The Book of Two Ways: A Novel
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The Book of Two Ways: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Jodi Picoult (Author), Patti Murin (Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 21,467 ratings
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Number one New York Times best seller

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.

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. 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 15 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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  1. Listening Length
    15 hours and 47 minutes
  2. Author
    Jodi Picoult
  3. Narrator
    Patti Murin
  4. Audible release date
    September 22, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B085VSHX8J
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 15 hours and 47 minutes
Author Jodi Picoult
Narrator Patti Murin
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date September 22, 2020
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B085VSHX8J
Best Sellers Rank #3,628 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#41 in Fiction Sagas
#199 in Women's Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#235 in Family Saga Fiction

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
21,467 global ratings
Buying books online
4 Stars
Buying books online
Book arrived out of the package with the cover slightly torn. I wouldn’t mind so much except I will be giving this as a Christmas gift. I could replace it but I don’t think it’s worth the hassle of returning and waiting for a new copy (and hoping it’s fully intact). Just a thought when buying hard cover books as gifts in the future. I haven’t read the book but I’m sure it’s a good one.
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Top reviews from the United States

Kelley
5.0 out of 5 stars worth reading more than once
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2023
Verified Purchase
I read this first before my mother died. She was suffering a long, brutal illness and when I started it I gave her a copy and we read them together across the miles. I remember being simultaneously transfixed and skewered; we had talked endlessly about the death she wanted but here was a book addressing all the same issues—PLUS an Ancient Egyptian plot line AND two romances AND an Irish twist. It was too real to read but I couldn’t put it down. In retrospect, the bravest reader was really my mom. A series of coincidences led me to re-read it now, nearly two years after I sat with her while she died, and the power of it came right back and smacked me in the heart. I couldn’t pause—I read it straight through. I loved it even more the second time, and I think as I continue to age and experience more death (and practice seeing the beauty in it) I will repeatedly earn myself a re-read. It’s a fantastic book with no shortage of glorious eye-opening moments that keep on giving. Thanks for writing this.
14 people found this helpful
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Laurel-Rain Snow
4.0 out of 5 stars ROADS NOT TAKEN...
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
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. 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?

My Thoughts: Immediately we are thrust into the past for Dawn Edelstein, in The Book of Two Ways. She returns to the past as she revisits the Egyptian site where she first felt the passion of studying burial sites with Wyatt Armstrong. Back in Boston, her husband Brian waits, not understanding what has happened. And her daughter Meret is struggling.

I could relate to the need to explore unfinished journeys, and even the road not taken. But is Dawn risking her present life for one that might have been?

The story flips between the past and the present, and I soon found myself not enjoying the journey into the past and wishing Dawn would stay focused on what she has in the here and now. Like this moment she experiences with a client who is dying: “Her portrait of death lives in shadows. It’s midnight blue and dusky violet and violent black, but if you stare at it hard enough, you can make out two faint profiles, a breath apart, unable to complete that kiss for eternity.”

But in parallel universes, we watch the characters flash back and forth, and the destinies that unfold are fascinating. We are kept on tenterhooks, wondering what will finally happen for them. While I often found myself preferring parts of the story more than others, in the end I couldn’t stop pushing through to the ultimate answers that might take the characters to places they should be.

A book that held me captive until the end, I soon forgot about the parts I didn’t like much…and concluded that the work was unforgettable and had earned 4.5 stars.
25 people found this helpful
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J. M. Ponticello
5.0 out of 5 stars captivating characters
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2023
Verified Purchase
Though the storyline could be sometimes confusing, I do believe that is intentional. The overall story is compelling and heartrending. I tried to read it slowly in order to make it last, but I simply could not put it down. We are drawn into the lives of every character and find ourselves Caring what happens to them. A beautiful book.
As an aside, I love that while I have read several books by Jodi Picoult, she is not a “formula” writer and every book is extraordinarily well researched and unique.
4 people found this helpful
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FrequentShopper
3.0 out of 5 stars Clunky and Disappointing Ending
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2020
Verified Purchase
I'll add to the many reviews that I agree with - while this was still an enjoyable read by a prolific author, it isn't one of Picoult's best.
One of my favorite things about a Jodi Picoult book is that I feel like I'm learning something about a topic (wolves, elephants, court proceedings, etc.) in the construct of a great story. Her stories are also nuanced and twisty, so you find yourself truly empathizing with all sides of an issue.
Egypt:
However, this book really laid the Egypt stuff on thick. I thought the quantum physics and death doula topics were the normal level of "learning something new" but, as other reviews have stated, there is way, way too much Egypt info. Facts are dumped into pages and you eventually realize they don't move the plot forward, so you start skipping them over. If you get the concept of multiple paths and weighing your heart, then skip the Egypt lessons in the book.
Characters:
While Picoult does a great job of presenting complicated characters with big flaws, I've always liked the main character. However, Dawn was unlikable. Her decisions don't make sense and she actually seemed like the least built out character. Most of her inner thoughts are the Egypt, doula, physics lessons rather than the motivation for why she makes such terrible decisions.
Also, as other readers have said, Brian and Wyatt are both way too perfect. The Brian/Gita thing felt like a weird, red herring if Win was going to be the catalyst for Dawn to go find Wyatt.
Plot:
I kind of liked the format. I did wonder "what's the deal with the plane crash?" for most of the book, but I believed we were in Dawn's two alternate universes, flipping back and forth, and I liked how that came together as one story line. However, it wasn't as subtly brilliant as Picoult's plot twists usually are. Finally, as others have mentioned, the ending is really bad. It was rushed and there was, what felt like, a lazy cliffhanger. She was obviously going to choose Wyatt but there was some half-hearted attempt for Brian to win her back. It was poorly-written and rushed; I would rather Dawn had been killed off in the plane crash.

If you are a Picoult fan and read all of her books, still give this one a go, but maybe wait until it's out in paperback or in the Kindle Lending Library.
35 people found this helpful
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Patricia
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome author
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2024
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I haven't read this book yet. But I'm sure it's awesome Jodi Picoult is such a wonderful author, every book I've read of hers is a journey.
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a light reader
4.0 out of 5 stars another work of art
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2024
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As always Jodi delivers an in-depth look into the study of something and applies it to real life. I got confused in the history but caught up in the story.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Rock&Ecc
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!!!!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2024
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What a beautiful learning experience as well as a whirlwind of emotion!! Such perspective and food for thought!!! It is an amazing read and will that will stay with me for a good long time!!!! Thanks for the adventure x
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Patricia Formigoni
5.0 out of 5 stars Another treasury
Reviewed in Brazil on February 1, 2021
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This is a book with Egypt, history, caring, meaning, death, reconection and truth. I read all of her books and I this one enchanted me like when I read the first one.
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オーナーオブ・ロンリーハーツクラブバンド
3.0 out of 5 stars ヒドイ話？
Reviewed in Japan on April 15, 2021
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エジプト学者になることを断念し終末期の病人の世話人（医者でも看護師でもケアマネージャーでもない）になった女性のお話。
古代エジプトの"The Book of Two Ways"、主人公の夢と現実、元カレと現在の夫、夫の専門であるパラレルユニバースと、幾つものtwo waysが異なる対立軸として描かれ作品に奥行きを与えています。

前段の設定披露はテンポ良く進みましたが、後半は作者の癖で必要以上に時間を前後してストーリーが飛ぶので読み辛いです。クライマックス近くにお約束の爆弾が炸裂しますが、話が散らかっており余り効きません。

主人公は作者の作品に度々登場する悩みながらも自分に正直に生きている個人主義＝自己中心的な女性です。お陰で周りは全員えらい迷惑なのですが、そこをポジティブに捉えられるかどうかが本作の評価、果ては西洋と東洋の分かれ目です。
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David Love
5.0 out of 5 stars one of my favourite jodi picoult reads and i think i havde read most of them
Reviewed in Australia on October 18, 2020
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one of her best..love the way it draws you into seeing your own life and how different paths you could of taken might have led you to a different life for yourself...i identified so much with the main character ..i also have been passionate about egyptian history...this novel was super clever in portraying it's title The book of two ways...on a personal note i am glad of my path when two ways crossed
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V. Draper
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant... spoiled by the ending
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 21, 2024
Verified Purchase
As with every book I've read by Jodi Picoult, the attention to detail, the amount of available learning and the writing style are exceptional. However, I totally disagree with her advisor who recommended a different ending to the one she chose herself and wrote first. This ending is a complete 'cop-out'. No-one wants to be left hanging; making their own mind up just doesn't happen. Simply, the book just doesn't END. I loved it all the way through- even though I felt a little bogged-down by the Egyptology. Great storyline. Beautifully written. I just am left feeling... disappointed.
2 people found this helpful
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