“Did you ever wonder who you would have been if you hadn’t become who you are?”
The Book of Two Ways was an Egyptian map on how to navigate through death to the afterlife, Poccoilt’s is how to navigate through life to death. With chapter threads of land and water, much like the wavy lines of black and blue of Egypt’s map, Piccoult takes us on a parallel journey through Dawn’s life, complete with demons and obstacles and all of its impossible possibilities.

The story is beyond Interesting, you need to pay attention to the Egyptology and myths which can sound like rules of a video game for those young enough, but are patterns and explanations of the cultural funerary rituals of ancient Egypt. Fascinating, but thought saturating as well.

I appreciated the straight talk regarding death and its process, and it makes me wonder why we have such a hard time with that topic. Dawn as a death doula handles the intricacies of dying and death so well, I’d hire her for that last journey myself!

Topics of parallel universes, what would have happened had we made different choices in this life, would we still be living that life in a parallel universe, Wyatt’s Dawn or Brian’s, mystic vs scientific are all explored within the fabric of the story and make it that much more interesting.
Picoult also addresses life questions such as What does it mean to be good? Or immoral? Pleading your case to a god to enter into the afterlife..Is time a line or a circle? Things don’t always work out how we’ve planned, you get close to people who eventually leave you- whether in life or in death, and sometimes what we think we know isn’t actually the truth anyway! Like I said, thought-provoking!

I am always a fan of Piccoult’s intelligently written novels that leave me intellectually and fictionally satisfied, and this book truly personified that.

Only a writer as skillful as Jodi Picoult could combine a plane crash, Egyptology, quantum physics and search for one's true self in a beautiful and intriguing novel. As usual, Picoult does a deep dive into the subject matter so the reader ends up with a wealth of knowledge they did not previously possess. Her characters feel very real, like people you know, and the book is so skillfully plotted that the tension builds almost without one noticing. I always eagerly await Picoult's novels and this one was terrific! I can hardly wait to give it as gifts to friends when it is published.

Picoult always does so much research for her books and “The Book of Two Ways” is no exception. I enjoyed learning about Egyptology, but I was fascinated by the idea of a death doula -something I was not aware of. Discussing death has long been avoided In polite society and I really appreciated that this book Brought it to the forefront.

I LOVE Jodi Piccoult books but this one was not for me. Her writing is beautiful but this book was overloaded with technical writing about Egyptian history and Quantum Physics. I could not pronounce any of the Egyptian characters and found the reading of these parts to be very challenging. The reader may want to consider an audiobook if you are interested.

Finally, I feel like Piccoult always wraps her story up with a little twist or an emotional ending. This one fell flat for me. I was waiting for the twist but the one she offered felt predictable. There just wasn't much of a story arc in this novel and because of this, the book felt long. Ugh - I hate writing this.

I understood the author's desire for writing this book when I read the author's note. Maybe read that first?

#NetGalley #TheBookofTwoWays

Jodi Picoult does it again in this new novel. As a plane is about to crash the main character doesn't think of family, her husband or her life flashing before her eyes, she thinks of Wyatt, a man she hasn't seen in 15 years.

This book kept me flipping the pages and literally took me on a trip.

Once again, Jodi Picoult allows me to appreciate her talent. In THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS, she not only teaches the reader of Egyptology, but also of quantum mechanics. Now, don't let those two subjects force you to put the book back on the shelf. They are only a small portion of this dual timeline novel. She makes the reader contemplate how one tiny moment in their life, or a decision chosen can change that life dramatically.

Not only is the BOOK OF TWO WAYS referencing the most detailed graphical compilation of the coffin text, but it also eludes to the premise of multiverses and parallel realities - for example : one where you are in excellent health and involved in a profession you love, another where you are battling with cancer - thus TWO WAYS of life through a variety of paths (choices) taken (made) along your journey.

I never close a Picoult book without keeping the narrative going in my head. She is constantly making me think, analyze, and contemplate how the characters have changed my life and encouraged me to start a conversation.

Thanks to Net Galley for the advance reader copy.
This is my first Jodi Picoult and I was just so excited when I read the trailer for this one. It’s academic, there’s romance, it’s set in Boston (hometown!) and in Egypt. I was rearing to go for this one 100%.

My problem with the book is that it wore my brain out. I loved the hieroglyphics explanations, and enjoyed the Nat Geo feel on archeology digs and so on. That would have been just magnificent in smaller doses. It was so information laden, that I feel like I was in a masters class and preparing for a quiz. Each chapter was so long that I struggled making It through in a setting. That’s just not like me. I can handle the long haul with the best of them. I think the textbook feel just tuckered me out.

The beginning of the book was such a great draw. I was excited and ready to dive in. I just wish each chapter was trimmed for the common folk.

I love Egypt, I have traveled to Egypt, I've climbed through the great pyramids, I've been inside the step pyramids in Saqqara, visited the Valley of the Kings, did a meditation in the paws of a sphinx, so to say this book spoke to me is putting it mildly.

Dawn was getting her PhD in Egyptology when her life gets sidetracked by the death of her mother and finding herself having to care for her younger brother. While in Egypt she formed a close bond with Wyatt, the dashing Englishman who was writing his thesis on the same topic, The Book of Two Ways. The Book of Two Ways was a book about dying that was painted inside many tombs. When Dawns mother falls ill her path shifts from studying the dead to becoming a death doula, and helping people die.

After an incident with her husband Dawn starts to think about what if, what if her life had taken a different path, what if she had gone back to Egypt instead of staying to raise her brother, what if she hadn't met her husband and had a daughter?

When tasked with finding the past lover of one of her clients Dawn finds herself drawn to Egypt and the one she left behind. Will they rekindle their relationship? Has he moved on? This book is about death, about life and everything in between. Do we ever forget our first love? Is the way in which the ancients dealt with death different from how we do it today? Who remembers us when we are gone? What are the rituals of today?

Death is a scary topic that most people don't like to think about, dwell on or investigate yet its something none of us can outrun. Can we learn anything from ancient people about death? What about life? Do we need closure of different things so we have no regrets? This book brought a lot of questions with no real answers. I've read that others think this reads too much like a textbook but I didn't find that at all but I already have a pretty vast knowledge of Ancient Egypt so to me it was just revisiting knowledge I already had and wishing I was back there in the heat digging in the sand.

I was not a fan of this book. It's not your typical read by Jodi Picoult. I felt as though I was reading a text book. Unfortunately, I DNF it.

I usually love this author, but this book was not really readable to me. I couldn't connect with the characters and all of the detailed history lessons made it just drag. I couldn't finish the book.

I'm torn about this review. I love Jodi Picoult, and was excited to read her latest. But this is not a typical Jodi Picoult book. I am used to Picoult books centering around a compelling issue of society, where there is no clear right or wrong, but an emotional tug of war in a no real winners plot. This is very different. There is a dilemma, but it centers decisions made in the past, and the desire to hit the "redo" button. It felt a bit selfish and not near as compelling. I didn't enjoy reading this as much as I did her other novels. I was very bogged down by the sections on Egyptology and Quantum Physics 9I had no frame of reference for either), but I loved the parts about being a death doula and interactions between mother and daughter. But in the end, having finished it, I see how it really is brilliant in how it brings all of these diverse ideas together. But I wasn't ready to learn and didn't expect to have to, so I was left a bit flummoxed and disappointed. This is a book will likely re-read, as I think there are some nuggets here I will enjoy with the right frame and context. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

This is not your typical Jodi Picoult book. There is a lot of details about the field of Egyptian archaeology. It didn’t take long, however, for me to be hooked on the characters and their dilemmas. Although not my favorite Picoult, I recommend this book. I received a copy of this book for my unbiased review.

This was not quite what I was expecting from a Jodi Picoult novel. I'm usually a fan of her work and was excited to read this book, with it's intriguing premise, but parts of it read more like a textbook than a novel.

Book of Two Ways
Jodi Picoult

This most recent fare from the talented Jodi Picoult is not easy to read. A wonderful story that is confusing at time as it jumps between times and locations without milestones to orient oneself. After a fashion it becomes apparent what is current and what is looking back.
The story is one of someone flipping back and forth between what is and what could have been in life, love, and family.
Dawn (or Olive) a budding Egyptologist in college goes back and forth between Egypt and Boston where she lives with husband Brian and daughter Meret. Wyatt, her competition in college and crush is working in Egypt on a dig. Her life goes between both (location and partner).
A good read once you get the hang of it. Enjoy.

Thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for sending me this Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is September 22, 2020.

Dawn is a death doula, she helps people find peace and solace at the end of their lives. After surviving a fatal plane crash, she returns to the archaeological site she left years before in hopes of completing her research on The Book of Two Ways--the first known map of the afterlife. It was an educational read as all of Jodi Picoult’s books are. Lots of interesting and unknown-to-me material here. Her books are fun to read and fun to learn from.

Dawn was obsessed with Egyptology and while working on her dissertation she fell in love with Wyatt. Their relationship was cut short when Dawn flew back to Boston to be with her mother who was in hospice. Dawn did not return to Egypt since she had a younger brother to raise and a new man in her life. Dawn became a doula, one who helps clients transition from life to death. As she contemplates death herself, she cannot help but wonder how her life would be different if she had gone back to Wyatt and her studies. She returns to help excavate a new tomb, leaving her husband and daughter baffled and frustrated. The characters are rich and the obstacles they all face are thought provoking. One line gave me much thought: being obsessed by the past keeps you from having to notice the present. Great story but I did get bogged down in the Ancient Egyptian history.

I have not missed a Picoult book. Ever. She is one of my favorites and her ability to invoke empathy, passion and emotion through her storytelling is second to none.
Until now.
I couldn't wait to dive into this book and was so so disappointed. I felt like I was reading an archaeology text book that was sporadically sprinkled with human feelings and stories. Sometimes those stories felt real and relatable other times they felt like sidebars.
Then we throw in the physics lessons in the middle of all the ancient Egypt lessons.
So what we end up with is a mish mosh of text book knowledge at high levels - not even written at a level for the common reader - mixed with a plot that is also a little all over the map.
I was left very unsatisfied, and if it wasn't written by Jodi Picoult, I probably would have given up on it.
If you love ancient Egypt, physics and a little bit about lost love, then you might enjoy it.

Recommended for readers that have the time to devote in a very heavily fact based novel. A lot of research went into to this novel but I'm not sure readers will enjoy such a burdensome overload of knowledge. Maybe readers would enjoy a non-fiction version of this book for research purposes.

Let me begin by saying I've read every book published by Jodi Picoult. I've loved all of them until Spark of Light and this one. I appreciate all the great books I've read and was so excited to receive this one. I assumed the Spark of Light was a fluke because I didn't like the way it was written backwards, so I expected to love this one and I didn't. She always weaves a social message in her books usually presenting both sides. I missed it in this book,. It was like a weird Egyptian history book. It was also too long. It's a story of what if's. and those parts were good. It was okay, just not what I was expecting. Thank you @netgalley for the advanced copy for an honest review. @jodipicoult @ballantinebooks

You ever wonder what would have happened if you made just one different decision in your life? In The Book of Two Ways, Dawn’s planned career in Egyptology abruptly ends when her mom gets sick and Dawn needs to leave Egypt. Many years, and a whole lifetime later, she leaves behind her husband and daughter to go back to Egypt as she tries to find a missing piece of herself, and also finds her ex-boyfriend (soulmate?!), Wyatt.

I may be biased because I LOVE all of @jodipicoult books. But I truly loved it and #thebookoftwoways was extra great because it also had super interesting details about Egyptology AND even some physics! Cheers to my fellow nerds who love a good novel and quality educational info too 😆

Thanks to @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
#jodipicoult #netgalley #fiction #booklover #bookreviews