Wow. First of all-let me say that this book is not for everyone. Every one of Picoult's books is about a subject that she has exhaustively researched and sometimes the subject matter isn't for everyone. That being said, I loved the Egyptology subject matter here! Dawn is married to Brian and they share a daughter Meret. Dawn goes through a plane crash and is left with questions about life choices that she has made. She's spent the last 15 years as a social worker/death doula (interesting profession) but it meant that she had left a graduate research project in Egypt and her first grand love-Wyatt. Her project was based on The Book of Two Ways-an ancient Egyptian belief system/hieroglyphic rendering detailing the two pathways to eternal rest. Picoult's book also hopscotches back and forth through both of Dawn's lives and choices. Because I am familiar with Picoult, I knew that there might be a twist and I figured it out early. It did not take away from my enjoyment of the book. I had skimmed some other reviews of this book early and realized that there might be crazy amounts of information downloaded so I prepared for that. It's not necessary to really follow all of it to get an emotional sense for this book-Egyptology, hieroglyphics, hieratics, quantum mechanics, life and death philosophies, etc. Dawn's family life is well-explored, as is her early life with Wyatt. If I had a critique, it would only be that the ending was a little frustrating. In the author's notes at the end, she mentions that she changed it-I wondered what it was before she changed it. I will probably end up re-reading this at some point, just really enjoyed it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I was really excited about this book, but I couldn't stay engaged because I felt like I was reading a textbook. Although I appreciate the information it was providing on Egypt, archeology, and astrophysics, I just couldn't stay engaged. Thank you, NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I always look forward to a new book by Jodi Picoult and I enjoyed this one. Her books are always well researched and about a subject all wrapped up in an intriguing story. This one is full of information on Egyptian archeology and tomb excavation. It also features a woman who has become a death doula - a person who assists the terminally ill and their grieving families in the process of dying. I didn't know these existed and I found the concept interesting.

Dawn Edelstein is married to Brian and they have a daughter they adore, Meret. They live in Boston where Dawn is a death doula and Brian a physics professor. They met at a hospice when they both were losing a loved one. As the story begins, Dawn is on a plane that is crashing and she is thinking of the life she could have had when she had been working on her PhD in Egyptology and studying The Book of Two Ways - the ancient Egytian path to reaching the afterlife. She remembered spending her time in Egypt on a dig with a man she loved and had so much in common with, Wyatt. She left all this when her Mom was sick and then met Brian. They have been together for fifteen years. She is torn between her current life with Brian and Meret (although their marriage is having difficulties) and the life she left behind.

I found this book insightful and compelling as it focused on the choices we make in life and how they affect not only the person making the choice, but those close to them as well. It is about regrets and missed opportunities. It is about complicated relationships. And it is about change.

I did find the extensive focus on dead Egyptians and the parts about quantum physics to be difficult at times as my eyes glazed over a little and I'd start yawning - so I give this one four stars instead of five. Don't get me wrong, it is still a really good book I would recommend it - just be warned it's kind of an intellectural read.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through Netgalley for an advance copy.

I liked the story. Picoult did a huge amount of research for this book. It was full of facts and knowledge. That made the book a little heavy for me. It took me a bit to get through the whole book.

I was confused here and there where I was at and if I was in the present or past.

I started and re-started this book a couple of times, but could not get into it. The parallel story/match to the Egyptian book of Two Ways was hit me over the head obvious, but I think what really turned me off was that I didn't have any investment in either of the two main characters. I will avoid posting a review to goodreads as I believe it would hurt your campaign.

I got about a third of the way into this book before finally giving up. I had too many other books in my queue that I was enjoying, and this one just didn't hold my interest. Too much about Egypt, which doesn't particularly interest me, and not enough of a plot to keep me reading.

I am super disappointed with this books. I am a big fan of Jodi’s books but this book fell very short of the mark for me. The beginning was so good. I couldn’t read it fast enough. So much promise with the talk of peoples journeys to their death and then the plane crash. I felt like right after the crash that the story also came to a crashing halt. All of a sudden we are transported to a text book history lesson of Egypt. Although the story line occasionally would bring me back to being interested I felt there was way too much text book like information that I had to slog my way through. That really took away from the good parts of the story for me. I felt myself disengage way too often to actually enjoy the story.

This book grabbed me for the first chapter and I thought it was going to be a 400 page freefall, and then the second chapter and the third happened, and 50 pages in I thought I would be disappointed. But, no, Jodi Picoult didn't disappoint, even if there were some s-l-o-w parts that I wish I had that time back in my life. With the timeline all over the place, it is a disconcerting read, as I think it was meant to be.

Dawn is a death doula: she helps people as they reach the ends of their lives. And she helps the people around them. She does whatever they need, whether that is errands, final wishes, or just being there. Before she was a death doula, before she was married with a family, she was an Egyptologist. Or at least a graduate student of Egyptology at Yale.

She left her life of exploration and discovery in Egypt when her mother became ill and died. Dawn was left to care for a 13-year-old brother and found a new life as a social worker and then a death doula. While her mother was in hospice, she met Brian and he was so stable and together and caring, how could she help but start a life with him.

This book traces Dawn's relationships with Wyatt and Brian and her daughter, Meret. It deals with choices to be made and those that are made for you. She is not always the most likable character, but I suppose none of us are likable all the time. And when she survives a plane crash, she has to face herself and deal with what's there.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars- I have read a few books by Jodi Picoult and enjoyed her stories and her writing style. I was excited for the opportunity to read her newest title, The Book of Two Ways. This was an interesting story. I enjoyed the dual storylines and the glimpse it gives you into two different life paths caused by different outcomes to one moment. The author did a good job weaving information about Egyptology and about Schrodinger's cat and parallel universe theories. I liked that the reader didn't quite know what was going on, but I enjoyed the read to find out. I liked not knowing the ending and being surprised as I got further in the book. It was quite interesting and unexpected. I didn't always like where it went, but I enjoyed the book and seeing the different possibilities. It's a good fiction book that makes you think

Whew. This book is such a journey. I always enjoyed Jodi Picoult’s books - they make me think and stay with me - and this is no exception.

Dawn leaves her graduate program in Egyptology when her mother is diagnosed with cancer. She meets Brian at the inpatient hospice where her mother is dying, and they build a life and family together. Dawn becomes a death doula, and when her new client shares a confession, Dawn can’t stop thinking about Wyatt - her rival in graduate school and the one who got away. The book opens with Dawn walking away from a plane crash, and unfolds into a story about loss, love, and discovering what matters most.

If I have any complaint it’s that this book is heavy. It’s incredibly well researched and at times it felt like the author was showing that off, but it was written in an accessible enough way that you could easily get through some of the weeds.

Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Two Ways refers to two paths which zig - zag across a dangerous landscape beset with obstacles and demonic entities towards Rostau – the realm of Osiris. Jodi Picoult's steers through life and death. The chapters alternates between land and water just like the black and blue lines of Egypt’s map. The author takes us on a parallel journey through Dawn’s life, complete with demons, hitches and all the impossible possibilities.

Dawn is a Death Doula, while her husband Brian is a Physicist. They have a lovely daughter and a perfect home in Boston. But Dawn didn't set out to become a Death Doula from the beginning. Her journey started out as an Egyptologist on her way to PhD. But that now seems like another universe. Married for fifteen years, she suddenly has unanswered questions and an itch to find them out.

Wyatt met Dawn when they were put together to work in an Archaeological site with Dumphrey in Egypt. Just when love seemed to be blossoming between the two, Dawn gets a call that changes the entire course of her life. Her mother is diagnosed with cancer and Dawn heads back leaving everything behind to be with her in her last days. Just before she leaves, Wyatt confesses his love for her. Little did he know, she wouldn't come back and he would never hear from.

A plane crash makes Dawn realize - “Did you ever wonder who you would have been if you hadn’t become who you are?”. That is when she has to choose between going back to Boston or going to Egypt. Where of Who is Dawn's home, because - Home isn't Where, it's a Who.

- Does Dawn ever return to Egypt?
- Is Wyatt still waiting for Dawn?
- Do we make decisions or do the decisions make us?
- Where they meant to Stay Together or Be Together?

Rating - 5/5 Stars
Recommendation - Very High

Conclusion,
This book alternates between Land/Egypt and Water/Boston. Amazing plot development and the characters have so much meaning and depth, that this book left me awestruck. Detailed and thoroughly researched, this is a very well written book. An absolute page turner, it leaves you beguiled right from the beginning up till the very end. Words fall short to describe this enticing and utterly captivating read. Overall a brilliant read.

Jodi Picoult has initiated more discussion than any author I know. She writes magic, ethics, and family.
I recall sobbing over "Leaving Time," and "The Book of Two Ways" will likely find a more than a few wet eyes.
Our main character, Dawn, is an Egyptologist who is finding love and history on a dig in Egypt. Tragedy calls her home, and her life takes another path. Years later, she is working as a death doula, and her trip to fulfill the wish of a dying client takes her on a very unexpected journey filled with discovery, pain, love and history. I don't put spoilers in my reviews.
The research that Picoult must have done to sound like an Egyptologist in this novel is incredible. She is equally skilled in her description of hospice care and death doulas. (As a hospice nurse, I would know.) The real beauty of her writing is in the relationships, the futility of love and death, and the beauty of art, nature and memories.

Surprisingly underwhelming. The plot offers too much in the way of “Egyptology”, science, and the great unknowns. The story itself had promise but Piccoult put the reader through several mini anthropology lectures along the way. She did offer multiple plot lines that wove nicely around one another and gave the reader a greater contemplation. 2 stars

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

I was looking forward to reading this book when I discovered it involved archeology and Egyptology.
It also involved physics principles and theories. After a while there was so much of each that it was necessary to skim over some of the information.

The story went back and forth between Boston and Egypt. If that wasn’t enough it also jumped time periods without any transition. Sometimes these quick jumps were disorienting and hard to put in perspective. The constant back and forth was often hard to follow.

The characters were pleasant enough and thoroughly developed. The side story involving Dawn’s job as a “death doula” was interesting and her last client’s life had some parallels to Dawn’s own life.

I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them. Thus, I was eager to read this one..
It just wasn’t the book for me.

I also like some closure at the end of my books.

"Because if there is a garden of maybes, you are the invasive plant I can’t ever get rid of."

If there’s one thing I appreciate, it’s a storyline with the power to make me think, to ponder the intricacies of life. The Book of Two Ways provides a contemplative look at the multitude of possible paths set before us, the regret that can linger in the shadows of our choices, and the reality that each one of us will one day reach the end of the road. In signature Jodi Picoult fashion, it’s evident a lot of foresight and research went into the creation of this novel.

If the early reviews are any indication, this is set to be another polarizing novel, but not for reasons longtime fans might initially assume. Picoult’s previous storylines have confronted a myriad of controversial topics—like abortion, racism, and the death penalty, to name a few—but not so much this time. Instead, she folds readers into a story riddled with Egyptology, quantum mechanics (this made me reminisce about Dark Matter), and the emotional aspects of life as a death doula. Admittedly, Picoult is a little heavy-handed in her delivery of the Egyptology aspect of the storyline, the majority of which I happened to find quite interesting. I was able to appreciate the parallels Picoult was drawing between past and present, life and death. The amalgam of alternates that skew our paths: temptation, desire, the need for security, or love. For a vast number of readers, that might not be the case. Hence, my polarizing theory.

Readers meet Dawn at a time when she’s balancing the stressors of her career as a death doula, raising a teenage daughter with body image issues, and maintaining a connection with her husband of 15-years, Brian. A mostly happy, yet complacent, existence.

What you wouldn’t know on the outset is that Dawn once had dreams of pursuing a career in Egyptology. That she spent semesters of her collegiate life immersed in the tombs, recovering mummified remains, and deciphering hieroglyphics. In that period of her life, Wyatt dominated her heart, challenged her mentally, and incited a passion she’s failed to experience since. But unforeseen circumstances and her resulting decisions made him the one that got away.

Dawn’s story flips between time and place, from past to present, until she forces the two to collide. Her desire to revisit what might have been overriding all else.

There are a plethora of emotions to contend with here. Part of me wanted to condemn Dawn for her audacity and selfishness. Yet, I found myself awestruck by her tenacity to see things through—to put her lingering feelings and the what-ifs to the test. But, this is also right where my contention sneaks in with my inability to accept one character’s reactions. I foresaw more hurt and anger, something fiercely heartfelt. Not mellow understanding. But, in hindsight, I think it circles back to the multitude of choices and alternate realities floating around the universe for every situation.

The Book Of Two Ways provides a solid reminder that life is fleeting and tomorrow is never guaranteed. What thoughts, missed opportunities, or lost loves will linger in the forefront of your mind as you approach the end? Are you gutsy enough to make life-altering changes now, to satiate your heart’s desires?

Dawn, once on the way to becoming a archaeologist focused on Egypt, feels stuck. Married to Brian, a professor, Dawn is a death doula, a professional who helps those dying come to terms and fulfill their last wishes. However, she can't help thinking of her ex, Wyatt, and what might have been. In Egypt mythology, there are two paths through the afterworld. This book is split into two paths also. In one path, after surviving a plane crash, Dawn flies to Egypt towards Wyatt. In the other path, she turns back towards her husband and daughter.

This was an interesting and well written book. I loved how the author used the alternate storylines to progress the story. The characters were dynamic and realistic. The read as if the author was an expert in both archaeology and all things Egypt. Overall highly recommended!

The blurb for this book is somewhat misleading because "...everything changes in a single moment...prepare for a crash landing" which opens the book but--the backstory which precedes this--is really guts of the book.

I probably should have known better regarding Jodi Picoult because I find her books manipulative though I've only read a few. But, trusted friends assured me that her most recent books were very good [though I hadn't read them as I pretty much gave up on her]. Still, I was willing to try--now, not again.

Dawn Edelstein, a former budding Egyptologist, is now a death doula [I didn't know that was a profession], married to Brian, a physicist. They have a teenage daughter, Meret. Dawn still pines for her former lover, Wyatt, an Egyptologist who she left 15 years ago in Egypt, hastily, to return to the US as her mother was dying,

This book has a lot about Egyptology [well researched, and some of it quite interesting, other parts far too detailed and sleep inducing] including images of hieroglyphics. Also, because of Brian, a fair amount of physics [not my thing].

This is basically a novel about choices, love, life, and what ifs. And yes, dying. Lots of connections here--a death doula, Egypt--tombs and death, a mother dying, etc,

Two times lines--which I like--but these are only 15 years a part [usually it's at least a generation]. Divided into Water/Boston and Land/Egypt.

Language: far too many cringeworthy mushy lines [a pet peeve]--many to do with eyes, hair, the sun.
"...guy looked up, his blue eyes catching mine, They made me think of a glacier."
"His eyes were the sea, This is how people drown, I thought,"
"I remember how he smelled like the sun baked into his clothes and also butterscotch."
"...how he commands respect; how authority sits on his shoulders the same way the sun tangles in his hair,,,"

but two lovely descriptions--actually on the same page--a shocker!:

"He folds himself into her, an orgami of grief."
"Sadness sits with me, another passenger."

I did like many of Dawn's {Irish] mother's superstitions,

A few new words: [only some listed]
eosin
amygdala
aquamation
goniometers

Some interesting new factoids [for me}:
"Mummies are not unwrapped anymore, but given CT scans instead."
on a dig--fans--though wonderful to improve air circulation--are forbidden,
information on X-ray crystallography of different types of tears.

A few instances where the worm turned and my interest cranked up a bit--=but not enough.

The book primarily focuses on Dawn, Brian, Meret and Wyatt. didn't really care about any of the characters save maybe for a relatively minor character, Win--who is under the care of Dawn as her death doula. And I did like/identify somewhat with Meret. I was never really engaged though I did want to see how it unfolded and ultimately ended. No spoiler from me--the ending was satisfactory.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a very different type of story from this author. It is chock full of Egyptology with some quantum physics thrown in for good measure. I got lost with some of this of this, but not to the point that I didn't enjoy the journey...which I did. It is not light reading by any measure. The characters are flawed, which is actually a good thing because there is no such thing as perfect. All in all I enjoyed the read.

After Dawn survives a plane crash, she wonders what her life would have been like if she had chosen a different path. Questioning her husband having a possible affair, she decides to go back to Egypt to the Archaeologist she left behind fifteen years ago. As the story unfolds, her two different futures are shown along with questions about the choices she has made along the way. This book makes a person think about how your life choices make us into who we are today.

Thank you to Netgalley for the early copy to read and review.

I have mixed feelings about this novel. On one hand it is a great story about the choices we make in life, lost love, death and grief, and it is beautiful. And emotional. The characters are rich and likable.

On the other hand, there is so much detailed information about Egyptology and astrophysics I just got lost and bored. I like books that make me smarter but I found this hard to digest.

I was also confused about how the timelines diverged and then converged later in the story. Something didn’t add up, which bugged me.