Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I have ready every book by Jodi Picoult and she is one my favorite authors and this is not her best work. It feels like a textbook on Egyptology (which is not a topic I am interested in), especially in the beginning. The main characters is quite dislikable - especially that she is a death doula who makes a promise to deliver a letter from a dying woman and then decides not to fulfill the promise at the last minute. I hope that she returns to her normal format in future books.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. I have often thought about how the choices we make change the course of our lives- it is easy to get bogged down in the “what-ifs”. Dawn’s history and future come into question after she is one of 36 survivors of a plane crash. The story is told in a dual structure.
I liked the parallel storytelling.“Water/Boston” is where her husband, child, and her job as a death doula are. Her husband, Brian, is a professor of quantum physics. His particular interest is in the “multiverse” and how there are potentially infinite possibilities and versions of ourselves. Things between Brian and Dawn are not great, and their daughter is dealing with a lot of insecurities.
“Land/Egypt”: Dawn goes back to Egypt after the crash to her unfinished business: her research and dissertation on The Book of Two Ways, or The Coffin Texts, and her first love, Wyatt. I was struggling to explain what The Book of Two Ways is to the Ancient Egyptians. Here is a quote from ancientegyptonline.co.uk/booktwoways/: “The Two Ways refer to two paths which zig zag across a dangerous landscape beset with obstacles and demonic entities towards Rostau – the realm of Osiris.”
I like how in both storylines we see reference to the duality of a journey; whether it is in life or death. I really felt myself pulling for both Brian and Wyatt. I’m not sure I’m crazy about the ending.
Popsugar reading challenge: a book that fulfills a favorite prompts from a past challenge (an author you’re familiar with).
I liked the parallel storytelling.“Water/Boston” is where her husband, child, and her job as a death doula are. Her husband, Brian, is a professor of quantum physics. His particular interest is in the “multiverse” and how there are potentially infinite possibilities and versions of ourselves. Things between Brian and Dawn are not great, and their daughter is dealing with a lot of insecurities.
“Land/Egypt”: Dawn goes back to Egypt after the crash to her unfinished business: her research and dissertation on The Book of Two Ways, or The Coffin Texts, and her first love, Wyatt. I was struggling to explain what The Book of Two Ways is to the Ancient Egyptians. Here is a quote from ancientegyptonline.co.uk/booktwoways/: “The Two Ways refer to two paths which zig zag across a dangerous landscape beset with obstacles and demonic entities towards Rostau – the realm of Osiris.”
I like how in both storylines we see reference to the duality of a journey; whether it is in life or death. I really felt myself pulling for both Brian and Wyatt. I’m not sure I’m crazy about the ending.
Popsugar reading challenge: a book that fulfills a favorite prompts from a past challenge (an author you’re familiar with).
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The writing in this book was exquisite. This was my first read of a Jodi Picoult book. I was impressed with Picoult's ability to write so precisely and thoughtfully on the emotions that would be present in a person experiencing the things that Dawn does in this story. The story itself was unique and definitely gripping. Pulling the reader write into the lives of the key players, with strong emotion.
That being said...I was NOT in love with this book.
Besides the fact that the entire premise makes me deeply uncomfortable, the entire book was just SO depressing.
I mourned for dying patients. I mourned for dying mothers. I mourned for lost love. I mourned for lost opportunity, for the life not chosen. There was a lot in this book that would resonate with people that feel that they have missed out on life. That they somewhere took a wrong turn and have ultimately ended up in a reality that could have been so different had they made different choices. There are probably very few people out there that can say they have lived a life totally free from regret, but many still end up satisfied. Dawn is in a relationship with a man that loves her, that understands her to the very depths....and it just isn't enough. I think the dose of reality that she is hit with when she gets home is surreal, but less explosive than could ever be possible in the real world.
At one point in the story, Dawn says that she has put everyone first her whole life. But the end of the tale leaves the hearts of everyone she cares about in absolute tatters. I think that there are people in the real world that also use this excuse to do things to caring partners that really aren't justified. In this way, I suppose it was humanizing. But I didn't like being a party to it and I couldn't really identify with her reasons, which made me just not like the story, in general.
I think most of all, I was disappointed with the ending. There is literally no conclusion. What does she choose? The reader will never know.
That being said...I was NOT in love with this book.
Besides the fact that the entire premise makes me deeply uncomfortable, the entire book was just SO depressing.
I mourned for dying patients. I mourned for dying mothers. I mourned for lost love. I mourned for lost opportunity, for the life not chosen. There was a lot in this book that would resonate with people that feel that they have missed out on life. That they somewhere took a wrong turn and have ultimately ended up in a reality that could have been so different had they made different choices. There are probably very few people out there that can say they have lived a life totally free from regret, but many still end up satisfied. Dawn is in a relationship with a man that loves her, that understands her to the very depths....and it just isn't enough. I think the dose of reality that she is hit with when she gets home is surreal, but less explosive than could ever be possible in the real world.
At one point in the story, Dawn says that she has put everyone first her whole life. But the end of the tale leaves the hearts of everyone she cares about in absolute tatters. I think that there are people in the real world that also use this excuse to do things to caring partners that really aren't justified. In this way, I suppose it was humanizing. But I didn't like being a party to it and I couldn't really identify with her reasons, which made me just not like the story, in general.
I think most of all, I was disappointed with the ending. There is literally no conclusion. What does she choose? The reader will never know.
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Two paths, two possible lives, explored while a death doula faces a near death experience. I didn’t know anything about death doulas, so was interested in her career.
I quite enjoyed this but found it dragged on more than I needed. It was a very meandering read.
I love what ifs and exploring possibilities so that drew me to it but I wanted more.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes