(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.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book. A beautifully written, well researched study of death and life. It delves into Egyptology, quantum physics, the process of dying, beautifully intermingling them. I am astounded by the number of reviewers who hated this book. So well done but to each her own.

I’d like to start off by saying I am a huge fan of Jodi Picoult’s novels. She is an amazing author and while I worked in the executive offices of one of the largest book retailers in the country, I always sang her praises. Jodi Picoult tackles moral and ethical dilemmas in her works of fiction. She has a way of taking a subject, often a controversial one, and allowing you to play devil’s advocate and see both sides of the story. You are always left to ask the question: “what if”? After reading her books, I have a better understanding of the side I would never have thought I would find myself on. Her novels make me smile and almost always cry and I think that is the sign of an amazing author. How can someone elicit these emotions with words on a page? I just hope I can do justice reviewing her latest novel, The Book of Two Ways.

The Book of Two Ways is the story of Dawn Edelstein who survives a plane crash and questions who or where she would be in life if she had chosen a different path. Should she return to her family in Boston and continue her work as a death doula or should she return to the path she was on studying Egyptology as a student at Yale, completing her research and her unresolved history with Wyatt Armstrong. Once again, Picoult weaves two seemingly different story lines together and really makes you think about what you would do if you were in the character’s shoes.

While the book is clearly well-researched, I have to give it 4-stars because I really got bogged down reading about Egyptology and quantum physics. The middle portion of the book was just too heavy in subject matter that felt more like reading a scientific journal than a book of fiction.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC. In return, I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads, Book Club Girls Facebook page, and Amazon once the novel is published.

#TheBookofTwoWays #NetGalley

I was going to give this book 4 stars because there’s a lot about physics and Egypt and kind of drug on. But once I got about 60% through, it really picked up and I needed to know how it ended! I did enjoy how it ended, but I know not everyone will be satisfied. I like books that make me think and leave me wondering.

When Dawn Edelstein is in a plane crash, her last thoughts are not of her husband, but of a man she hasn't seen in fifteen years. When she miraculously survives, Dawn has a choice to make. Should she return to her husband and try to work out their marriage? Or should she run away to Egypt to pursue a man and a degree that she left behind?

If I could describe The Book of Two Ways in one word, it would be boring. I was intrigued by Picoult's split narrative into Dawn's two possible futures (like the famous movie Sliding Doors) and was hoping to have fun trying to guess Picoult's famous big twist. Unfortunately, from the start, Picoult drowns you in information - about Egyptology, Schrodinger's cat, and the history of death doulas. To make it worse, it's not even interesting information.

Each chapter I hoped it would get better, but it only got worse. When it takes two pages to explain, flirting between Egyptologists, is not cute. Eventually, I gave up completely and decided that either way you slice it, Dawn's story was beyond dull.

If you like exploration of Egypt and the language of hieroglyphics, you’ll like this book.

I honestly was bummed out about this one. I normally finish Picoult’s books quickly and find myself savoring the story after it finishes. This was not the case.

I’m still giving it 3 stars, because it was a really interesting premise and I appreciate that the plot was sparked from her son’s life.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! My brain is tired. This book has fabulous characters and you can really get into the what if. I think we’ve all asked that question sometime in our lives be it a career, love or many other Issues. I truly, enjoyed the flash backs to 15 years ago, before her husband choice and 14 year old daughter was born. However, I was overwhelmed by all the research information. It actually lost me a few times. I must say J Picoult is a very through writer. Interestingly enough, the beginning of the book was my favorite it kept me on the edge of my seat. 😊

There is a lot of research & history in this book. So much that I skipped over a majority of it. This is a great book if you're interested in Egyptology. If you are not, you may want to skip on this one. I loved the story line & how it came full circle. I really loved the last 20% of the book. Which helped with the scoring of this. I would give it a 3.5 in total. The ending was a tad bit of a let down, but I did enjoy it. It was heartbreaking & heartfelt. I loved how she focused on a mother and daughter's love.

I really enjoyed this book. The philosophical discussions, the paths taken, the character development were all wonderful. I loved the quote, "We don't make decisions, decisions make us" but know that I can't use that until the book is published. I would probably not want to use it anyway, because it is better read when it occurs in the story.

This was different from the previous books I have read of Picoult's, but I enjoyed it. I was thinking it was going in a few different directions, but was ultimately pleased with the path it led the reader on.

I have enjoyed each of Jodi Picoult's books I have read. Egyptology is a particular fascination of mine, so the combination was irresistible. The Book of Two Ways kept me guessing who and when Dawn was, the paths she would choose and why, where I was in her story, but at each turn I loved her perspective. The Book of Two Ways is her predicament: she has two lives, two paths to take, and though we all eventually reach the same destination, how we get there is the important thing.

Language: Moderate (multiples uses of the f word, occasional other profanities)
Drugs: Mild (alcohol use)
Sex: Moderate (sex, extramarital affairs)
Violence: Mild (no interpersonal violence, plane crash)

This is a difficult review for me to write because I typically enjoy Jodi Picoult's novels but this is my least favorite novel of hers. I felt as though my brain was being bombarded with information I didn't want to know or care for and as a result of that I found myself getting lost over and over again. Egyptology is interesting to a degree but the over abundance of it just left me drained resulting in me putting the book down over and over again. I spent so much time looking up and researching information from this read that I ended up feeling like I was tasked with a project rather than just being able to enjoy a read.

The gist of this book is that a woman named Dawn, survives a plane crash and has some kind of moment and rather than returning to Boston to be with her husband and daughter, she jumps on a plane and goes back to Egypt to met her previous lover.

In typical Picoult fashion the book flips back and forth, telling several stories from the past and current day. We find out that Dawn is a Death Duola, her marriage is on the rocks and has a daughter who is shy and struggles with her weight.

The Death Duola portions were the most interesting part of the book and I wish that it had taken a larger portion of the story as opposed to Egyptology. As the Death Doula is more interesting, makers her character is more likable and is probably more relatable to readers.

The ending was not satisfying to me as a reader but I understand it. I am glad that I read this book because I have enjoyed so many of Picoult's other reads and am a long time fan but I would not recommend it to a first time reader of Picoult's.


* I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oops, somehow I forgot that I hate Jodie Picoult books. This wasn’t an exception to the rule unfortunately.