Wish You Were Here: A Novel

I had forgotten how big a tsunami the first wave of COVID was. This book was a compelling reminder of it, as well as an engaging story of love and self-discovery. The story resonated with each of our book club members, and I started ordering hard copies for the sheer pleasure I find in reading from them and to make it easier to mark passages and make notes … a good thing, as there were numerous wonderfully worded observations and some interesting snippets of history woven throughout the novel.Read this if you like a good plot twist, don’t mind a bit of poignancy, and appreciate well executed phrases and a bit of mystery. It’s not your neat and tidy ‘girl meets boy’ romance.

Ms. Picoult's book is masterful in the way she fools her readers during the first half of the book. She actually wrote two books in one. I don't want to give away the trick. Needless to say she delightfully fooled her readers. She paints a delightful story of life in the Gallapagos and allows us to imagine a life there. Additionally, she explains how life was for doctors during the pandemic.The stories we read about bodies piling up in New York were so abstract until Ms. Picoult brought home the reality of the medical professional's lives. It also made us think about people who were caught in life's game of musical chairs. What happened to all those people who were caught "in between" here and there and couldn't leave due to Covid shutdowns. The book is magical, heart-rendering, and real. It was time well spent. Thank Ms. Picoult.

I did not like the story change halfway through the book. It totally ruined the story for me and I had a hard time continuing reading. I think it took me 6 months to finish it as I kept hoping for the story to revert back to the beginning. Nope. I guess it was somewhat satisfying at the end but not what I was hoping for.

This was an excellent read! It’s a love story, with an excellent twist, set in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. From the perspective of 2022 I didnt realize how much of the trauma of the pandemic I had forgotten! The lockdowns, wiping off groceries, the political angle on the virus, how people DENIED that people were dying despite evidence all around us. When I read the reviews before purchasing I was stunned by the vitriol of some reviews taking shots at this novel, calling it a CNN for-profit propaganda piece - AS IF!! TRumpy ism is real, it’s a cult, and DONT let that keep you from enjoying a great novel, unless you’re in the cult!

WISH YOU WERE HERE by Jodi Picoult is moving and thought-provoking story that has stayed on my mind for a long time after turning the final page. It takes a brutally realistic look at the horrifying health crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic but with a stunning twist I never saw coming. Diana O’Toole is, so far, perfectly on track for her carefully planned life. Nearing age thirty, she is steadily climbing the ladder in the art auction world and she is sure that her surgical resident boyfriend, Finn, is planning to propose on their upcoming getaway to the Galápagos. One the eve of their trip, Finn is forced to cancel because the outbreak of Covid-19 in New York requires all hospital staff to be on hand. He insists she go without him, which she reluctantly does. But as Diana arrives on the island, everything goes into lockdown and she is stranded there alone until the borders reopen. Not knowing the language, having no internet service and with her hotel now closed, she is fortunate to be taken in by a local family. As she interacts with the family members, Diana embarks on a journey of self-discovery, examining her relationships and her choices in life. We also hear from Finn through his emails to Diana. As the pandemic worsens, Finn describes in gut-wrenching detail the horror that health care workers are facing on the front lines. His communications become dark and full of despair as the tragedy and trauma of those early days unfolds. The emotional anguish of both Diana and Finn is palpable on the page. Although it was hard to read a novel with the pandemic theme while it is still going on, this is an insightful and well-researched book and I highly recommend it.

Its a wild ride of a story. I was going in one direction and then it right angled on me into a totally different direction. I wasn't sure I liked the direction. Then it headed in another place again. Quite good.

It kept my interest but not like the others I have read by Jodi. When I saw this was written by her, I grabbed it right away!

I have read many of Picoult's novels over the years and enjoyed every one. I enjoyed this one for the most part. I wish she hadn't needed to include politics in the story. Or I wish that she could have been a bit more even-handed. It wasn't just Pres. Trump who made mistakes; nearly everyone--Fauci, Birx, Giroir, Redfield--made mistakes. Certainly, Gov. Cuomo made some horrendous mistakes. Masks, no masks, double masks. One vaccination, no two, no three, no four. It is just offensive that Picoult allowed her own biases to color the narrative, several times throughout the book.In addition to that, I think the ending was a trick. Why do it that way?Nonetheless, on the whole, I got as much challenge and pleasure from this book as from all the others.

‘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.

I used to read a lot of books by Jodi until they reached a stage of: Part 1 (background setting); Part 2 (the detailed Court Case); Part 3 (the Happy Ever After). This one was obviously not going to be one of these so I decided to give it a go.Ignoring the perhaps possible coma induced life/images/dreams/neurological factors this is totally non-believable. No way, even in the widest sense, would the 'heroine' know all the medical facts of ongoing Covid treatment in the mails/messages from her boyfriend.Never again a book by this author

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.

Firstly, I can't understand negative reviews of this book which are based on the fact that it's a story about the Covid-19 pandemic. If you don't enjoy reading about that, don't read about it! I personally do like stories set during the crisis because it's a huge part of our collective human experience and (one day) history, so as Jodi says herself in her author's note for this novel, it's important that it's chronicled and the many stories it contains are told.For that reason I really liked Wish You Were Here. The protagonist Diana has her whole life planned out, and so far it's all going according to plan. Her dreams revolve around achieving specific milestones in her personal and professional life which she must hit by a certain age to stay on track. When Covid arrives, her plans are derailed... and her character arc thereafter unfolds in a beautiful and unexpected way.The big twist half way through really splits the book in two, and I did prefer the first half - especially the scenes in the Galapagos. After the twist the story lost some momentum, as if the reveal had come too soon - hence the reason for losing one star. I loved the very end though, when normally I find endings somewhat disappointing.I haven't read a Jodi Picoult book in many many years, but I remember I used to enjoy the likes of My Sister's Keeper. This one was the usual thought-provoking stuff I'd expect from this author and was typically well written, and it's made me want to delve back into more of her work. I picked up Wish You Were Here because of the subject matter and it certainly didn't disappoint - it's a life-affirming and hopeful view of the pandemic, with an intriguing plot and likeable characters.

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.