I have read several Jodi Picoult books. The books deal with such serious human issues. I don't always agree with her take on the issues, but I am glad they are discussed and brought forth in this manner. Unfortunately, The Book of Two Ways is the first one which, for me, does not elicit that response. At the end, this book feels like a romance trying too hard and unsuccessfully make a bigger, philosophical point.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2020/12/the-book-of-two-ways.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

This talented, beloved author always takes a unique approach when writing her books and I look forward to diving into a new story of hers. . This book did have some surprises, but overall I felt like it was a struggle to get through all the detailed descriptions on the main character’s area of study. Without those details I would’ve enjoyed the book so much more. Unfortunately the book felt as long as it’s actual length.

This one was a struggle. I tried so hard to push through as I love Jodi Picoult. There was so much Egyptian terminology and I did not feel as though much was happening. I could not bring myself to finish this one.

Thank you so much for this ARC!

While I am so sorry to say it, I could not finish this book. As a huge Jodi Picoult fan (LOVED Leaving Time and older titles), I was so excited to read this new release. I downloaded right away and started reading. It was tough. Maybe it was too much focus on the Egyptian portion, that just could not hook me. I tried twice and will probably try again soon, but sadly did not finish for now.

I always enjoy Jodi Picoult’s books. The Book of Two Ways was enjoyable but not my favorite.

The book starts with Dawn surviving a plane crash and looking at her life and questioning the path not taken. I love how the story is set up with Dawn navigating two paths of life: one with her husband, Brian, and their daughter and the other with her former colleague/boyfriend, Wyatt, at a dig site in Egypt.

I feel like the story, especially with Wyatt, was lost a little in the many details of Egyptology. In Dawn’s life with Brian, there is a lot of quantum physics talk but I didn’t feel like it was too much that it took away from their story. For that reason, I enjoyed those chapters more.

If you’re interested in Egypt, mummies, death, and quantum physics, then I highly recommend. For the rest of the Picoult lovers, I still recommend but be ready for a little heavier read.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this eARC. Already available!

I usually enjoy Jodi Picoult novels and was really looking forward to reading this one. The Book of Two Ways is an ambitious book, and I'm sure that Picoult did a lot of research into Egypt and archaeology before writing it. However, I did not love the alternating chapter format between Egypt and the United States, current day and the past. I also felt the Egyptology was rather dense. It just wasn't for me.

I found this book fascinating. A departure from what I typically expect from a Jodi Picoult novel, but still with the expected twists and turns. I loved the blending of the historical elements within the story.

The Book of Two Ways begins with Dawn, facing her life flashing before her eyes as her plane she is traveling on is set to crash. Being one of only a few survivors, Dawn is analyzing her life choices, the path she has chosen vs. the path she left behind. Would she have been happier if she had chosen differently? Does she love her life as it has turned out? I enjoyed this story, and the explored avenues of life choices and the consequences of decisions. How drastically our lives may differ based on simple choices.

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors, but this wasn’t one of my favorite books by her. I thought the idea for the book was good. There’s just a little too much information about Egypt for my liking. I felt like it was hard to follow along. If you’re a fan of Egyptology, I would recommend checking this book out!

I just couldn’t get passed the exorbitant amount of information about Egypt. It felt more like a history book to me.

This was long, but I was surprised by how much I liked it and then I was totally caught off guard by the twist (even though I've read enough Jodi Picoult books to know a twist would be coming!).

Another book from an author I really enjoy reading. I loved the setting and learning about the digs and just in general like to learn about new things.

I ended up listening to this on audiobook and overall, I did like it. I especially liked the history and information about archeology and Egyptology. It did run on a little longer than I felt was necessary, however. But overall - it was an interesting look at the "what ifs" that plague us all.

Everything changes for Dawn when she is in a plane crash. Her first thoughts aren’t of her husband, but of Wyatt whom she hadn’t seen for 15 years. When she survives the crash, Dawn sees two different paths she can take. She could go back to her husband and daughter, or reach out to find Wyatt. As we move through, we see both paths play out.

It pains me to say this was not my favorite Jodi Picoult book. However, I still really enjoyed it. It was a bit heavier on the education side, lots of information that dragged a bit for me, but the story was still excellent.I really loved all the characters and as always, they pulled me right into their worlds. I have always loved Jodi’s books, and while this wasn’t my favorite, it was still excellent. Jodi does an amazing amount of research for her books and it is easy to see when you read them.

Jodi Piccoult always manages to find a new subject and I learn a lot from reading her books. With COVID raging, the main character, a death doula, leads terminal patients to make solid life decisions inspired me to make preparations for the end of my life. This book brought up so many questions such as - the regrets, and choices that we've made, the reality of death, what makes life worth living, what is loss, what is happiness, what matters most.
I liked the story about the death doula and the relationship that she had with her client. I think that her empathy and sensitivity to the client were certainly a new perspective for me, and I thought that she dealt with death and leaving in a sensitive manner.
The parts about her experience in Egypt and her work there was not as well integrated into the story and the philosophical conversations about death and dying, love and purpose got in the way of the plot and I hadto stop and think about where the story was going. I think that by showing how ancient Egyptian principles are related to current life situations, the story became a bit of a stretch, and the concept wore thin for me.
The ending was too abrupt - and not entirely believable, and she avoided the main question of the whole book - How do our choices change our lives and make us the persons that we are today. .

This was an enjoyable read, meandering from Boston to Egypt and back. It follows the story of Dawn, a former Egyptology grad student who has settled down in Boston as an end-of-life doula, as she considers her past and the future she wants for herself. I’m not sure the complicated structure completely resolved itself for me which is why I’m not rating it higher, but I enjoyed the story as I read it. The main characters are well defined and relatable. It’s unusual to learn so much from a novel, so the Egyptology aspects of the story were a treat.

Complexly plotted with fascinating detail, The Book of Two ways is the best book I've read all year. You will not be able to put this book down, so clear your days! This book caused me to read obsessively.

This book taught me something about Egyptian history. I found it to be very easy to read and enjoyable. The story line captured me from the beginning to the end.

I went into this book having read the reviews and knowing that this book would be Egypt-heavy. Jodi Picoult's books are always heavily researched and well-informed, and she has really outdone herself this time.

From the reviews, it is evident that the dense material has been quite polarizing for some readers, making the book not as accessible or easy to read as her previous works. I admit that I did skim over the particularly cumbersome parts, but the Egyptology references are dispersed throughout the book, rather than in one big chunk. And even though they were not necessary for the plot of the book, it certainly showed the thorough research that was done in preparation for these characters digging in the Egyptian desert. She also demonstrates her understanding of being a caregiver for the terminally ill and gives great suggestions for what to do and not do when faced with those difficult situations.

Nevertheless, Picoult's remarkable writing talent shines throughout the book, and her plot development is as strong as ever. The skill with which she's able to weave storylines and construct parallels is unmatched. The way she intertwines the Egypt and Boston timelines, along with the Egyptian myths and stories is seamless and remarkable. I would give this book 5 stars if not for the dense sections, but I will settle for 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Ballantine for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Jodi Picoult is one of my go to authors, I will read any book that she writes and I have loved the majority of them. This was not one of the ones that I really loved. This was a super slow read for me, I just couldn't connect fully with the story, especially the sections on Egypt and the Book of Two Ways. I found the story flow to be a little disjointed and didn't really connect to the story and characters until the end part of the book.
The description of the book sounded interesting, however for me this wasn't an engaging read. I found myself skipping through a lot of the facts about Egypt wanting to get to the meat of the story and by the time I was fully invested, the book was almost done.