I am huge Jodi Picoult fan and she is often one of my go to authors to recommend to others.  With that said, this was not my usual reaction to her novels. She went a little to deep with the Egyptian history and quantum physics, which took away from the wonderful premise of learning from our mistakes and multitude of paths set before us. I found myself wanted to skim past parts of the story and had to put the book down often.  Unfortunately, this will not be one of her novels that I will be advising others to read unless they are huge history buffs. I hope her next novel goes back to the things I love about her books - turning tough human topics into engrossing dramatic stories.

Jodi Picoult has delivered another good read.  In a nutshell, this is the story of a woman torn between two loves, two lives.  The one she left behind and the one she is currently living.  The storyline bounces between the two in alternating chapters.  While in Boston we learn of her life as a death doula, a wife, and a mother.  While in Egypt we learn of her life unearthing coffins and transcribing their hieroglyphics along side the man stole her heart years ago.  Personally, I prefer the Boston storyline – to me it is more personal, emotional, and reflective whereas the Egypt storyline has more facts and history mixed in that at times I felt was just too much.  Overall, I think the two storylines come together nicely but the ending does leave you wanting a little more.  But truly, it was probably the best way to end it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

How many ways can one book break your heart?

Here's a tale about a detoured Egyptologist with a fascination for an ancient text showing the course of two routes to the afterlife. Here's a tale about a woman who eases the transition of the living toward their death. Here's a story of a soul torn between two worlds, two lives, two loves, two purposes which can never meet. -But what if they do? Will both worlds implode?

This well researched, well written, and well devised novel had me searching my own past, passions, motives, and losses. - And when the end came, it nearly killed me, but it was, ultimately, the only possible conclusion.

What is the answer? Which is the path?

Too much like a textbok. I wanted to hear more about the main character and her family. I enjoyed the book, I just wished it wasn't so bogged down with information. I ended up skimming some parts.

3.5 Stars

I finished this book the other night and I've been sitting on it ever since.....not literally, weirdo. :)  I really liked some aspects of this book but felt that others were drawn out and took away from the story.

Dawn, a former grad student, used to dream of being an Egyptologist and working with ancient artifacts.  Her rival, Wyatt, is pursuing the same goal as a grad student.  Their immense distaste for each other quickly heats up just like the desert sun.  When she gets bad news from home back in Boston she leaves suddenly and doesn't return.  Flash forward to today and she is happily married to Brian, has a career as death doula and is always battling their teenage daughter.  Dawn survives a plane crash and is left questioning every choice since she left Egypt that day.  Did she choose the right man?  Is she living the life she's supposed to?

I won't deny that Picoult puts a lot of thought and research into her books.  However, the reoccurring history lessons as well as the lectures on physics and alternate realities had my eyes blurring.  I enjoy a history lesson as much as the next person, but this was a bit too much.  Dawn started to be compared to a lot of historical Egyptian characters unnecessarily and made the book drag.  If the fat on this book had been trimmed it would have been much more enjoyable.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm usually a big fan of Picoult but this one was a little too much. And yet, I couldn't stop reading. It's a weird feeling.

After we learn Dawn was one of the few survivors in a plane accident, we find out more about her two lives. The one where she used to be an Egyptologist and on her way to make a big discovery, but had to give up and now she goes back to Egypt despite her family to find out whether she regrets the choice. And another she's facing problems in her marriage, but still goes back to her family after escaping them.

3.5, but not that good to become a 4, with an alert for text dump and open ending.

Picoult's book usually include a trial, or maybe it is I who haven't read enough. Still, I was waiting for one and was about to feel disappointed when I noticed the main point—The Book of Two Ways depicts the path a soul takes to the Afterlife, it's like a small cheat to reach and pass the final Judgment and then move on to heaven (or what they used to call, you'll learn it all). So I believe Picoult made a trial for Dawn's choices and how it affected people surrounding her, which is actually beautiful.

But this book is long and dense, too. Still, the mystery of what's happening to the main character allied with wanting a lot to know what she'll do made me turn pages very quickly. So I have to say it's not a bad read. It's just that it had too many flaws to call it very good. Also, this was the first Picoult I didn't love.

The first problem is what everyone is saying, a lot of it feels like Introduction to Egyptology 101, another lot could as well be called Quantum Physics for Dummies (and will people just get over Schrodinger's Cat, please??? Since they found out it exists, they just conclude no one has heard of it and explains it like a big novelty. If you don't know it, you'll become very knowledgeable but millennials on should probably be familiar and also probably as tired of it as I feel). In any case, this book is theory heavy leading to very little in the plot really. I think Picoult really wanted to write some Egyptology article; she did enough research for one. I don't know anything to judge the quality but it was overwhelming. The Physics part was cute, on the other hand, but I wasn't awestruck like with the Egypt parts, it was just a lot of talk and very little result, should be wonderful in a movie where they'll shorten the parts for impact.

Once you just deal with the academic reads, there's the actual story. Dawn revisits her past and we learn about her days as a grad student in Egypt and we learn about later, when she meets her husband and chooses not to go back. In present time, we see her work as a death doula, helping people organize their lives before dying unable to organize her own family; and her identity crisis, when she decides to go back to Egypt and find again the love she'd left behind. Because we have no idea what made her life part in those two timelines, we can only pick hints here and there of how they will meet, which was what was most gripping about the book. To be honest, most of my hypotheses on that explanation were very unsatisfactory so I can say I'm glad with how it all panned out, although it could have been more.

I also have problems with a lot of specific points I can't single out without spoiling things, but that made me rethink my opinion on Picoult. One I can certainly name is the treatment of Dawn's daughter, who is overweight. She tries a redemption in the end that really didn't work for me. Along with that some key decisions Dawn made felt far-fetched too. Near the end, her husband I believe accuses her of being selfish and she argues she'd given up on things for others her whole life etc, but I really didn't buy it. For me, Dawn is one main character really hard to like or relate. 

This review got too long and I still think there's a lot I wanted to discuss. For a book so well researched and structured, the main story wound up vain. If you can get past the info dump, I think you can enjoy the book but not many should really love it. I can't speak for all, of course.

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Wow, what a great book!  Picoult expertly tells a story of a Dawn who was involved in  an archaeology exhibition  in Egypt as a grad student, falls in love there, then her mother gets ill forcing Dawn to change plans.  Interestingly Dawn becomes a death doula applying insights to end of life care that she learned from her grad school days in Egyptology. The story made history come alive. My only critique was that towards the end it dragged on a bit working to resolve various tensions in the story. Not bothersome enough to keep me from giving 5 stars though.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an ARC.

Well, this isn't your normal Jodi Picoult Book!  The first third was pretty dense, filled with technical details about Egyptology and death doulas.  After wading through that, you reach the meat of the book which was pretty interesting.  A story of loves lost, loves found and relationship conflicts.  Oh and there was cute love formula but the math was off - someone needs to edit that to avoid driving nerds like me crazy.   All in all a good read.

I have always enjoyed Jodi Picoult’s books. I like that she touches on subjects that can be controversial. I really enjoyed this book, but I felt that there were too many specifics about the ancient Egyptians that took away from the rest of the story. Less would have been more for me.

I was excited when I found out I’d be receiving an ARC of this book because I’ve always enjoyed Jodi Picoult books in the past. Before I got started, I saw a few reviews say the book was textbook heavy and thought, how bad can it be?? 
Well, if you’re looking for a light read this is not it.
Jodi does a fantastic job of thoroughly researching her subject, in this case Egyptology, The Book of Two Ways, and death. The main character Dawn is given a second chance to relive her grad school days when she was exploring tombs in Egypt and to reconnect with a man, Wyatt, who impacted her while she was there. She finds herself stuck between her past and her present life. The premise is intriguing but it is quickly lost and bogged down by all the technical information. This was an extremely slow read for me because I had to keep rereading sections and looking up various terms. I wanted to love this book, and while there’s no doubt Jodi knows how to write and develop characters, I’m not sure all the work I had to put into reading it was worth it in the end. Thank you to NetGalley, Jodi Picoult, and Ballantine for the opportunity to read this book!

This authors always amazes me. How can one person write so many thoughT provoking novels but she keeps doing it. This latest novel is no exception.It was a little deep for me in the Physics and the Egyptology part from the Book of Two ways but interesting .
 Dawn after having a near death experience starts thinking about the choices she has made. Wondering about her past in Egyptology and  goes back to Where she left off. It reminds me of the poem The Road Less Traveled. Do you go down the path that is worn or the one that has has just begun.

When Dawn Edelstein's plane is crashing, the man that flashes before her eyes is not the her husband, but a man from her past. She survives the plane crash and is given a plane ticket to anywhere she wants to go. The story then splits into two paths - one where she returns to Boston and to her husband and daughter, and one where she returns to Egypt to answer the question of "what if?".

I love a novel that makes me think and "The Book of Two Ways" definitely checked that box. Not only did it leave me contemplating paths not taken and changing the path I'm on but I also learned a tremendous amount about Egyptology, Death Doulas and Quantum Physics. If you're in the mood for a cerebral book with a unique narrative structure similar to "The Two Lives of Lydia Bird" that will challenge the way you think about your life, with complex, flawed but relatable characters - this one is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel. My review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

This is not your typical Jodi Picoult book.  Dawn is flying and narrowly escapes death during a crash.  Each of the following chapters alternate between what seems like two different possible lives Dawn may be living had she made different choices in her life.  It all comes full circle.
I really liked the writing of dual timelines as Dawn experiences her life in another possible universe or dimension.  There are lots of details while Dawn is in Egypt about deities and kings and their burials that are very detailed and probably not necessary.  I found myself skimming over much of that.  But overall a very enjoyable book that takes a look at death, love, families and relationships.  
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!

Thank you so much to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! What a book. 

Dawn was a PhD student who fell in love (after hate)  with her professor on an archeological dig in Egypt. Years later she is a death doula, wife and mother  who  finds herself at a crossroads in life. Jodi Picoult is brilliant at weaving themes of the story together, the Egyptian "Book of Two Ways", the quantum physics, and the story of Dawn, her job/clients, and her husband and former love.

The love story/stories were pretty good and I was compelled to find out what happened.(Although we do perpetuate this myth of passionate love (which is bound to fade and change into something else through time)  and Dawn is pretty lucky to have found a steadfast and loving husband.

It was fascinating to read the parts of the book about Dawn's job as a death doula, having just lost my mother there was a lot about death that was interesting to me (and difficult to read.)

Honestly, I skimmed much of the Egyptology parts, it was clever, but maybe too clever for me!

Overall, I hope people read this book and I am looking forward to reading other reviews.

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult explores the possibility of a parallel universe with an abundance or Egyptian history and research.
The story follows Dawn, who was once an Egyptologist researcher student, who suddenly leaves her love Wyatt to return to the  U.S..   She marries someone else, but eventually returns to Egypt to find her previous lover. Which life should she choose?  There is an enormous amount of information about Egypt, and although fascinating, I felt like I was reading a textbook in parts.

The love story is great, messy and complicated and something that I think a lot of people can relate to.  But the book gets heavily bogged down with information on Ancient Egypt so much so that it is difficult to follow the plot.  It reads like a textbook on Egyptology.

A heart wrenching, devour worthy read that splits your heart in two different directions.

Have you ever wondered about the decisions you never took, how they play out in a possible alternate universe? Maybe you ended up richer in this alternate universe, married to someone else, in a bigger house, or in a smaller home. I am one that has always been plagued with those type of philosophical thoughts of my alternative outcomes. Jodi Picoult has taken that theory and entwined it into a beautiful yet plaguing theme of “two outcomes” type story which has brought me to tears but also left me hopeful.

Dawn Edlestein, our leading lady is on a flight when she’s all of a sudden alerted that there will be a crash landing. Dawn is one of the lucky survivors and is seen by doctors, then offered a free flight anywhere of her choice. She then decides her destination…

In that split second we see Dawn’s two outcomes, the book itself becomes split with each of the decisions she makes at that very moment played out. Dawn in one alternate chooses to head back home to Boston, to her loving husband of 14 years and teenaged daughter. In the other alternate she chooses to go to Egypt, to Wyatt Armstrong.

What’s in Egypt you ask? A past life (graduate student days), she used to be an Egyptologist dig tomb sites and research the ancient Book of Two Ways which is what she was basing her thesis on. And had to leave abruptly one semester leaving all her hardwork behind, never looking back.  Until now with the biggest anchor (Wyatt) calling her split fate back to Egypt. He was once her competitor and fellow graduate student always pining for the professors attention and praise. They were equals in knowledge and trust to the professor. And what happened all those years ago with all that heat, sand dust, and competitive nature?

If you guessed a deep yearning attraction that leads to explosive romance on a dig site you are correct.
 

So with this split or alternate realities unfolding, both reuniting with Wyatt again and answering all his questions, and returning home to all the secrets that await her there, Dawn faces no easy path. With each new revelation my heart would pause and break for Dawn yet mend back together as she picked herself back up and kept on, keepin’ on.

The Book of Two Ways left me breathless all throughout in both good ways and bad. Picoult penned such a strong female lead, someone so relatable to me. Dawn is a sister, a mother, a wife, someone with regrets, a woman with wants, needs, and aspirations. Her characteristics were so relatable which made all the heart wrenching moments all the more severe to my heart and mind. No matter which outcome I favored in the moment or which man I wanted it to work out with, I always wanted Dawn’s happiness first. This is the kind of resounding read that will last in my heart for years to come. I can see myself coming back to it to refer to my favorite moments.

I am giving this book 4.5 stars, it is a staple in my “Favorites” category and could not recommend it enough. Please give this a read. The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult is complex the character faces extreme emotional challenges, but all of it inspires courage to seek truth and happiness for yourself.

A change of pace from her more recent crisis/courtroom drama plot lines.  The Egypt setting was fascinating, but all of the details and background about quantum physics, Egyptian lineage, and pot sherds got to be a bit much.  The parts about being a death doula and Dawn's work with her clients were my favorites.In the end, while I empathized with Dawn having to make a tough decision, I didn't find her entirely likable.

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult is a novel centered around a woman Dawn who starts as an Egyptologist, an Egypt researcher, and becomes a death doula following the loss of her mother. This novel explores the duality of life and death and all the beauty and pain that comes as you are dying. However it also explores another form of death when you lose a second life, the "what if" of what your life would be if you made a different decision. This was an interesting novel that had the potential to be beautiful, but I think could have benefitted from simplifying the number of topics a bit. The characters were well-developed; Win was by-far a standout character and imparted a lot of wisdom from her story. I struggled with enjoying Dawn and found her words/actions frustrating, yet it also showed the reality of marriage. This book contains a lot of history, quantum physics, linguistics, and other scholarly topics but if you do not focus too deeply on the academic side of this you can enjoy the novel. Overall I enjoyed the read and would recommend for fans of Jodi Picoult and Egypt. 

Many thanks to the publisher Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Jodi Picoult is a prolific and always enjoyable writer, but some of her novels interest me more than others. I was skeptical about this one as I started it, but once I realized that she was playing with the narrative structure in an intriguing and clever way, I was hooked! I was also very impressed with the level of detail about the work of Egyptologists. The ending might frustrate some, but to me it was exactly right.