The Measure

A Novel

By: Nikki Erlick

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!

""A story of love and hope as interweaving characters display: how all moments, big and small, can measure a life. If you want joy, love, romance, and hope—read with us."" —Jenna Bush Hager

A luminous, spirit-lifting blockbuster that asks: would you choose to find out the length of your life?

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.

It seems like any other day. You wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and head out.

But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. The contents of this mysterious box tells you the exact number of years you will live.

From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?

As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?

The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.

Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is an ambitious, invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.

liked it

I liked the book, didn't love. It kinda dragged in some places. I didn't like the amount of politics in it. I do like the back fourth between characters.

Lots to Think About

First of all, there is no better narrator than Julia Whelan. Just outstanding. Every time.

This book is incredibly relevant. The responses to the boxes/strings are so believable, after a point you forget to wonder where they came from.

How do we make decisions about our lives when so much is beyond our control? The question rings true for the book and for our lives outside the book. Very provocative. Great character development. An excellent read.

Oh…So missed the mark.

Such a great premise. Such a mediocre manifestation. Liked the general set up with characters having their own chapters, but really didn’t like the characters! Was “forced” to skip the through the last hour because it was just too tiring listening to the final chapters. Could have cut out a lot of boring conversations and drawn out traumas. Like a lot of reviews, the political part of the story was almost too cliché-ish. This is the writers first book?… deserves a “good job and congratulations”! Great beginning, very flat middle, most of the end can be skipped, slight elevation last 10 minutes.

Great premise, weak delivery

The first half of the book drew me in. So many parallels to today’s world. But it turned into a romance novel with a very uninspiring conclusion.

I really wanted this to be great

I felt no connection with the characters. The premise could have become a great story but all storylines were just anticlimactic. I barely got through it.