While there were some thought-provoking passages in this novel about life and death, that did not overcome how bored I often found myself when reading it. I know Jodi Picoult has some great works, but this was not one of them. As many of said, there is too much of an Egyptian historical background which really bogs the storyline down a bit. I found myself having to power through. 2.5 stars ⭐️rating , rounded up to 3.

THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS by Jodi Picoult was a LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection for September. I have read and really enjoyed a number of her novels – most especially Leaving Time, but also My Sister's Keeper and Small Great Things. Sadly, THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS just seemed to be about a mid-life crisis couched in information about Middle Egypt. The main character, Dawn Edelstein, leaves (sort of) her husband of fifteen years to run off to Egypt and Wyatt Armstrong, a former rival and colleague. He is on an important archeological dig and she wants to contribute despite having left the field and retrained as a death doula. Even though descriptions of the scientific process and the ancient fables were interesting, Dawn's total self-centeredness was extremely off-putting. I recommend reading something else by Picoult.

I had such high hopes for this book. I was highly disappointed. I could not connect with anyone. The whole thing was just not good to me. When this happens I hate leaving a review. I know the authors put so much work into them and for anyone to dislike it is sad. But it happens.
The writing is fine. The scenes are ok. The characters not at all. I heard a lot of good things but to me it fell way short. I've read this author before and loved her books but this one just didn't pull me in at all. It didn't hold my attention. I was able to lay it down and read something else. I went back to it several times just to finish it. I'm very sorry but I have to be honest.
I just could not get into the story and stay there.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #RandomHouseBallantine for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.
3/5 stars and read if you want. I just didn't like it.

I found the lead into this book to be very dry. I kept feeling myself reading without processing the words. It is a very well researched book and, honestly, Egyptian history just doesn't hold my interest. However, as the story progressed it drew me in more. There is such a realness to the main character, Dawn, and her struggles. I can see how this will be a 5 star read for many, who have an interest in the factual aspects, but for me it fell slightly short.

Dawn Edelstein is at a crossroads in her life. Years ago she gave up her dreams of being an Egyptologist to take care of her younger brother after their mother died of cancer. It was her mother's death that led Dawn to a new career as a death doula. And it was her mother's illness that led to Dawn meeting her husband, Brian. Their life has been a good one and their teen daughter is the glue holding their family together after Brian behaved inappropriately with one of his students. Dawn's pain and confusion are more than she can deal with right now. And before she realizes what is happening, she finds herself on a plane headed to Egypt and the man she left behind fifteen years ago. It doesn't take Dawn very long before she falls back into the routines of the dig house. It was everything she remembered and more, including her time with Wyatt. Will Dawn be able to figure out what, and who will bring her happiness? Will she choose Wyatt or will she choose Brian?

To me, it seems like Jodi Picoult has become a "hit or miss" kind of author. I struggled with her last book and I struggled with The Book of Two Ways. I liked Dawn, but there is a lot of dense text about the art, artifacts, and history of ancient Egypt. And when I say dense, I mean really dense. I stuck with it because I really liked Dawn and I wanted to see what happened. There was a twist in the timeline, but not so much that it made up for the dense text. CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS


Bottom Line - I know that Jodi Picoult is "must-read" for a lot of people, including mine. She will probably continue to be on my "must-read," but I think that I need to lower my expectations for all future books.

Details:
The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult
On Instagram
Pages: 432
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: 9.22.2020
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.

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. .