Narrators: Barrie Kreinik, Braden Wright, Carol Jacobanis, Cassandra Campbell, Gabra Zackman, George Newbern, Jesse Vilinsky, Max Meyers, Rachel L. Jacobs, Stephen Graybill
Macmillan Audio
ISBN: 978-1250284372
Publisher: St. Martins Press
Publication Date: 05/02/2023
Format: Audiobook
My Rating: 5 Stars
One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister’s No Two Persons is “a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives.”*
That was the beauty of books, wasn’t it? They took you places you didn’t know you needed to go…
Alice has always wanted to be a writer. Her talent is innate, but her stories remain safe and detached, until a devastating event breaks her heart open, and she creates a stunning debut novel. Her words, in turn, find their way to readers, from a teenager hiding her homelessness, to a free diver pushing himself beyond endurance, an artist furious at the world around her, a bookseller in search of love, a widower rent by grief. Each one is drawn into Alice’s novel; each one discovers something different that alters their perspective, and presents new pathways forward for their lives.
Together, their stories reveal how books can affect us in the most beautiful and unexpected of ways―and how we are all more closely connected to one another than we might think.
“With its beautiful parts that add up to a brilliant whole, No Two Persons made my reader’s heart sing.”―*Nina de Gramont, New York Times bestselling author of The Christie Affair
My Review
NYT bestselling author Erica Bauermeister returns following The Scent Keeper with her latest, NO TWO PERSONS—a beautifully written collection of stories exploring how books can impact us in unexpected ways.
One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives.
A testament to the power of literature and stories.
Alice Wein is a reclusive author whose older brother, Peter, a once-promising swimmer, dies from an overdose. Afterward, she creates an emotional, personal debut novel titled Theo with a main character inspired by her brother.
Over the next ten years, Theo is plucked from an agent's slush pile by a new mother and is later recorded as an audiobook by an actor whose career was hindered by a disease that causes skin discoloration.
The stories, which feature lives derailed by circumstance, become more engaging as they focus on Theo's readers. The inspiring words find their way to readers, from a teenager hiding her homelessness to a free diver pushing himself beyond endurance, an artist furious at the world around her, a bookseller searching for love, and a widower wracked by grief.
A book within a book, each character is drawn into Alice's novel—discovering unique perspectives to help them on their journey.
Told from the POVs of 10 people: Alice, her publisher, a bookseller who forms a relationship with Alice, and the book's readers, touched in unique ways. Each reader connects with something different in Theo's story.
My favorite was "The Agent," The woman instrumental in the success, the story, Alice's agent. The last tale captures the end of her own life's journey and career.
NO TWO PERSONS is storytelling at its finest! Lyrical, fully immersive, charming, moving, and thought-provoking! Character-driven— a love letter to the redemptive power of stories.
I thoroughly enjoyed the captivating audiobook (Macmillan Audio), narrated by an entire cast and some of my favorite narrators. I listened to the audio in one sitting—mesmerized. Engaging and absorbing, I highly recommend the audiobook! My favorite narrators: Rachel, Barrie, George, Cassandra, and Carol.
Narrators and Stories:
Rachel Jacobs as The Writer
Barrie Kreinik as The Assistant
Braden Wright as The Actor
Jesse Vilinsky as The Artist
Max Meyers as The Diver
Gabra Zackman as The Teenager
Stephen Graybill as The Bookseller
George Newbern as The Caretaker
Cassandra Campbell as The Coordinator
Carol Jacobanis as The Agent
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: May 2, 2023
For fans of authors Elizabeth Berg, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Sarah Addison Allen, and Patti Callahan Henry.
Praise
"I loved this delightful gem of a novel: a deeply satisfying, unique reading experience. If you’re passionate about reading I know you’ll be passionate about this book."
―Liane Moriarty, New York Times bestselling author
"In her lyrical, haunting new novel, No Two Persons, Erica Bauermeister shares the unexpected, exquisite ways in which one special book transforms its readers' lives. As the novel-within-the-novel passes through the hands of a vast array of people―ranging from an actor to a swimmer to a homeless student, among others―it acts as a guide for the lost, serving in different manners for different readers. A wondrous ode to the power of fiction, No Two Persons will linger with its readers in much the same way its fictional novel remained with its characters."
―Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author
"Rendered in precise and distilled prose, No Two Persons beautifully explores the connections that save us, the traumas that shape us, and the power of words and story to heal us. With spot-on descriptions and a keen understanding of human vulnerability, Erica Bauermeister has written a book filled with power and grace that will utterly transform its reader. A large-hearted, wise, and magnificent novel."
― Marjan Kamali, author of The Stationery Shop and Together Tea
“What a joy to see the separate parts of No Two Person leap across time to build its terrific story. When the tragic life of a writer’s brother fires the novel she’s always wanted to write, its path in the world is beyond what we could guess. I loved the power this plot gives to reading itself, that dear and vital realm of our experience.”
―Joan Silber, award-winning author of Secrets of Happiness
“Unforgettable. No Two Persons is a beautiful and haunting love letter to the redemptive power of stories and the impressive mark it leaves on readers. Bauermeister is a powerful storyteller who weaves a brilliant narrative, while painting portraits of compelling characters."
―Kim Michele Richardson, New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
"I am madly in love with this book. Erica Bauermeister has written a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives. Each story in this cycle stands alone, and at the same time carries the arc--not only through the novel that's its central character, but a cast of recurring players who connect in the most unexpected and satisfying ways. With its beautiful parts that add up to a brilliant whole, No Two Persons made my reader's heart sing."
―Nina de Gramont, New York Times bestselling author of The Christie Affair
"The greatest compliment a writer can pay another is to say, 'I wish I'd written that.' Well, I wish I'd written No Two Persons. I couldn't put it down. Evocative. Brilliant. Complex. Immensely satisfying. Storytelling at its best. This is one I'll be recommending to all and sundry for a long time."
―Alka Joshi, author of The Henna Artist and The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
"Wondrous and moving . . . a love letter to every writer, reader and human who has ever opened their heart to the transformative power of story."
―JoAnne Tomkins, author of What Comes After
"This is a novel of almost unbearable truth and beauty and depth. Plot, character, prose--the perfect book."
―Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches
"As perfect a depiction of the power of story as one could ever find, or need."
―Natalie Jenner, bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls
"Gorgeous, nuanced, and intimate, No Two Persons will stay with you well after the last page is turned." ―Anna Quinn, author of The Night Child
"A very tender, very true book about the power of stories. Why we write them, why we need them to survive. Bauermeister creates a kaleidoscope of beautiful, unexpected ways of seeing the world."
―Yara Zgheib, author of No Land to Light On
"In this beautifully written and inventive novel, Erica Bauermeister creates stories within a story, tying them together with gossamer thread. I was sad when I came to the end of this captivating and engrossing novel."
―Diane Chamberlain, New York Times bestselling author of The Last House on the Street
About the Author
Erica Bauermeister is the NYT bestselling author of the four novels including The Scent Keeper, The School of Essential Ingredients, Joy for Beginners, and The Lost Art of Mixing. Her newest novel, No Two Persons, will be out in May of 2023. She has also written a memoir, House Lessons: Renovating a Life. Her work has been published in over 25 languages and has been a Reese's Book Club pick (Scent Keeper), a Costco Pennie's Pick (School of Essential Ingredients) and all four of her novels have been Indie Next Picks. Before she began writing fiction and memoir, she earned a PhD in literature and co-authored two guides to books: 500 Great Books by Women and Let's Hear It For the Girls. She lives in Port Townsend, WA and loves to talk with book groups. For more personal insights, you can visit her at www.ericabauermeister.com or at www.facebook.com/EricaBauermeisterAuthor.
