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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
My heart was broken and put back together multiple times during the reading of this book. The connections to the Egyptian Book of Two Ways. The thought put into understanding and portraying the profession of being a death doula. The medical profession and archaeology. Jodi definitely put in the research to fit the realities of these professions as closely as possible. It invokes a lot of reflection on one's own life.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to love this book so badly but the truth is, I have to rate it lower because I skipped over almost all of the academia parts. I probably would have 5 starred simply for relatability if not for that & the fact that I guessed the ending.
Jodi Picoult- The Book of Two Ways
Dawn
Husband Brian
Daughter Meret 14
Brother Kieran
Lover from 15 years ago Wyatt
Chpt 1 has me checking reviews of how much more history the book will be about and they said I will be bombarded with it. That's a bit off-putting but maybe it will be interesting to learn something. Shrug.
It showed two roads snaking through Osiris’s realm of the dead: a land route, black, and a water route, blue, which are separated by a lake of fire. If you follow the map, it’s like choosing between taking the ferry or driving around—both ways wind up in the same place: the Field of Offerings, where the deceased can feast with Osiris for eternity. There is a catch, though—some of the paths lead nowhere. Others push you toward demons or circles of fire. Embedded in the text is the magic you need to get past the guardians of the gates.
Death doula instead of Egyptologist.
Clients: Felix (driving instructor) & Winifred (artist), son Arlo died 3 years ago.
Information overload. The history was too much. Like reading an encyclopedia. And the quantum physics on top of it. It was really difficult to get through this book but I didn't want to leave it unfinished. I even got confused about the timeline. I didn't want to spend time googling.
I found the concept of a death doula very interesting. It should be the norm.
Long chapters.
Win got me through the book. She was the most interesting profound part.
The daughter's body image issues are so important in this day and age but there was too much happening in the book to fully explore it.
I believe that there are five things we need to say to people we love before they die, and I give this advice to caregivers: I forgive you. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you. Goodbye. I tell them that they can interpret those prompts any way they like, and nothing will have been left unsaid.
The twist surprised me. Oh what could have been. I got more into the book after the twist but it was pretty much right at the end.
I guess there were parts I loved and more I loathed. I wouldn't recommend this book though. Life's too short for a book that's so jumbled and all over the place. Too much going on.
4/10
Dawn
Husband Brian
Daughter Meret 14
Brother Kieran
Lover from 15 years ago Wyatt
Chpt 1 has me checking reviews of how much more history the book will be about and they said I will be bombarded with it. That's a bit off-putting but maybe it will be interesting to learn something. Shrug.
It showed two roads snaking through Osiris’s realm of the dead: a land route, black, and a water route, blue, which are separated by a lake of fire. If you follow the map, it’s like choosing between taking the ferry or driving around—both ways wind up in the same place: the Field of Offerings, where the deceased can feast with Osiris for eternity. There is a catch, though—some of the paths lead nowhere. Others push you toward demons or circles of fire. Embedded in the text is the magic you need to get past the guardians of the gates.
Death doula instead of Egyptologist.
Clients: Felix (driving instructor) & Winifred (artist), son Arlo died 3 years ago.
Information overload. The history was too much. Like reading an encyclopedia. And the quantum physics on top of it. It was really difficult to get through this book but I didn't want to leave it unfinished. I even got confused about the timeline. I didn't want to spend time googling.
I found the concept of a death doula very interesting. It should be the norm.
Long chapters.
Win got me through the book. She was the most interesting profound part.
The daughter's body image issues are so important in this day and age but there was too much happening in the book to fully explore it.
I believe that there are five things we need to say to people we love before they die, and I give this advice to caregivers: I forgive you. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you. Goodbye. I tell them that they can interpret those prompts any way they like, and nothing will have been left unsaid.
The twist surprised me. Oh what could have been. I got more into the book after the twist but it was pretty much right at the end.
I guess there were parts I loved and more I loathed. I wouldn't recommend this book though. Life's too short for a book that's so jumbled and all over the place. Too much going on.
4/10
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In true Jodi Picoult fashion, I spent the vast majority of this book feeling incredibly conflicted. My emotions boomeranged between which characters I felt sympathy for, and in the end, I hated all the characters except Meret, yet somehow loved the entire book.
The chapters were very long, which I struggled with. However, I really enjoyed the conflicting worlds of quantum physics and death work running parallel to Egyptian history.
The chapters were very long, which I struggled with. However, I really enjoyed the conflicting worlds of quantum physics and death work running parallel to Egyptian history.
Overall, I’m not sure how I feel about 90% of the book. But that is also the appeal of a Jodi Picoult reading experience.
emotional
medium-paced
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t usually write reviews, but this book seems to be getting a lot of heat for its informational parts, so I wanted to offer a different perspective.
Quantum Physics. Egyptology. Archaeology. Ancient Cultures. All that information dumping is what kept me captivated and then she weaved it all together in a meaningful way by the end of the book. Of course a character would be directed and guided by their life’s work, whether it’s Bryan or Dawn or Wyatt. In order to access their inner processes, we need the inspiration for their framework for life and understand how THEY understand it.
Then there’s the other stuff: existing as a not-skinny person. Infidelity. Death. Life. The Almost. Regret. None of these things were out of place in the narrative and they all came together as a means of understanding the entire story. I’ve also not come across many books able to capture teenage insecurity over weight and angst and this book does it pretty well and doesn’t shy away from the pain inflicted on all sides.
What I found so cool is this: I could feel the echoes of all those topics banging around the walls of the narrative like the complex confusion that comes from marital issues, confronting death, or discovering a brand new tomb of possibilities. The parts were actively at work until they all (mostly) settled, piece by piece.
My favorite part of this book was how it captured the beauty and messiness of the human experience— how there are things we aren’t certain of, yet some things we undeniably are, even when they don’t make pragmatic sense.
This was my take and the depth of research it took to articulate the complex themes and subject matter in an accessible way I think is impressive. :)
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
I loved this. I did not know what to expect going in (did not read a summary, just checked it out), but Jodi Picoult has always been a hit for me. I loved the journey and the reflections. Emotional in the best way!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore
What a sneaky ending, Jodi Picoult!
The start of this book felt a little bland, although that may have been due to a slight book hangover from the previous novel I'd just finished. The second half of the book was when things started getting interesting, and I think this book will touch a nerve for readers in lots of different ways - end of life, regrets, making the right choice. Who hasn't been affected in one of these ways? So it's clever of Picoult to weave these all together into a net to snare your feelings and give the book some emotional sway. However, I didn't have a massive connection to the characters themselves, although I did have an opinion on who she should chose!
The start of this book felt a little bland, although that may have been due to a slight book hangover from the previous novel I'd just finished. The second half of the book was when things started getting interesting, and I think this book will touch a nerve for readers in lots of different ways - end of life, regrets, making the right choice. Who hasn't been affected in one of these ways? So it's clever of Picoult to weave these all together into a net to snare your feelings and give the book some emotional sway. However, I didn't have a massive connection to the characters themselves, although I did have an opinion on who she should chose!
I really enjoyed this book. I love books that teach me something within a great story. Learning about Egypt was so much fun! The characters were well rounded and I connected with them immensely. I enjoyed the romance and the ending was pleasantly mysterious. The plane crash was a little outlandish but that’s the fun of fiction: experiencing life.