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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I spent a lot of this book annoyed with Dawn for creating drama where there didn't need to be any. I liked the premise of the two potential lives, and I didn't mind the egyptology info, although I imagine for a lot of people it would be way too much, especially as it didn't add as much to the narrative as its volume suggested it should. If you have recently lost someone or struggle with existential crises, read with caution as there is a heavy focus on the process of death and losing someone.
Jodi Picoult is one of the authors that I automatically read, regardless of the book’s topic. This one reminded me why. I love reading fiction that also teaches me things or gets me interested in things I didn’t know much about before, while still having a great love story behind it. I really enjoyed the characters in this one and truly felt like I got to know them. The timelines were a little confusing, but nothing too complicated. The story wouldn’t have been complete without that element, so it worked. I definitely recommend.
6/10
Jodi Picoult is my all-time favorite author. I've read every book she's written and have never felt let down, until now. Picoult's books usually have a formula where she shows you two sides of a controversial topic and makes you truly understand where each side comes from. This book swerved hard and I didn't love the result. You can tell and the author's note is clear that she has been wanting to write a book on Egyptology for a while and while that information overload a bit much at times, it was fine (mostly) . But then throwing in quantum physics and death doulas and it was a lot a lot. The little timeline twist at the end was intriguing but I just could not stand the overarching plot of her having to choose between her two loves (the one that got away and the one she married). I hate those storylines with a passion (unless one of the men is evil and then yes her one true love can come save her). This book had its moments where I really enjoyed it but there was too many I didn't leaving me pretty disappointed.
Jodi Picoult is my all-time favorite author. I've read every book she's written and have never felt let down, until now. Picoult's books usually have a formula where she shows you two sides of a controversial topic and makes you truly understand where each side comes from. This book swerved hard and I didn't love the result. You can tell and the author's note is clear that she has been wanting to write a book on Egyptology for a while and while that information overload a bit much at times, it was fine (mostly) . But then throwing in quantum physics and death doulas and it was a lot a lot. The little timeline twist at the end was intriguing but I just could not stand the overarching plot of her having to choose between her two loves (the one that got away and the one she married). I hate those storylines with a passion (unless one of the men is evil and then yes her one true love can come save her). This book had its moments where I really enjoyed it but there was too many I didn't leaving me pretty disappointed.
Parts of this book actually rate as high as 4.5 but overall, I can't honestly give it more than a 3, maybe a 3.5.
The underlying story is an engaging and intriguing one - it's about choices and the paths we take based on those choices - but what about the road not traveled - the love we left behind - the career forsaken because of a true need elsewhere - and the gifts of the path taken. Can these really be weighed?
The beginning of the book drags. It takes a deep dive into Egyptology, and I found myself skimming though some of those chapters to get to what's next.
The chapters that are exquisite are those where the protagonist - Dawn - is immersed in her current career as a death doula. I found my heart aching and full of wonder at some of the passages, especially those with Win.
Once she gets past the Egyptian history lessons, the way the author weaves the storylines of The Book of Two Ways, Win's story and Dawn's story, is quite an interesting read.
I would still recommend this book. If the first Land/Egypt chapters are a bit discouraging, press on, it does get much better.
The underlying story is an engaging and intriguing one - it's about choices and the paths we take based on those choices - but what about the road not traveled - the love we left behind - the career forsaken because of a true need elsewhere - and the gifts of the path taken. Can these really be weighed?
The beginning of the book drags. It takes a deep dive into Egyptology, and I found myself skimming though some of those chapters to get to what's next.
The chapters that are exquisite are those where the protagonist - Dawn - is immersed in her current career as a death doula. I found my heart aching and full of wonder at some of the passages, especially those with Win.
Once she gets past the Egyptian history lessons, the way the author weaves the storylines of The Book of Two Ways, Win's story and Dawn's story, is quite an interesting read.
I would still recommend this book. If the first Land/Egypt chapters are a bit discouraging, press on, it does get much better.
After she survives a plane crash, Dawn is torn between two choices- going back to her previous life in Egypt with Wyatt or going home to Boston to her husband and daughter. In this book, Dawn’s two possible futures unravel side by side and Dawn must make a decision on what she ultimately wants from life.
This was not my favorite Jodi Piccoult book. It was incredibly boring with way too many details. My favorite parts of the book were the first and last chapters. For me, there was entirely too much discussion of history and archaeological findings and I was kind of annoyed by the main character, Dawn, for most of the book. If you are a Jodi Piccoult fan, you may want to skip this one unless the history behind it interests you.
This was not my favorite Jodi Piccoult book. It was incredibly boring with way too many details. My favorite parts of the book were the first and last chapters. For me, there was entirely too much discussion of history and archaeological findings and I was kind of annoyed by the main character, Dawn, for most of the book. If you are a Jodi Piccoult fan, you may want to skip this one unless the history behind it interests you.
By the time I got to the end of the book, I could not put it down. The only reason I am not giving it five stars is because it was a very slow start. While the information about hieroglyphics and things like that are interesting, I found that they got way too technical and distracting. In the end, they really have very little to do with the actual story.
Without giving anything away, I will say that the plot twist that comes about 3/4 of the way through actually made me go back to the very first chapter to figure out what I had missed. It was brilliant.
Without giving anything away, I will say that the plot twist that comes about 3/4 of the way through actually made me go back to the very first chapter to figure out what I had missed. It was brilliant.
4.5/5 - loved most of this book including bawling at parts that stirred up such emotions but I wasn’t fully sold on the last roughly 20% or so
lol at how over researched the Egyptology parts where to the point that this felt like reading a textbook and yet the physics parts were just complete bull
giving it three bc the drama did pull me in at the end but man parts of it were a struggle
giving it three bc the drama did pull me in at the end but man parts of it were a struggle
The Book of Two Ways // by Jodi Picoult
The premise of this book was super intriguing so I was very excited to receive the ARC for this one. I have read a couple of books by Jodi Picoult and while this isn't my favorite genre, I've always enjoyed myself with her. Overall, I like the story that was told here, the twisty structure, and the existential questions that weave their way throughout the entire book. But I want to point out to regular Picoult readers that this book is not exactly like what we are used to.
Jodi Picoult is great at finding topics and questions that to many of us are difficult to answer or think through. She usually presents them in a way where we can see both the benefits and downsides of each path. Sometimes these things are emotional, sometimes moral, and sometimes she turns everything we think we know upside down on its head. What is different about this book though is not this particular component but what she has added around it.
Part of the reason I wanted to read The Book of Two Ways is because I enjoy learning about new topics but Picoult took this to a whole new level. I've never understood the term info-dumping that I learned from other reviewers but I know exactly what they mean now. This book has SO MUCH information coming at you the entire way through. I'm used to a lot of world-building from my favorite fantasy books but this almost feels like a school textbook sometimes, not only for Egyptology but also quantum physics and several other topics. While overall I found this all to be interesting, it was difficult to stay engaged with the main storyline sometimes. I also had several other books I was reading and found myself preferring the excitement of those the majority of the time because Two Ways was just not very thrilling. It has more of a slow and steady approach.
The last quarter of the story though definitely picked up a bit. I had several theories about how this book would end but she managed to elude me after all. I enjoy a twisty story and while it was a bit confusing when you got into the middle of this mixup, it was fun to put the puzzle together at the end. I am happy that I read this book. It's obvious that a ton of research went into it. But I do think that the description of it makes it sound a bit more exciting that it turned out to be and that this wouldn't be a good fit for a lot of her regular readers.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of this book was super intriguing so I was very excited to receive the ARC for this one. I have read a couple of books by Jodi Picoult and while this isn't my favorite genre, I've always enjoyed myself with her. Overall, I like the story that was told here, the twisty structure, and the existential questions that weave their way throughout the entire book. But I want to point out to regular Picoult readers that this book is not exactly like what we are used to.
Jodi Picoult is great at finding topics and questions that to many of us are difficult to answer or think through. She usually presents them in a way where we can see both the benefits and downsides of each path. Sometimes these things are emotional, sometimes moral, and sometimes she turns everything we think we know upside down on its head. What is different about this book though is not this particular component but what she has added around it.
Part of the reason I wanted to read The Book of Two Ways is because I enjoy learning about new topics but Picoult took this to a whole new level. I've never understood the term info-dumping that I learned from other reviewers but I know exactly what they mean now. This book has SO MUCH information coming at you the entire way through. I'm used to a lot of world-building from my favorite fantasy books but this almost feels like a school textbook sometimes, not only for Egyptology but also quantum physics and several other topics. While overall I found this all to be interesting, it was difficult to stay engaged with the main storyline sometimes. I also had several other books I was reading and found myself preferring the excitement of those the majority of the time because Two Ways was just not very thrilling. It has more of a slow and steady approach.
The last quarter of the story though definitely picked up a bit. I had several theories about how this book would end but she managed to elude me after all. I enjoy a twisty story and while it was a bit confusing when you got into the middle of this mixup, it was fun to put the puzzle together at the end. I am happy that I read this book. It's obvious that a ton of research went into it. But I do think that the description of it makes it sound a bit more exciting that it turned out to be and that this wouldn't be a good fit for a lot of her regular readers.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.