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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
The narrative structure is clever and the prose is good. However I can't overlook the hypocrisy and selfishness of the main character. That really bothered me, that it was being treated way less severely than it should be.
adventurous
medium-paced
I have A LOT of feelings about this book that I still need to process.
But if you like Hamilton (the musical, duh), and books with wwwwaaaayyyyy too much information for 2 of the 3 main characters, this has a real ‘Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story’ feel to it.
*but seriously, kudos to Jodi for doing some of the best research for contemporary fiction books, but I really was hoping to put my days of having a physics textbook behind me. But thanks for my honorary degree in Egyptology too!*
But if you like Hamilton (the musical, duh), and books with wwwwaaaayyyyy too much information for 2 of the 3 main characters, this has a real ‘Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story’ feel to it.
*but seriously, kudos to Jodi for doing some of the best research for contemporary fiction books, but I really was hoping to put my days of having a physics textbook behind me. But thanks for my honorary degree in Egyptology too!*
I’m quite mixed in my emotions and judgement of this book. I enjoyed Jodi Picoult’s story telling. I enjoyed how the story line ebbed and flowed in two separate story lines that seamlessly came together at the end. I enjoyed the characters as well. I also really enjoyed Dawn’s career of death doula. I liked the normalcy of the topic of death as it is so taboo today. As if we aren’t walking toward death from the moment we are born 🤷♀️
However, I barely made it past the first chapter. This book was HEAVY in educational material. Starting off with a swift hit of Egyptology (which is new to me). The story started in a dry and over the top educational piece on what it means to study Egypt as a person working toward their Ph.D. in Egyptology.
However, I barely made it past the first chapter. This book was HEAVY in educational material. Starting off with a swift hit of Egyptology (which is new to me). The story started in a dry and over the top educational piece on what it means to study Egypt as a person working toward their Ph.D. in Egyptology.
I'm giving this three stars only because of the research I know went into this work. I do appreciate the work and committment that putting this together required.
This is the story of a mid-life crisis. Dawn had always wanted to be an Egyptologist. She gave up her studies and the man, Wyatt, she had a hate/love relationship with when her mother died. Because she had to raise her brother, she never went back to Egypt.
Instead, she had a daughter and married Brian. Fifteen years later, she wants to go back to Egypt and find Wyatt. She walks off and leaves her husband and daughter.
Now, she must decide which life she wants.
The ending was a no-go for me. I really didn't appreciate it. AT ALL. And, the book was incredibly bogged down with ancient Egyptian facts, which if you're into that, it might be fascinating. I tried, but it was too much for me. Interesting at points, but thrown into other moments in a way that made my eyes glaze over. I wish it had been an adventure story that included Egyptian discovery and culture instead of a droning mid-life crisis.
This is the story of a mid-life crisis. Dawn had always wanted to be an Egyptologist. She gave up her studies and the man, Wyatt, she had a hate/love relationship with when her mother died. Because she had to raise her brother, she never went back to Egypt.
Instead, she had a daughter and married Brian. Fifteen years later, she wants to go back to Egypt and find Wyatt. She walks off and leaves her husband and daughter.
Now, she must decide which life she wants.
The ending was a no-go for me. I really didn't appreciate it. AT ALL. And, the book was incredibly bogged down with ancient Egyptian facts, which if you're into that, it might be fascinating. I tried, but it was too much for me. Interesting at points, but thrown into other moments in a way that made my eyes glaze over. I wish it had been an adventure story that included Egyptian discovery and culture instead of a droning mid-life crisis.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
I genuinely loved this book! As someone who grew up in love with Egypt and learning about the history, this book was perfect for me.
Admittedly the beginning of the book was very information heavy with Egypt and Quantum Physics, and death. This is a book you really need to devote time and focus to so you don't miss anything important. It might not be for everyone, but for those it is, they will love it.
Dawn is a death doula with a husband and 14 year old daughter. She grew up with plans to be an Egyptologist, but those plans came to and end when her mother goes into hospice and dies. She stays to care for her younger brother and ends up pregnant and married. She doesn't think of her life before often, but when she does she always wonders what her life would have been.
The way the story was written, broken into Dawn's 'book of two ways' after a plane crash and what different lives she ends up with. In one life she goes to Egypt to find herself, and to answer questions she didn't know she had. In her other life she goes back home, to her husband and a recently strained marriage, and a daughter who seems to not be able to find happiness in herself.
I loved the uniqueness of this story and all the facts I learned while reading it. The ending was not what I was expecting at all! I enjoyed that it was more than a blurb and done, it felt like it was actually addressing that decisions are not that easy and it is hard to know what choice is the right choice.
Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and Jodi Picoult for an advanced reader edition of this wonderful book for an honest review
Admittedly the beginning of the book was very information heavy with Egypt and Quantum Physics, and death. This is a book you really need to devote time and focus to so you don't miss anything important. It might not be for everyone, but for those it is, they will love it.
Dawn is a death doula with a husband and 14 year old daughter. She grew up with plans to be an Egyptologist, but those plans came to and end when her mother goes into hospice and dies. She stays to care for her younger brother and ends up pregnant and married. She doesn't think of her life before often, but when she does she always wonders what her life would have been.
The way the story was written, broken into Dawn's 'book of two ways' after a plane crash and what different lives she ends up with. In one life she goes to Egypt to find herself, and to answer questions she didn't know she had. In her other life she goes back home, to her husband and a recently strained marriage, and a daughter who seems to not be able to find happiness in herself.
I loved the uniqueness of this story and all the facts I learned while reading it. The ending was not what I was expecting at all! I enjoyed that it was more than a blurb and done, it felt like it was actually addressing that decisions are not that easy and it is hard to know what choice is the right choice.
Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and Jodi Picoult for an advanced reader edition of this wonderful book for an honest review
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
adventurous
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked the use of egyptology throughout - it's genuinely fascinating and the link to the work of death doulas drives the trajectory of the main character. Some of the plot is fairly farfetched and given the gravity of what happens to some of the characters, their emotional reactions seem oddly muted, perhaps beacuse it's written in the first person. It's relatively slow paced but well written overall.
adventurous
reflective
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
All opinions are entirely my own. I am in no way affiliated with the author or publisher. Remember to support your local indie bookstore and library!
⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨ ᰔ ୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹
"Time is a construct. Our brains take 80 milliseconds to process information. Anyone who tells you to live in the here and now is a liar. By the time you pin the present down it's already the past."
- Discovery: Author
- Reading Format: Audiobook
- Read Time: 4.5 Hours
Dawn is a death doula, and spends her life helping people make the final transition peacefully. But when the plane she's on plummets, she finds herself thinking not of the perfect life she has, but the life she was forced to abandon fifteen years ago, when she left behind a career in Egyptology, and a man she loved.
I've never heard of a death doula or an end of life midwife so that was really interesting to be introduced to. Dawn is a complex character who is flawed but still likeable and i was rooting for her happiness even when i wasn't sure if she was making the right choice. I understand the intention with the quantum science junk with the symbolism of alternate timelines and theoretical what ifs, but I don't want to read edutainment especially at the expense of a characters identity.
Another LitFic book about missed chance love in Egypt is 'The Stolen Queen' However that book is duel pov and not as heavily centred around the one that got away.