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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
One of those books where the author has done a TON of research and wants to share it ALL. Some of it is super interesting but after a while, it just felt like too much for a fiction book to hold unless it had actually taken place in ancient Egypt. So I admit I skimmed over most of the descriptions in the second half.
Three things that really annoyed me:
1. The author leaves us hanging regarding a decision that is basically the crux of the entire 400 pages.
2. At one point we learn the main character has "gotten an MSW" as if that was the easy solution, when IRL she almost certainly would have had to take prerequisites, by which point she might as well have finished her original PhD. And why wouldn't her "nice guy" PhD husband have encouraged her to do just that?
3. Why does this "nice guy" throw out mail addressed to her and why isn't she furious about it when she finds out?
Three things that really annoyed me:
Spoiler
1. The author leaves us hanging regarding a decision that is basically the crux of the entire 400 pages.
2. At one point we learn the main character has "gotten an MSW" as if that was the easy solution, when IRL she almost certainly would have had to take prerequisites, by which point she might as well have finished her original PhD. And why wouldn't her "nice guy" PhD husband have encouraged her to do just that?
3. Why does this "nice guy" throw out mail addressed to her and why isn't she furious about it when she finds out?
I really enjoyed this one, until the end, which was thoroughly unsatisfying. Some other reviewers have said they were overwhelmed by the mentions of quantum physics and egyptology, but that wasn't the case for me, I rather enjoyed all of that. The story was riveting, I liked the characters, for the most part, minus the harping on the daughters' unhappiness with her weight. And then the end. It gave me nothing.
“Did you ever wonder who you would have been, if you hadn’t become who you are?”
Woah. Stop and think about this question for a minute.
“In every fairy tale, the only way out is to keep running forward. To never look back.”
Picoult’s book is a fusion of those two thoughts.
I started the new year with a very poignant read. I realized that at this point in the pandemic, we’ve all been affected by loss. Contemplating mortality after experiencing an unexpected trauma/tragedy is the basis of this thought-provoking book. The pandemic, like this plane crash, was an unexpected experience for many of us and has caused us to view life through a very different lens than the one we did prior to March 2020.
It’s about a middle-aged woman who braces for impact as her plane is crashing and is shocked by what flashes before her eyes. Instead of the life in Boston she has created for the past 15 years as a wife, a mother and a death doula, she sees the life she thought she would have ~ married to her soul mate, a man she hasn’t seen in 15 years, and a dream career as an Egyptologist.
Picoult explores the power of choices and what can happen when we make them under pressure.
This book was amazing! I loved the characters, the setting, the heart-wrenching moral choices, the dysfunctional family, and the ethical dilemmas. I loved being reminded of the Arabic phrases we learned to parrot back to our tour guide while we were in Egypt. I appreciated the reference in the title to the alternate routes the ancient Egyptians held about the afterlife; land and water. It also mirrored the two paths of the protagonist. Clever! Best of all, I loved an academic read that presents both sides to a story, showing no judgement. I can always count on Picoult for this. This will be my most highlighted book of 2022.
I hated that I felt so lost in this non-linear narrative. A story with no dates and so much ambiguity was frustrating….BUT the story was SO good and Wyatt Armstrong was so dreamy, I had to keep reading.
Full disclosure: I wore my Egyptian galabeya and hunkered down with a glass of bubbly, this book, and a fuzzy blanket to ring in the new year like a boss!
“Love isn’t a perfect match, but an imperfect one. You are rocks in a tumbler. At first you bump, you scrape, you snag. But each time that happens, you smooth each other’s edges, until you wear each other down. And if you are lucky, at the end of all that, you fit.”
Woah. Stop and think about this question for a minute.
“In every fairy tale, the only way out is to keep running forward. To never look back.”
Picoult’s book is a fusion of those two thoughts.
I started the new year with a very poignant read. I realized that at this point in the pandemic, we’ve all been affected by loss. Contemplating mortality after experiencing an unexpected trauma/tragedy is the basis of this thought-provoking book. The pandemic, like this plane crash, was an unexpected experience for many of us and has caused us to view life through a very different lens than the one we did prior to March 2020.
It’s about a middle-aged woman who braces for impact as her plane is crashing and is shocked by what flashes before her eyes. Instead of the life in Boston she has created for the past 15 years as a wife, a mother and a death doula, she sees the life she thought she would have ~ married to her soul mate, a man she hasn’t seen in 15 years, and a dream career as an Egyptologist.
Picoult explores the power of choices and what can happen when we make them under pressure.
This book was amazing! I loved the characters, the setting, the heart-wrenching moral choices, the dysfunctional family, and the ethical dilemmas. I loved being reminded of the Arabic phrases we learned to parrot back to our tour guide while we were in Egypt. I appreciated the reference in the title to the alternate routes the ancient Egyptians held about the afterlife; land and water. It also mirrored the two paths of the protagonist. Clever! Best of all, I loved an academic read that presents both sides to a story, showing no judgement. I can always count on Picoult for this. This will be my most highlighted book of 2022.
I hated that I felt so lost in this non-linear narrative. A story with no dates and so much ambiguity was frustrating….BUT the story was SO good and Wyatt Armstrong was so dreamy, I had to keep reading.
Full disclosure: I wore my Egyptian galabeya and hunkered down with a glass of bubbly, this book, and a fuzzy blanket to ring in the new year like a boss!
“Love isn’t a perfect match, but an imperfect one. You are rocks in a tumbler. At first you bump, you scrape, you snag. But each time that happens, you smooth each other’s edges, until you wear each other down. And if you are lucky, at the end of all that, you fit.”
I have a lot of thoughts about this book. Firstly, I loved the cover so much — it was gorgeous! I really liked the overall concept and the “what-if” aspect. I had a harder time with the structure. I felt a little bogged down at times with all the Egyptology and quantum physics (QP, REALLY????
I am still digesting this one. The theme of what might have been and exploring your regrets as you face death were intriguing but I didn't feel any connection to the characters. And this is just my personal preference but I didn't find the Egyptology interesting at all and it weighed down the story for me. I am a crier and went into this expecting a tear jerker considering the relationship Dawn develops with Win, but it barely triggered a misty eye
Not my favorite from the author
Not my favorite from the author
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
Genuinely love this author and how she finds such unique stories to tell. I was a huge egypt nerd when I was a kid so this was a fun read. Mumbled through most of the names and definitely had to start skimming the dense historical explanations and quantum physics yapping. i’m all for the reunited lovers trope, but the blatant infidelity was a lil tough to stomach. I’m still a bit confused on the ending and how the timelines supposedly intersected but loved it overall
challenging
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I typically enjoy Picoult and (unlike other reviews) enjoyed the Egyptology and physics rants. Maybe I’m just a dork. The structure was clever and engaging.
What nearly ruined the book for me was how the book discusses her daughter’s body. As a fat woman I was soooo disappointed that Meret’s arc ended with relief that her fatness was temporary.
I love Picoult books because of the immense research she invests into her characters. It seems like an oversight to not look into the nuances of fatphobia.
The discussion of Meret’s body and weight in general felt very…90s? I was shocked when I saw the publishing year tbh. The way fatphobia manifested in the late 2010s was distinctive and interesting and complicated. And that could have been manifested in Meret’s arc without altering the plot. Not to mention the “you’re not fat, you have fat” line. My eyes almost rolled out of my head.
Maybe the cringe is because Dawn is flawed? Maybe if I liked Dawn more as a character I could overlook this? But if we’re not gonna research modern fatphobia, just make Meret thin and use another trait as foreshadowing.
What nearly ruined the book for me was how the book discusses her daughter’s body. As a fat woman I was soooo disappointed that Meret’s arc ended with relief that her fatness was temporary.
I love Picoult books because of the immense research she invests into her characters. It seems like an oversight to not look into the nuances of fatphobia.
The discussion of Meret’s body and weight in general felt very…90s? I was shocked when I saw the publishing year tbh. The way fatphobia manifested in the late 2010s was distinctive and interesting and complicated. And that could have been manifested in Meret’s arc without altering the plot. Not to mention the “you’re not fat, you have fat” line. My eyes almost rolled out of my head.
Maybe the cringe is because Dawn is flawed? Maybe if I liked Dawn more as a character I could overlook this? But if we’re not gonna research modern fatphobia, just make Meret thin and use another trait as foreshadowing.
Jodi Picoult is true storyteller. This book has many layers and is beautifully woven. It’s a wonderful story of family, love, death, and our history. I love all the Egyptology references in the book. She had to do much research.