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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Took me a hell of a long time to finish because the first half was very drawn out & tedious but the last 100 pages are the BEST. My mind needs a few days to process this one....
really good! target audience is definitely middle age women so felt a little unrelatable but still so well written!!!
Too much Egyptology and death for me. I had a really hard time getting through this one and almost added it to my DNF pile. Finally got more interesting 3/4 of the way done. Not my favorite JP read so far.
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
This author’s books are very hit or miss for me. 19 Minutes is one of my all time faves while other more recent novels have been way less enjoyable. Unfortunately, this one really missed the mark for me. I would give it 2.5 stars only on the strength of the last 1/4 of the book which was actually quite good.
The timeline of this book is a bit confusing, but for me, the biggest turn off is that half the time this book reads like a History of Ancient Egypt textbook. If I’d wanted to read about Egypt I would’ve chosen a book about it. It’s clear Ms. Picoult has invested a lot of time and research into the subject here but it hold absolutely zero interest to me. Throw in the dense descriptions of quantum physics and I’m out.
Didn’t love this one but I’ll still be excited for her next one.
This author’s books are very hit or miss for me. 19 Minutes is one of my all time faves while other more recent novels have been way less enjoyable. Unfortunately, this one really missed the mark for me. I would give it 2.5 stars only on the strength of the last 1/4 of the book which was actually quite good.
The timeline of this book is a bit confusing, but for me, the biggest turn off is that half the time this book reads like a History of Ancient Egypt textbook. If I’d wanted to read about Egypt I would’ve chosen a book about it. It’s clear Ms. Picoult has invested a lot of time and research into the subject here but it hold absolutely zero interest to me. Throw in the dense descriptions of quantum physics and I’m out.
Didn’t love this one but I’ll still be excited for her next one.
Thanks to Net Galley for the advance reader copy.
This is my first Jodi Picoult and I was just so excited when I read the trailer for this one. It’s academic, there’s romance, it’s set in Boston (hometown!) and in Egypt. I was rearing to go for this one 100%.
My problem with the book is that it wore my brain out. I loved the hieroglyphics explanations, and enjoyed the Nat Geo feel on archeology digs and so on. That would have been just magnificent in smaller doses. It was so information laden, that I feel like I was in a masters class and preparing for a quiz. Each chapter was so long that I struggled making It through in a setting. That’s just not like me. I can handle the long haul with the best of them. I think the textbook feel just tuckered me out.
The beginning of the book was such a great draw. I was excited and ready to dive in. I just wish each chapter was trimmed for the common folk.
This is my first Jodi Picoult and I was just so excited when I read the trailer for this one. It’s academic, there’s romance, it’s set in Boston (hometown!) and in Egypt. I was rearing to go for this one 100%.
My problem with the book is that it wore my brain out. I loved the hieroglyphics explanations, and enjoyed the Nat Geo feel on archeology digs and so on. That would have been just magnificent in smaller doses. It was so information laden, that I feel like I was in a masters class and preparing for a quiz. Each chapter was so long that I struggled making It through in a setting. That’s just not like me. I can handle the long haul with the best of them. I think the textbook feel just tuckered me out.
The beginning of the book was such a great draw. I was excited and ready to dive in. I just wish each chapter was trimmed for the common folk.
So close to five stars, for great ideas and engrossing storytelling.
Two stars off for two huge flaws that made me furious. See spoilers for my opinion of those two flaws, but only if you're done reading the book. It's worth reading in spite of the flaws, but the spoilers will seriously spoil it.
1 star docked for making career so secondary to romance:
Early on, I was excited to think that MC Dawn was searching for her lost career--her lost self--who she might have become if she had returned to academia and finished her doctorate.
Instead, the lost love takes center stage.
Time and again, Picoult artfully juxtaposed alternate possibilities, and coexisting opposing imperatives. Why couldn't she give at least equal standing to the two ways of Romance and Career?
She seemed to be going that way, in the beginning, but before long Egypt was all about Wyatt. Understandable in a way, once we know that she went there to tell Wyatt he's the father of her 15-year-old daughter. But while we don't know that, we watch her excitement over rediscovering her passion for archaeology and Egyptology fade into the background of her passion for Wyatt, until Egypt means Wyatt more than it means rediscovering Dawn's self. Fine, she was reconnecting with her great love and as it turns out the father of her child, but once we've learned all about that, toward the end there's such a tepid nod to the possibility of her resuming her beloved career. It's an aside to the life she could have with Wyatt. And she's so good, couldn't she resume that career without him? That option is never suggested. It's like a woman can only be successful as an adjunct to a successful man. Grr.
The other star is docked for letting Brian off easy.
What a doormat Dawn is, accepting all the blame for the messiness of her life. Could she please hold that manipulative Brian responsible for his part in her losses, Wyatt's losses, and daughter Meret's losses? Look at what Brian did. Granted, he was at a low point in his life. It all started at the hospice when he was vulnerable because of the death of his grandmother who raised him. But after his Gran died, Brian continued haunting the hospice, hanging around stalking Dawn so he could have the opportunity to comfort her. What about just leaving her his number, asking her out to coffee? No, he hangs around and she assumes he's still visiting his Gran, but he's just there "for her," as staff inform her. What a creep! Then, he helps her go through her dead mom's junk mail and makes the unilateral decision to throw out all of Wyatt's letters to Dawn, knowing exactly what they are, and knowing she might leave him if she knew Wyatt was desperately looking for her. Beyond manipulative, that's narcissistic. Brian acts as if the world revolves around him and he has a right to steal important mail from Dawn (a federal felony by the way) to force her decision the way he wants it to go. Then he has the nerve to blame her, years later, and she has the spinelessness to accept all the blame. Not okay.
Love is messy, but these two things are clear.
1. Love is best when we are at our best, and a person is their best self when thrilled with their work.
2. Love is not selfish, and manipulating someone into a relationship is not love.
P.S. eta: effin colonialist archaeology anyway... should I subtract one more star?
Two stars off for two huge flaws that made me furious. See spoilers for my opinion of those two flaws, but only if you're done reading the book. It's worth reading in spite of the flaws, but the spoilers will seriously spoil it.
Spoiler
1 star docked for making career so secondary to romance:
Early on, I was excited to think that MC Dawn was searching for her lost career--her lost self--who she might have become if she had returned to academia and finished her doctorate.
Instead, the lost love takes center stage.
Time and again, Picoult artfully juxtaposed alternate possibilities, and coexisting opposing imperatives. Why couldn't she give at least equal standing to the two ways of Romance and Career?
She seemed to be going that way, in the beginning, but before long Egypt was all about Wyatt. Understandable in a way, once we know that she went there to tell Wyatt he's the father of her 15-year-old daughter. But while we don't know that, we watch her excitement over rediscovering her passion for archaeology and Egyptology fade into the background of her passion for Wyatt, until Egypt means Wyatt more than it means rediscovering Dawn's self. Fine, she was reconnecting with her great love and as it turns out the father of her child, but once we've learned all about that, toward the end there's such a tepid nod to the possibility of her resuming her beloved career. It's an aside to the life she could have with Wyatt. And she's so good, couldn't she resume that career without him? That option is never suggested. It's like a woman can only be successful as an adjunct to a successful man. Grr.
The other star is docked for letting Brian off easy.
What a doormat Dawn is, accepting all the blame for the messiness of her life. Could she please hold that manipulative Brian responsible for his part in her losses, Wyatt's losses, and daughter Meret's losses? Look at what Brian did. Granted, he was at a low point in his life. It all started at the hospice when he was vulnerable because of the death of his grandmother who raised him. But after his Gran died, Brian continued haunting the hospice, hanging around stalking Dawn so he could have the opportunity to comfort her. What about just leaving her his number, asking her out to coffee? No, he hangs around and she assumes he's still visiting his Gran, but he's just there "for her," as staff inform her. What a creep! Then, he helps her go through her dead mom's junk mail and makes the unilateral decision to throw out all of Wyatt's letters to Dawn, knowing exactly what they are, and knowing she might leave him if she knew Wyatt was desperately looking for her. Beyond manipulative, that's narcissistic. Brian acts as if the world revolves around him and he has a right to steal important mail from Dawn (a federal felony by the way) to force her decision the way he wants it to go. Then he has the nerve to blame her, years later, and she has the spinelessness to accept all the blame. Not okay.
Love is messy, but these two things are clear.
1. Love is best when we are at our best, and a person is their best self when thrilled with their work.
2. Love is not selfish, and manipulating someone into a relationship is not love.
P.S. eta: effin colonialist archaeology anyway... should I subtract one more star?
I loved this. A bit of a different Jodi Picoult book - intelligent and perhaps a bit geeky. The conflicting ideas from Egyptology & physics - perhaps it shouldn’t work, but it does. Loving the two paths, and the mix of story & timelines. Not entirely sure what happened on the last page - clues, but perhaps a bit subtle. Perhaps in keeping with the two paths, but a little frustrating. So perhaps a 5* and a 4* ending. Make of it what you will based on your life experiences. And Meret, wow such a mature sensible teen at the end, she wins, and her take is perfect.
It took a while to get into but once I was sucked in I didn't want to stop.
This could have been five stars but for me, it was just too heavy in detail related to Egyptology. I would have loved it if it had trimmed that down some.