and weighed down with factual information, but I don't think it's doing the story any favors. It's distracting and made the book difficult to finish. While an interesting story; I did enjoy the quantum mechanics and sci-fi aspect of the book, it's just way too long and factually detailed to be interesting.

I can’t even sit here and deny that this book wasn’t a good one, it was GOOD! Aside from it being a very LONG book and a book full of ALOT of Information, at times it felt like I was back in school reading from a textbook, and at times I caught myself skipping some parts. I was a huge fan of everything and anything ancient Egypt when I was growing up, maybe that’s why I had such a connection to this book, at times.

Dawn wants to be an Egyptologist, and she has met her match with Wyatt, and with their bickering and petty little arguments, I KNEW they will end up being together, but something happens in Dawns life and she has to make drastic decisions and that will affect her in her future when she meets a woman who will have Dawn challenge herself, and her past, and the one that got away (if I am making any sense, lol).

Dawn does the unthinkable, and the book bounces between the past, the in between and the present, if you don’t pay attention then you might miss what’s going on, and get lost, it was a wild ride!!

Thanks Netgalley and Random House for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Dawn was living a mostly happy life when a crash landing made her question the choices she has made in the past. During the fleeting moments of the plane going down, she wasn’t thinking of her husband, but of the man she hasn’t seen for fifteen years. The airline has her checked by a doctor and then offers to transport her anywhere she wants to go. She should go back to Boston. That is where her husband and daughter are, but she finds herself thinking about Wyatt, the archaeologist she left behind, and the research she abandoned years ago. What questions will Dawn face as her two possible futures unfold?

The Book of Two Ways is a stand-alone realistic fiction novel about hope and life choices (both the hard and everyday kinds). Picoult does her magic again where she embeds information about a topic throughout her novel so that readers leave feeling as if they have not only read a great story but have become more knowledgeable about Egyptian archeology. As a person who frequently visited the Egyptian exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago, I have always held a fascination with archeology and this story had just enough to teach without feeling like school. This is a great book, even if Picoult isn’t one of your go-to authors.

Jodi Picoult takes a different tack in this novel than her usual approach of a hot button issue and a trial, instead going for an approach focused more on what ifs and different paths life can take, with a bit of narrative trickery. As we see in flashbacks, main character Dawn had been a graduate student in Egyptology working on a dig in Egypt with, among others, a fellow grad student Wyatt with whom she had a hate turned to love kind of relationship. But when she was summoned home to her mother’s death bed, for various reasons she never returned to either her grad studies or to Wyatt, and instead got married, had a daughter, and became a death doula, kind of a non-medical hospice worker. 15 years later, when the bulk of the book is set, her marriage is a bit rocky and she finds herself increasingly thinking about the path not taken, and the book alternates between chapters set in Boston, where she thought about leaving but came right back, and in Egypt, where she has flown on basically a whim to see Wyatt and the dig site.

The story is pretty interesting, but the book is a bit long and slow, with just WAY too much detail - whether on the Egyptology stuff or Dawn’s husband’s physics stuff about multiverses - stuff that is interesting in small doses but just takes up too much space in a way that made me feel like “congratulations, your book was very well-researched but can we get back to the story?” It was still a pretty good read though, and the ending definitely surprised me in several ways. Somewhere in the middle of the pack as far as Jodi Picoult’s books go, I’d say. 3.5 stars.

Dawn McDowell is a on a plane when an announcement informs passengers that a crash is imminent. Dawn is a death doula, and has helped many people die during her career. And she knows that the most common regret are the things left undone. When the announcement came, she did not think of unfinished business with her husband, or seeing her daughter grow up. Her mind went to Wyatt,

Fifteen years earlier, Dawn was an Egyptology student called home to Boston when her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. While spending time with her mother in hospice care, she met Brian, whose grandmother was also a patient. He was calm, steady, reliable, a source of comfort for her when she was overwhelmed. When her mother died, Dawn was left with a mountain of debt, a little brother to raise, and an unexpected pregnancy. She could not return to Egypt to finish her studies, but was happy with Brian and their daughter, Meret. Until she met Win, a new client who was Dawn's age, dying from cancer. Dawn saw a part of herself when Win confided to her that, despite having a happy, loving marriage with Felix, she had a story of lost love.

THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS is told in the first person, back and forth by chapter between Boston and Egypt. The timeline is non-linear, both between and within chapters as memories are interjected into the story. As we all likely do, Dawn spends a lot of time considering her life in the context of her passions: the relationship between life and death among the ancient Egyptians and her approach to living and dying with her clients. After all, "Life and death are just flip sides of the same coin."

Faced with the choice between the safety and certainty of her life in Boston with her family and finishing what she started with Wyatt in Egypt, Dawn attempts to piece her crumbling life back together. Author Jodi Picoult does a beautiful job explaining the dilemma, giving appropriate weight to the positions of Wyatt, Brian, and Meret and how they're affected by Dawn's mid-life crisis, and keeping readers on their toes with a lot of surprises and a timeline that can't be pieced together. Along the way, readers will have lessons on Egyptology, quantum physics, and the role of a death doula. Complex, believable characters; choices between what is and what might have been; the allure of the wonderment of ancient Egypt; and mankind's questions about life and death remain unanswered; THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS is a captivating novel that will leave readers questioning their own life choices!

Fifteen years ago Dawn Edelstein left her studies and her boyfriend Wyatt, an archaeologist in Egypt due to a family crisis. While back in the U.S. she becomes involved with Brian. She changes career paths and becomes a death doula, marries Brian and has a daughter. Now, 15 years later, she is facing a crash landing on a flight and is having second thoughts about her life path.

This was my least favorite Jodi Picoult book. There was way too much information about hieroglyphics and Egyptian history that bogged down the story. I enjoyed the story line with Wyatt and Brian and her daughter and their relationships, but it took so long to get into that. This part of the story could have been told with a lot less of the Egyptian details. In previous books, the author’s strength was describing the interactions and relationships among the characters. I hope she goes back to writing in that mode.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy

I love Jodi Picoult and read everything she writes. One of my favorite things about this author is the in depth research she does on the subject of her books. This depth of research in turn bring a depth of story telling that would otherwise be unacceptable.

This wasn't my favorite Picoult book, some of the subject details bogs the story down. I would still highly recommend this book, however, I prefer quick easy reads.

Thank you #NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’ve read a few Jodi Picoult books before and enjoyed them. I also love a good parallel/alternative universe storyline, so I thought I’d give this one a try.
Dawn Edelstein survives a plane crash and after being medically cleared to leave, the airline provides free tickets to anywhere in the world. Does Dawn go home or to another destination? Here is where the parallels begin.
When she was younger, Dawn was a graduate student on a dig in Egypt. Because of life’s circumstances, she later became a “death doula.” Both Egyptology and death play a huge part in this book. Unfortunately there so many details about Egyptology in this story and it weighed it down so much. Between that and some confusion on the timelines, I felt like it took away from the real story.
I enjoyed the plot, but would have preferred it to be a little lighter read.

I always anticipate a Jodi Picoult read, whether or not I like the book I am assured the writing will be good and the characters well defined.

Dawn Edelstein survives a plane crash which makes her reflect on her past. The past brings her back to Egypt where she left her former life and the man she loved behind. To complicate matters Dawn has a loving husband and teenage daughter rounding out her present.

I love how real and flawed the characters in THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS lived and loved. This novel will resonate with anyone who left their first love behind, Ms. Picoult captured the angst, the joy, the memories perfectly.

My only problem with this book was too much knowledge. Normally, I love if I learn something while reading a fiction novel BUT this book went into depth; Egyptology, philosophy, quantum physics and other subjects I can’t even remember!!!

For me, all the information was too much, broke up the flow of the story. Just as I would be totally engrossed in Dawn’s life there would be pages upon pages of Egyptology. It was interesting enough but I found myself skimming to get back to the story. When I want to read non-fiction, I do.

I highly recommend this book for the story, for the feelings, for the honesty.

Dawn Edelstein was a doctoral student on an archeological dig in Egypt, when she got the news that her mother in Boston was dying. So Dawn left Egypt and Wyatt, another student who she was in love with, to return to her mother’s side. While in the hospice, she met Brian, a quantum physics professor, who helped her heal after her mother’s death. They married, had a child and Dawn eventually became a death doula.
15 years later Dawn survived a plane crash and decided to return to Egypt to find her lost love rather than to her family in Boston.
The book explores what may have happened if a life had taken a different turn. What if Dawn had remained in Egypt and finished her dissertation? What if her mother had not died and left behind a young son? These questions remind the reader of choices that they made in their own lives.
There are many facts about Egyptian antiquities and life on an architectural dig in the hot Egyptian desert. I have been in that part of the world and realize that the author did extensive research on Egyptian history.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.