A woman gets a second chance to explore the career she left behind after a near-fatal accident. As she returns to the man and the field she loved, she begins to question everything she knows about life and death. Author Jodi Picoult returns with her trademark depth of story and character in her newest novel, The Book of Two Ways.

On a flight home to Boston, Dawn Edelstein lives through every person’s worst fear: the cabin crew instructs passengers to brace for impact. The plane is going down, and no one can stop it. Dawn, like all the others, gets into position and thinks of those nearest and dearest to her: her husband and daughter; her brother.

She also can’t stop thinking about Wyatt Armstrong. Fifteen years earlier, Dawn arrived in Egypt as a fresh-faced graduate student from Yale ready to pursue her life’s passion: researching the Book of Two Ways, an ancient text often found drawn and written in coffins. Egyptians believed the Book of Two Ways would give the dead clues to navigate obstacles in the afterlife to reach the ultimate goal of feasting with the god Osiris.

Because of conflicting information unearthed after archaeological digs and the difficulty in interpreting the text, most students don’t study the Book in such detail. Dawn can’t help herself, however. She’s drawn to Egypt and this mesmerizing piece of the country’s history and culture. Despite her best efforts against it, she’s also drawn to Wyatt.

A cocky Brit who is also royalty, Wyatt is witty, handsome, charming, and utterly infuriating. From the time Dawn joins the team first on campus and then in the Egyptian desert, Wyatt seems bent on showing her up. The two go head to head in every matter—until they can no longer resist one another and go heart to heart. Dawn’s depth of feeling for Wyatt is only bested by her love for the Book of Two Ways. That he understands on a fundamental level why she wants to master it and also shares that goal makes her believe they’re tailor-made for one another.

Then Dawn gets a call from home. Her mother is dying. Without a second thought, Dawn walks away from Egypt, the Book of Two Ways, and Wyatt. One week turns into two, then ten, then another life altogether. Dawn gets married, has a child, and becomes a death doula. She takes care of people in their last days, talking to them, comforting them, and helping their loved ones process what all of it means.

After surviving the plane crash, the airline offers Dawn a ticket to anywhere in the world. Her first impulse should be to return to Boston. Instead, she knows that if she listened to her heart, she would go back to Egypt and to Wyatt. Back to finish what she started. Back to see if the Book of Two Ways will lead her to the life she was meant to lead.

Author Jodi Picoult treats her characters with such care that readers will feel like they’re standing right next to Dawn as she agonizes over her decisions. Picoult’s intimate narrative style will draw readers right in and not let them go. Her research, as always, is second-to-none. Picoult clearly immerses herself into the subject material that forms the backbone of her books; the results beckon readers to wade right in and join her.

While research is one of Picoult’s strongest points, in this book it can get a little overwhelming at times. Dawn is working on a dig in the Egyptian desert and studying a topic not many people tackle; the topic possesses its own vocabulary and attention to detail. Dawn and Wyatt’s excitement is clear when they unearth critical artifacts, but their conversation goes deep into technical territory. Readers might resign themselves to sitting back and waiting for the scene to end so they can keep moving with Dawn on her personal journey. The professional one, at times, is a little hard to follow.

The overabundance of material is the only drawback to the book; Picoult will astound readers with the story structure and the questions she raises. Once again, she has a winner on her hands. I recommend readers Bookmark The Book of Two Ways.

Picoult is a master of researching any topic that becomes the focus of her books. This current novel is no different . Where could you find a consuming book about Egyptology that paralleled a love story about the choices we make in life? It strengthens the intellectual amplitude with deft assured writing. The flashpoint of the story starts at the beginning when Dawn, a former Egyptologist and current death doula is in a plane crash ,survives and is given a ticket to anywhere. That decision alters her entire universe. Here she connects with her former passion and partner whom she has never forgotten in her heart.Her husband back home is a quantum physicist, with a logical rational brain, whom she indeed loves. Two parallel divisions that must be answered with only one real option. Which one will she choose?. Along the way the reader is entertained with discourses on Egyptian archeology ,history, the meaning of hieroglyphics,quantum physics, death doula, the process of dying and life reviews, while intertwined with love choices. I loved looking up things on the web to root out fact from fiction but this heavy dose of information made for a very confusing disparate mixture. It felt like she had
researched three different topics and wanted to squeeze all the information into one package. I am always excited about a new Jodi Picoult book but I think this one missed the mark.

This is one of a handful of authors that I will drop everything to read. This book was different unfortunately. The characters were fine, but the history lesson were definitely a turn off with the book. This seemed so average story-line wise, like other authors been there, done that. Disappointing.

Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult. The synopsis of this book is this: what if you could live your life over, making different choices? From the moment I read what this was about, I was hooked. It begins with Dawn, a wife, and mother aboard a plane. In the next moment, there is word from the flight attendant to prepare for a crash landing. In that moment when her life is flashing before her eyes, Dawn’s immediate thoughts go somewhere she was not expecting. Dawn was not thinking of her husband Brian, but rather of a man named Wyatt. Dawn has not seen Wyatt in almost 20 years. When the plane lands safely, the airline offers to fly the passengers wherever they want to go. This gets Dawn thinking. Does she want to go home or somewhere a little off the beaten track—to find Wyatt and the life she left behind ? This book then follows “both” lives. Read this book. This was an interesting change of pace from Picoult’s normal ethical dilemmas storylines.

Since I haven’t studied Egyptology in any manner since elementary school, the detailed information in the story was quite overwhelming. After reading this book once, I was pulled in so many directions. There was so much I liked about the book, but I didn’t have my usual Jodi Picoult over the top feeling. Usually I can’t wait to discuss the issues she writes about. Ms. Picoult is so adept at making you reconsider your opinions about the current issue she tackles. Death is a tough topic, especially right now when so many people are needlessly dying in this pandemic. After thinking about the book and my mixed feelings, I decided a reread was in order. Obviously it was a much better experience the second time around. I still felt overloaded at times with the archaeology, however, the second time I saw the connections quite clearly.

Dawn is a death doula who started out with dreams of being an Egyptologist until her mother became ill. She leaves her dreams and love behind to care for her mother in her final days. She becomes her brother’s guardian and supports him as he pursues his dreams. As usual with Ms Picoult’s books, my emotions were fully engaged. I cried, laughed, and was angry (at her husband who I felt manipulated her). I appreciated her desire to complete something she left unfinished and find out what might have been.

Savor this book. Study a bit of Egyptology and quantum mechanics before you start. Pay attention to the changing timeline. Be prepared to think about choices you’ve made and how your life would be different. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, the first 1/4 of the book reads more like a textbook than a novel. This textbook mentality continues sporadically and interfered with my enjoyment of the book. I really never cared about the characters.

Jodi Picoult's book always tend to have a fresh message and draw you in. This at times did that but then it also felt like a history book---I like to escape and not think while i'm reading so this was a bit of a let down. Not one of my favorites, but since it's a JP book, I of course wanted to read it. thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review.

Thanks to Netgalley, I was able to receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book is VERY deep... It starts off slow and you learn so much about Egypt and how they find rare artifacts in burial sites. There were times when I literally felt like I was studying Egyptology instead of reading a Jodi Picoult book and I skipped some parts because of that... Especially in the beginning. About 60 percent into the book, I got used to it. It shouldn't have taken that long. It also took away from what could have been more development in the characters.. You also learn about the job of a death doula. I had never heard of that before so it was very intriguing to learn about. The main character, Dawn, was tough and hard to like and get to know at first but she slowly grows on you. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters because so much time was spent reading about tombs, Egypt, and figuring out what those pictures and symbols meant.. It's not one of her best books.. It falls somewhere in the middle. I like it, I just don't love it. I'll have to reread it. However, Jodi Picoult never disappoints and I will definitely be buying the physical copy of this book! Every library should have this book. Readers will learn so much and be entertained.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get your copy in September here: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Two-Ways-Novel/dp/198481835X

Jodi Picoult writes heavy stuff! I can really only read her books once a year, if that. Her topics are heavy, but she is an AMAZING writer. I tend to steer more towards what I like to call Light and Fluffy, but I do tend to veer off this path occasionally. Jodi’s books are so far from Fluffy! For example, the opening line of this book is, “My Calendar is full of dead people.” This can be interpreted in soooo many ways, but then we discover the main character, Dawn is on a plane and about to experience a PLANNED EMERGENCY. The plane is crashing, and they are told to BRACE! WHAT? That is quite the ease into the book, right? We just crash right into this book. Dawn is one of thirty-six people that were on the flight that survived. Dawn knows where she needs to go after escaping death-Egypt. If you knew you were about to die what would you do? Who would you need to speak to? Apology tour, perhaps? Dawn helps people make the transition from life to death. One thing that she asks her clients is, “What is left unfinished” I think we should all live our lives with this in mind. You do not know that tomorrow will or will not come. What will you leave unfinished? Have you danced with your child, so they have a video for their wedding day? Have you told the people that you love that you love them? There are the occasion funny thing in this book, but you have to be aware to catch it- like, “THINGS YOU SHOULDN’T FLUSH: ANYTHING YELLOW, TOILET PAPER, YOUR HOPES & DREAMS. I think 2020 has that one covered!
We toggle between the past and present. Dawn is struggling with her current future and what she wants it to be. There is a shock in here that I suspected, but wasn’t quite sure about until the confrontation and confirmation. This book is heavy on technicalities which is fun in a little way, as you are actually learning something. As Dawn assists others between life and death as her Death Doula job calls for, she realizes how many regrets she could have, unless she changes. Only you stand in your way of your happiness. You have control of your situation, you just need to take it. It was slow to start, but around halfway through, it picked up. Overall, it was a good book!

Jodi Picoult did it again! I was so absorbed in this book I did not want to do anything else!

In ancient Egypt, the Books of Two Ways is a map to the afterlife that was left in coffins so that the dead could follow the map- there are two routes, a land route, and a water route. In this Book of Two Ways, Dawn is on a flight when there is an announcement for a "planned emergency" that makes Dawn take stock of her life. Does she continue on her current path, to her husband and child, or go to Egypt to find her lost loves?

We follow Dawn through both possibilities, in alternating chapters she is with her husband and daughter and in the other she goes to Egypt. The weaving of these two paths at the end is pretty masterful.

In her life in Boston, Dawn is a death doula and the themes of life and death fit really well with her passion for Egyptology. Her husband is a physicist who lectures on multiple universes, so that ties into there being two possibles paths, or an infinite amount of them happening all at once.

Picoult's newest release is a heartfelt exploration of the impact our life circumstances can have on our happiness and the power of regret. A near death experience leaves Dawn Edelstein shaken. As a death doula, she is used to death however she realizes that her last thoughts were not on her daughter and husband at home in Boston, but instead centered around a man and a career she was forced to give up long ago. Drawing inspiration from the ancient Egyptian text with the same name as her story which believes that we can lead two lives simultaneously, Picoult weaves a tale of dual storylines, one of which follows Dawn in her life as a mom and married woman as she was before, and the other explores a new life, one she could have had if only she had made a different choice. Fifteen years ago, Dawn was a young woman, working on a PHD and in love with an Egyptologist named Wyatt who she worked alongside. However fate intervened in the form of a phone call that forced her to give up on her dream and her future with Wyatt to take care of her brother and dying mother. The story evolves slowly yet masterfully, switching between perspectives and exploring the power of choice and it's impact on our happiness.
Picoult is a master storyteller and her talent shines through in her newest release. Though the story covers a truly astounding amount of complex topics, ranging from death to quantum physics, she masterfully combines the seemingly disparate topics into a single compelling tale. The careful attention to details and in depth research is evident and the prose, while descriptive, is beautifully and meticulously constructed. The Book of Two Ways is ultimately a cautionary tale on the importance of living in the moment, a theme that is relevant to current events. I highly recommend this book to those looking for a satisfying and insightful novel that will have you reflecting on your own life choices.

(Free copy received from netgalley/publisher in exchange for my honest review)
This is a hard book for me to review. Jodi Picoult has long been one of my favorite authors and her books frequently earn the coveted 5 star reviews from me. She has a way to researching and writing that bring you into a topic you previously may not have known or even cared about, she can offer readers an insight into the two(or more) sides to every story, make you question your own beliefs and knowledge, make you feel things so deeply that your book is tear stained by the end, and give you insightful quotes that you want to plaster to your memory because how can someone write something so beautiful. With that being said, The Book of Two Ways was not the Jodi I've come to love. There were glimpses of it and parts of this book that fully fit what I expect to get from a Jodi novel, but there were also large parts of this book that I struggled through. Had this not been Jodi, I would have DNF.

Here's what didn't work for me:
-I felt like I was reading textbooks for weed-out college courses. Except the course started mid-semester, all my classmates were ahead of me, and I could not grasp the material. There was Egyptology, quantum physics, neuroscience and an intro into death. It was a lot. I think one of these topics may have worked as the focus, but with all of them it was a struggle and not a pleasure to learn from Jodi. I get why they were here and I have much respect for Jodi's dedication to research and accurate representation in her books, but I needed cliff-notes!
-The ending (I won't say anything because spoilers) but I wanted more. Jodi is amazing at weaving together stories and timelines and I felt like the ending was a let down after the buildup.
-The characters: I had a love hate relationship with them and their decisions. I'm still not sure who I am rooting for, or who I'm supposed to root for in this book.

Here's what worked:
-The structure: Jodi is no stranger to complex story telling timelines and she does it well. As we can expect from the title, and the Egyptian and quantum physics undertones, there's two (or more) ways this can go. It makes you ponder how your decisions have affected you and the choices you've made in life and love.
-Learning about death doulas: Yes, death was a big theme in this book and it's a hard one to swallow. I found Dawn's choice of career very interesting and it was a sad pleasure learning more about the end and how we all cope with it.

Am I glad I read it, yes...
Would I recommend it, with caveats and mainly to those looking for an intellectual read...
Will I re-read this one, no.

I was unable to finish this book. felt like I was reading a history book gone wrong. Ugh... I thought I was going to be reading another fabulous women's fiction novel but my goodness was bogged down with an Egyptian style textbook.
Way too many details about history, I can see how history was needed in some of this story but not the ENTIRE book. While I appreciated the thorough research that went into writing this book both on Egyptology and being a death dula, this book just was not for me.

#netgalley

I have been a longtime fan of Jodi Picoult and this book did not disappoint! I loved the story, the way it was told integrated present day and past. The history of Ancient Egypt was fascinating and told in a way that enriched the novel. When I end up Googling things that are talked about in a novel, you know it has totally captured me...I was Googling a lot. I volunteer at the MFA in Boston and can't wait until it is open so I can visit the coffin that is part of the story. I hated to see the story end...thank you Jodi Picoult for another fabulous read!

Nearly everyone goes through an ancient Egypt phase. Pharaohs, pyramids, and mummies are fascinating. But for Dawn and Wyatt, the phase turned into a career and a life spent looking for discoveries. At least that's what Dawn had intended before her mom became ill and she was summoned back home to care for her little brother.

Soon, Dawn was pregnant and married, leaving Egypt behind for good as she began a career as a death doula. Life was perfect... until her own close call with death made her wonder whether life could have --should have-- gone a different way for her.

The Book of Two Ways is a literary sliding doors, with two versions of Dawns life playing out chapter by chapter. Which will she choose?

Let me start by saying that I am a huge Jodi Picoult fan. I love her approach to different issues that are relevant in our world. This book however read like a textbook about Egyptology. So much so that I found I couldn’t get through the descriptions. I found skipping these parts until I just gave up on the book as a whole. It was very disappointing. When she was targeting the characters Wyatt, Brian, Merit and Dawn I was interested but that seemed few and far between.

If your life was about to end, who would be in your last thoughts? Your spouse? Your child? Someone else? For Dawn Edelstein, in Jodi Picoult's The Book of Two Ways, it's Wyatt Armstrong. As a graduate student, Dawn worked side by side with Wyatt in Egypt as she researched The Book of Two Ways - the Egyptian scripts which map the way to the afterlife. Dawn is a death doula, someone who helps the dying and their family through the process of death. This heightens Dawn's sense of understanding regrets at the end of life, and makes her questions the choices she's made in her own life. You will quickly be drawn into Dawn's world and feel the pulls she feels.
As with many of Picoult's books, The Book of Two Ways will give you plenty to think about. I found the beginning of the book a difficult read, and at first questioned why Picoult spent so much time with Egyptian history and detail. And while I've come to learn she has a personal interest in the subject, it does become clear that this is also integral to the story. Not only do the Egyptian scenes take the reader to a different place, it also transports you to a different time, both in Dawn's life and in history. The characters each have their own flaws, and as in real life, they sometimes take you by surprise.
The Book of Two Ways is the story of life and death, love and hurt and choices and the pathways they put us on.

In sum: a very intriguing book bogged down by too much academic research without direct correlation to the story.

When I was about 30% into reading this book, I told my friend that I was bored. That it seemed like an interesting plot but I was so bored that I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish. Well, I plowed through anyways because when I get a book from Netgalley, I really like to make sure I give it a fair shot and truthfully, I'm fully capable of skimming past all the boring academic stuff. And there is a lot of it.

It is clear that the author has an intense fascination with Egyptology and, to a lesser extent, with theoretical physics. In the acknowledgements at the end, readers are informed that her son studied Egyptology (and possibly still does) which does help explain her fascination. However, to me as the reader, it felt that all the textbook stuff was filler - used to showcase the author's research capabilities and appease her ego. I, as the reader would be so happy if about half of this ended being cut before publication.

It's probably too late for massive editing to happen and to give up on the book because of that, would be a little short-sided. Because the plot is compelling. At first the Sliding Doors-type plot device seemed a bit pedantic but as the book continues, you realize that it is much more complicated.

Dawn Edelstein can divide her life into two - her youth, studying and working towards a Doctorate as an Egyptologist - and her middle-aged life as a wife, mother, and her career as a death doula. At the start of the book, she survives a plane crash that appears to send her down a Sliding Doors-style contemplation of the road not traveled. You follow her path back to Boston, to her life and family, but also through a spur-of-the-moment venture back to Egypt to confront the life she left behind - her research and her former boyfriend, Wyatt.

I don't want to say too more, but in true Jodi Picoult fashion, there are several twists and turns and a true plot surprise that isn't too much of a surprise if you really think about it.

Thinking about the road not taken ensured that I was unable to sleep and had to finish the book to know which path she had taken. When I got to the end, I was disappointed. If the point of the book was to tell Dawn's story, then it succeeded but there was a significant cost due to Picoult's academic minutiae. If the point of the book was to understand and normalize death, I think she also succeeded but at a significant cost. The book felt scattered and unfocused when it veered away from the direct storylines and I think Picoult would have been much more successful if she (or her editors) would have been more heavy-handed.

Picoult's latest is a gut wrenching read. There are so may emotions I felt. I found the history fascinating, but with some of the it my eyes did glaze over. Dawn has to make a decision. She has to grab onto her future or stay with her safe past. I didn't like her character very much. I felt sorry for Brian. I felt ,Ike he was getting the short end of end of the stick and kept getting screwed. I hated the ending, but understand why the author did it, in keeping with the theme of the title. I was a mess while reading this book, staying up very late because I just had to see how it ended, only to still not know.

So typically Jodi Picoult! Through Dawn, the main character, you are taken on a ride through Egypt (and history), quantum physics, as well as a career in death. Oh, there are many insights to the four main characters - Brian, the husband, Wyatt, the former? lover in Egypt, and Meret, her daughter with Brian. It's obvious Dawn's great love is Egypt, the dig, the hieroglyphics, the history, and that's where she met Wyatt. Picoult shares a lot of fascinating Egyptian history.Dawn's husband is a professor in quantum mechanics and again Picoult does a credible job of explaining various aspects of this science. Meret is the 14 year old daughter - and you watch as this unhappy-with-her-body teenager responds to her parents' relationship.
You'll enjoy learning about the aforementioned topics. You'll enjoy watching the characters morph and grow. But mostly you'll enjoy watching Dawn think through her life.