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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I have never read a Jodi Picoult novel before which is why I was intrigued to try this one out. And I’m really glad I did, because this is a magnificent novel exploring ‘what if’. What if I had made different choices in my life? And a wonderful dose of ancient Egypt on the side.
It follows Dawn McDowell, who used to be an Egyptologist working on the coffin texts of the Middle Kingdom, one of which, ‘The Book of Two Ways’, is an ancient Egyptian map of the underworld, she was especially interested in - it shows two paths, one over land and one over water, separated by a lake of fire. Fast forward to the present, Dawn is a ‘death doula’, otherwise known as a death midwife, a job which entails helping the terminally ill prepare for death. She left behind Egyptology - and an intense romance with her fellow Egyptologist, Wyatt, in order to go home and look after her mother, who was dying. From there, Dawn fell into another life from the one she had been expecting - we follow both Dawn in Boston and Dawn in Egypt, her two paths and possibly two destinies. The book deals with ideas of missed opportunities, choices and fate: Dawn must consider whether she is on the right path, and if it’s too late to change; with a little bit of parallel universe theory as Dawn contemplates these issues. The end was intense, I may need a few days to recover! I’m not sure if I liked the ultimate ending but I have come away feeling that this was a terrific read, regardless.
I really enjoyed the parts set in Egypt where Dawn was doing work in newly discovered tombs, it was a fascinating blend of history alongside romance, and a philosophical exploration of the choices we make. I think that readers who enjoyed The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak would also enjoy this novel, as it reminded me a little of that in terms of the themes being explored.
My thanks to @Hodderbooks and #netgalley for the arc to review.
It follows Dawn McDowell, who used to be an Egyptologist working on the coffin texts of the Middle Kingdom, one of which, ‘The Book of Two Ways’, is an ancient Egyptian map of the underworld, she was especially interested in - it shows two paths, one over land and one over water, separated by a lake of fire. Fast forward to the present, Dawn is a ‘death doula’, otherwise known as a death midwife, a job which entails helping the terminally ill prepare for death. She left behind Egyptology - and an intense romance with her fellow Egyptologist, Wyatt, in order to go home and look after her mother, who was dying. From there, Dawn fell into another life from the one she had been expecting - we follow both Dawn in Boston and Dawn in Egypt, her two paths and possibly two destinies. The book deals with ideas of missed opportunities, choices and fate: Dawn must consider whether she is on the right path, and if it’s too late to change; with a little bit of parallel universe theory as Dawn contemplates these issues. The end was intense, I may need a few days to recover! I’m not sure if I liked the ultimate ending but I have come away feeling that this was a terrific read, regardless.
I really enjoyed the parts set in Egypt where Dawn was doing work in newly discovered tombs, it was a fascinating blend of history alongside romance, and a philosophical exploration of the choices we make. I think that readers who enjoyed The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak would also enjoy this novel, as it reminded me a little of that in terms of the themes being explored.
My thanks to @Hodderbooks and #netgalley for the arc to review.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I have mixed feelings about this book, but I did find myself flying through it and feeling a lot of emotions with the characters.
I’ve seen a lot of reviewers stating that they struggled with an excess of information on Egyptology and Quantum Physics. I didn’t find this to be the case, except for a few detailed passages on Egyptology which, I admit, were difficult to fully understand as someone with no prior knowledge.
I wish the story focused more on her regrets of not having pursued her studies and career in Egyptology and how she reconciles that, rather than heavily focusing on her romantic relationships. I also can’t say I could understand or empathise with some of her decisions but it was a good and reflective read nonetheless!
I’ve seen a lot of reviewers stating that they struggled with an excess of information on Egyptology and Quantum Physics. I didn’t find this to be the case, except for a few detailed passages on Egyptology which, I admit, were difficult to fully understand as someone with no prior knowledge.
I wish the story focused more on her regrets of not having pursued her studies and career in Egyptology and how she reconciles that, rather than heavily focusing on her romantic relationships. I also can’t say I could understand or empathise with some of her decisions but it was a good and reflective read nonetheless!
It’s clear that Jodi threw her heart and soul into the research for this book, which she always does. However, I just couldn’t bring myself to care about the Egyptian history, which made it hard to pick up the book.
On top of that, her husband is constantly talking about complex science. I feel like my brain never had a chance to relax.
As always, the characters are great. I cared about the general storyline, it was just hard to get through all the content in the background.
On top of that, her husband is constantly talking about complex science. I feel like my brain never had a chance to relax.
As always, the characters are great. I cared about the general storyline, it was just hard to get through all the content in the background.
It seems like based on the reviews, a lot of people didn’t like this book. I wanted to add a positive opinion to the mix.
I will acknowledge that the Egyptology and quantum physics are heady at times, but never hard to understand, and it added a lot of depth to the story.
Similarly to Picoult’s other books, there are deep, complex characters and a compelling plot. I enjoyed it from start to finish.
I will acknowledge that the Egyptology and quantum physics are heady at times, but never hard to understand, and it added a lot of depth to the story.
Similarly to Picoult’s other books, there are deep, complex characters and a compelling plot. I enjoyed it from start to finish.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t think I would have finished this if I didn’t do it on audiobook. It was quite slow and dry at times but I did enjoy the overall story. I had recently read a couple of books with the same concept that were faster paced so I struggled with this one.
Wow I really really liked this novel. Especially how it went back and forth between the two lives that Dawn could’ve had after she ends up in a plane clash and somehow survived. Her life in Egypt as a scholar and could have been doctorate or the life she lead with Brian and Meret while woeking as a death doula. Very interesting concepts and I enjoyed how they mirrored each other as two different ways that Dawn could have chosen. Ending was a little abrupt but I can see the reasoning. Definitely makes me want to read more Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult is never a slouch when it comes to research. Each of her books has always provided me an entree to topics I thought I knew, or thought I knew how I felt about, or knew nothing about, and then tilted my axis for a new and different perspective. I know that I can always count on her to make me stop and think.
The Book of Two Ways is, fair warning, heavy on the research and is not for casual reading if you have any hope of making sense of what the protagonist is going on (and on) about. I’ll have be honest and say that quite a lot of it flew right over my head and out through the “vividly painted false door through which his ba soul could come and go.”
It just wasn’t accessible to me and I didn’t feel invested as did some other readers with more gumption than me to do my own research so I could better understand all of the Egyptology references. I dumbed it down and read for the tempestuous rivalry, the searing looks, and steamy soulmate sex instead. I mean the Egyptology is, errrrr, interesting. I found it too heady to connect the dots but that’s not say you might not! Also, #pandemicbrain so sustained reading of any kind is a plus even if I didn’t have the wherewithal to make complete sense of it. Most wondrously, and beleagueredly belated, I discovered that Kindle has a feature called X-ray which would have been mighty helpful to have discovered in medias res. With a simple tap, you can see all of the passages in a book that mention specific ideas, topics, historical figures, fictional characters, and places. And get reference help. Why did I not know this? Happy accident that I just stumbled across it as I was looking for the passages I marked.
At its core, it’s a story about love and the choices or decisions we make. And the regrets we have. And here’s where Picoult always manages to snag me, a turn of phrase that seems to have come right smack out of my head. She manages to encapsulate and/or mirror so eloquently my own thoughts.
“You begin to wonder if you still love him. You wonder if you ever did. The opposite of love, you think, isn’t hate. It’s complacency.”
“When you fall in love, it’s because you find someone who fills all your empty spaces. When you fall out of love, it’s because you realize that you’re both broken.”
“That I’d been drowning in a future that was uncertain, and grabbed on to someone solid and strong.”
“Wyatt will dig till he finds something. Brian will wait until it comes to him.”
“I wonder if our conversation will be boxed into things like weather and flora and fauna, because it’s safer that way, until there’s virtually nothing we can talk about at all.”
As a protagonist, Dawn, is at times a bit pretentious and sanctimonious not to mention she’s a bit of a martyr. But, the struggle is real. And, if she’s not always relatable, her predicament is. Part of the fun of this novel is the plot structure and quantum physics and multiverses play into this.
Not my favorite of her novels, but I liked it more than I originally thought I did now that I have started thinking about it in more depth.
The Book of Two Ways is, fair warning, heavy on the research and is not for casual reading if you have any hope of making sense of what the protagonist is going on (and on) about. I’ll have be honest and say that quite a lot of it flew right over my head and out through the “vividly painted false door through which his ba soul could come and go.”
It just wasn’t accessible to me and I didn’t feel invested as did some other readers with more gumption than me to do my own research so I could better understand all of the Egyptology references. I dumbed it down and read for the tempestuous rivalry, the searing looks, and steamy soulmate sex instead. I mean the Egyptology is, errrrr, interesting. I found it too heady to connect the dots but that’s not say you might not! Also, #pandemicbrain so sustained reading of any kind is a plus even if I didn’t have the wherewithal to make complete sense of it. Most wondrously, and beleagueredly belated, I discovered that Kindle has a feature called X-ray which would have been mighty helpful to have discovered in medias res. With a simple tap, you can see all of the passages in a book that mention specific ideas, topics, historical figures, fictional characters, and places. And get reference help. Why did I not know this? Happy accident that I just stumbled across it as I was looking for the passages I marked.
At its core, it’s a story about love and the choices or decisions we make. And the regrets we have. And here’s where Picoult always manages to snag me, a turn of phrase that seems to have come right smack out of my head. She manages to encapsulate and/or mirror so eloquently my own thoughts.
“You begin to wonder if you still love him. You wonder if you ever did. The opposite of love, you think, isn’t hate. It’s complacency.”
“When you fall in love, it’s because you find someone who fills all your empty spaces. When you fall out of love, it’s because you realize that you’re both broken.”
“That I’d been drowning in a future that was uncertain, and grabbed on to someone solid and strong.”
“Wyatt will dig till he finds something. Brian will wait until it comes to him.”
“I wonder if our conversation will be boxed into things like weather and flora and fauna, because it’s safer that way, until there’s virtually nothing we can talk about at all.”
As a protagonist, Dawn, is at times a bit pretentious and sanctimonious not to mention she’s a bit of a martyr. But, the struggle is real. And, if she’s not always relatable, her predicament is. Part of the fun of this novel is the plot structure and quantum physics and multiverses play into this.
Not my favorite of her novels, but I liked it more than I originally thought I did now that I have started thinking about it in more depth.
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
