No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister
Absolutely LOVED this book, I did not want to put it down to do other things. This book was so different from what I normally read and I just didn't want it to end. I must say this is one of my all time favorites from the books I have read. I will be buying this book for my family and friends. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press and a huge thank you to the author for allowing me to read this ARC.

No Two Persons is one of those delightful books about books that remind readers how integral stories are to our lives. Encountering a story at a particular time in your life brings new perspective or makes new paths possible that weren't before. Reading this felt like rediscovering that awareness and appreciation for literature. As someone who also reads for escape, this was a powerful reminder!

Each chapter could be a standalone short story, yet the sum of the whole is rich. These are very different narrators with a wide range of experiences and conflicts, all of which were interesting and well-researched. My only critique is that the end felt tidy--perhaps too neat. For a book that revels in the ambiguity of meaning for different readers, I think I would have liked more loose ends.

Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley!

No Two Persons
Today I finished one of the best books of 2023 titled “No Two Persons,” by Erica Bauermeister who I recently did a Q&A with. “No Two Persons,” is about the power of books and how their stories change and impact each of us in different ways. Alice always wanted to be a writer and her stories remain detached but then a tragedy happens that has her open up again and she writes her debut novel. Alice’s novel helps multiple people some of which are a teenager hiding the fact that she’s homeless, an artist angry at the world, a bookseller searching for love, a grieving widower and a diver pushing himself to the brink.

Pros
I love all the characters and their back stories and how each of them was changed by one novel in different ways. My favorite character though, had to be Alice the author. I liked her story the best and the literature professor who helped her. Erica Bauermeister has a way with words and turning it into a magical story. I loved “No Two Persons,” so much I bought myself a Christmas present by buying her previous novel “The Scent Keeper”. Books about books and their power have to be some of my favorite books in the world.


Cons
There wasn’t anything I disliked. I only wish the story didn’t end. To paraphrase Jane Austen, When I really enjoy a book it seems as though it’s too short.


Overall
Overall I sped through this book in a few days. I was so happy Netgally allowed me to read the book early. If you are not a blogger and get an early copy, or if you don’t have the Netgalley app to request it, pre-order “No Two Persons,” now which comes out May 2nd 2023. Thank you Erica for this gem of a novel!

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister is one of my favorite reads of the year!
The way this story came together was heart warming and so unique. I was left wanting more and could not put this one down!
Do yourself a favor and buy immediately. You will not regret it! I look forward to buying my hard copy in May.
Thank you!

A love song to books, an unusual ode to readers.
In No Two Persons we meet Alice very early on. Her dream has been to be an author. After many obstacles, she creates her first novel, but that is just the start of the intricately designed reading journey. What follows next is a series of stories of how reading this first novel alters the readers life. Each in very different ways.

I just loved this concept and enjoyed the execution very much!

If you have tried to make your best reading buddy enjoy a favorite book, then you know, no two persons are impacted in the same way when reading.

This is a fabulous read and a great present for a reading friend ! If you love intricate books, connected stories or just love reading (which is why you are here!) then No Two Persons is for you!
#StMartinsPress #NoTwoPersons #EricaBauermeister

I loved this book so much I can still feel
it in my chest. This is one of those stories that you want to sit in each word. Every page has something to say. Every character captures your attention.

This is a book for story lovers and a story for book lovers. As tempting as it was to binge read this in a day, I didn’t want the writing to end. I slowed my pace, stopping after a few chapters and stretched it out for a week.

What a story. I already miss it and look forward to reading this book again someday.

— Thank you St.Martin’s Press and Net Galley for an early read.
—Erica Bauermeister, thank you for the inspiration. Amazing.

Erica Bauermeister wrote one of my favorite but not particularly popular books, The School of Essential Ingredients. I am happy to have the opportunity to review this upcoming Spring release, No Two Persons.

No Two Persons is all about the impact that a singular story can have on different individuals across time. The fictional novel Theo is shared with an assortment of characters. There are threads that run throughout, but the reading experience feels like viewing a series of vignettes.

I am rating this book 4 stars. While it did not give me the magical feeling that has kept her previous book on my shelves for many years it is a unique and interesting story. No excerpts from Theo are shared, which I find a little frustrating, but the essence of the story can be gleaned through the reading. Her writing style is beautiful and descriptive.

This is a book for book people-those who love and read books for either professional or personal reasons. Just as no two people stand in the same river (as the saying goes), no two people can experience a transformative book in the same way.

Many thanks to the author, NetGalley, and St. Martin's press for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's press for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If I could give a book 10 stars, this is the one! This story is about the beauty of books, how they draw in the reader, how they transport you to a different place, and how they touch you in such a way that it helps you with your own situation and circumstance. It highlights the impact a book can make upon a life.

This is the story of one author that finds a boy whose story she will tell. She describes the process she goes through telling Theo's story, and the effort to get it published. While Theo is fiction, I was completely drawn in by the chapters of other characters who touched the book and made it become a reality. You have the literary readers looking for that next great read, the publishers, the actor who will record the audio book and then various readers. The book touches 9 different readers, each having a separate chapter and voice. Each character is struggling with their own sense of purpose in life when this book is handed to them. Even the author of Theo's story is faced with that dilema...will she find another boy or person who also needs their story told? Will she be a one hit wonder or publish another best seller?

I love how the 10 lives are not only intertwined by the reading of a story but also through the path of the book through its publication, and that it comes full circle in the end. It is interesting that we do not even get to read Theo's story but I could glean a general pictures through the snippets. I loved how that story touched each of the lives. The character development through the connections was well done.

This book will be published May 2nd....looking forward to that and highly, highly recommend!!

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister is an absolute winner!
Erica Bauermeister's writing is just stunning. No other words to describe it.
This is a beautifully written story, full of warmth and heart.
I was so intrigued and hooked once I started reading.
The way she brings this story to life is phenomenal.
Such a unique, clever and thought-provoking read.
That had me reading like a crazy lady and then towards to end slowing down to savor every last word.
This is a must read y'all! You'll love it!
I would love to read her previous books.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Erica Bauermeister's "The School of Essential Ingredients" is one of my favorite books, so I always approach each of her books expecting that same magical reading experience.

I didn't get that in "No Two Persons."

Nope. Instead, I got a book that reached into my chest cavity and reminded me that I'm not the only one who feels deeply affected by a great story.

In "No Two Persons," Bauermeister crafts a story built of seemingly disparate chapters. Characters change. The years creep by with each installment. The only constant is a book that speaks to each of our characters in a way unique to them.

It was riveting.

Folks who enjoy reading will recognize at least a little of themselves in some part of this novel. We all tend to identify with our fictional characters. "No Two Persons" gives us plenty of opportunity to see the various ways one book can touch people.

Of course, I recognize that my experience reading this book is uniquely my own. As the saying goes, "No two persons read the same book."

This review has been shared on Goodreads and on Facebook groups: Girls Who Love Books: Sixties Plus Reading Room; and Books & Brews and Blanket Forts Too.

This book successfully articulates what every reader loves about reading. Alice Wein is a very observant person who has a knack for writing, as well as a caring mentor in Professor Roberts. While she swims in the town pool, she starts mentally writing a story about a boy named Theo, inspired by her brother Peter. Four years and many revisions later, her writing becomes a published book, “Theo”, discovered and promoted by the talented literary agent Madeleine Armstrong. The book travels through the hands of ten people. Some of the characters know one another; some do not. This is a book written about a book. Although we don’t have a full copy of “Theo”, the author tells us enough to appreciate its impact on each character.

“Theo” speaks to each of the readers where they are … in a publishing office, at an audiobook recording booth, at an artist’s studio in Alaska, in very deep water, inside a storage shed used as a living space, and even at a ghost town in the middle of winter. The characters are faced with accepting personal challenges … an unusual skin condition, homelessness, self doubt, parental abuse, isolation, marital issues, new motherhood, and the transition into retirement.

At a certain point, each of them is given a copy of “Theo” and their lives are changed for the better, thanks to the words that Alice has written. Ms. Bauermeister’s newest book is a beautiful testament to the power of the written word. With a rich palette of themes, personalities, and settings, there is much fuel for book club discussion. This is one of those rare books that effortlessly transports you elsewhere, and then welcomes you back with a comforting afterglow. Very highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. (Publication date: May 2, 2023)

So wonderful! This is an author I’d like to have dinner with just to get a peak into her uber creative mind. I get so excited when I read a book that has a plot I’ve never read before and this one definitely meets that desire. It was great fun to read and I even chuckled aloud a few times. Early in the book a character thinks “…that experience of opening a book and feeling it reach out and grab you”. That’s this book! Enjoy it!

“No two persons ever read the same book, or saw the same picture”. - The Writings of Madame Swetchine, 1860.

What I loved about this unique story, is that it wasn’t necessarily a story from start to finish- but a story of ten different characters whose lives were all affected differently just by the writing and reading of one particular book called “Theo”.

We have ten characters, with one being Alice Wein, who is the writer of the book. We hear her story first, and from there her book gets written and the lands into the hands of Lara, Rowan, Miranda, Tyler, Nola, Kit, William, Juliet, and Madeline.

I loved reading about each of these characters and was so emotionally connected to each one. It amazes me the power that words can hold over people, especially in a book. Books touch each person so differently. Through this story we are able to see how one book was able to change just these few characters lives. It really makes you stop and think- especially when you are a book lover such as I am.

I also love the title of the book and the opening line that I used in this review. No Two Persons is fitting because no two persons ever read the same book. While I love this book and many others, there’s plenty of my book friends who probably won’t like this book as much as I do and they haven’t liked many others that I have liked and vice versa. This book was a true eye opener and I loved every page! I highly recommend reading this book!

I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an ARC of this fantastic book that I had the pleasure of reading and providing an honest review.
Publication date: May 2, 2023

I was so pleased to see an ARC of this on NetGalley because I loved Erika Bauermeister’s books from the early-mid 2000s. The premise sounded very interesting, so I had high hopes.
The main protagonist of this is a book. The idea is that an author writes a book, but every single reader interprets that book differently. If you’re in a Book Club or enjoy talking about books with random strangers, you know this to be true.
No Two Persons starts out with the growing up of Alice, the author of Theo, the book in this book. From there, we see her get her great big idea. It then moves on to 9 other people, from the assistant of a literary agent, to the audiobook narrator, and several readers, over the span of 10 years. We never quite know what Theo is about, but we see different glimpses into it that coordinates with which person is reading (With the first reader, we see a bit about the beginning; the middle readers, a bit of the middle; and the last reader, a bit of the end).
While I believe Ms. Bauermeister was attempting to show us how it affected all of them differently, I feel it fell short in doing that. There is a major theme throughout each of the characters that shines like a beacon, but I didn’t really get how each reader was truly affected.
This book mostly reads like a series of vignettes about people with the only commonality being Theo. Each story, if you will, gives you a bit of backstory about the character and where they are in life when this book enters it. Each story ends so abruptly it’s truly hard to see what Ms. Bauermeister wants us to see.
Upon reading the Author’s Note, Ms. Bauermeister states she wrote this during the Pandemic. That explains so much about the tone of this, but it still doesn’t give us what we were meant to get.

Every now and again you find the perfect book to suit your mood and reading preferences. This is that rare gem that grabs your attention on the first page and keeps you up late at night reading, is thoughtful but not dense, and easily recommendable to all. While the plot isn’t original, the characters came to life and will stick with me for awhile. A delightful read!

Interesting premise with one book being the common thread among ten different stories. Some worked better than others, one being a standout.
The author's note was so interesting in describing the origin of the ideas for many of the stories.

With great thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this e-ARC!

SO many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book. Erica Bauermeister’s No Two Persons is “a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives.”* I can't describe this wonderfully magical novel any better than that. And, as Nina de Gramont so perfectly stated," it made my reader's heart sing."

I will be putting this book into the hands of everyone I love. I'll be shouting its praises to acquaintances and complete strangers.

This book is a gift to book lovers and is a book that is going to live in the hearts of readers forever.