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Jodi Picoult

Wish You Were Here Kindle Edition

by Jodi Picoult (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Diana O'Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She's not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose - days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.

But now she is stranded, alone on what was planned to be a romantic idyll with Finn. Unfortunately, Finn is trapped thousands of miles away, and Diana is on one of the world's most beautiful islands with no food, no luggage, and no place to stay, forced to test her personal limits to survive.

Struggling to find her feet, Diana gradually connects with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to her. As Diana helps her fight her demons she learns more about herself, and about the islands of Galapagos, where Darwin developed his theory of evolution. The dramatic and sometimes dangerous terrain reflects Diana's own experiences, her new relationships and growing awareness that she too is evolving into someone quite different.

A near-death experience brings Diana abruptly back to familiar city surroundings, where she tries to pick up the threads of her old life. Has she changed or have the people around her? Diana is no longer prepared to be just a follower, at work or in her relationships. She breaks down years of estrangement with her mother, takes the initiative in her career, and looks at Finn through new eyes.

Jodi Picoult's matchless ability to portray the full gamut of human emotions is once again on display in Wish You Were Here, along with her characteristically meticulous research into today's burning issues.

Print length

336 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Allen & Unwin
Publication date

30 November 2021
File size

3730 KB
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About the Author

Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-seven novels, including The Book of Two Ways, A Spark of Light, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, and My Sister's Keeper, and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Picoult lives in New Hampshire. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Review

A writer the world needs to be reading right now ― Independent

It is hard to exaggerate how well Picoult writes ― Financial Times

There are writers who try and do what Picoult does, and then there's Picoult ― Marie Claire

Taps into the trauma and uncertainty of 2020's global crisis. Absolutely a must-read ― Booklist

We couldn't turn the pages fast enough ― Closer

Extraordinary... it's such a great book -- Graham Norton

A must-read. Striking, eloquent, and thought-provoking... Emotionally intelligent and perceptive...This is Jodi Picoult at her best ― Love Reading

Surprising, emotional yet uplifting, this is a top read ― Sun on Sunday

If reading became a struggle for you during the pandemic, let Jodi Picoult show you how page-turning magic is not lost... This will make you laugh, nod and cry - and at one point gasp out loud with a twist you will not see coming. Sometimes you will take a moment to let it all sink in. Superb ― Press Association

Another fantastic and clever read from Picoult ― Woman

A fascinating exploration of the very nature of reality ― Saga Magazine

Picoult is at her best when bringing the magnificence of the Galapagos to life in all its strange and colourful glory... A few hours after finishing Wish You Were Here I broke down in tears... This is a book worth reading, a book which reminds us that our futures are not guaranteed or inevitable ― Irish Sunday Independent

Beautiful, beautiful prose and rich storytelling. I just loved it ― Lia Louis, author of Eight Perfect Hours --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B094CF3SCG
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Allen & Unwin (30 November 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3730 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 336 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 97 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 16 in Contemporary Fiction (Kindle Store)

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2,270 ratings

About the author

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Jodi Picoult

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Jodi Picoult is the author of twenty five internationally bestselling novels, including MY SISTER'S KEEPER, HOUSE RULES and SMALL GREAT THINGS, and has also co-written two YA books with her daughter Samantha van Leer, BETWEEN THE LINES and OFF THE PAGE. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children.

Her most recent adult novel, A SPARK OF LIGHT first published in the UK on 30th October 2018, and was a #1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller.

Follow Jodi Picoult on Twitter @JodiPicoult and find out more at www.jodipicoult.co.uk or on Facebook/JodiPicoultUK.

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No spoilers. Excellent book. Take home lessons for all

Reviewed in Australia on 3 December 2021

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Over the many years that I have read Ms Picoults` books, there have of course, been some I’ve liked, some I haven’t , some I’ve been indifferent to and some that age just too damn good for words. Wish you were here falls into the final category. It is an impressive manuscript, made even more exceptional, by the subject matter that she has tackled.

Our main characters, Dianna and Finn are a couple. Finn is a surgical resident in a NY hospital and Dianna works as an art specialist at Sotheby’s. When covid enters the world stage, little do our couple realise how it may inhabit and disrupt their lives. A planned holiday about to start is disrupted as all Drs are ordered to remain at work. Dianna and Finn discuss whether they cancel it or whether she still goes. Whether she gets out of NY and stays away from what is speculated to be the pandemic epicentre. No more plot. No spoilers.

As we sit here, 2 years into the pandemic, it must be acknowledged that it was a brave book to write. You could always say a risky book to write. As a widow from 2019, an ex-registered nurse myself, and someone who nursed my mum through to her passing in 2021, Ms Picoult, boy did you get this book right. Thank you so much for taking your time with your research.

My husband was in icu several times during the last years of his life and your writing of ICU a patients and effects from their stay….he suffered those too. I could relate to that. As a registered nurse, I can say that your writing of how nurses work from day to day is beautifully done. I noted the subtle humour that came in through some nurses comments. Again highly relatable. I was that nurse, but am not anymore. Your care in writing about dementia was beautifully done, allowing for the disease to be demonstrated through the exquisiteness of the person underneath.

This book was going to be controversial for some people and I think that is perceived in the Goodreads reviews.
- Some find it “hard to read”.
- Some who have lost someone to C-19 may find it a hard read.
- Others have said it is “too heavy, not a light read”.
- Others have said that there is not enough drama.

From my point of view, I’m a writer and a reader….
- This was fact with a fiction story overlay. Those in the world who have trouble seeing how covid can play out, would benefit from reading this book. It describes everything the world has experienced, but shares it through the eyes of a 29 year old fictional woman.
- This book is a life changer book. Anyone that reads it, should sit up and take stock and realise how short life is. Put the phone/tablet down and look at what’s around you.
- Readers should take stock of life and “be happy with what you have”. There is a saying “the secret to having it all, is knowing you already do”

The underlying message for me in this book…..realise who you are. Sometimes the person or event that is in front of you, that you think is the right thing for you…..may not be.

5 people found this helpful

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J Reynolds

Wonderful as usual.

Reviewed in Australia on 1 December 2021

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I love jodi picoults writing.Ive read everything she has written and enjoyed them all.I had no idea what this book was about,just dived on in.If you dont beleive Covid is real,dont read it.Im sure Jodi did a lot of research on covid 19,its reality is terrifying,the other parts are open sided,what is memory or conciousness.Great characters.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

My all time favourite author!

Reviewed in Australia on 30 December 2021

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I was excited to see Jodi had pubished another book, and was so surprised to see that it delved into the Covid pandemic. It interested me to read that during Jodi's own quarantine, she had a need to read books that had happy endings. I remember the first book I ever read of Jodi's was "My Sister's Keeper". I think it was the first fictional book I had ever read that didn't have a happy ending, and it affected me for a long time afterwards, wondering why she chose to add a twist at the end. I loved her latest book, and really appreciate the lengths Jodi goes to in all her books to do background research, and i really appreciated the things Iearnt as I read this one. I needed to "hear" the things she outlined, knowing she will have interviewed numerious doctors and front line workers, as well as those who had fallen victim to Covid and recovered. It was very different to what he had read in papers and in social media. Thank you for you indepth research Jodi, and thank you for yet another brilliant read.

One person found this helpful

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Natasha Bibi

Is it too soon?

Reviewed in Australia on 19 December 2021

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Reading this from Australia where we’re still very much in the thick of the pandemic, with closed borders, separated from loved ones, this is quite an anxious read. Definitely a page turner and it’s enough to keep me awake when feeding baby in the early hours, which I love, but it definitely makes me feel uncomfortable. But perhaps that’s the point!

One person found this helpful

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Liz Hennig

Start to finish

Reviewed in Australia on 19 December 2021

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I loved the intricate stories that Jodi expertly wove, across the two worlds. I would have like to know WHO grabbed Hannah at the end… sigh! That would have been the perfect ending… ❤️

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Lynette

Zero credibility, and possibly the worst book I've read in a decade.

Reviewed in Australia on 30 December 2021

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One word PATHETIC. There was a reason your primary school teacher told you to never write "then I woke up, it was all a dream". Have loved her earlier work, this was a massive disappointment.

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Susan Downes

Wish you were here

Reviewed in Australia on 1 January 2022

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Not one of Jodie’s better ones in my opinion. Didn’t grab me as much as others

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Another fabulous novel by the author and full of emotion

Reviewed in Australia on 25 November 2021

Diana O'Toole is on track with her life plan. She has a serious boyfriend and will likely be married by thirty and she is climbing the professional ladder in the art auction world. But then the pandemic strikes days before she goes on holidays with her boyfriend Finn. While he insists she go to the islands of Galapagos, he has to stay and help out, working as a surgical resident, he becomes a triage nurse at the hospital.

As Diana is alone stranded on the island, with no flights home and no family or friends, she finds a connection with a local family. But the connections she makes lead her to question everything about her life and her relationships.

I won't reveal more about this one, save for spoilers, but my first suggestion would be to go into this one without too much background. It was COVID intensive, so I appreciate it won't be for everyone or certainly not for reading during this time. This was definitely a case of the right book at the right time for me and I loved the contemplative nature of the story that the author crafted. I am being deliberately vague with this one but I will say it had some likeness to the authors' previous novel to me, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. 4.5*

Thanks so much to Allen & Unwin for this gifted review copy.

2 people found this helpful

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V. O'Regan

An incredible novel that addresses the pandemic with compassion

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 November 2021

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‘Wish You We’re Here’ by Jodi Picoult is a novel that she hadn’t expected to write. Yet I am very pleased that she did. I found this an amazing book, though it can be hard to find the right words when a novel has had a profound effect, yet I will try.

First, a word of caution: Jodi Picoult has never shied away from writing about uncomfortable subjects. This novel contains graphic accounts of people with Covid-19 as well as its wider consequences. It is a novel that I would also suggest reading ‘cold’, so only a brief summary.

Friday, the 13th March 2020 and Diana O'Toole's life is going well. At the age of twenty-nine she has a job she loves as an art specialist at Sotheby's New York and has recently secured an important client; an achievement that likely will lead to a promotion. She and her boyfriend, Finn, are about to leave on vacation to the Galapagos and she suspects that while there he is going to propose. So far it could be the set up for a romance novel.

Then Finn, a surgical resident at a NYC hospital, advises Diane that with the increasing cases of the new virus that the hospital needs him to stay. He insists that she should still go and reluctantly Diane agrees.

However, as Diane arrives in the Galapagos the world is shutting down, including her destination, Isabela Island. She elects to stay but finds herself stranded, with only intermittent news from the outside world. While on the island she makes connections with local people as well as with nature, and begins to contemplate aspects of her life to date. No further details to avoid spoilers.

As noted above, Picoult does not hold back on depicting the effects of the virus, not only on those infected but by loved ones distraught when unable to visit or say goodbye as well as the experiences of members of the medical profession. It considers the grief and loss, both personal and collective, experienced by many during the pandemic.

It also portrays how people responded to quarantine, lockdown and restrictions: baking, box sets, boredom, learning to Zoom, and the like. It brought back vivid memories of those early days of the pandemic when uncertainty was high.

I was blown away by this novel on many levels. Given that Diane is sharing her story in the first person, though with additional material, it is an personal account.

There was its central story though I was also drawn by details of the exclusive art world in which Diane works; an appreciation of the natural world and, given the location of the Galapagos, musings on Darwin’s theory of evolution. Spirituality and the sense of purpose also plays an important part in the narrative though in a subtle way. Perhaps most importantly is the journey that we all face in coming to terms with death.

I appreciated Jodi Picoult’s Author’s Note in which she details the intense research that she undertook in order to portray experiences by inviting survivors to share their accounts.

I also expect that ‘Wish You Were Here’ will prove popular with reading groups as it offers a great deal of scope for discussion alongside a good read.

Despite a theme that appears dark, there is still hope interwoven throughout. As one character says to Diane: “we are in uncharted territory…The future is completely up in the air.”

Overall, I feel that ‘Wish You Were Here’ is an important novel. A novel with heart that is complex and multilayered, yet accessible. It has also given me new perspectives to consider.

Very highly recommended.

13 people found this helpful

JessicaLM374

Bit of a let down

Reviewed in the United States on 7 December 2021

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I'm a huge Jodi Picoult fan- i've read all her stuff, and what I love most is how she tells a story from both or all perspectives. Which is why this book was such a let down. It was a good read, I did enjoy it. But it's told from one side only, and it's clear that Jodi is pro-vaccine, pro-government mandates, etc...i'm not disagreeing with her, but I enjoy reading to get away from society, and to stay in my own mind and not be nudged in one direction or another. The smalls darts thrown at the president were a turn off (whether you can admit he's an idiot or not), as well as the extreme focus on masking and social distancing, the extreme nature of working in the hospital or the amount of minorities that were affected...I almost felt like most of Jodi's information was obtained from news reports, and rather than share something from the opposing side, it was strictly one sided. So it was disappointing, as she is best known for giving 2 versions. While well written, not one of my favorite books, and definitely wouldn't be recommending it to anyone.

291 people found this helpful

Pat M

Very dissapointing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 December 2021

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I usually love Jodi Picoult books but this one was a huge dissapointment. A character based almost entirely on Yoko Ono seemesd lazy.
The first half of the book was OK but slow, with some good descriptions of the Galapogos. Lots of description of the pandemic from a medical point of view, seemed unnecesary as we are all living it!
The 2nd half was far fetched, Not at all like her usual work.

6 people found this helpful

Zarla

Jodi is Finally Back on Form

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 November 2021

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I've read all of Jodi Picoult's books, but enjoyed earlier novels like My Sister's Keeper and Handle with Care much more than recent books like the one she published in 2019. Its complete lack of a chronological narrative made it unreadable and forgettable - I can't even recall its name.

This one is blissfully linear in terms of narrative, or at least it seems to be until the momentous twist around halfway through the novel. I loved the vivid descriptions of the Galapagos islands - the hot sun on Diana's head 'like a coronation' and the sky 'an unholy cobalt.'

2020 Manhattan in the grip of the pandemic is also compellingly evoked, especially through Finn's emails describing his work with covid patients in ICU. Diana's expectations of surgeon Finn seem unrealistic - she recalls that Gabriel 'gave me a volcano for my birthday' whereas Finn takes the day off work but they don't go anywhere.

Will Diana be happy with farmer Gabriel, though? Will she even find enough work as an art therapist on Isabela Island amongst the marine iguanas? Is Beatriz the daughter the two have together?

Postscript: I think Jodi wanted The Book of Both Ways to have the theme of lucid dreaming too (all of the Egypt section) but was dissuaded by her editor.

2 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

Interesting read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 November 2021

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Read Jodie Picoult, 'Wish you were here,' her latest book.
I enjoyed this book, it took time to gather pace; and really felt I knew the characters well as the book progressed through the first half.
Set during the covid pandemic, Diana, is the main character in the book. She is a woman who has a life plan, her boyfriend Finn is a part of that plan. Together they know where they are headed and what they want to achieve,including must see places to visit.
They have a paid for, much anticipated holiday booked to the Galapagos Islands just as the pandemic starts. Finn is a Dr in the hospital, he stays, she goes.
Time on one of the islands makes Diana find her inner resources, whilst also trying to keep in contact with Finn despite lack of phone signal and dire Internet service.
Part two of the book has given me a great deal to ponder.

2 people found this helpful

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