This book captured my deepest feelings for a book. For as many people who read a book, no one ever reads and perceives it the same one. Every person reading the book is reading a unique story. This book is the telling of how one book, named Theo changed the lives of several individuals who read it. Theo had a powerful impact for the characters in this story who all found themselves at different points in life and on different paths searching for something. From the writer to the assistant to the actor to the artist to the diver to the teenager to the bookseller to the coordinator to the agent, Theo’s story had a profound impact. I will be recommending this one to all of my friends, bookish or otherwise.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a great book!

It amazes me how one book can be read so differently by many people. It's why book clubs exist, right? This story follows a book and how it was experienced by ten different people. I normally don't like short stories, but each chapter is a story about how a fictional book called, "Theo," affected different character's lives. Each chapter takes about 20-30 minutes to read, and I was sad when each one ended. I wanted to keep living the story of the characters.

Then it became even better when some of the lives became intermingled later in the book. I loved every single chapter, and I was excited to meet the new characters in each part. This was a book that I didn't want to end. Erica Bauermeister is obviously a wonderful storyteller.

I gave this book five out of five stars. I was given this book for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for a egalley version.

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL STORY!! I gobbled yp this story in a day! Bauermeister is a master and if you have read any of her other books, tgus one might be the best! It is so beautifully written and the story has such relatable characters.

The story follows different characters and their experiences with a beautiful story written in a book. It is filled with such sollow and longing, an emotion that can be so hard to capture, but Bauermeister does it well.

I highly recommend this book. Although you may finish the book, the story will stick with you!

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister is a beautifully-written book and an homage to the power of the written word. The title and theme are derived from a quote by Edmund Wilson: “No two persons ever read the same book.” And this book sets out to prove the point.

Although billed as a novel, No Two Persons is better described as a series of short stories set over nearly a decade, each of which focuses on a person whom a singular book affects. The thread between these ten stories seems a bit gossamer, but many of the stories themselves are strong. For me, the first story concerning author Alice Wein was the strongest. Born out of a heart-wrenching loss, Theo is Alice’s first novel and marks a catharsis in her life. As the book passes through various phases, from pre-publication, to production, to publication and beyond, we get a glimpse of how it affects those who come in contact with it. I would have liked to return to Alice from time to time to see what she is doing in the interim.

The following stories are of varying quality. The most intriguing one involves Rowan, a popular actor who, due to a rare skin condition, can no longer perform on screen. He reinvents himself as an audiobook narrator of, among other things, Theo. This story’s focus on the process of the amount of work and dedication that goes into making an audiobook is extremely illuminating, especially as I was listening to an audio version of No Two Persons. Another really good story is that of the “caretaker,” a sixty-ish man named William who, following the death of his beloved wife, leaves his California life behind to manage a ghost town. A snowstorm leaves him with an opportunity to read Theo and through it, he finds a way to reconnect with his wife.

For me, the ending was a bit abrupt. The epilogue seemed somewhat disconnected from the rest of the book. Nonetheless, it did tie up a couple of the stories, and the book left its impression on me. Additionally impressive was the full cast of narrators in the audio version. Each of the stories was told by a different narrator, infusing a sense of realism into the book. I really appreciate that in a book that celebrates audio production, the production here was of such high quality.

Dispute its sometimes uneven tone, No Two Persons is a book worth reading – or, especially, listening to. I think each reader will find a little of himself or herself in at least one of the stories.

Note: I received an ARC of No Two Persons from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. The above is my honest review.

NOW TWO PERSONS is not for me. I wanted desperately to like this book, but the characters didn't connect with me. I still believe that the concept and the overall plot are solid, but it was difficult for this reader to get through.

Books affect us all in different ways, and this book shows how that can happen through beautiful stories of people finding hope and love.

I loved this book and so did my book club! It was a great conversation starter and I highly recommend this one for bookclubs. I always say that the same book can hit different readers in different ways and that is exactly the story in this book. It reads like a collection of short stories that all relate to the same book that is published in the first story. We don't ever get to read the "book" but we get a lot of points of view about how that book affected the reader. It's such a unique premise! I really enjoyed it! Highly recommend!

I thought this book would be mostly saying things we already know ... that people perceive and experience books differently. It is about that, yes, but it is insightful and fresh at the same time. I hadn't actually given a lot of thought as to *why* we each experience books differently, or to how the particulars of who I am and how I live and have lived make my reading experiences what they are. It would be interesting, and valuable for a book club to read and discuss this work, as it could help members understand each other and their opinions of other books they read together.
I wasn't sure I would appreciate the format, as short stories don't tend to be my thing, but the connection through each one was enough for me to make the work feel cohesive, as opposed to a collection.

This was a completely different premise than anything I've ever read before. It reads like a bunch of short stories all connecting to the same novel. I really enjoyed the individual stories, some more than others. I loved the way it all came together.

We read this for my book club and I absolutely adored it. I did wish for more of an epilogue on some of the characters, but I absolutely understand why that wasn't provided, especially once we fully get the story of Theo.

There is no doubt that Bauermeister is an immensely talented writer. I adored her previous books and “No Two Persons” is yet another perfect example of eloquence and depth. Her prose flows with vivid imagery, imaginative yet spot on similes, and profound human truths. She draws you so deeply into her characters that you feel as if you aren’t just witnessing their experiences, you are right there with them. This talent of hers is what made the novel so hard for me to read. The concept is wonderful - short vignettes of how 9 people’s lives have been immeasurably impacted by the same novel, however, every story but one is so heart wrenchingly painful that the toll it takes on the reader is quite intense. Since the novel that unites the characters is heartbreaking, the melancholy tone makes sense but it doesn’t make it any easier. I felt like my heart broke over and over again as I went with these characters through the lowest and most painful parts of their lives. There was almost no levity to the book and the one story that wasn’t as painful to experience (The Coordinator), was close to the end and, while not as bleak, wasn’t exactly uplifting either. There is no doubt that this novel is fabulously written but I would suggest taking time in between each story to give your heart time to heal.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really liked the concept of how a single book touches individual lives differently. I thought that the structure of the book, moving through lives chronologically was really clever, and felt seamless. All of the stories felt complete, except, oddly enough, for Alice's. I would have liked more for her - and this might just be my own bias. But I wanted to feel that she was genuinely happy, and I'm not sure that she was.
Definitely a book that I'll recommend and use for displays. Looking forward to reading more from Bauermeister.

I loved this book about how one novel affects people in different ways. It was so moving, and I loved to see how everyone connected at the end. If you're a book lover, this is a fantastic read.

This is such an interesting read about readers, writers, and how words connect us all together.

I really loved so much of this, but I felt like all of the different perspectives made it hard for any of the characters to truly reach the depth I like.

Still a wonderful read though.

I started reading/listening to this book last year, and it wasn’t hitting the spot, so I put it on hold and started listening to a podcast. I was in the mood to pick the book back up and let me tell you I could NOT PUT IT DOWN. I finished the rest of it in a day! It was amazing! I am so glad I put it down and picked it back up when I was ready for it. I appreciated it so much more when I wasn’t trying to just finish the book. We know, and we say that not every book is for everyone, and the same book can hit differently for everybody. However, reading this book was just pure bliss for me. I loved reading how the same story affected NINE different readers in such vastly different ways. I loved that it gave one man a whole new purpose and meaning to his life, while it gave another woman peace in hers.

I really enjoyed this book, and if it is on your radar, I definitely recommend that you give it a go! It's also on KU!!!! I am so glad it is on my shelf!!

Yes, yes, yes! Oh my goodness! The perfect book for book lovers. I absolutely loved this book and how the stories all centred around one book. Inventive, original and well written. I’m not always a short story fan as I often want to live with the characters a bit longer, but when the stories and characters are this well written, then I’m all in. I didn’t miss the characters so much when I had finished a story as the main character “the book” continued through each of the stores.

If you are a lover of reading and books, you must read this one!

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister is an extraordinarily interesting book; its format is unlike any I’ve ever read. The writing is superb; there isn’t a superfluous word anywhere. For the most part, the characters vaguely connect and intertwine, but the common thread connecting them all is the writing and subsequent publishing of a unique story that then is read, absorbed, and inhabited by all of the m ain characters in succession. Each chapter reveals a new character’s relationship to the story at progressive points in time over nine years. The book is a paean to the transformative nature of fiction and our love of reading. It couldn’t have been more satisfying and enjoyable to read. I can’t wait to dive into more of Ms. Bauermeister’s works.

Thank you to Erica Bauermeister, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me an advanced readers digital copy of No Two Persons. Although it took me far too long to finally read it, I am so grateful that I did. My review is 100% VOLUNTARY.

I loved the concept of No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister, and I imagine that many readers will as well. It's a book made for bibliophiles. It's a book about how the process of reading a book can impact a reader and how it's different depending on the reader.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This is my opinion and my opinion only lol. You know how you have one of those books that you don't want to put down? When it's time to eat oh I'll eat later, girl take a sip of water and you're like hold on in a minute yea this book was like that for me. This was one of those books I wished didn't end because I needed more.
I loved this book so much it was one of those books that told a story so well you wanted to sit in the moment, devour every word, and take it in. The Characters were so well-written that each of them uniquely captures your attention. I binged this book in a day I neglected everyone including myself I can't lie and when I got to the end my soul was crushed because I just needed more. This book is on my to-be-read-again list.
Thank you so much St Martin's Press, Erica Bauermeister, and NetGalley, for this early read it was truly amazing.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

What an interesting concept - the book starts out with the story of Alice and her desire to become an author from a young age. When she reaches her early 20's, a mentor tells her she is ready to try to sell her manuscript. The issue - everyone passes. Then her mentor gives her a name to try. The book gets published.

Then our novel - No Two Persons - breaks into short stories, how over time, showing how Alice's book - Theo - touches the lives of nine readers. Some of the stories overlap over time, which was brilliant. Definitely an interesting concept of a book inside a book and how we are all connected.