This is my 23rd novel by Jodi Picoult and also the hardest book to rate that I've come across in my years with NetGalley. Here's why:

The book quickly gets into a graduate level course in Egyptology. If I wasn't reading and rating the book for NetGalley, I would have quit long before I got to the really good part. The amount of minutia on ancient Egypt is staggering . . . and boring (to this reader). In my opinion, the author could have dropped 30 pages of archaeological blah-blah and had a much better novel.

I almost felt like Jodi had spent so much time studying Egyptology that she felt obliged to spew every fact, figure, and theory she'd encountered with her readers. Perhaps the recitation of endless old facts made the author feel learned. It made me feel unappreciated and bored. Eliminating most of the Egyptology stuff would not impact the actual story in any way.

As I started the book and forced myself to keep going, I had in my mind that this was Jodi's first failure as an author. It was barely a 2 star effort. As I reached the mid-point, Jodi Picoult suddenly became Jodi Picoult again. The pace picked up, the characters developed, and the story became very interesting.

Other than the occasional return to more facts about ancient Egyptian rulers, this became a really good novel. At the 90% mark, I had no idea how the book would end. At the 95% mark, I still had no idea where we were headed. Finally we reached the end . . . and I still had no idea how the book would end.

Delete the bulk of the Egypt stuff and give the book an ending and you've got another great Jodi Picoult novel.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Not what I was expecting from this author, a bold step. It works better than you think it would. If you love her, you will either love this new direction or resent a deviation from form. I’m just intrigued and would like to see more

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgally in exchange for my review. I have read all of Jodi Picoult's novels and I was a huge fan until her last two novels, which I really didn't like. This novel was going to be a bit of a "third strike-you're out" kind of situation for me....and I loved it! When Jodi Picoult is on her game there is no one better. The way she notices the smallest details or character's thoughts and can put into words the most subtle details that tie one character to another, or a scene to another scene-it's just exceptional. It make me wonder how in the world she knows what that character is thinking or feeling but you know she's right? Anyway, I hated to put this one down.
The story starts out with a crash- a plane crash. For Dawn Edelstein, a death doula from Boston-life as she knew it went down in flames just like the plane that was carrying her. Years ago, Dawn was a doctoral candidate in Egyptology-studying the Book of Two Ways-a series of illustrations found in the tombs of ancient Egypt. She was in love with Wyatt Armstrong, working along side of her as they researched and translated one of the tomb's drawings, when she got a call that her mother was dying and she needed to return to the states and help raise her younger brother. So she just left-left her studies, left Egypt and left Wyatt and never looked back.
Until now. Dawn is married to Brian, has a daughter and a strong suspicion that her husband is cheating on her. She spends her days helping people to die and wondering what it means to have lived life well. When her plane crashes and she survives, she feels that it is time to start living life well, so she returns to Egypt to understand the pieces of her past that keep calling to her, but will her desire to live her best life, ruin the lives of those she loves the most? Really intriguing story-loved it!

In this novel, Picoult addresses the question of what would happen if you made different decisions in your life. After a major life catastrophe, Dawn Edelstein decides to return to the life of an Egyptologist and her lover that she had abandoned fifteen years before. In those fifteen years she marries a physicist, has a beautiful daughter, and becomes a death doula, but she has periodically wondered what her life would be like if she had returned to Egypt after her mother's death, married Wyatt, and became the researcher she always wanted to be.
Her two lives intertwine and in the end she is faced with the choice of following her dream or choosing the safety and stability she has grown accustomed to.
I loved the in-depth research into Egyptology--the deciphering of hieroglyphics and the history of the ancient Egyptian empires. The explanations of quantum physics were over my head, even though they lead to the idea of multiverses.
This is a good book for Picoult fans. The research is amazing and it is well-written, if at times a bit confusing as she jumped between her present and past lives in Boston and in Egypt.

I love Jodi Picoult and all of her books I've read so far, but I just couldn't get into this one. I do appreciate the chance to read this from Netgalley, especially since it wasn't from a pre-approved publisher. The story sounded very good, but the Egyptian research was too much like reading a very boring text book. I tried skimming through those parts, but found there were just too many and they probably were somehow important to the storyline. Because of this I decided not to finish reading the book. I hope I am still invited to read her future books, but just couldn't read this one.

Remarkable. Excuse me for speaking in words describing how this book made me feel; culturally enriched, fortitude of character, bursts of color, stars, two people who created a whole, deep permutations of love. I really took my time reading this and in fact, re read passages numerous times to ensure I captured the level of detail and emotion. Even though the ending did not reveal the ultimate decision, I think I knew the answer all along. Although Dawn may have specialized in death, light moved her forwards to him. A truly beautiful book.

Jodi Piccoult is my all time favorite author but I did not enjoy this one. Mainly because I am not interested in Egypt and mummies. I did learn some things along the way. I am sure that many people will enjoy this book and I will purchase it for the library.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. I have read many Jodi Picoult books and loved all of them. This book falls short of my expectations. I enjoyed the characters and the chapters about Boston. The alternating chapters about Egypt were too detailed and boring. This book felt like a textbook about Egypt, mummies, hieroglyphics, Egyptian tombs and science. The characters and their stories are interesting , but, I would have enjoyed less narrative about Egypt..

I have never read a bad Picoult book, and her latest stunner is no exception. I have found myself shirking responsibilities this last week to gain a few precious moments to read whenever possible.

The things about her writing that strike me as coming to a head in this novel are:

1. I always learn something. In this case, the surface subject is Egyptology and the Ancient Egyptians'relationship with death. There's a deeper if not subtle aspect that deals with all our relationships with death, and there's something for most of us to learn there, too.

2. Life and death, and how we handle them, are a motif in her writing--here the main character, a death doula, makes this more explicit than even these usual Picoult novel.

In the end, if you're into reading that requires a lot of deep analysis, this may not be for you, but if you want to read a book with human characters, a book that makes you feel (sometimes painfully) what it is to be human, definitely make this your next book.

The Book of Two Ways
Jodi Picoult
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.75 stars rounding up to 4 stars. I was so exited to receive an early edition of Jodi Picoults newest book The Book of Two Ways. I really did enjoy the storyline but I wish it were an easier read. The book is split up between two different places, there were certain chapters that I loved, kept my attention and felt strong connections with the characters. I found Dawn to be an intriguing character and was drawn to her because she is such a selfless woman. She is studying in Egypt and gets a call that her mom is in hospice. Dawn puts her life on hold including her career as a Egyptologist to care for her sick mom and becomes a guardian to her brother. She meets Brian who is losing his grandmother and is in hospice too. They are brought together though heartbreak and they start their lives together quickly as she finds out she is pregnant. She becomes a social worker and eventually death doula and this is the part of the story I loved. It’s clear from the beginning that her husband Brian is not the love of her life but she does love him, they are going through there own struggles. I loved to see her connection with a patient Win who is dying. It is Win who reminds Dawn of what may of been. The story flashes back to when Dawn was in Egypt discovering tombs and falling in love with Wyatt. These flashbacks were sometimes difficult to get through because I felt like I was in back in school- the verbiage and descriptions of escavating tombs, symbolism and hyroglifics went way over my head and I was losing momentum in the story. The same was true of her husband Brian who is a physicist - there was way to much quantum physics the talks of living life in alternative universes that at times it made me want to stop reading.
Deep down the story is one of many layers, thought provoking and eye opening. Dawn is questioning the life she left behind and she needs to find out what would of been... I had a very hard time rating this book because deep down I loved the story, unfortunately there was many roadblocks.

Thank you to NetGalley and Jodi Picoult for giving me an early release of The Book of Two Ways.

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Jodi Picoult is an excellent writer. There is no doubt about that. I don't always agree with her viewpoints but she writes really well.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It is well-written, heartfelt, and full of interesting information. I enjoyed the parts about Egyptology a lot, and the parts about being a death doula were well done, if sad.

The story is clever in that the Egyptian Book of Two Ways is a metaphor for the life that Dawn follows down two paths following a traumatic event.

The only thing I didn't like was the "twist" at the end, where you think the timelines are finally resolving, is really confusing. I thought I had missed something in trying to figure out what was happening. I still think that this section should be re-written to be less confusing. While I enjoyed the ending I am still confused about exactly how this came about.

This book is also dichotomous in that it is heavier in the romance than her other books that I have read, and at the same time it has sections of dry information about physics and Egyptology.

Overall a solid 4 stars in that I enjoyed the book!

I received an ARC as a reviewer for NetGalley

Dawn Edelstein has had two loves in her life. Wyatt, is an Egyptologist who she met 15 years earlier, when she was also getting a degree in Egyptology. They met in Egypt and were initially oil and water but sometimes it is those individuals who you think you hate, who end up becoming a bright fire of passion in your world. Dawn left Egypt precipitously, when she learned that her Mother was dying, and in a twist of fate, met the other love of her life, her later to become husband and father of her beloved daughter, Merit. When Dawn sets out on an errand for a client of hers who is dying, in her role as a death doula, she is in for a rude awakening. When the plane almost crashes, it is not her husband who comes to mind, but her long lost love, Wyatt.

Jodi Picoult takes us on a journey from past to present, from Egyptology to Physics, from life to death and from loss to becoming found. While this was not one of my favorite Picoult books, it was a remarkable tale tackling subjects I have never even heard of, let alone understood prior to reading this novel. Picoult remains one of my favorite authors and this book is well worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for an ARC copy. I was beyond excited to receive this copy as I have been a very long time fan of Jodi Picoult. I love the depth of information she provides in relation to the topic in her books. She clearly researches the subject matter before she begins to wrap a story about it, whether it is autism, suicide, racism, familial relationships, etc. I was ready to dig into this story, expecting to dive deep into a new subject.

What I was not expecting was an almost textbook narrative on Egyptology! Interesting yes, but I found the immense amount of time spent on the details was unnecessary to the major plot. I loved the dilemmas the main character was facing at a later point in her life, I loved the back and forth between her past and the present. And, I also loved the side plot of her role as a death doula. I just found the level of detail to be distracting from the main story line.

It's not to say I didn't enjoy the book and I am really glad I got to the finish because the last section was the essence of what I love about Jodi Picoult novels. So, don't avoid this book but you may want to skip the sections that dive into the details of Egyptology!

Another masterpiece from the author known for pulling at your heart strings.
I really loved this book. It had so many levels to it. There was the love triangle for almost every single character in the book.
The history of the Pharaohs. The Book of Two Ways.
I loved how much the author researched Egypt and told of the dying.
I liked the characters, I liked that not one character had a made a big mistake. It was all so relatable.
What would you do, if given the chance to go back to a previous point in time in your life?
So good, so well researched, so wonderful.
BRAVO to Jodi Picoult for this AMAZING book.

Generally, I like Picoult's books. They always have a great premise and promise a consistent, smooth, (albeit gentle) read. This book however felt more like a slog.

As many other reviewers noted, the section concerning Egyptology were dense as heck. Fascinating stuff, but deep and text-book like. That meant all of the Egypt sections started to feel long to me. I felt like the relationship drama (which is never fully resolved) took a backseat to details on what Egyptian God did what and the the specifics of how to excavate a tomb.

The Boston sections fare better, in my opinion. I found the concept of being a death doula to be fascinating and loved exploring Dawn's relationship with Win. Save for again some deep dives into Quantum Physics, these sections seemed more accessible and allowed you to get closer to the idea of the paths we take in live--the choices we make--and how that affects the journey we have.

Overall, I though the IDEA of this book was spectacular. And I thought there were some beautiful passages, like this one: "Getting what you want isn't instant gratification. It's a slow pulling apart, a realignment of bones and sinew. There are aches involved. There is bruising." The book overall just felt a bit out of balance (perhaps more a problem of editing, than writing.)

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

As a huge fan of Jodi Picoult I was super excited to get the chance to read this book early. I love how all her books have a twist at the end that you never see coming.

The book starts out with Dawn, who is on a plane that crashes. She survives the crash. This is where the book splits off into two paths. The book of Two Ways is an Egyptian book of how to get to the afterlife..The book has two paths: Land and Water. One has her going back to to her husband and daughter. The other going to Egypt to be with Wyatt, her lover from 15 years ago.

Overall, I enjoyed the book but at times the details about quantum physics and Egypt were a bit too much and sometimes distracted from the story itself.

About halfway through, I thought I had the twist figured out. Turns out I was wrong. I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending, even after a few days to process it. I even went back to read it again, thinking maybe I missed a part.

It is definitely worth the read.

4/5 stars

Dawn Edelstein's life is forever changed when she is called home from Egypt by her dying mother. This call forces her to trade one life path for another. Fifteen years later she is led to face the past she left behind.

Picoult's The Book of Two Ways began rather slowly for me. Although I love Ancient Egyptian history, I found it hard to focus on the plot. It was almost too much for me when intertwined with the story making it difficult to take it all in. It also jumped between time periods frequently during the first half of the book which made it difficult to follow. With that being said, the second half of the book is reminiscent of the Jodi Picoult books I adore. The characters and their stories are SO good. I wish the book had focused more on that and less on the textbook aspects which encompassed the first half. Character and plot development are what Jodi Picoult does so well, and it took awhile to get there in this novel.

My recommendation is skim the heavy (textbook) parts of the novel and focus on the story. Thank you NetGalley for an arc by one of my favorite authors.

Jodi Picoult can do no wrong in my opinion! I enjoyed the story here and she always delivers. Personally, I struggled with some of the Egypt stuff as I'm not as familiar/hooked on it as I should be, so that part never connected the way some of her other topics have. Still, nobody can write a story like Picoult and have characters that you feel you know on a deep level. Great read!

THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS
BY JODI PICOULT

I was really grateful to receive my Advanced Reader's Copy of THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS, by JODI PICOULT. It was a novel that is near and dear to my heart. My oldest son always wanted to be an archaeologist and this novel gave me a greater understanding of what he might be doing. In this novel The Book of Two Ways was symbolic of the different life path's one can choose. Either the one you are currently on or the one you wish you took. Which one is the right path to living your best life?

In this novel the book starts out with an airplane crash and then alternates sections about Dawn McDowell as a graduate student at Yale getting her PhD in Egyptology in 2003 and fifteen years later in 2018 going back to Egypt to see Wyatt Armstrong the other teaching assistant whom she was the other under Professor Dumphries in 2003. In 2018 Wyatt Armstrong has taken over the dig in Egypt and has finished his publication of his dissertation and has taken Professor Dumphrie's position as Yale's Director of Near Eastern Studies. In between these two time period's Dawn has gotten married to Brian Edelstein and has had a daughter named Meret who she loves fiercely.

Brian is a physicist who teaches Quantum Mechanics and is a professor. Dawn met Brian when she got a call that her mother was dying in hospice and his grandmother had recently died. Brian stayed at the hospice for Dawn's sake to be a shoulder to lean on. Brian's income as a professor has allowed Dawn to become a Death Doula. Someone who is not only there for her dying client but to also help the grieving family members. Dawn will help the dying with any unfinished business as happens with her current client Winifred Morse who lives in Newtonville and asks Dawn to help her write a letter to Win's former boyfriend who she met before her current husband Felix. Her boyfriend she met as an artist.

Dawn and Win have something in common.

What I was most impressed about in Jodi Picoult's newest novel and I have loved all of them, but in this one she really succeeds in making me feel the power of love in all its different forms. The love that is so powerful for your child. The love that is a grateful love towards a spouse in a long term marriage. The love for your first love that has been interrupted for some reason and a longing and wonder to how thing's might have been had you had the chance to pursue it. The niggling wonder to what might have been...?

Dawn's marriage to Brian has hit a rough patch after fifteen years. In what Dawn suspects as Brian cheating by Brian helping out his PhD student named Gita install an air conditioner. Brian forgets Meret's birthday celebration dinner while he is helping Gita. Is that really considered an emotional affair? What I appreciated about the way Jodi Picoult writes this narrative is in a conversation that Brian has many times with Dawn telling her that Gita means nothing to him. He expresses this to Dawn several times but she still thinks he had an emotional affair but Picoult asks the reader did Brian really have an affair or is that just Dawn's interpretation? I love how Brian tells Dawn at fifteen years of marriage "Love is a choice." Dawn doesn't think that her going back and seeing Wyatt is cheating because Brian did it first, but did he really? That question is left open for the reader to decide. I think that Brian is committed to Dawn and Meret. It was clear to me that Brian's priority was Dawn and his daughter Meret. He is an example of the the symbolism of this book's title. So isn't the symbolism of this novel's title in how Winifred Morse thinks it is okay to do what she does which again is a powerful love towards Thane and also
a wholesome love towards her current husband Felix. Both women justify what they are doing is okay but I considered to be a profound love by their words on the written page. I LOVED THIS NOVEL FOR THE STRENGTH AND NUANCES OF ALL OF THE MYRIAD WAYS THAT A PERSON CAN LOVE. This is Jodi Picoult's prowess as a skilled author and she has hit another home run with her latest work. Her talent is illuminated once again for her ability to make me feel. I will read everything that she writes in the future. Every time she writes a book it is strong and this one is both multilayered but also interesting and touched my heart. The Book of Two Ways is not just symbolic of Egyptology but also many ways in this novel but mostly to life.

Thank you to Net Galley, Jodi Picoult and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Publication Date: September 22, 2020

#TheBookofTwoWays #JodiPicoult #RandomHousePublishing-Ballantine #NetGalley

I don’t know where I am with this. It was a lovely book. I absolutely am fascinated with Egypt. It is on my bucket list. But this book was heavy with the topic, almost fifty percent of the story in truth. The book was choppy, going back and forth in time. I could get used to this, but ,Abe it was the kindle app with a lack of clear endings and chapters that did not help. I also dislike ambiguous endings for the most part. I read the ending twice and the first time left me disappointed. When I reread it again, I came to another conclusion that made sense and made me happier, but I may never know if it was the right one.

The story of a death doula is amazingly lovely. Having worked in hospice, I realize how truly amazing a journey towards death is, while so painful, when done with hospice and with life reviews, it can be lovely. So much growth to be had.

So this book had things that I loved, Egypt. Hospice work. Social work. Passionate love.

I’ll give it a go, even with my critiques.