Thank you to St, Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

Erica Bauermeister is a wonderful writer who has again written such a beautiful story about how one book touched so many people’s lives. It started with the origins of how it became a story in the first place from the perspective of the author who wrote the book, ending with the life of the literary agent who published it.

I loved reading about the perspective of each individual who read the story and the impact this book made on their lives.

The end; it's good. You have to read the book before you get there but it’s worth the ride to finally see what comes.

It’s an original story that pushes the idea of how many people are affected by one book. The book, “Theo,” within the book is presented by the writer, Alice Wein. It’s about a boy that has a harsh childhood and wants to somehow escape. Sad stories are typical and I wish I had known a little bit more about what was happening.

There are a series of chapters with stories from those who are connected to “Theo.” The author skillfully presents a glimpse from the POV of a bookseller, the literary agent and one of her assistants, the narrator of the audible version, a book reviewer and a few readers.

The stories were engaging. It’s like going to a book event with a series of authors and each one is entertaining. The characters came from all streets of life; most with a passion for books. One mother said books were like giant neighborhoods where every family is different. And, no two persons have identical take aways.

My thanks to Erica Bauermeister, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced book with an expected release date of May 2, 2023.

This book was simply so good. This book speaks to book lovers because it’s about the exact thing that makes those readers love books. It’s about how books change lives- how they’re interpreted, how the context of our lives changes the essence of the book, and how people of all differences can come together with a single book. We saw children, mothers, boys, and others as their lives were changed by this book. It made me think of the wonderful books I have read in my life that have affected me deeply. It is a love letter to books and it is very beautifully written.

I’ve read books by this author before, and I think this might be the best one. At first it read like a book of stories and I wasn’t sure that I was gonna like it. I didn’t know if it would hold my attention. I put it down for a couple days only to pick it up again and then I couldn’t put it down. I read it through to the end without stopping. It was so exciting when I started seeing the connections between each person’s story. The stories are good on their own, but they all do connect. The title of the book, no two persons, refers to the fact that every book has a different meaning to each reader. By the time you get to the end, you can really see the truth in this. I was honored to receive a digital ARC from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. This review is given freely, in my own opinion.

Adore the concept behind this book and the stories it wove together into a brilliant tapestry. The ten characters truly demonstrated the power of words and how one book can be translated so differently based on a person’s walk of life. The book itself was beautifully written, almost lyrical at times and the characters were enthralling and relatable. I was left speechless after finishing and will absolutely recommend this to anyone who asks.

Writing: 5/5 Characters: 4.5/5 Plot: 4/5
A pretty interesting premise — in the first chapter, Alice Wein writes, and manages to publish, a deeply felt book, drawing on her own emotional experiences. It is titled “Theo.” Each of the next nine chapters (extending over a number of years) is a story about an individual who interacts with the book in a way that has a significant impact on his or her life: the Assistant who discovers the manuscript, the actor who narrates the audio book, a blocked artist, a driven diver, a deserted teenager, a bookseller, a ghost town caretaker, an intimacy coordinator (my favorite), and a book agent.

Each story is deeply personal; several brought tears to my eyes. While I didn’t find the book depressing, many were quite poignant. As the stories continue, we learn more about the book itself from it’s opening line — “wandering is a gift given only to the lost” — to succinct summaries of its development and denouement. Kind of clever embedding a book within a book without actually having to write it! I did find one story trite (I won’t tell you which — it may not feel that way to you!)

I greatly prefer novels to short stories, so I was a little disappointed that this wasn’t really a novel. On the other hand, I read them all (I often stop after the first few in a story collection). Bauermeister is a lovely writer, and the characters have real depth. And I have always liked the concept of books and how subjective each reader’s experience is. As an aside, I also really like the cover!

The title, the premise, interested me far more than the actual book. No two persons can read the same book... no two persons .... what? My detachment from my initial excitement with the possibility that lay in that premise arose from the broken promise. Instead of exploring the power of one book, one set of words as they made their mark on people who read it, the meadering "story" births itself again and again from the persons themselves, the ones that read the book, and ... well, they did not seem to come away from the reading marked or changed or connected. It was not the book's effect, the book's centrality that was explored, but the idea of a book that was used as a mechanism to gather together a zoological study of wounded creatures. The descriptions of the readers was remarkably adept. The characters were broken, wounded, and filled with quivering pathos. The storyline -- "there is one book that came into our lives" -- created the starting point for a string of wildly different and totally improbable characters that the book's readers already were when they took the book into their hands . That some of the stories were allowed to overlap at the edges seemed to be another scheme to bind a string of these studies together. The book that gave the story its premise was simply a name, a random title, a kind of mechanical tool that allowed the author to string wounded creature upon wounded creature together until they fade into a questionable springboard for another stab at painting a picture of brokenness.
There were moments of good writing in some of the character sketches, and pretty pictures and turns of phrase, but not enough to build a book or make good on the promise inherent in the original premise.

5/5

This book is a love story to books. It’s a collection of nine vignettes, of the people a book touches from the author through to the reader. Erica Baumister balances perfectly peering into each persons life just enough to leave you craving more but not feeling unresolved. The characters weave together seamlessly, the prose is beautiful and it truly was a pleasure to read.

Go buy this book when it comes out, if you don’t enjoy it I’ll buy you a drink.

A wonderful celebration of fiction and how it touches and changes lives in so many ways. Thanks so much for the review copy. I adore her writing and look forward to reading other books by her.

I could sum it up in four words (Gorgeous. I loved it.) but I won’t. This one really moved me and will stay with me.

I loved this one and read it in a single day. I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I wasn’t reading, and have continued thinking of this gorgeous multiple POV story since.

My only issue (which isn’t a real issue) with this was that I wanted more from each story, to learn further about the characters and their futures.

Finishing this led me to goodreads, which led me to wonder - how have I never heard of this author before?! If you want to find me, I’ll be busy adding more of her books to my tbr list.

This is definitely going on my most adored books of 2023 list. I loved this novel and fully recommend it.



Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the DRC!

No two persons read the same book..

This book was a stunning depiction of ten different people’s responses to the same book. Each chapter covering a different person with little to none connection with the others still made me feel a deep connection to each and their struggles. Beautiful!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy.

Spellbinding, incredible, storytelling done in such a unique engaging way! Erica knows how to sweep readers
Up into the world of her characters! Thank you, thank you so much!

Great premise and engaging tale with relatable characters… a little slower-places but this is definitely worth the read, y’all. Pick it up!
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC opportunity

Quite simply, this is the best thing I've read in several years. Several of the stories moved me to tears, and every tale made me feel and think. I'd give it ten stars if I could, and my only complaint is that I had to stop reading.

Masterful.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a patchwork of personalities of whom the only link is the book Theo. The way it touched every character demonstrates this books' versatility and shows that regardless of the circumstances, and shown by the ending, all we can only do is try. We can only try as these people in this book and how it the meaning of the book impacted us whether it be us living our lives as an actor, agent, caretaker or young child. What matters is how it spoke to us and why we felt strong enough to keep it around. Alice thought she only had one book inside of her but that is enough; however, she found herself knowing she could do more.

No Two Persons is my first read by Erica Bauermeister and I was immediately intrigued. Normally I am not a fan of multiple POVs, but Erica did an excellent job of developing each character she introduced. I enjoyed discovering how each person related to the one book in the novel and how intertwined they all were – a wonderful example of how small the world can be. I look forward to reading more by Bauermeister. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

I may be biased because I absolutely LOVE everything by Erica Bauermeister. The Scent Keeper made me realize my love for magical realism. After that, Erica never disappoints. I really enjoyed all the points of view and the different writing style to incorporate the multitude of characters. 5/5!

How can a book change the lives of authors, readers, and associates of both? This theme carries through intimate glimpses into the lives of a diverse group of characters in a style that keeps the pages turning long into the night. Bauermeister is skilled at enlivening each character with concise, well-constructed writing, bringing connections to light as the plot comes full circle to a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The book is based on the quote attributed to Edmund Wilson that “no two persons ever read the same book.” The premise is there is one book, one author, nine readers and ten changed lives.

The book is titled Theo, and is written by Alice. In her childhood, Alice used books as a means to escape her unhappy childhood. Alice’s father invested in making his son the best he can be, and overlooked Alice completely. She makes her way to college, and is determined to be a writer. Once Theo is published, we then see how the book affects nine other seemingly random readers, i.e., an actor turned recluse, a homeless teenager, a bookstore clerk, an eccentric artist, a recent widower, a publishing agent.

Guess the quote above is true, as I really didn’t enjoy this book as much as Goodreads’ reviewers. It didn’t work for me because each story does touch on how the book touches each of the readers, but only to a small degree. Each character’s chapter is an insight into the person before they have read the book, and I really wanted to learn how they changed after they read the book (or not). The characters start out interesting, get bogged down in redundancy and their story ends when they discover the book. There is a full circle of some characters as they are interconnected, which I felt was exaggerated. As for Theo, I really didn’t see how it would move each character as the plot is pretty much a mystery through most of the book.

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No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister is a beautifully written celebration of the power of fiction to enrich and transform our lives. The novel follows nine diverse readers who are each impacted in unique ways by Alice’s debut novel, a work that shares her own struggles The characters include a teenager hiding a secret, a widower dealing with grief, and a free diver facing struggles of his own.

Bauermeister’s writing is evocative and heartwarming, as she explores the ways in which reading can offer solace, hope, and new perspectives to those who need it most. The novel is a testament to the enduring power of literature to connect us to one another and to the world around us, and it is sure to leave a lasting impression on any reader.

Overall, No Two Persons is a beautifully crafted and deeply moving tribute to the magic of literature. It is a must-read for book lovers of all ages and is sure to inspire readers to pick up their next great read. So, it is highly recommended.