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chelseamh98's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
jojoshi's review against another edition
4.0
Incredibly surreal, would read again
I think I didn’t find the coma part cliche since I haven’t read much about it before. Although the ending was kind of rushed in terms of decision making, I could really resonate with being confused with life goals and appreciating the small things in life more. Especially loved the line “you can’t plan your life.. because then you have a plan. Not a life”
Of course that’s not to say you can’t plan life at all, I took it more as “live in the moment”, have more short term goals that lead up to bigger goals, but also you can’t guarantee anything since you and the world around you are always changing. Was her decision on breaking up too brash? Definitely in the context of the story, especially how quick it was and how she suddenly changed her mind after a month of “dreaming”, but I was somehow relieved that they didn’t stay together. Maybe it’s cause I resonated with the trapped feeling, how the anchor and comfort once dragged me down rather than supported, how once you start to feel that distance with the other person and need to grow but cannot because of the “set in stone plan” it’s hard to go back to before.
I think I didn’t find the coma part cliche since I haven’t read much about it before. Although the ending was kind of rushed in terms of decision making, I could really resonate with being confused with life goals and appreciating the small things in life more. Especially loved the line “you can’t plan your life.. because then you have a plan. Not a life”
Of course that’s not to say you can’t plan life at all, I took it more as “live in the moment”, have more short term goals that lead up to bigger goals, but also you can’t guarantee anything since you and the world around you are always changing. Was her decision on breaking up too brash? Definitely in the context of the story, especially how quick it was and how she suddenly changed her mind after a month of “dreaming”, but I was somehow relieved that they didn’t stay together. Maybe it’s cause I resonated with the trapped feeling, how the anchor and comfort once dragged me down rather than supported, how once you start to feel that distance with the other person and need to grow but cannot because of the “set in stone plan” it’s hard to go back to before.
sarge_fll's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
onecraftyreader's review against another edition
3.0
Who’s ready for COVID books? Yeah, I thought I could do it but I’m questioning that decision. I decided a few years ago to part ways with Jodi Picoult, and maybe I should have stuck with it.
Diana O’Toole has her life mapped out. From her next promotion to her all-but-certain engagement, she adds things to her checklist. However, when COVID shuts down the world in March 2020, she finds herself stuck in the Galapagos Islands and reassessing her perfectly planned life.
This is more a chronicle of pandemic times than a novel with something to say about the people in it. The Galapagos segment is fairly vividly drawn, but the NYC scenes are curiously stark. "I baked bread, watched TikTok, and learned to cut hair." Well, we all remember that - but this would be better served with some detail about those experiences. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters, and many were thinly-drawn verging on caricature (I’m looking at you, Rodney.) The Yoko Ono character was so obvious she might as well have been named something like “Yono Oko.” Why was she even there? It was actually distracting to be wondering why this character was so obviously modeled on a real person. I still don’t get it.
The author’s note at the end says that she wrote it in two months, and maybe that contributed to the overall superficial feel. If you’re a Picoult fan, this one might work for you, but I think I’ll stop here.
Diana O’Toole has her life mapped out. From her next promotion to her all-but-certain engagement, she adds things to her checklist. However, when COVID shuts down the world in March 2020, she finds herself stuck in the Galapagos Islands and reassessing her perfectly planned life.
This is more a chronicle of pandemic times than a novel with something to say about the people in it. The Galapagos segment is fairly vividly drawn, but the NYC scenes are curiously stark. "I baked bread, watched TikTok, and learned to cut hair." Well, we all remember that - but this would be better served with some detail about those experiences. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters, and many were thinly-drawn verging on caricature (I’m looking at you, Rodney.) The Yoko Ono character was so obvious she might as well have been named something like “Yono Oko.” Why was she even there? It was actually distracting to be wondering why this character was so obviously modeled on a real person. I still don’t get it.
The author’s note at the end says that she wrote it in two months, and maybe that contributed to the overall superficial feel. If you’re a Picoult fan, this one might work for you, but I think I’ll stop here.
mrm8748's review against another edition
4.0
2022 GLT Reading Challenge - cancelled travel plans prompt
megrosemac's review against another edition
4.0
2022 GLT Reading Challenge - cancelled travel plans prompt
cjames988's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.5
claysjenna's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Jodi captured the emotion and feelings of covid and the pandemic so well. I am not sure I like where she took the book/the ending. But I did enjoy this book more than I thought and it stirred up so many memories and emotions.
Jodi captured the emotion and feelings of covid and the pandemic so well. I am not sure I like where she took the book/the ending. But I did enjoy this book more than I thought and it stirred up so many memories and emotions.