I received a free copy from NetGalley. A book about life. Well really it is a book about death. The timing during a pandemic is fantastic. Everyone dies but no one wants to talk about dying. Is it quick is it slow, do people stay or people go, do you have regrets? So many issues, so many tough topics. Secrets, maybes, choices. So, so timely. A great read for the current times. I hope this will be another best seller by an author who has helped us tackle so many difficult issues.

I've been a Jodi :Picoult fan for many years, loving some of her books, just liking others. With The Book of Two Ways she has knocked it out of the ballpark for me. Not since Leaving Time have I been so completely focused and engrossed in what I was reading. Be warned that you will learn a lot more in this novel than you usually do. To be more specific, prepare to be informed about Egyptology hieroglyphics, quantum mechanics, and death. (Oh, I almost forgot Irish superstitions.)

Dawn survives a plane crash and instead of going home to Boston, flies to Cairo and then to the dig she left 15 years ago as a graduate student at Yale. It was there she left her competitor/lover Wyatt to fly back to Boston to be with her mother who is dying. In the hospital she meets Brian, a physics professor, marries him and has a child, Meret. Dawn does not return to Egypt, but becomes a death doula. Never heard of that? It's like a birth doula, but at the other end of life. She's very good at it, but something incomplete draws her to wonder what if.
If the plane crash appears surreal, it is and the explanation emerges at the end of the novel. Picoult's characters are three dimensional, even the minor ones like her daughter and one of her clients, beautifully drawn individuals. (And did I mention tasteful sex scenes?)

I could go on about the meaning of the title, and describe the hieroglyphics that grace these pages. I could also tell you that I finally understand alternative universes. But the point here is that there is a very human story interspersed with quite a lot of education. Don't skip that. it is fascinating. The Book of Two Ways is one of those novels you don't want to get to the end of because it's such fascinating reading.

Many thanks to Ballentine Books, Jodi Picoult and NetGalley for the chance to read and review.

There's little left to be said about Jodi Picoult or her books-she is one of the most successful writers of her generation and with good reason. Never one to shy away from controversial or difficult topics (A Spark of Light dealt with both abortion and gun control), she is at her best when putting ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. The Book of Two Ways has both "ordinary" characters (a wife and mother) and remarkable situations (a plane falling out of the sky) but it doesn't feel like her previous novels. The Book of Two Ways has a fantastical and magical tone-The Tenth Circle comes closest. The Book of Two Ways has a fairly simple plot-Dawn gets to view how her life would have turned out in two different "universes" (sort of like Jimmy Stewart in It's A Wonderful Life) but the execution is complex and and times convoluted. There's no Clarence the angel to guide Dawn as she looks back on her life and examines the choices she made. What's best about The Book of Two Ways is also its downfall-the chapters featuring Egyptology and what Egyptologists do (mostly with ancient tombs) are stunning in detail-but unless you have a keen interest in mummies The Book of Two Ways reads like a college level textbook at times. Miss Picoult could have left out 1/3 of the story and still gotten her point across. If you want to get deeply absorbed in a novel The Book of Two ways will take you to places far beyond ordinary imagination, but if you're looking for a easy to follow read that keeps you grounded on earth The Book of Two Ways is not for you.

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors and I have never been disappointed by one of her books until now. This book started strong - I was curious and engaged with the main character but I got totally confused between the back and forth of the story, the timeline, and the emotional story which was being told with a historical Egypt focused twist.

Too much, too much, too much!! I held on to the end thinking there would be redemption but alas - didn't happen. I am giving it three stars because there are some parts that are beautifully written and the historical parts of the book (while I didn't like them) were also well written and evoked a sense of the time and place the characters were inhabiting.

Wow. All the feels that I am feeling right now. This is a wonderful book. First, prepare yourself for tons of Egyptian history and some physics. At first I was a bit intimidated, but keep going! This is such a great read.... Dawn, such a bright, selfless, passionate character will take you through Boston to Egypt with a lot in between. Read this love story!!

WOW.. this was painful to finish.

Oh my gosh..... I 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.

YIKES.... wayyyy to many details about history. Yes, I can see how history was needed in some of this story but not the ENTIRE book.

The heavy terms of archeology and Egyptian really make it hard to read this. It took me EXTRA long to read the majority of this book due to the heavy content of the story. I felt like I should have been looking up names, details, and definitions.

I skimmed the majority of this book sadly and would not recommend to Picoult fans. This is nothing like her previous older novels that I fell in love with.

2 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 9/22/20
Published to GR: 5/25/20

At first it took a while for this book to grab me - however once I made it past the heavy Egyptology facts, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A surprise 3/4 of the way through the book made for an interesting turn of events that I thoroughly enjoyed. And while the ending will leave many people wanting, I understand where the author is coming from.

I knew Jodi wouldn’t let me down!! I’ll be honest, the first 10% was a bit slow and I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to get in to it. It turned out to be another amazing book of hers.

So...this book, like the title pulls me in many directions all at once. I almost put this book down due to the vivid reality that so many people experience with losing a love one. It pulled at my heart strings and brought me back to when my own mother passed away. But this is what you get when you read a Jodi Picoult book. A book that has a great story and one that you read with your mind and heart. This is not a typical story, but a story within a story within a story. You experience multiple realities while reading this book. It was superbly crafted. Don't let the college-like material that sometimes pop up overwhelm you. Although I know that it was relevant to the story, it does sometimes make the story drag out and I wonder if a more elementary explanation might have done just as well. I did find the overall concept interesting and being a world history teacher, it was great to have a story include elements of Egyptian history. Once again, Picoult creates characters that have depth and struggle with the reality of being human. This book kept me coming back and over and over to see how the story played out. About a quarter way through the book, I thought I had it all figured out, but I didn't. I also loved the ending, though I won't spoil it here. All in all, this book has all the makings of a great story.

I loved the main story and the characters. Didn’t really like the history lesson about Egypt. That part bored me. I suppose if you like that it would make an interesting story. I want to know what she decided to do! I liked that ride. I liked both men. Her daughter was great too. Good read note great.

I kept having to look back at the cover to assure myself this was written by Jodi Picoult. (Are there two Jodi Picoult's? Maybe that's the answer.) It is an ambitious and intriguing concept, based on quantum physics and an ancient metaphysical belief of living/going to ways at once. I think that's what it's about, but it needed a lot more time to gel. I fear that the publisher needed a book quickly, and this was let loose too early. It's a shame, it could have been a good one.

It starts in typical Picoult style, with a compelling first chapter that grabs the reader. The main character, Dawn, is a death doula. Tell me more. There's a place crash, and she survives. Now what happens? Well, beats me, because after that, Dawn wanders off to Egypt instead of going back to Boston and her husband and daughter because.... Well, because of a former love, so heading there after almost dying seems the thing to do. Then comes a whole load of Egyptology that, in another context, I would have found intriguing. But it was too dense, and I want to get back to the story and the characters. By the time we do, I almost forgot where we were.

Eventually, we're introduced to the rest of the characters, but their actions are just not well fleshed out. Brian, Dawn's husband, is set to go off to a conference on quantum physics where he is the keynote speaker. Instead, he cancels—the day before—and we're supposed to think this is a great act of love. Having planned conferences before, I found it beyond belief by a factor of ten that somebody would pull out the night before. Later, as the two argue, Brian tells Dawn, "I just don't know who you are anymore." Please, this is romance level dialogue and we know from numerous previous novels that Picoult can do better.

And, speaking of romance novels, the hate-cute relationship between Wyatt and Dawn is just too trite. She hates him, just hates him. He's smug and pompous and a horrible flirt and she is filled with disdain until, well, until she isn't.

I finished the book, but found myself skimming the bulk of it. I wish it had succeeded. But, for me at least, it was frustrating and unrewarding.

I thank NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

While I definitely appreciate the level of research that must have gone into this, it felt way too much like I was getting a degree in Egyptology. My eyes were glazing over during some of the longer more detailed passages and then the quantum physics stuff made me just skip chunks of text altogether. Then in the end, I think Dawn is kind of an asshole. So, not Picoult’s best work.

"Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She’s on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband, but a man she last saw fifteen years ago: Wyatt Armstrong."

Dawn survives that plane crash and is faced with her life choices when told to "leave everything behind" Dawn had not contemplated her own death, what is a life well-lived, what is left unfinished? She has spent the last 15 years working as a death doula living a normal life with a husband and a daughter. A death doula helps those who are dying and their families transition the inevitable. Dawn is well-suited to the task, but it takes caring for someone her own age to cause her to question her life choices. Dawn throws caution to the wind when the airline offers to take her wherever she needs to go and she soon finds herself in Egypt seeking what she left behind 15 years ago; the man she once loved and an unfinished dissertation on The Book of Two Ways -- the first known map of the afterlife.

I have always been fascinated with anything Egyptian and curious about parallel timelines, so this book pulled me right in from the very beginning. I had never heard of a death doula and had to look it up. (more on that subject at the end of this post) One line in the book really struck me, "somewhere, in a parallel timeline, there is another me at my funeral." Picoult has the gift of tackling tough subjects, presenting controversial topics cloaked in fiction and leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. The book of two ways is a story of love, friendship, secrets, promises made and not kept, choices and responsibility. I can't wait for someone I know to read it so we can discuss it, I have been talking about it all day to my husband, it is one of those books. I recommend it for Book Clubs, some fabulous discussion points.

The Book of Two Ways was an excellent read, full of well developed characters, Egyptian historical facts and a fun storyline. I could not put this book down. The dynamics of loving men of the past and present was suspenseful to the end. The story explored dealing with relatable family issues and facing death very closely with a caregiver's patients. There is so much to enjoy in this book. If you are fascinated in the tombs of Egypt in the Valley of the Kings, this is a great book to "dig into" with the rich characters. It has realistic tie-ins to the facts and photos of The Book of Two Ways coffin. I highly recommend this book and am so glad I read it!

I have mixed emotions about this novel. This was such a slow burn for me. In the beginning, I found myself only enjoying the personal aspect of one of the two “lives,” and not fully engaged in the novel. By the middle of the book, I was invested in one side of the story, yet rooting for another. By the end, I was fully engaged in both lives, the intertwined story, and anxious about the outcome. When I reached the last line, I became incredulous. Where is my difinitive answer, Jodi Picoult? For all of my disengagement at the start of this novel, I am now hoping for some sort of sequel.

If ever there were a book that you gift to a friend, this is it. There have been very few books that I've read that leave me with the feeling that I want EVERYONE I know to read it and fall in love with it the way that I have. The Book of Two Ways is an absolutely enthralling read, full of educational tidbits about Egyptology and head-scratching quantum physics stories, but interwoven between all that is an ultimate story of love and death. I adore the relationship between Dawn and Wyatt, and Brian is a knight in shining armor if there ever was one. You'll be constantly wondering throughout the book, which way did Dawn choose....but the more important thing is that it leaves you wondering about your own path and makes you appreciate time - especially the time you have with the people you love, and who love you. I have been a fan of Jodi Picoult's work for years, and I can easily say this one is by far my favorite.

Okay, first I have to say I am a huge HUGE Jodi Picoult fan. Her books have always entertained me and made me think. She writes with such a lyrical cadence that at times, many of her stories read like poetry and allegories.

But this new book, THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS, was just a bit...too much. Not the story - that was wonderful! Even though I figured out the two secrets in the book long before they were revealed, I still loved the core story. What I didn't love so much was all the textbook reiterations of egypt and long dead kings, and family lineages. Truthfully, I had to put the book down a few times because my eyes were crossing and I was starting to yawn.

The main core of the story - Dawn and Brian and Meret and Wyatt, well, that was classic Picoult all the way. This book is about birth, death, love, loss, reincarnation ( of the past self) and the parent/child dynamic that Picoult excels at writing and breaking down.

I would have given this book 5stars across the board if not for all the egyptology stuff. DOn't get me wrong - it was central to the plot, I get that. I just wish there hadn't been sososososo much of it.

4 stars to a great story, though.
Thanks Netgalley for a sneak peek!

Jodi Picoult has always been one of my favorite authors. My mom and I share and devour her books, and we always make sure to buy her new releases. The Book of Two Ways will be no different. When I got the notification that I would be able to read an early copy of it, I may have squealed like a little girl.

I adored this book. I cried alongside Dawn, felt connected with Meret, and longed for Wyatt. The main theme in this book is death; Dawn is a death Douala and an Egyptology, however it never truly felt like it was about death. It was about love and living. It was about unbreakable bonds and what-ifs. It was sad, but in a weird hopeful kind of way.

I was also waiting for the classic Picoult twist throughout the last half of the book, wondering what it could be. I was so desperate to figure it out that I actually yelled at my Nook as I was reading whenever one of my theories was proved incorrect. I think I probably yelled even louder when it ended.

This book is everything I love about Picoult's writing. Her dedication to research and to the relationship between her characters are what make her one of my favorite authors.

I'm a huge fan of Jodi Picoult. This book doesn't disappoint . She is at her best describing relationships. I learned more about tombs in Egypt that I ever thought I would.

I thought the premise of the book was very interesting, and I was happy to have the opportunity to read an advance copy of the book. I loved the main story, but I thought the rhythm of the book was disrupted by the excessive background details the author provided. I understand that when authors spend a lot of time researching material for a book, they don't want all this information to be "wasted". This extra information was unnecessary for the reader to know, and it detracted from the flow of the book. I also found the details of the airplane crash revealed at the end of the book confusing to follow.

Despite the above criticism, I enjoyed the book and found it thought-provoking. I think it would make a wonderful choice for book discussion groups.