Diana arrives on Galapagos as it is going into quarantine and lockdown, leaving her stranded, her luggage is lost, she cannot speak the language, and communications are patchy. She is isolated and lonely, but finds herself connecting with a local family. Like so many people, Diana is to find herself re-evaluating her sense of identity and working out what really matters in life. There is a humdinger of a ingenious twist that Picoult weaves into the narrative that I cannot reveal as it will be entering into spoiler territory.
This is one of the author's best works, it is multi-layered, the characters are stellar and feel so authentic, and whilst it does not make for easy reading, I found myself turning the pages as fast as I could. Ultimately, this is a emotionally poignant, thought provoking novel, of what it is to be human, and the love, resilence, bravery and hope in the face of a global pandemic that broke so many lives. I think so many readers will love and appreciate this book.
Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC. View all 36 comments. It was an expensive trip for two millennials in New York, but they had been saving up for four years. Diana was sure that Finn would propose to her once on the island. At last minute, due to a virus, only 19 cases of covid in New York at the time , Finn was told that within a couple of days, the emergency dept.
Finn thought Diana should still go — take the vacation alone. Disheartening and hesitant, Diana agrees. Her luggage was lost. The internet connection was spotty at best, and the entire island was newly under quarantine. She meets a few locals - and with relentless storytelling, Jodi Picoult starts reeling us in. Jodi Piciout is a great observer and describer of the vagaries of life.
She has a way of creating characters that are flawed, yet sympathetic, vulnerable, yet strong. She demonstrates that once again, no topic is off-limits or too difficult to handle. She pulled this novel off flawlessly…. The reveals are skillfully written… showing readers bits and pieces until the full picture emerges. As the narrative took a compelling, and unexpected turn, I found it impossible to put this book down.
I wanted the story to move in a different direction…yet the choices Jodi made were an uncomfortable gift. While Diana, a protagonist that was both challenging and easy to understand , was grappling with what she wanted, what she needed, and how life circumstances were changing her….
I was asking myself the same questions. I was sad to leave the characters I came to care about….. My body felt drained. I was aware of my own fragility, and vulnerability to the shock, sadness, and loss experienced from the powerful realistic emotional punch of heartbreaking unyielding mind-boggling storytelling. It cuts to the bone—not sunny, nor sappy….. And this novel, might just be her finest work yet. View all 62 comments.
PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps Beautiful review, Elyse. She has a plan for her life that she has outlined carefully. Finn is handsome, loving and a surgical resident!! Diana and Finn have planned a romantic getaway to the Galapagos, where they will celebrate her 30th birthday. They have been listening to the news, reports of a virus in China that is deadly, but it seems worlds away. The night before their planned departure, Finn tells her that his vacation has been cancelled and all hospital personnel must be ready for the wave of patients that the hospital is expecting.
They have invested so much time and money and she has dreamed of seeing the islands. We travel with Diana as she reaches Isabel island. But there are challenges.
Diana has no choice but to stay. As she relaxes into the inevitable, she meets people that she likes and who are kind and helpful. With the help of Gabriel, a former tour guide, Diana discovers the incredible animals of the island. There are land tortoises, flamingos, penguins, sea lions and marine iguanas. So much to see and experience!! The landscape is incredible, from lush green vegetation to dry land shaped by volcanic eruptions.
Meanwhile internet connections are difficult but she does get news from Finn, there are so many deaths in NYC. They are running out of ventilators, he works for days without a break. Every time she gets an email from Finn, things keep getting worse, more people are dying!!!!! Her descriptions are so vivid I could picture the landscape, the volcano and the sea. The characters are well described and I got lost in the story.
The characters evolve and change along with the story!! There are shifts in the novel, we are able to enter the world of NYC hospitals in crisis mode!! The nurses and doctors are all doing their best, but they are fighting an unknown enemy!! I felt truly engaged with the characters, I found the story believable and I learned so much. You will learn why Ms. Picoult was compelled to write this novel and all the research she did.
I can highly recommend this book to everyone!!! View all 59 comments. Nearly four years they saved up for Galapagos trip they planned: this is the best time for Diane because legendary Kitomi Ito quiet twin of Yoko Ono decided to postpone the auction of the famous Toulouse - Lautrec painting she owned because of uprising of contagious virus. So he offers her to go alone and interestingly she accepts!
When she gets off the ferry to walk to her hotel, she realizes her hotel is closed and for two weeks the entire island is shut down for quarantine. Thankfully a local woman provides her a house to stay, leaving traditional food at her kitchen.
She starts writing postcards to communicate with Finn but the post office is also close. How will she send them? But her fate crosses with this charismatic mysterious man and his daughter which probably change her entire vision and perspective about the island! The emotional approach of the story and fair- satisfying ending made me smile a lot.
I think I can give 10 stars for the heartfelt, earth shattering ending! It makes you remind of respecting them so deeply! They are the real heroes who saved our lives and gave us hope to hold on for so long! She also depicted the perfect pictures of Galapagos. She told us a story of a girl who planned everything to choose different path from her mother she resented for abandoning her. But she also told how to open our hearts and forgive each other to be free from our resentments.
I extremely loved this book so much! I think this is one of the best works of the author. This is one of the books you want to reread at different parts and timelines of your life. View 2 comments. Hmm, this is a tough one to review. I like that she took it in, let's say, unexpected directions, and explored a subject I knew very little about.
I did not predict the way this story would unfold. Which is good. That being said, I found the first half of this book very slow. With no way to get home, Diana wanders around being a bit of an ignorant tourist, meeting the locals, and trying to find a way to feed herself. Diana becomes involved in the lives of local businessman, Gabriel, and his daughter, Beatriz.
Through these new friendships and interactions, she begins to question what she had thought she wanted from her life, to question the path she is on and whether it is the right one. This goes on for more than half of the book pages in the e-arc. I was not enamoured by it. As I said earlier, though, the book does go on to take some interesting turns.
It's unfortunate that what I liked about the book would reveal too much, so I can only really talk about my complaints here. It's rewarding for the patient reader. View all 5 comments. With all of it. Tough book to review, but I enjoyed the Galapagos section a bit more than you did. I ended up giving it 5 stars I may be generous with my stars, but I don't want to hurt people's feelings, and I just know that Jodi Picoult will read my Goodreads review and feel seen and appreciated ;- Anyhoo, one thing I did enjoy about this one is how she returned to the "ripped from the headlines" plot inspo like MSK , rather than the "here's a book about my latest niche interest" inspo.
Robin Hey, Emily just a quick question at what time of the day do you prefer reading? Diana is nearly 30, about to make a major sale in her art auction job, and is happily in a relationship with surgical resident Finn. Life is perfect. The island has shut down and everyone is in lockdown.
There are no ferries to get to the airport, and no flights to get her back home. The hotel she was supposed to stay at is closed.
Luckily, she meets a local woman who lets her stay at the empty apartment attached to her house. Feeling isolated and completely alone, Diana meets a local family who help her out and start to embrace her. Picoult writes a gripping story that is largely unputdownable. What I really appreciated was learning about the emergency healthcare workers on the frontline in the early days of lockdown when there were so many unanswered questions. I can imagine that what happens in this book might not sit well with ALL readers, but ultimately it worked for me and made me think.
Again, the research Picoult did is astounding I absolutely loved reading about her writing journey. View all 98 comments. To be completely honest, I was nervous as hell, beginning this book. But when New York is ravaged by Covid, it looks like their dream holiday will have to be shelved.
Finn is a resident at a large New York Hospital and things are about to hit the fan. Capturing the consuming fear and exhausting moment of every healthcare worker called into the fight to deal with the nightmare crisis. No sensationalism here…just the brutal reality of it all. The structure of the chapters midway had me subconsciously holding my breath! I was captivated, nearly frozen in place.
Even when simply trying to describe the book to a friend they start flowing again. A must-read for ! No doubt about it. Jodi Picoult is a polished writer, and her research is always meticulous. This author can write. So, this rating is not a reflection of her talent…but rather one reflecting my enjoyment level of reading this story. Or lack of enjoyment, as the case may be. The hospital needs all hands on deck. Their vacation is non-refundable and he encourages her to take it, not realizing how bad things would get.
Diana finds herself stranded there, the borders closed, the Island under quarantine. This is a prevalent theme in the entire book, and Ms.
Picoult does not hold back. If you read this-be prepared! If you have lost someone to Covidit may be too soon to pick this up. I do LOVE what a wonderful tribute it is to the medical community…the men and women who continue to be the heroes of this Pandemic. Available November 30, Minnie Darke. The Horse Whisperer. Nicholas Evans. Bodies and Souls. Nancy Thayer. Tiffany McDaniel. Love, Unscripted. Owen Nicholls. She Gets That from Me. Open House. Legacy of Silence. The Perfect Summer.
Our Italian Summer. Jennifer Probst. A Sudden Change of Heart. Barbara Taylor Bradford. The Secret of Everything. Light of the Moon.
Bitter in the Mouth. Monique Truong. 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. Fourteen-year-old Trixie Stone is a blend of both beauty and brains.
She is quite popular, a straight-A student, and is in love for the very first time. Small great things audiobook online free. This book is so dang powerful and Picoult is able to tell a story with an objective lens. See Also : Pathways Courses Show details. She lives in New …. R While a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp, Wiesenthal was brought to the deathbed of an SS soldier, who wanted to confess to and be forgiven by a Jew.
Wiesenthal found himself has been the starting point for many. My Sister's Keeper. Jodi Picoult Goodreads Author 4. Picoult has published 26 novels, accompanying short stories, and has also written several issues of Wonder Woman. Approximately 40 million copies of her books are in print worldwide, translated into 34 languages.
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