This is a nice series of little vignettes about the effects that one book has a number of different people. I really appreciated the strong message about the power of reading.

I have been reading Erica Bauermeister off and on for years. The glow I felt for her books slowly faded after her first book, "The School of Essential Ingredients". All of a sudden characters didn't read as very developed and I would be totally lost as I was going through the book. I missed the closeness I felt while reading that first book. I recall reading "The School of Essential Ingredients" and my brain shut off and I just fell into the story. I remember being really annoyed when I realized I needed to go to sleep for work the next day. I just didn't want to finish it. That same feeling came over me as I was reading "No Two Persons." This honestly is a long love letter to book readers and just honestly people who love words. Everything felt thoughtfully written. We follow 10 separate people over a number of years around the writing and publication of a book called "Theo."

The story begins in 2010 in Maine and we follow "The Writer" who is Alice. Alice who has such a complicated history, but love of books and words. From there we follow "The Assistant", "The Actor", "The Artist," "The Diver," "The Teenager," "The Bookseller," "The Caretaker," "The Coordinator," "The Agent", and then the Epilogue which leaves us with Alice again.

The writing is lyrical and haunting at times. What I loved the most is that we begin with Alice and we also end with her. And in between we get all of the stories of the people who were touched by or in one case (annoyed as hell by) her book. For some, the book is a great catalyst to their lives, or something that led to the next big thing for them. Some of the characters have connections to each other so you definitely have to read on in a lot of cases if you want to know what happens to them. There is a question mark about two characters, but I like that the question mark is there. I love that Bauermeister didn't feel the need to show and tell us everything.

I loved that the setting of this book starts off in Maine and ends in New York. And we get to visit other places as well (Florida and Northern California).

The book was lovely to read on a rainy day in Virginia. I got to sit with it while drinking tea and buried under a blanket. It also had me thinking of how much I still want to do, and plan on doing this year and the years ahead. And how when a book comes that is "that book" for you, it stays for a very long time. This is definitely going on my list of favorites for 2023.

I really like how Bauermeister writes. The Scent Keeper is one of my favourite novels and I think about it often. I liked the concept of this novel. A book that impacts nine different readers at distinct periods in their lives. Each story is unique and separate from the other. (A few connect) I think this would be a great novel for book clubs as it would generate alot of discussion about “ that one book” that changes us for the better.
Where I liked this, I felt as though each individual story was too isolated from the other. We also never really get to know the full story of the novel in question “Theo”.

Lovely book that's basically a series of very loosely tied short stories. As with all story collections, there are strong ones in there and ones that don't quite hit the mark (like for me, the older man who lives in a ghost town).

I enjoyed the concept overall. I especially liked the stories that connected not just to the Theo book, but also to other character's perspectives, (like the audio book reader and the intimacy coordinator who had worked together before.) I like to believe that books work this way, connecting humanity in small, subtle ways.

Ultimately this book is a little weird because the story is about people having a profound life-changing experience because of the existence of this work of art--Theo. (Some of the characters don't even read it!) And yet we, the reader, never get to read The. It's only very briefly summarized by other characters.

Characters seemed to be profoundly affected by the feelings the book evokes (rather than specific lines...other than the closing one), but we the reader of "No Two Persons" have to simply imagine what those feeling are. For me personally, that made the story a tad less magical. But that's perhaps a personal issue.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is such an interesting book. It tells the the story of a book called Theo and the impacts it’s made on different people, from the writer to the publisher to an out of luck actor. I loved how the storied while not connected still were woven together to show how one persons words can bring people together in a variety of ways. Definitely worth the read!

This one.

I raced through this book in one lovely afternoon. Erica Bauermeister is among my favorite authors, particularly when I want to absolutely fall into a story. This book with interwoven stories centered around the power of stories took my breath away. Stories are a such a large part of what makes us human, that idea of "what if." I will be recommending this novel to everyone, but especially those looking for that "something special " to read for discussion or just to feel that we are all connected.

“No two persons ever read the same book, or saw the same picture.” These words frame the story for Bauermeister’s new novel in linked short stories about a debut novel and how it impacted the lives of eleven people, each in its own way. First we meet Alice, an aspiring writer who struggles to pen a novel called Theo. In subsequent chapters we see how that novel shapes the lives of others: the publisher’s assistant who plucks it from the slush pile, the actor chosen to narrate the audiobook (perhaps my favorite story), the many readers who subsequently stumble upon it at just the right time. A testament to the power of books and reading. We'll be featuring this in our 2023 Modern Mrs Darcy Summer Reading Guide, coming this May.

Bauermeister does it again...another book full of wobder. Words and water flow through the connected stories the way even a passing moment between people do. A love story about the power of a beautiful book.
Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Publication: May 2, 2023

I'm so torn with how I feel about this book- part of me loved the ideas of how a book can meet people where they are in their lives but the other part of me is feeling a little let down.

When I started the book, I was beginning to think "Oh man, I think this may lean towards five star territory". However, as much as I loved seeing the different characters life before the book landed in their lap, I felt no closure to how they changed after getting the book. I think adding this in would have made the book better for me.

I'm clearly in the outliers group because a lot of others loved this book! That is the beauty of what this book tried to show me- I may not have loved it but someone else may.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and the author, Erica Bauermeister, for allowing me to read No Two Persons as an ARC reader. All opinions are my own.
“Wandering is a gift given only to the lost”. With that opening line, Theo is written. Bauermeister creates a novel within a novel. As each character enters, the reader learns more about Theo. The years and characters change as each finds something different in their reading.
I had a difficult time in the beginning, but the more I read, the more I found myself enjoying the book, the plot, the characters, and the writing. This is definitely different from the usual fiction novel, but I believe that Bauermeister has a hit with this book! I loved the ending and how the author left the reader satisfied, but hungry for more. Definitely Recommend !

"No Two Persons" by Erica Bauermeister is a great book. This one was 5 stars for me. I wasn't sure what to expect. It was a great surprise- when you keep wanting to read more.
Alice has wanted to be a writer since she learned to read. Eventually the story she needs to tell found her. That book affected many other people in different ways . The first chapter is about Alice and her book. the other 9 chapters are about how her book changed other people. Let me just say you should read it- this was one of those I couldn't put down.
The author has a great way of telling a story ,it is totally fresh and compelling. I also really enjoyed her book "The Scent Keeper" . I am looking forward to reading more of her books.

Thanks to NetGalley, Erica Bauermeister, and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to r4ead this book in exchange for an honest review.

No Two Persons is based on the premise that every individual who reads a book experiences it based on his or her unique perspective and life circumstances. As the story unfolds, it describes how one book is woven into the lives of 10 people of diverse backgrounds – the author, an assistant, an actor, an artist, a diver, a teenager, a bookseller, a caretaker, a coordinator, and an agent – over a progression of years.

Alice Wein, in borderline mystical fashion, begins writing her novel at the tender age of twenty, completing it after five long years. Like many novice authors, she receives numerous rejections until she finally receives the news that her book, entitled Theo, will be published. The story describes the life of one boy and the hardships he experienced growing into manhood, but it is so much more than that, for it draws the reader into a world of such emotional depth that reader and protagonist become one. And yet, several of the above-mentioned 10 never finish the book, one never getting past the first sentence.

The book is beautifully written with colorful descriptions and evocative prose. While Theo’s story is never fully revealed, there is enough substance to know that the events of his life speak to the individual readers at a profound, alchemical level, serving as a catalyst for a shift in their lives.

This is my first exposure to this author’s work and I intend to check out more of her writing.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

As soon as I read the description for No Two Persons, I knew I wanted to read it, especially after having loved The Scent Keeper so much. As a librarian, I'm frequently asked to recommend a "good" book or give someone guidance on their next read. This can be so difficult because as this book perfectly illustrates books hit everyone differently and may hit different depending on when in your life you read it.

The structure of this book is a little bit more like short stories in a way. You get to dive into each character and see how they interact with the one book that ties them all together. I felt like each one could have been their own full-length book. So it was a little sad each time to leave them behind and move on the next person. I also liked that there weren't really any villains in this book. It was refreshing just to read about good humans, flawed yes, but mostly good at heart.

Bauermeister's writing is so lovely. I enjoy how she focuses so much on our different senses and describes all of them in her writing. She's particularly good with describing scents (see again The Scent Keeper). My one complaint was that there were too many hyphenated run on descriptions, he-who-had-gone-to-Brown, for example. There was at least one in every chapter and I don't know why they annoyed me, but they just did. It did kind of become like a little easter egg hunt as I got further in the book though. But that's being really nitpicky.

This book is truly fantastic and a wonderful reading experience. I think this would make a great book club book as it will really get people thinking. Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

What an amazing book that takes you on a journey with several different characters and several different ways one book can be interpreted. It was very well written and I loved going through the different journeys with each character

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC from Erica Bauermeister. No Two Persons was a 'read now' selection, and I'm so glad I grabbed it up. What's really interesting about this book is the concept. As readers we all innately know that books affect people differently. This is a book, that writes about it. Alice, a writer in her heart, but not in the literal sense has never written anything. After she is devastated by a turn of events, she pours her heart into a very successful first book. On the readers end, we get to see what happens when different people read her book and how it affects them. I highly recommend this book.

“wandering is a gift given only to the lost"

This novel reminded me of the things we take for granted and that includes books themselves and the impact they have on our lives. In No Two Persons, we get to see the story of one particular book from its origin, through its publishing and audiobook process, and the way it changed the readers' lives.

I was surprised at author's ability to write unique and thoughtful stories for the characters in a limited number of pages. Even though some of the characters' stories were less impactful in my opinion, I really loved the way they interacted with the novel in their own special way. My personal favourites were the diver and the teenager, who in my opinion could have their stories turned into separate novels.

[ARC provided by NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest, voluntary review]

Engaging right from the start. I loved this tale, which read like a collection of short stories, all with the common thread of how a single book can impact the lives of many. Highly recommend!

No Two Persons

I so excited to learn that Erica Bauermeister has this new novel coming out in May, so imagine my delight when I received a copy from @netgalley and @stmartinspress. Thank you!

If you’ve read some of Bauermeister’s earlier books, you’ll know she excels at writing stories that highlight and interweave the lives of disparate characters around a central theme. This book’s theme is the idea that “no two persons ever read the same book.” Thus, the story takes us through the writing process, through publication in its different forms, and the reception of the work. Nine different characters are all connected through the book “Theo,” sometimes in surprising ways.

This book is stunningly beautiful, thought-provoking and at once heart-warming and heart-breaking. A shorter novel that makes exquisite use of every single word, I highly recommend this work to anyone who loves books, and especially character-driven stories.

One book, 9 different readers - how does one book impact people differently? Alice always wanted to be a writer. After a tragedy hits her family she leaves the life path she was on to dedicate herself to writing her book, a book about a boy named Theo. This novel brings us through 9 different stories that are intertwined and connected to this book about Theo.

When I first received the copy of this book I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it. I don’t normally love books with so many points of views. This book is basically many mini stories that all are loosely tied together. Somehow the author was able to turn this book into a beautiful story that had me intrigued from the first page. Over all I really enjoyed reading this but I did find some of the stories lacked depth and character development and I did enjoy some more than others.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of this book.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I so loved this book about how a single book touches the lives of 9 others as well it’s author. I could read a book about each of its characters. I was so invested in each one. Put this on your May TBR. This is the my second 5⭐️ read by this author. If you haven’t read her last book The Scent Keepers, I highly recommend.