
Member Reviews

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.

It's well written, well researched, un-put-down-able, and in typical Picoult fashion, ends in such an infuriating way that I wanted to throw the Kindle across the room. That's how I usually end every Picoult book -- by patching a wall.

This book is incredibly beautiful and moving. The book centers around Dawn and her present, past and future. The first reality is Dawn and her husband trying to repair a fractured 15 year old marriage and the second reality is Dawn with the man she was in love with before her world turned upside down. The book explores loves, happinesses, death, a lot of Egyptology (perfect for the nerd inside me) and how a single moment can forever change your life. I honestly didn't know much about this book going in and i'm glad for it because it took me on a fantastic adventure. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I've never met a Jodi Picoult book that I didn't learn anything from; as a reader of hers for more than a decade, I know what type of format and characters I can expect. My favorite part of The Book of Two Ways is the interconnectedness between the topics she chose to focus on and the way their fields connect with the circumstances they're currently experiencing. The concept of a "death doula" was previously unknown to me, so that was fascinating, but the Egyptology and physics portions had me struggling at times. The primary reason I think I struggled was due to the fact that neither of these fields are ones I had foreknowledge about (as compared to her novels revolved around animal sanctuaries, racism, abortion, and organ donors, etc.). The other part that threw me off was the prologue; growing up, no one ever mentioned to me that readers are expected to read the prologue -- it's not an extra "acknowledgements" section. Once I finished the novel, I went back and read the prologue again (because now I'm a librarian who dutifully reads prologues) and couldn't *quite* see how that part figured in, but I would still wholeheartedly recommend this book. It's one that I can see myself reading again soon and getting something different out of it. Ironically for a book that focuses on the dead, The Book of Two Ways is very "human". Dawn's personal struggles with her career, aspirations, family, and love will keep you reading this one all the way through!

I was absolutely blown away by The Book of Two Ways! I’ve been a huge Jodi Picoult fan for years, and although I haven’t loved every single one of her books, I’ve read them all, so when I got approved for this ARC I was ecstatic. I was lucky enough to meet her on her tour for the paperback publication of A Spark of Light and she mentioned this new book, but all she could say was that it combines the concepts of how to die a peaceful death and ancient Egypt. I’m really fascinated with ancient Egypt and had loved her precious book that touched on that topic, Picture Perfect, so I was intrigued, but WOW, The Book of Two Ways was even better than I had expected. It made me so grateful for my life and made me think hard. I also loved a few twists (no spoilers!) which maybe I could have seen coming, but didn’t. I will definitely be reading this book again and again!

Having read everything by Jodi Piccoult, I would say this is my favorite so far. Woven together is the exploration of Egyptian tombs, and the culture behind them, with the modern day look at how we look at dying. The layers of how this effects our lives and what we learn from the lessons of love, loss, regret gives the book a deeper look at the decisions we make and where the path takes us. To lighten the intensity of the subject matter, a love story unfolds, with all the complications to keep it sharp.

When I think about my high school years and reading, one of the authors that first comes to mind is Jodi Picoult. From The Pact, to Salem Falls, and Nineteen Minutes, her books have had a lasting impact on my reading journey.
I was so excited to receive The Book of Two Ways as an ARC (advanced reading copy) for that reason.
Let me tell you, this book is a remarkable journey.
From the first page, I was captivated by Dawn’s character and her work as a death doula. I find that in a lot of novels where one is in a love triangle, as a reader I find myself gravitating towards one of the two. With Picoult’s character development, I found myself connecting with all three characters and wanting to see them fulfilled at the end. This was a difficult read in our current climate of death and uncertainty and at times the storyline was confusing and went back and forth between different periods of time. Overall, I loved this book and would recommend reading!
Publication Date: September 22nd
Thank you NetGalley, Jodi Picoult, and Random House for this early release.

I received an Advance Readers Copt from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. This was not one of my favorite stories by Jody Piccoult as I felt it had way too much history in the book. This book was hard for me Yo read considering we are living in the middle of a pandemic right now and dealing with lots of unnecessary death. Unfortunately this book is being released at the wrong time to no fault of the author. I had a very hard time finishing this book and you would not recommend if you were looking for an uplifting read.

Jodi Picoult's new novel, The Book of Two Ways, will pull at your heartstrings while examining the possibility of second chances and the paths we choose in life. This novel, while I respect the amount of research that the author has compiled, often felt as though I was reading a textbook for a class I never signed up for. As for the love triangle between Dawn, her husband Brian and her former lover Wyatt, I was also finding myself in love with each man. I can see how torn Dawn was between the two as both of the their relationships had value. The relationship with Wyatt being cut short due to her mother's illness was left unfinished, while Brian filled the hole during her grief. Brian's contribution through his in depth explanations of quantum physics (almost lost me) and how you can exist in two places at once mirrors Dawn's desire to take both paths, her husband and former lover.
This book explores all the endless ways that one can love and be loved. If you can get through the heavy and sometimes daunting information of Egyptian history, hieroglyphics and quantum physics without your brain wanting to shut down, you will find a beautiful story of life, love and loss.
I am so thankful to have received an ARC through Netgalley. All my opinions are my own.

I was overjoyed to receive this because I am a huge Picoult fan. It breaks my heart a little to say I didn't love this. As always, this book is extremely well-researched and brings to light a topic I'd probably never myself learn about. That being said, I feel this one may be too clinical. I know some of the information was central to the story, but I found myself glossing over so much of the Egyptology (and a good amount of the quantum physics) that it took away from the central plot. I had a pretty good idea how the story was being weaved and I can't say I'm all that surprised by the twist. In all, I enjoyed this more than I didn't, but in comparison to Picoult's other works, this wouldn't be anywhere near the top of a favorites list.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“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.

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.