I'm 40% in and this one is just not working for me. There's too much of the book that feels like it's trying to teach me something - Egyptology...and while it's fascinating, it's too heavy and doesn't have enough plot to balance it out.

Jodi Picoult has always been one of my favorite authors. I eagerly awaited each new book and bought it as soon as it came out, Naturally I was excited when I received an advance review copy from NetGalley. However, I was really disappointed with this one. I had such a hard time getting through the first chapter because it was bogged down with so much information about Egypt, hieroglyphics and coffins. I honestly felt like I was reading a textbook, when I was longing for the Jodi Picoult experience I knew and loved so much. The second chapter included a lesson in quantum mechanics, which lost me even more. I would never dream of giving up on a Jodi Picoult book, so I continued on, albeit often glazing over entire pages of Egyptology.

I think the story line was a good one, but I just don't feel it was executed well. I didn't find myself really liking many of the characters and often felt the story was interrupted with too much technical information. I liked learning about what a death doula does and enjoyed the story line of Dawn's relationship with her client Win.

All in all I think the author missed the mark on this book. I understand that her interest in the subject came from her son, but I think she forgot about her readers in the process of researching and writing. I won't give up on her. I hope that her next book is a return to thought-provoking subject matter with well developed characters and a lot less technical information.

📚 REVIEW - The Book of Two Ways by @jodipicoult 📚
Thanks so much @netgalley and @randomhouse for the eARC! [Out 9/22] Jodi Picoult is always on my must-buy list. Small Great Things is one of my favorite books of all time and I read A Spark of Light in one sitting. I was super excited when I got approved for this book. Overall, this book reminded me a lot of the musical If/Then and tackles the question that if we made one or two different choices how would that effect the life we have now?
Likes:
- Picoult creates the most amazing, dynamic, complex characters. Even if you don’t agree with their actions she finds a way for you to still feel some compassion towards them. Characters aren’t brought in unless they’re pertinent to the story.
- Win and Meret. Ugh love them both. And FELIX. I’m attached.
- Love the complexity of the plot and the two potential paths that you flip between during the story.
- The plot twist at the end. Wow wow wow. I could t put this book down.
Dislikes:
- This is a info-heavy book. I felt like there was so much info about Egypt and physics that my brain hurt and I forgot what was happening with the plot. This is a theme in Picoult’s books but I felt like this one was a bit of overkill.
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Overall, super happy about this release and Picoult can’t write a bad book. Also can’t wait to discuss this in November (or is it October? Lol) with @bookbrunchrepeat!

Contents is divided into Land/Egypt and Water/Boston. An interesting and fascinating tale of Egyptian archaeology and time as a death doula. Many interesting facts are shared. Dawn is the main character who gives up her position on the 'dig' to be with her mom as she dies. Throughout the story, Dawn wonders if she is missing something or not. The two male leads are Brian in Boston and Wyatt in Egypt. Ultimately, what does Dawn decide to do? Read to discover plus learn many facts about Egyptian archaeology and the role of a death doula.

I am usually a huge fan of this author's books but I was not a fan of this one. I am only giving it 3 stars and not less because of the author. Most of the time I felt like I was reading textbooks in Egyptology, Egyptian history, and Physics. It was very dry and I had a hard time keeping my mind on what I was reading. The main character - Dawn - was completely unlikable, which made it hard to root for her or to be invested in the story. I was looking forward to reading this, and I wish I had enjoyed it more.

I love a book that makes me think. That makes me want to Google phrases to understand more of what the book is about. That stays with me after I’ve read it and makes me wonder, what if?

The Book of Two Ways hit all of what I love in a women’s fiction novel, but it was more than that. It made me question my own romantic relationships and where they might have gone. The ‘what if’ factor is huge.

There is much talk of death, but for the most part, it’s not depressing. I would have to say it’s eye opening. As a society, we do not talk enough about something that we’re all going to face. Since the book revolves around Egyptian burial traditions, archeological digs, and discoveries, and the main character is a death Doula, I learned much.

I was a bit confused at the beginning of the book, it was in the present, then the past, then where was it? The confusion of where you are, present or past, resolves itself at the end so stay the course!

Another thought-provoking book by Ms. Picoult.

Jodi Picoult is a clever storyteller, and The Book of Two Ways is no exception; it enthralled me from the beginning. Dawn McDowell Edelstein is on a flight that crashes. She is one of 36 people who walk away from the flight, and this is her story leading up to the crash. It is told in a back and forth manor; future, past and it is often difficult to keep up with the timeline, but it is brilliantly done. From the Egyptian desert, to Yale university, to Boston, back and forth this intriguing tale weaves back and forth from past to present, the timeline of events elusive until the very end.

The research involved in this book is amazing - I learned so much of things I did not even know I did not know. What a death doula is, the exploration of Quantum Physics, ancient Egyptology. But it is more that that, too, it is a story of the every day choices we makes and how each little action can go a different way; we are all destined to walk the path we are on, and each crossroads creates different outcomes; a parallel universe, or even a multiverse.

This is by far my favorite of Jodi Picoult's books to date. Fabulous storytelling that kept totally me on the edge of my seat so that when it ended I was sad, wanting there to be more.

Too much Egyptology and too much Mythology for my liking. Story was just ok and I do not like a book without a definite ending.

I am a big fan of Jodi Picoult and she didn't disappoint me with her newest book. I enjoyed the history of Egypt and exploration of pyramids and ancient tombs. My biggest wish when I finished the story was one more chapter. Then after I reread I decided the ending was good but Dawn's daughter, Meret, deserved her own book. I can only hope. The occupation of death doula was also something new and intriguing. The Book of Two Ways was a good title for the story because it questions decisions that could have changed your whole life. Some of the decision made by both Dawn and Brian had me scratching my head. Dawn was so upset when she thought Brian was with another woman but didn't react at all when he destroyed letters at her mom's home. I recommend this as a great read. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult has surprised me. Jodi Picoult has been one of my go-to-authors for years. I have always liked how she twists and turns a subject and shows us the many sides of all issues. And then when you are right there thinking about it, everything changes and your response changes as well. This talent keeps me reading her books.

The main character Dawn Edelstein has had two major careers and love affairs. When she was young, she was on the road to become an Archeology major in Egyptianology. She fell in love with Wyatt Armstrong and was one her way. Then her mother and brother needed her and she left Egypt and Yale. She sat with her mother at hospice and took over the care of Keiran (her brother). She came home to Boston where she met and married Brian, became a death doula, and had a daughter.

The two distinct parts of her life are highlighted as the main character goes back and forth in time to each location telling her story. For Dawn, this came about because a plane she was on crashed and she survived. The story was fascinating and curious. You just didn’t know or expect what was going to happen and when and why they happened.

Jodi Picoult and her new book kept me right on the edge of my seat. I wanted to know what was going to happen and was surprised right up to the end. The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult was a really good read.

As many have noted, this is not a typical Jodi Picoult book, and it is filled with a lot of intricate and in-depth details concerning Egyptology, science and physics, and how we face death/end-of-life. I found it slow at the beginning, but once I kept going, I could not put it down. Dawn's life choices are complicated and thought-provoking, and ultimately I found myself genuinely vested in the characters. I would have preferred a different ending, but the one given provides plenty of food for thought. Recommended.

Jodi Picoult has always been one of my all-time favorite authors. I have read every book she has ever written, so when I saw that she had a new book coming out, I immediately went to to Netgalley and requested it. I didn't need to know details; I've literally LOVED every book she has written...until now. Oh, I feel so bad saying this, but I didn't love this book. The story starts off with the main character, Dawn, surviving a plane crash. Her whole life flashes before her eyes, and she realizes there are some things she has left unfinished. 15 years earlier, Dawn had been working/studying in Egypt. I am usually fascinated by Egypt, but I found those parts in this story to be tedious. There were long passages of facts that made me feel like I was reading a Wikipedia page. In Egypt, there was a man named Wyatt who Dawn has "unfinished business" with. Dawn literally goes to Egypt after the crash without telling her husband and daughter where/why she is going. The way Dawn handled her marriage was so frustrating- she doesn't communicate with her husband, and it bothered me that she was so selfish. I often wavered between liking and disliking her. There were a few things that happened towards the end that were just a little too cliche, which I didn't expect from Picoult. I know we can't love every book we read, but this one was disappointing. After I was done reading it, I was left with an overall feeling of "meh" indifference. Thank you @randomhouse @netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Book of Two Ways


A riveting, thought-provoking novel about life, death and the path not taken


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Have you ever wondered where you would be if you had made different decisions in your life? Fifteen years ago Dawn Edelstein, was following her dream to be an archeologist studying ancient Egyptian hellographic, When she gets a call from her dying mother everything changes. She rushes home and becomes the caregiver for her mother and her thirteen year old brother. Today she is living in Boston with her physicist husband and their beautiful teenage daughter with self-image issues. Instead of her career in Egyptology She is a death doula and spends her life helping people make the final transition to death. But now she is thinking, what if....

Several factors have caused Dawn to begin questioning her past . After miraculously surviving a plane crash, Dawn is now contemplating which path to take. Should she return to Boston, and her beloved family. Or should she journey back to the Egyptian archaeological site she left over a decade earlier, and attempt to reconnect with her long lost love.


REVIEW
THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS is a riveting, thought-provoking novel of a woman questioning life-changing decisions she made years earlier.

Picoult’s writing covers an intriguingly wide array of heavy topics for one novel. In addition to her typical emotionally evocative writing, in this case a long lost love story, she throws in a little education for us on quantum mechanics, end-of-life coaching, and Egyptology. Love it!

Picoult also draws symbolic parallels of the ancient Egyptian, text of The Book of Two Ways and Dawn’s current mid-life crisis. The ancient text depicts the paths a soul can take through the afterlife. The two paths, one land and one water, zigzag across a dangerous landscape and are separated by the Lake of Fire which can destroy, but also revive.

I particularly enjoyed Dawn’s character and the exploration of how the choices we made in the past changed our lives and make us who we are today. I listened to the audio version of the book and loved the narration.


Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Publisher Random House Publishing Group Ballantine
Published September 22, 2020
Narrated Patti Murrin
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

Wow, I am so glad I didn't let any of the naysayers deter me from reading this one! I had almost convinced myself to skip it, but I am so very glad I didn't. This is an excellent read, weaving the romance, beauty and study of Egyptian culture along with a tale of complicated romance between two Egyptologists and one physicist in the modern world . Actually it is so much more complicated than that as the blending of ancient beliefs in the after life, collide with theories of alternate realities and quantum physics.

Picoult's excellent writing perfectly blends vast amounts of learning with a wonderful story. I found myself stopping many times while reading it to look up things on the internet to further my knowledge of the Egyptians.
I can't recommend it enough!

I used to love her stories with My Sister's Keeper right up there on the favorites list. Along the way she tackled current issues in a way that helped explain all viewpoints so her stories had messages along with the story. A few books ago, that got lost and now her books feel like a doctoral thesis on the issue she's researched with a story thrown in to try to use as a platform for the research.
I was looking for a story, not an in depth reading on Egyptology and archaeology. It jumped from a plane crash to Egypt to her family to her past post grad days, but didn't feel grounded in any reality. The archaeology she presents was dry and not interesting nor relatable. I did not finish half the book so maybe it got good at some point.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing like a plane crash to make you re-think your life. That’s what happens to Dawn. She is one of 36 survivors to walk away from a crash. She uses the opportunity to fly anywhere by the airline to return to Egypt. Fifteen years ago, she was a grad student helping with a dig at Deir el-Bersha. Now, she’s a death doula with a husband and daughter.
Picoult uses The Book of Two Ways, the Egyptian “guidebook” for the afterlife as a metaphor about the choices we make while on earth. Because maybe she didn’t go to Egypt. Maybe she just returned home to deal with life as she knows it, to try and fix her marriage and be there for her teenage daughter. The plot swirls on this alternative universe idea. “In one world I’m in Boston. In another world, I am with Wyatt when he opens that coffin and sees The Book of Two Ways.” I found it interesting that I had trouble with the one version of Dawn. I saw her as being selfish. But then, there comes a point in the story where she explains herself and I totally got it.
Picoult makes sure to provide the reader with a lot of background on both hieroglyphics and quantum mechanics. While I’m a sucker for all this detail, it might prove too much for others. There’s lots of philosophical talk about death and dying, but it’s not depressing. The book focuses on finding purpose and meaning in life. It also focuses on love - first loves, sustaining loves. How just because we move on from someone doesn’t mean we ever forget them.
I haven’t read a lot of Jodi Picoult. But this feels like a departure from what I picture when I think of one of her books. Yes, it’s still character driven. But her other books have a big ordeal, usually a controversial topic. Here, it’s much more internal, personal choice driven. So, it comes across as a quieter book, if that makes sense. But I loved the points she makes - that love often means hurting someone, that there are no perfect choices.
My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

So many plot themes woven together with a master's hand! There is an Egyptologist, a Quantum Physicist, and a Death Doula all sharing so much of their knowledge while wrapped in tug of war with fate or choice. Ms Picoult uses the book title and book structure to somehow bring all of these disparate parts together, past and future. I loved all of the characters and the Egyptian scenes were so well written I could feel the sand grit in my mouth. And it was very emotional, as many of her novels are. Fabulous story!

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC to read and review.

“I thought this would be my life, and it wasn’t, and I needed to know what it would have been like. You, me, a dig site. A discovery. I know it was my choice to give it up. But I wanted to see, just once, what I was missing.”
▫️
THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS is a novel that explores what happens when we let our minds wander to what our lives could look like had we made a different choice. Dawn was once an archaeologist in Egypt, but one phone call prompts a decision that changes her life forever. years later, a near-death experience makes Dawn question whether she made the right choice. the book alternates between her two possible lives, and the unfolding of these stories is an examination of life and death, love and loss, and the choices that make up our lives. there are a ton of Egyptian historical and archeological references throughout the book, but the beginning especially felt a little heavy in this area. if you can get past that first section into the heart of the story, I think you’ll enjoy it! 4/5⭐️—I liked it!

ALL THE STARS!!! Jodi Picoult is one of the best story-tellers around. I haven't enjoyed one of her novels this much since Leaving Time. Just beautiful & emotional and written in a way that makes you care about and relate to the characters.
The protagonist, Dawn, is a death doula. Someone who basically helps the dying take care of all manner of things before death. Her almost-doctorate as an Egyptologist really comes in handy with this task. Dawn is torn between her former love, Wyatt, an English Egyptologist she feel in love with in grad school and her husband, Brian, her steady physicist, a scientist trying to prove his theory of the multiverse.
Who will Dawn end up with? How does her daughter figure in? Will the last task she must do for a client before death make her re-think her entire life?
Read this enchanting, emotional book to find out!

Solid 4 stars - maybe even closer to 4.5. I'm a huge Jodi Picoult fan, so I was super excited to see another book from her. True to Ms. Picoult, it's another "thinker" book - if you could take a different path in life, what would your life look like? Although the Egyptian connection was incredibly overwhelming at times, in a textbook/college course kind of way, I really liked the comparisons to Dawn's choices and the whole "book of two ways" theme that ran throughout the story. And when things got a bit too technical, I managed to somehow grasp the overall premise without getting too bogged down in the details. Dawn's character could have gone either way for me; instead of being offended by the various choices she made throughout the book, I felt a lot of empathy for her and how difficult things were for her. But what I think I loved most about this book was that it held everything I truly enjoy about Jodi Picoult's writing - great character development, well-researched subject matter, and the ability to make me truly THINK about what I would do in any given situation - and yet it was still different. It didn't detail with a health crisis, or a current event crisis, but instead focused on everyday drama that just about anyone could experience. Highly recommend!