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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
What a slog to get through. I'm glad I listened to the audiobook instead because I definitely would've given up on the Kindle edition. That being said, I almost just put this in the DNF like. There were days when I couldn't even bring myself to listen because I was so indifferent about the story.
I read it for my book club and I think they would've understood if I showed up and said, "sorry, ladies. I couldn't get through this one."
Enough with the Egyptology and minutiae of archeology. It was so boring.
Two stars because there is a story there, it just took way too long to unravel.
I read it for my book club and I think they would've understood if I showed up and said, "sorry, ladies. I couldn't get through this one."
Enough with the Egyptology and minutiae of archeology. It was so boring.
Two stars because there is a story there, it just took way too long to unravel.
Around and around and around it goes, where it leads, who knows? Just be very very very patient...
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
When Dawn Edelstein's plane goes down, what flashes through her mind isn't her husband and daughter; it is Wyatt, a man she left behind in Egypt 15 years ago when she had to quit their Egyptology graduate program at Yale. She has a good life now with her husband Brian, her daughter, and her work as a death doula. However, surviving the plane crash makes her wonder what she missed out on by having to walk away from Egypt and Wyatt. When the airline offers transportation to the survivors to go wherever they want, Dawn has to choose between going home to her current life and family or seeing what might have been in Egypt. The story jumps back and forth between the "Land" timeline in Egypt and the "Water" timeline in Boston.
Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors, but this book didn't capture me the way her books usually do. That is not to say that it isn't a good book, because it definitely is. I just had trouble connecting to Dawn. Usually in Picoult's books,we have a handful of narrators providing different angles from the story. I can see why that wouldn't have worked for this story, but I did miss seeing the different angles. I did think it was neat that Picoult knew she needed to write a story about Egyptology after learning about it while her son was majoring in it.
When Dawn Edelstein's plane goes down, what flashes through her mind isn't her husband and daughter; it is Wyatt, a man she left behind in Egypt 15 years ago when she had to quit their Egyptology graduate program at Yale. She has a good life now with her husband Brian, her daughter, and her work as a death doula. However, surviving the plane crash makes her wonder what she missed out on by having to walk away from Egypt and Wyatt. When the airline offers transportation to the survivors to go wherever they want, Dawn has to choose between going home to her current life and family or seeing what might have been in Egypt. The story jumps back and forth between the "Land" timeline in Egypt and the "Water" timeline in Boston.
Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors, but this book didn't capture me the way her books usually do. That is not to say that it isn't a good book, because it definitely is. I just had trouble connecting to Dawn. Usually in Picoult's books,we have a handful of narrators providing different angles from the story. I can see why that wouldn't have worked for this story, but I did miss seeing the different angles. I did think it was neat that Picoult knew she needed to write a story about Egyptology after learning about it while her son was majoring in it.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
She immediately lost me as soon as the chapter turned into an Egyptian history lesson. I was taken right out of the story and didn’t even care to go back in.
adventurous
emotional
Well, she did a better job handling relationships in this book than she did in "Wish You Were here". Still mushy and not fair but more realistic. I loved Win and the descriptions of her thinking as she faced death. Great detail about Egypt, really made the story.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult is a fascinating exploration of how life can take two different paths that ultimately converge into one.
The novel begins with our main character, Dawn, surviving a plane crash in which most of the passengers perish. While being evaluated at the airport, she’s asked where she wants to go. Instead of returning home to her husband and child, she impulsively chooses Egypt. After such a traumatic event, all she can think about is the career she left behind as an archaeologist and the man she once loved. Determined to finish what she started, she embarks on a journey back to her past.
At the same time, we see an alternate version of Dawn’s life, where she returns home to her husband and child. Her marriage is in a dark, fragile state, and she struggles with the choices that led her to this point. In this life, she works as a death doula, guiding families through terminal illness and advocating for those at the end of their lives. Surrounded by death, she finds herself questioning the life she has built and the paths she didn’t take.
By the end of the book, I wanted to throw it across the room—but I also understood that this frustration is part of its brilliance. We all make choices without knowing what dominoes will fall.
This is a superbly written story, though it leans heavily on discussions of archaeology and Egyptian history, which some readers may find dense. However, I truly enjoyed it and will forever wonder about that ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
emotional