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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
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.
I agree with many of the sentiments already written about the textbook heaviness of the Egyptology in the book. You certainly can never say Picoult doesn’t do her research! While it’s not my favorite book, it still made me cry and think critically about the world. I love all the elements she brought together here: art, science, faith, death, life, relationships.
This was a hard book to read sometimes but it was a masterpiece.
Picolt brings human, infallible characters to light in this romance that grapples with mid-life crisis born from a near death experience that takes Dawn Edelstein accross the world to seek her former self and former love.
Thanks to Jodi Pcioult, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Jodi Pcioult, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved how complex the storyline was, and how beautifully Picoult weaved ancient Egyptian history with the present and with realistic relationships among lovers and family. I always learn something new when I read one of Picoult's novels, and always feel something.
WAY TOO MUCH information about Physics and Egyptology to digest to actually enjoy the story line. I’m usually a huge fan of her books, but I just couldn’t get into it.
I enjoyed the story behind this book and I loved the characters, especially Wyatt and Win. I'm giving it 3 stars because it was information heavy in a way that didn't seem to work with the story. Picoult throws so many themes at the reader: the meaning of life and death, Egyptology (like, so many heiroglyphs my brain hurt), quantum physics, superstitions, etc... There was a lot going on. It was all interesting but I felt it was too much for one book. Reading other reviews, it seems like many of the people who read this book agree. It ended up reading more like a textbook than an enjoyable novel at times.
Dawn survives a plane crash and the story follows the two paths she could have taken after with her life.
Review:
Oh. my. god.
When I tell you I literally spent the entire day reading this just so I wouldn’t have to read it anymore… This one got me stuck for three weeks. I have never not liked a Jodi picoult book so I thought this would be a good read, but I was mistaken.
While the storyline was interesting, there was a lot that I didn’t like about the book. The author really jam packed this with so much information. It is very “textbook heavy” in the sense that it reads like a text book in a lot of parts, especially the Egyptology and quantum physics break downs. There was just so much information at times that it was hard to get through.
Meret’s fat shaming of herself was a constant theme through the book as well during her parts, maybe put in to bring in younger reader’s relatability but it seemed to just be resolved in the end abruptly.
Nothing against Brian, but I really didn’t like him to start off with. When I learned more about how his and Dawn’s relationship came to be I liked him even less. It’s not that he took advantage of Dawn, because she was grieving and not thinking straight and he was just trying to be supportive, but the whole thing was messy. When I found out he threw the letters away I almost lost it. I really wasn’t rooting for him at any point because it was clear where her heart lied.
Dawn definitely made some questionable decisions, especially when it came to Brian and her little family. For that I didn’t like her at some points as well. I was glad when she finally chose herself over everyone else in the end. It was a little hypocritical of her to be so upset with Brian over something that didn’t actually happen, especially when her story parallels his so similarly.
Wyatt’s story line was really the only interesting thing in this story. While his sections were filled with Egyptology and sometimes very dense, I was rooting for him the entire time. He was someone who genuinely was good for Dawn and pushed her to be her best self with what she loved.
Last complaint being the ending because it was open ended and left it up to the reader to decide. I wanted some clarity as to what Dawn decided to do.
Review:
Oh. my. god.
When I tell you I literally spent the entire day reading this just so I wouldn’t have to read it anymore… This one got me stuck for three weeks. I have never not liked a Jodi picoult book so I thought this would be a good read, but I was mistaken.
While the storyline was interesting, there was a lot that I didn’t like about the book. The author really jam packed this with so much information. It is very “textbook heavy” in the sense that it reads like a text book in a lot of parts, especially the Egyptology and quantum physics break downs. There was just so much information at times that it was hard to get through.
Meret’s fat shaming of herself was a constant theme through the book as well during her parts, maybe put in to bring in younger reader’s relatability but it seemed to just be resolved in the end abruptly.
Nothing against Brian, but I really didn’t like him to start off with. When I learned more about how his and Dawn’s relationship came to be I liked him even less. It’s not that he took advantage of Dawn, because she was grieving and not thinking straight and he was just trying to be supportive, but the whole thing was messy. When I found out he threw the letters away I almost lost it. I really wasn’t rooting for him at any point because it was clear where her heart lied.
Dawn definitely made some questionable decisions, especially when it came to Brian and her little family. For that I didn’t like her at some points as well. I was glad when she finally chose herself over everyone else in the end. It was a little hypocritical of her to be so upset with Brian over something that didn’t actually happen, especially when her story parallels his so similarly.
Wyatt’s story line was really the only interesting thing in this story. While his sections were filled with Egyptology and sometimes very dense, I was rooting for him the entire time. He was someone who genuinely was good for Dawn and pushed her to be her best self with what she loved.
Last complaint being the ending because it was open ended and left it up to the reader to decide. I wanted some clarity as to what Dawn decided to do.
This was my first Picoult and I think I may have started at the wrong book. This is a high concept book about what ifs, parallel universes, destiny and free will. Books that make you think are usually books that I love, but this was not it. It was a slog to get through, at times feeling like a history book on Egyptology. It's clear that Picoult is extremely well-researched but I just did not care because the history was just so dense. I also truly hated Dawn and could not root for her and Wyatt, which it was clear was the love story we were supposed to root for. I do not like the cheating trope at all, and that's pretty much what this book was. What kind of person almost dies in a plane crash, and instead of talking to your husband and daughter who are terrified for you, flies off to Egypt to reconnect with an old boyfriend who she hasn't seen in 15 years, then cheats on her husband with ex-boyfriend and brings ex-boyfriend home with her to Boston to meet his daughter who her husband just found out wasn't biologically his? Without telling him and somehow thinks that this is okay?! She was horrible and selfish and I could not stand her.