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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
While I enjoyed the book, especially as the story developed, I found the details in Egypt to be too much for me. I appreciate that Picoult always does her research and does an excellent job of giving the reader accurate insight to Egyptian art history. I just don’t personally find that information stimulating and therefore while reading parts of the book, I merely was reading to get back to “Boston”.
Dawn’s life changes in an instant when her plane crashes and she’s one of the few survivors.
When Dawn’s life flashes before her eyes, she sees her husband and daughter. But she also sees her first love, Wyatt, somewhere in Egypt at an ancient burial site.
When the airline offers transportation to Dawn wherever she wants to go, she reconciles her past and her present, and is faced with an astronomical decision. Will she return to a life well-lived? Or will she take on a new path?
Thoughts:
This book was great! I listened to the audio, and it was really good. I did get a little lost during some of the transitions, just because there weren’t clear markers, but it was pretty easy to pick up based on where we were at with the story. I am just a stickler for chapter markers because I tend to get a little lost, so this is just a pet peeve I have developed. It didn’t end up deterring me too much from the book though.
I am fascinated with death doulas and have read, and really enjoyed, several books with characters who were them and this book was no different. Their jobs are so important.
This book really made me stop and think about how life can take so many different directions based on choices we’ve made. It had me stopping to think about several of my choices more than once throughout the pages. It was quite the reflective read that’s for sure.
While this book was heavy in Egyptian history and mythology, it wasn’t overwhelming, and I felt that it was woven into the plot nicely. I enjoyed getting to know more about it over the course of the audio.
I did enjoy Dawn as a character, but I did feel that some of the growth she experienced was at the expense of her daughter, and I didn’t like that aspect of it. Teenagers have a pretty rough go of life as is, so for Dawn to do what she did was quite a lot. I do understand, I just don’t necessarily like it. However, I do think that the ending wrapped things up nicely and left everything in a nice spot.
When Dawn’s life flashes before her eyes, she sees her husband and daughter. But she also sees her first love, Wyatt, somewhere in Egypt at an ancient burial site.
When the airline offers transportation to Dawn wherever she wants to go, she reconciles her past and her present, and is faced with an astronomical decision. Will she return to a life well-lived? Or will she take on a new path?
Thoughts:
This book was great! I listened to the audio, and it was really good. I did get a little lost during some of the transitions, just because there weren’t clear markers, but it was pretty easy to pick up based on where we were at with the story. I am just a stickler for chapter markers because I tend to get a little lost, so this is just a pet peeve I have developed. It didn’t end up deterring me too much from the book though.
I am fascinated with death doulas and have read, and really enjoyed, several books with characters who were them and this book was no different. Their jobs are so important.
This book really made me stop and think about how life can take so many different directions based on choices we’ve made. It had me stopping to think about several of my choices more than once throughout the pages. It was quite the reflective read that’s for sure.
While this book was heavy in Egyptian history and mythology, it wasn’t overwhelming, and I felt that it was woven into the plot nicely. I enjoyed getting to know more about it over the course of the audio.
I did enjoy Dawn as a character, but I did feel that some of the growth she experienced was at the expense of her daughter, and I didn’t like that aspect of it. Teenagers have a pretty rough go of life as is, so for Dawn to do what she did was quite a lot. I do understand, I just don’t necessarily like it. However, I do think that the ending wrapped things up nicely and left everything in a nice spot.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Death
Minor: Death of parent
Overall I enjoyed it. Picoult is so good at storytelling and the characters were well developed. I appreciated the multiple storylines but it did get kinda confusing towards the end. I feel like it was 4 books in one - romance, Egyptology, quantum physics, mystery. She might’ve crammed a little too much into it all.
There were parts of the book that went too far into details of Egyptian studies and tombs instead of focusing on the story. The story itself was good and towards the end it was better because it focused more on what was happening instead of a history lesson.
Beautiful. Broke me and stitched me back together all in one. I loved this story so much!
The amount of research that went into this book, as Jodi usually does, is outstanding.
The amount of research that went into this book, as Jodi usually does, is outstanding.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book! The author does a great job blending storytelling with thought provoking inquiries that made me feel both immersed in the fictional story and reflective in my own life. Would highly recommend for an entertaining yet real read.
Side note: I loved the details on ancient Egypt!! A good read if you are just getting into historical fiction.
Side note: I loved the details on ancient Egypt!! A good read if you are just getting into historical fiction.
Jodi Picoult is usually a swing and miss or a home run for me. I have some of her books on my bookshelf that I read on a loop. Her book, "The Storyteller" ranks in my top 10. This book was a home run. I am a history teacher by trade, who teaches freshman World History. I love Ancient Egypt. One of my favorite movies, is "The Mummy" (the 90's classic, not the revamped Tom Cruise one). This book, while not being anything like the Brendan Fraser adventure, was something I could really dig into.
I've also been a HUGE fantasy kick lately, so I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get into something that didn't feature gargoyles, vampires. ghosts , a beast, or aliens... I will say, that it took awhile for me to get invested, but once I was, I couldn't really put it down. It was the perfect combination of history and plot. I understand that my being a history teacher probably influenced this fact that I didn't find the inclusion of so much Egyptology draining. It kept me interested and invested.
The main character, Dawn was likeable and didn't seem as polarizing as some of Picoult's previous characters which was refreshing. There is a "love triangle" in this book - and usually when that is the case, I immediately choose which side I'm on (Team Jacob represent). I flip flopped so much during this story of whose side I was on. One chapter, it was Brian - the next chapter it was Wyatt... I've finished the book, and I still don't know what side I'm on!
I flew through the second half of this book. Where the other books that Picoult has written are heavy on the subject matter, this one was heavy on Egyptology and I for one was a fan. If you like a classic Jodi Picoult book (with a lighter theme than some of her other books) I recommend this one!
I've also been a HUGE fantasy kick lately, so I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get into something that didn't feature gargoyles, vampires. ghosts , a beast, or aliens... I will say, that it took awhile for me to get invested, but once I was, I couldn't really put it down. It was the perfect combination of history and plot. I understand that my being a history teacher probably influenced this fact that I didn't find the inclusion of so much Egyptology draining. It kept me interested and invested.
The main character, Dawn was likeable and didn't seem as polarizing as some of Picoult's previous characters which was refreshing. There is a "love triangle" in this book - and usually when that is the case, I immediately choose which side I'm on (Team Jacob represent). I flip flopped so much during this story of whose side I was on. One chapter, it was Brian - the next chapter it was Wyatt... I've finished the book, and I still don't know what side I'm on!
I flew through the second half of this book. Where the other books that Picoult has written are heavy on the subject matter, this one was heavy on Egyptology and I for one was a fan. If you like a classic Jodi Picoult book (with a lighter theme than some of her other books) I recommend this one!