#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Small Great Things and A Spark of Light comes a “powerful” (The Washington Post) novel about the choices that alter the course of our lives. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She’s on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: Prepare for a crash landing. … when the flight attendant makes an announcement: Prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband but of a man she last saw fifteen years ago: Wyatt Armstrong.
Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, there is her husband, Brian, their beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula, in which she helps ease the transition between life and death for her clients.
But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a career Dawn once studied for but was forced to abandon when life suddenly intervened. And now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the choice she once made.
After the crash landing, the airline ensures that the survivors are seen by a doctor, then offers transportation to wherever they want to go. The obvious destination is to fly home, but she could take another path: return to the archaeological site she left years before, reconnect with Wyatt and their unresolved history, and maybe even complete her research on The Book of Two Ways—the first known map of the afterlife.
As the story unfolds, Dawn’s two possible futures unspool side by side, as do the secrets and doubts long buried with them. Dawn must confront the questions she’s never truly asked: What does a life well lived look like? When we leave this earth, what do we leave behind? Do we make choices . . . or do our choices make us? And who would you be if you hadn’t turned out to be the person you are right now?
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A wonderful journey of realizing what love and life are about. The journey taken in two different ways. The journey begins as many young lives do with a pursuit of education and knowledge. Leading into the tragedy of family ties and bonds that will drive a different path to be taken. The book parallels the story of Egypt (which I found fascinating and educational) uncovering the tombs of those dead while the path of Dawn Edelstein is making decisions on her life, her mother, brother and an unexpected pregnancy.
Dawn lives in Boston with her husband, Brian, and her teenaged daughter, Merit. She is a death doula, someone who is there to support a dying person any way necessary. She goes back 15 years when she was a grad student in Egypt excavating tombs with handsome Wyatt and wonders if she could have finished her PHD. and whether she ran from the true love she was meant to be with. When her world is turned upside down, Dawn has the opportunity to discover what life would look like if she chooses her current life with her husband and teenage daughter or chose to return to Egypt and the man and life she left behind.
The book had to take on a tremendous amount research in Egyptology and the study of the Book of Two Ways. I found the research and discussion fascinating although at times it was a bit in depth. I enjoyed the flashes through the story with the past, the future and the current it really helped to parallel the story and understand what happened and/or what was coming next.
3.5/5
I always jump at the chance to read a Jodi Picoult book. Whether you agree or disagree with the storyline, she always makes you see both sides of the story. I will say I am a huge fan of the early JP books, versus the newer ones.
This book just had too much packed in it for me! Egyptologist and hieroglyphics and Quantum mechanics…oh my! The author’s research and attention to detail are second to known! But, I’m sorry to admit that I was so bogged down with the detail and descriptions that I ended up skimming thru a lot of the material and, in doing this, I might have missed little nuances. But, time is short and my book list is too long to read a textbook, which at times this felt like.
I enjoyed the storyline and the triangle of Dawn/Brian/Wyatt. As someone who is in the process of watching someone die, I found the death doula addition interesting and very enlightening. Parts of this were very emotional for me to read. For my ease in reading, I dislike long chapters but in this case, they work to get into the separate scenarios. There is a lot of back and forth within the chapters themselves. I can usually fly thru a JP book, but I found this one more difficult, stopping and starting very often. This might have been due to the overload of information and the Egyptology storyline. I prefer a neater ending than the one written, and did feel a little let down. As with all Ms. Picoult’s books, she will make you think outside the box or your comfort zone.
I love Ms. Picoult’s earlier works, and the triangle storyline reminded me of these. I went back and forth between really liking and disliking this book. I will always be a fan and always jump at the chance to read one of Ms. Picoult’s books. I appreciate her research, her attention to detail and the honing of her craft. But, I miss the Plain Truth, My Sister’s Keeper, and 19 Minutes Stories!
Thanks to Ms. Picoult, Random House Publishing/Ballantine and Net Galley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.
The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult was a fascinating, multi-layered book about Dawn Singleton who after studying and practicing as an Egyptologist becomes a death doula. Much of the book is the death journey of a lovely woman names Win, who led Dawn on her own journey, not to death, but to life. Dawn had been on a dig in Egypt when she got the call from her mother telling her that life, as she knew it, was changing. Dawn dropped everything and returned to Chicago, both to guide her mother’s last days, but also to raise her brother, Kieran. She had never gone back, never looked back, really until Win sends her with a letter to her lost love. Dawn is not able to deliver the letter (a matter of conscience) but does find her way back to Egypt and to the man she left there, Wyatt, possibly disrupting her 15 year marriage to Bryan and certainly upending all of their lives.
The story is told in segments that jump between her life as her mother is dying and what happens next; modern day both in her home life and with Win, who is dying; and Egypt, both then and now. Truthfully, sometimes it was difficult to immediately tell whether Egypt was then or now. Purposefully? Discoveries were made on all levels. Just how those discoveries would impact lives remains to be seen. Picoult is able to broach difficult subjects in a gentle and consuming way. This story is no different with so much of it tied up with dying. Re-examining a life well lived is another general them of her works, and this book is no different. Her characters are real, all of them, with quirks and foibles and feelings. There was a plethora of information about Egypt, always fascinating. This was an intriguing book, well worth the read. I recommend it.
I was invited to read a free ARC of The Book of Two Ways by Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thebookoftwoways
Dawn Edelstein in on a plane when the announcement from the flight attendant tells the passenger to prepare for a crash landing. Her life does not flash before her eyes nor do her thoughts turn to her husband and child. Rather, her thoughts turn to a former fellow graduate student, Wyatt Armstrong, at Yale’s prestigious Egyptology program. Dawn survives the crash shaken, but unscathed. She knows her life is at a turning point. She decides not to go home to Boston, her family, and her job as a death doula (death counselor). Instead, she gets back on a plane and heads to Egypt to find Wyatt.
Picoult has created an unusual story about the choices we willingly make and the choices that are made for us – and the consequences of both. The theme woven across the story is death. She explores death from the perspective of ancient Egyptians and the people who die today, and from the perspective of people whose dreams die. Dawn is a well-drawn character with doubts and secrets and when she’s given a second chance at life, she has decisions to make.
Picoult’s transitions between scenes are both abrupt and awkward and may take the reader out of her compelling story long enough for the reader to figure out where she is in the storyline. This book is probably not a page turner for most readers and may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Kudos to Picoult for writing about a difficult subject and wrapping it in a fascinating story of how quickly our lives can change and evolve.
For many people, talking about death is difficult at best and impossible at worse. Picoult has written an entire novel about death and dying that is entertaining and will make any reader reconsider their thoughts on the subject matter.
If you love history, science, and an honest look at difficult subjects this book is definitely for you. If you hate those subjects and are at all uncomfortable reading about death, then this book is probably not one you’ll enjoy. However, this book, regardless of your willingness or unwillingness to discuss death, deserves your attention.
My thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an eARC.
Jodie Picoult has always been one of my favorite authors, but I struggled to get through this novel. The writing is beautiful, the research is outstanding, but the whole Egyptian thing was just boring to me, and better suited to a graduate student of archeology! As a former hospice nurse, her role as a death doula really resonated with me, in its accuracy and emotional descriptions of the patients and their families, end of life experience.
I enjoyed the characters and her conflicting relationships with Wyatt and Brian, although the shifting of timelines was confusing at times and sometimes
I had to go back and reread, to determine at what point of time they were at.
I’m sure there will be those that love this book, but for me, it was a challenge, and I was happy when I finished the last page. I’m sure her effort was meant to satisfy something for her, but this faithful reader didn’t find it. I’m hoping her next release, is a rebound.
My thanks to #Netgalley and #BallentineBooks for the ARC. This is my honest and own opinions!
I cannot say enough about the tremendous investment I had after the first two chapters. The universe, the stakes, the curiosity for MORE. I am so glad Jodi has a new title.
This is a story about making a choice. Dawn has to make a choice between her past, present and future. It is told in the author’s usually finely tuned attention to detail. She tugs at the reader’s emotions and allows them to become invested in the decisions that the characters make. Dawn has to decide between the man she has been married to for 15 years or her first love that she has never forgotten. All of this is complicated by a daughter and a plane crash. It is an interesting story that will raise many questions. A great book club read.
Jodi Picoult’s The Book of Two Ways is a well-done character-driven novel about love, relationships, the choices we make and the paths our lives take because of or regardless of those choices. It speaks to the “what ifs” that linger in us all, dreams set aside but not forgotten, regrets, second, third, fourth… chances, and what our choice would be if given the opportunity to take the path not taken before.
The book covers many different topics (some would argue too many), among them Egyptology, quantum physics, neurosurgery, death and dying, and body image. It is obvious that Picoult did a lot of research in several fields of study prior to writing this book, and as a result this book educates as it entertains. Don’t let yourself get intimidated or bogged down by the depth presented in these topics, rather see them as the frameworks that the various characters relate to, are comfortable with and act in accordance with.
Dawn McDowell Edelstein is on a flight home to Boston when the flight crew calls a “planned emergency”. The plane is going to crash, and the crew prepares the passengers as best they can for the impact. Afterwards, Dawn learns she is one of only 36 survivors. Living through something like that makes a person reexamine their life and their choices and starkly brings home the fact that our life can end at any moment. Dawn is surprised that in what she thought were her last moments her thoughts were not of her husband Brian, or their 14 year-old daughter Meret; they were of Wyatt Armstrong, her first love, a man she hasn’t seen in fifteen years.
The book goes back and forth in time and place as it shows readers the two roads in Dawn’s life: the one she had planned to take with Wyatt, working as an Egyptologist; and the one she travelled with Brian, after she returned from Egypt to care for her dying mother and her younger brother. I personally love the way that Picoult tied Dawn’s two paths to the two roads (Water and Land) discussed in The Book of Two Ways, the first known map of the afterlife in Egyptology. These roads come closer and closer together until they come to a crossroads and Dawn must decide what to do.
This is a wonderfully written, deep and emotional storyline enhanced by complex characters (fully flawed, fully human) and vividly described scenes that resonate. I found it an enthralling read, but admit there will be those who don’t feel the same.
My thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for allowing me to read a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions stated here are my own.
This book. Wow! I’ve read some other reviews. And yes, this book has a lot of Egyptology facts and quantum physics facts. It can be a little overwhelming. But it’s needed to give the book the total package.
It’s hard for me to write a review about this. I don’t want to give any spoilers. This book makes you think about everything you’ve done so far in life. Do you have regrets? Do you wish to change? Dawn is married for 15 years and has a 14 year old daughter. She is a death doula. Her life is turned upside down and she questions everything about her life when she believes her husband has been unfaithful. She is remembering her past as an Egyptology student. Her coworker in Egypt and lover, Wyatt, who she had to abruptly leave 15 years ago, because of an unforeseen tragedy.
This book goes from Dawn’s past to present until they collide. The decision she is forced to make actually broke my heart. Someone will be hurt.
I love books that will make you think days and weeks later. And this book will do just that. This is another winner by Jodi Picoult!
This was not what I was expecting, I really wanted to read this book I kept reading so many great reviews and I do love the cover but definitely something was missing.
it was 30% and I still didn’t feel close to any character, I feel like something was not there, the warm, the love it was a story that had so much description, the main character Dawn kept internalizing so much so in my own experience I felt like she was always drowning in her thought and emotions and she was never happy.
I don’t have anything wrong or negative to say about The Book of two ways, it just wasn’t for me, too much talk, too much thinking, too much description is like too much going on and I felt like there was no action, no moving forward.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves details and characters who internalize every single detail of their lives..
This is the second book I’ve read by Jodi Picoult that I had trouble finishing. I have enjoyed so many of her books in the past, but this one just did me in. There was too much information, especially philosophical, quantum physics, Egyptian hieroglyphs, symbolism, etc. It just was too much to take in and did not read as a pleasure book. I felt like I was back in college and completing required reading for a course.
Being given the opportunity for a second chance is a wonderful notion. And I would have loved to enjoy that part of the book. However, the information shared overwhelmed the emotional part that appealed to me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
I was thrilled to see a new book from one of my favorite authors! Her books always makes me question “what would I do?” MC Dawn Edelstein experienced a life altering change and in a split second she is forced to chose going home to her family in Boston or to reconnect with Wyatt at an archaeological site and their unresolved history, and maybe even complete her research on The Book of Two Ways, the first known map of the afterlife. This is a beautiful story that reminds us to live life to the fullest with no regrets even if it may hurt or is not the obvious. Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an ebook ARC. This is my honest review.
Wow just wow. I think this is Jodi Picoult’s best book yet! At first, I wasn’t sure what I was reading. Science and so much science that honestly I was so very confused. I talked to my friend and she was like keep reading! Boy am I glad I did. This book is the ultimate love story. A mother’s love for her daughter, a wife’s love for her husband, a woman’s love for the man she always wants to be with her in the end. This amazing book with its wonderful characters will live in my heart forever. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.
This book, where to I even start? The book starts right off with a plane crash, so we know that Dawn, our main character is on a plane crash and she survives. But from there? We go back and forth, back to her past self and forth to some part of her future, but this back and forth? We don’t really have dates of them, so what do we know? We know that she is telling us part of the past past, part of still past? And then part of her present? We won’t know what the present is until…well you will have to read to find out or I will spoil you.
But, let’s talk about so of the things that I did like and found interesting in the book. I really enjoyed and learned about Egypt and Egyptology and learning about Dawn when she was just a college student, where she was fascinated by all things Egyptology and how she ended up in Egypt and the best time of her life. Where she was just pretty much starting her life, find lost tombs and find pharaohs and learning all about Egypt life from thousands of years ago. And about The Book of Two Ways, something she has always been wanting to find out more about it. But one thing she didn’t think it would happen was also finding love while there, and with the boy that she hated at first. Both were young and students and stupid in love and thought that the whole world were theirs to see and learn together, however things don’t always work out the way we want and Dawn learned it on the worse way possible. One day she got a call that she never thought she would and her whole world and life changed and she never looked back. Until many years later, when her life is as simple and complicated as a normal life can be. And sometime simple changed everything for her this time and she decided to take charge and see it through this time.
This book is not an easy book to read, you need to pay attention, you need to have patience with it, but in my opinion, if you ask me if it was worth it? Yes, it was, yes for sure. I loved the history part of the book. I loved the complicated part of Dawn’s life and how she was struggling with it and let’s be honest, it’s how we all fell. Life is not as easy as a book or a movie shows us all the time, and I loved how this book for once made a character as uneasy as Dawn, so unsure of herself and not knowing all the time if she was making the right the decision. So, with that been said, was it a perfect book? No, it was still confusing at times with back and forth and not know which part of the characters life we were reading.
Overall, still a solid 4 stars reading and I totally recommend it. I’m still thinking all thinks Egypt and want to travel there more than ever now lol.
The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult was an excellent book. There was a lot of information on Egyptology, Physics, Hieroglyphics, life and death. But the human emotions are what made this book. Jodi Picoult is a very good story teller and The Book of Two Ways surpasses her previous books by far. BoTW explores relationships between men and women, husband and wife, parent and child. Years after the fact do you reach out to your past even if it hurts the ones you love, if you want to right a wrong? Thought provoking. I would definitely recommend Book of Two Ways.
Okay, first I have to say I am a huge HUGE Jodi Picoult fan. Her books have always entertained me and made me think. She writes with such a lyrical cadence that at times, many of her stories read like poetry and allegories.
But this new book, THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS, was just a bit…too much. Not the story – that was wonderful! Even though I figured out the two secrets in the book long before they were revealed, I still loved the core story. What I didn’t love so much was all the textbook reiterations of egypt and long dead kings, and family lineages. Truthfully, I had to put the book down a few times because my eyes were crossing and I was starting to yawn.
The main core of the story – Dawn and Brian and Meret and Wyatt, well, that was classic Picoult all the way. This book is about birth, death, love, loss, reincarnation ( of the past self) and the parent/child dynamic that Picoult excels at writing and breaking down.
I would have given this book 5stars across the board if not for all the egyptology stuff. DOn’t get me wrong – it was central to the plot, I get that. I just wish there hadn’t been sososososo much of it.
4 stars to a great story, though.
Thanks Netgalley for a sneak peek!
Wow! This an incredible novel and it makes it hard to write a review that does it justice!
Have you ever wondered what if I took this path or that road or met that person years ago? How would my life have changed? Would I still be with the same people as now? Would my life be as it is or would it be dramatically different?
This a story of Dawn Edelstein. She survives a plane crash and in the terrifying moments before the actual crash her life review is not with her husband and daughter, but with her lover in Egypt where she was fifteen years prior when she was intent on becoming an Egyptologist, but left abruptly and has never returned.
Fifteen years later, Dawn is a Death Doula.
She loves her clients, and their families. She steps in to fulfill last wishes, hold hands and to be THAT person with her clients as they exit this life.
Upon a promise that she needs to accomplish for one of her patients, Dawn realizes that she needs to return to Egypt to right the wrongs from years ago and check on Wyatt Armstrong and make amends. Will he remember her?
This is a beautiful, not a light novel on life, death, happiness, caring,heartbreak and how fragile life is.
My favorite quote of this book from Dawn: “i believe that there are five things we need to say to people we love before they die, and I give this advice to caregivers; I forgive you. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you. Goodbye.”
Definitely a great read and on my top 2020 list.