I have enjoyed some books by this author and thought this might be another one of those. However, the plot was too dark and distressing for me. The Egyptian death aspect was not something I enjoyed reading and certainly would not read again. I had trouble keeping track of what was going on. If the reader loves this author, give the book a try. If not, a pass.

Jodi Picoult is a literary mastermind. She amazes me with each novel she produces In this creation she is into Egyptology, a topic which I had little knowledge of and less interest in until she started weaving me into her story. Of course, she does all this fascinating research for all her endeavors and then intertwined the past and present to form an unforgettable love story. I am forever can of Jodi Picoult's books.

Once again, Jodi Picoult takes and interesting topic and explores it thoroughly through the lives of her characters. This time she takes on Egyptology and both their death culture and ours, and how our views on death affect our lives. For me this was a subject near and dear to my heart as a few years ago I had a near death experience when I had an infection that went septic and I almost died. I remember the feeling of lifting out of my body, watching the nurses piling ice packs on me as I floated near the ceiling directly over the hospital bed, watching them work to bring my temperature down. I felt peaceful and was ready to go to the light, but the call of my husband and children and the life events I would miss with them was pulling me back, so I went and have never regretted it.

In the novel, Dawn is a death doula, working with those in hospice to have a better death. She works closely with the sick and their families to fulfill their last wishes, plan their funerals and help the ones left behind. She is married with a teen daughter, although she has never forgotten her first love Wyatt, who she met when she was studying Egyptology, excavating a tomb 15 years before.

As the novel starts, Dawn is in a plane crash and survives, but rather than going back home goes to Egypt to hunt down her first true love. The novel progresses in a series of flashbacks telling the story of her relationship with Wyatt, her loss of her mother and raising her younger brother, meeting her husband at her mother's hospice and how she became a death doula and her daughter's life. The twist that you knew was coming at the end changes everyone's life, but is what you were hoping for all along.

Thank you to the author, Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC of this incredible novel. I know it will stay with me for a long time, as it will with anyone who has had a near death experience. Every time I read a new Picoult novel I'm amazed at how she continually outdoes her last novel. I'm never disappointed!

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult. Was so looking forward to a new Jodi Picoult book. Reading the first part I developed an acute case of spring fever. I kept looking out the window wanting to be outside wishing the bell would ring so the lecture would end. It was well researched as with all Ms Picoult's books. The story had an interesting premise but there was too much technical information and not enough on the characters. Guess this is a book of two ways, either you going to like it or not.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I have been reading Jodi Picoult for years and am always excited when she publishes a new book. This book was good, and well researched as usual, but I found myself skipping over alot of the technical details. It just didn't hold my interest. I wanted to get back to the story! For that reason, I would give it 4 stars.

I had to wait a full day before writing this, as I couldn't think about the book without welling up with tears all over again. I cried myself to sleep after the first day of reading (which I only stopped because I had to charge my Kindle! argh!) and I had to really figure out why that was my response. I think this book was/IS extremely cathartic for me...so many things made me cry with that ugly, snotty kinda tears. And I ached for my dead mother in a way I didn't think I needed to do at this point. And I was sent back to all of the things I used to want to do and the ways in which I saw my life playing out. And, it was just a useful thing...to be able to look at all that and how I live today and who is in my life and what I do and all of that stuff and realize, maybe more clearly than I ever have, that I have a good life. And I worked hard for it. And I am content with it. And I am so stinking lucky.

Yep. That's a Jodi Picoult book for ya: makes me see myself and grow and all that shit! Heh heh. I adored this book and will carry it with me for a very long time.

I wanted to love this recent book by one of my favorite authors. I didn't. I felt like part of the book read as a textbook and I felt myself skimming sections. I felt the emotional story wasn't very plausible and I wasn't as riveted as I am usually by Picoult's words.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I wanted to love this book so badly as Picoult is one of my favorite authors. This was definitely not her best work. At times, it read more like an Egyptology textbook than a novel. Picoult usually writes such amazing, deep characters, but the three main characters in this book all fell flat to me. Normally, I would have been outraged by the ambiguous ending, but with this one I didn’t care because I didn’t really care about Dawn, Wyatt, or Brian. The death doula parts of the book were by far the best. Picoult could have left Egypt out entirely and had a much better book.

For someone who makes a living through death, I haven't given a lot of thought to my own.

I have heard that when you are about to die, your life flashes before your eyes.

But I do not picture my husband, Brian, his sweater streaked with inevitable chalk dust from the old-school blackboards in his physics lab. Or Meret, as a little girl, asking me to check for monsters under the bed. I do not envision my mother, not like she was at the end or before that, when Kieran and I were young.

Instead, I see him.

I'm a HUGE fan of Jodi Picoult's novels, and last week was my first time hearing about her new book, The Book of Two Ways. Surprisingly, I received an email inviting me to read it for my blog a day or two after that, which I was very excited about.

Official synopsis:
Book Review: The Book of Two Ways, by Jodi Picoult
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and A Spark of Light comes a riveting novel about the choices that alter the course of our lives.

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 of a man she last saw fifteen years ago: Wyatt Armstrong.

Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, there is her husband, Brian, their beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula, in which she helps ease the transition between life and death for her clients.

But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a career Dawn once studied for but was forced to abandon when life suddenly intervened. And now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the choice she once made.

After the crash landing, the airline ensures that the survivors are seen by a doctor, then offers transportation to wherever they want to go. The obvious option for Dawn is to continue down the path she is on and go home to her family. The other is to return to the archaeological site she left years before, reconnect with Wyatt and their unresolved history, and maybe even complete her research on The Book of Two Ways—the first known map of the afterlife.

As the story unfolds, Dawn’s two possible futures unspool side by side, as do the secrets and doubts long buried with them. Dawn must confront the questions she’s never truly asked: What does a life well lived look like? When we leave this earth, what do we leave behind? Do we make choices . . . or do our choices make us? And who would you be if you hadn’t turned out to be the person you are right now?

As always, Picoult does extensive research for her books, and this one is no different. Half of the book takes place in Egypt, where Dawn and her ex-boyfriend Wyatt worked fifteen years ago, as a grad student—half a lifetime ago for Dawn, who now lives in Boston with her husband, Brian, and 14-year-old daughter, Meret. Dawn no longer studies Egyptology; instead, she's a death doula, helping clients who are in the last stages of death.

I want to say more but to say more would be to spoil the minor twist, which I didn't realize until the beginning, and which pulled a This is Us fast one ... and that's all I'll say about that.

I will, however, say this: I haven't been reading as much as I used to lately, and I devoured this book in a matter of days. The only negative thing I can say about it is that the end does stretch on for a bit, but when it's a book by Picoult, I don't mind as much, and eventually everything was wrapped up.

Ideal movie casting:
Dawn: Natalie Portman
Wyatt: Gerard Butler (but with an English accent)
Brian: Johnny Galecki
Meret: Millicent Simmons, from A Quiet Place

4 stars out of 5.

Click here to pre-order - this book will be out on September 22, 2020.

I immersed myself in this book. I let these beautiful written words saturate my soul and I absorbed them like a sponge does water. This is what a book by Jodi Picoult does to me and I have to admit this one touched me like a spark to a fire.

The subjects of death, life, and life choices permeate this story. The research is superb and the knowledge you will gain about Egyptology is astounding. This book to me was deeply emotional and as with all of Ms. Picoult's works, it makes me think and look at things from a different perspective.

I urge you to add this one to your upcoming to read list. The release date is for September, 2020 so please make note. Don't miss this one!

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC. I l always look forward to Jodi Picoult books because you never know where they will take you, but they always present a conundrum and I love that.

In the Book of Two Ways, Dawn faces a near-death experience which makes her reevaluate all her life's choices. On one hand, she can keep going with her job and family in Boston or she can reach back and take the path she abandoned when she was studying Egyptology in grad school.

I love the Egyptian history, very well researched and that is where the title from the book comes from, the two paths the dead could choose to travel to the afterlife.

An actual masterpiece from the queen, Jodi Picoult. The Book of Two Ways is structured with two possible paths - each one playing out what would happen if Dawn Edelstein chose one versus another. You might think this storytelling device has been popping up more often lately (and you'd be right) but trust me when I say Picoult spins this on its side in the best way.

It's no secret that Picoult is my favorite author of all time and I've been reading her since high school when my mom begrudgingly let me delve into her stash of books that were possibly "a little too mature" for a 13 year old but I'm grateful she did. In true JP style, this book is rich with research, mostly of Egyptian culture as well as in the world of a death doula and end of life practices and is as informative as it is entertaining.

My best advice for this book is to go in blind, devour every page and appreciate the ride. You'll be glad you did.

Jodi Picoult used to be one of my favorite writers. I even owned copies of most of her books, but I feel she has been going downhill in her last few books. While the lessons on everything about Ancient Egypt and physics were interesting, it takes some work to get to the actual story. I don't think my library patrons are going to like it. I did like the twists, but I hate when endings are left open. Arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I love this author, but this book has to be the most challenging and densest work she has ever written! She covers a grab bag full of topics - Egyptology, death doula, physics, Irish superstitions, art, teenage body image angst, troubled marriage - and skillfully weaves them together into a fascinating story. Many parallels are drawn between the practices of ancient Egyptians and the duties of a death doula. These two subjects also garner the most explanations throughout the book, which are a result of the author's extensive research, and are helpful to those of us who know little about either, but at times got a little tedious, especially the Egyptology section at the beginning of the book.

Dawn, a death doula, lives in Boston with a physicist husband and teenage daughter. Fifteen years ago she was in Egypt working on her PhD with Wyatt, a man she at first hated and then loved. Unique circumstances and unusual plot developments bring the two worlds together in an explosive way. The plot follows Dawn, as it rotates chapters between Boston and Egypt, and between the past and the present.

The book ends in a surprising way that I'm sure will create much discussion after its publication. Initially I was unhappy with the ending, but after some thought, I have come to accept, and even approve, of it.

The book is indeed a challenging read, but it is so worth the effort! Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House for providing an ARC.

Once again, Jodi Picoult impresses with her research, attention to detail, complex characters, and unexpected twists. This is a story that examines how the course of one's life can drastically change with one decision; a near fatal plane crash causes the protagonist to reexamine the path that she had chosen in her early adulthood. Her current job as a death doula parallels in many ways to her earlier studies as an Egyptologist, and she uses lessons learned from both to decide how to continue her personal life after the crash. There is a lot of detailed ancient Egyptian history and quantum physics to get through, but the overall story is one that will ultimately resonate with many readers.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance e-copy of this novel

Where do I begin? Ms. Picoult never disappoints. The Book of Two Ways is an elegant, exquisitely written story about Dawn and the different paths our lives take. Dawn left her dig in Egypt to come home and take care of her dying mother, but when she left Egypt behind she also left behind Wyatt and her plans to finish her degree and become an Egyptologist. She eventually marries Brian and makes a family with him, taking on a new career as a death doula - someone who helps those who are terminally ill make the transition from life into death - and putting aside her dreams of Egypt. But when she has the opportunity to see what her life could have been if she had ended up with Wyatt, what will she choose?

That sounds almost like a romance novel, which this book clearly is not. It's more a tale of how our choices shape our lives, and the ripples our choices make in others' lives as well. And it's a story about living with no regrets.

I have always enjoyed how Ms. Picoult adds layers upon layers of detail to her novels. In this case we learn a great deal about ancient Egypt, archaeology, art, death, and most of all, life. The title refers to a particular piece of Egyptian burial practices that is supposed to lead the dead person into a new life. First, however, the deceased has to face many dangers and trials. That sounds similar to life, doesn't it?

If you've ever left behind a dream or a relationship and you wonder how things could have turned out differently, you should read this book. If you want to contemplate the transition from life into death, or you are thinking about the things you would be leaving undone if you died tomorrow, you should read this book.

Love and hate. Life and death. Fate and choice. Each of these concepts are examined and explored in Jodi Picoult’s upcoming novel (coming September 22, 2020) THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS. The novel follows Dawn - a woman entering middle age. She is a wife and a mother. She has lived two distinct lives one pursuing a doctorate and discovering ancient Egyptian artifacts and one as a death doula helping others come to grips with life ending decisions. When a life changing event occurs Dawn must face her two paths and decide what she wants. In the midst of it on both paths are the men who have been involved in her life: Wyatt her first love and a man she discovered with and Brian her husband and her comfort. With Wyatt there’s excitement with Brian logic. In the middle is Meret, Dawn’s daughter and her reason. This book made me cry (the first page!!) it made me think and it made me learn. Picoult is the queen of empathetic writing and she is amazing and making the reader open their minds and hearts. This book made me a little nervous at first, it is filled with science and Egyptian fact peppered among this are Irish superstition and wonderful characters. This novel breaks the formula of medical-law that readers know Picoult by, this story goes back to her earlier novels (songs of a humpback whale and Picture Perfect). It is refreshing to see that a writer of 24 novels (a 2 co written books) is still evolving. I loved this story and all the characters. This is definitely a must read for the fall! Thank you Jodi for this story and for once again opening my mind and heart

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Dawn is in a plane crash. She then lives her life as if she returned home after the crash to her physicist husband and daughter versus her life as she returns to Cairo as an Egyptologist and her first love Wyatt. What life does she choose and who does she end up with? I loved reading about Egypt after our trip in 2018 but I got bogged down in the gods and pharaohs. She also lost me when talking about her husband’s physics but you can tell that Picoult did her research!!! Really, really good read!! #thebookoftwoways #jodipicoult #sept2020

This book is absolutely fantastic!!! I can only imagine the amount of time it took to research the different items that Jodi talks about in this book. It was fascinating, I have never heard of a death doula before, I had never much thought of the hieroglyphs in the tombs in Egypt and how one would interpret them. This was just a great, great book. I feel that it is Jodi's best book to date that she has written. I was wondering when she was going to release a new one, now I know why it took her so long. Fabulous story!!! I already have started recommending this to others!!! This will be a book that I can reread.

This didn’t wow me like most of Picoult’s books. I thought the parts about her being a death doula were more interesting than the Egyptology portions which felt like a history book at times.