No Two Persons: A Novel

Written by Erica Bauermeister

Narrated by Barrie Kreinik, Braden Wright, Carol Jacobanis and 7 more

Winner of the 2024 Audie Award for Multi-voiced Performance!

This program includes a bonus conversation between the author and narrator.

"The production's 10 outstanding real-life narrators portray the fictional audiobook's author and its nine narrators. Each of the talented real-life narrators brings their character vividly to life."- AudioFile

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

This program is read by a full cast:

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

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: May 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9781250898357

Erica Bauermeister

Erica Bauermeister is the author of the bestselling novel The School of Essential Ingredients, Joy for Beginners, and The Lost Art of Mixing. She is also the co-author of non-fiction works, 500 Great Books by Women: A Reader’s Guide and Let’s Hear It For the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. She has a PhD in literature from the University of Washington, and has taught there and at Antioch University. She is a founding member of the Seattle7Writers and currently lives in Port Townsend, Washington.

Reviews for No Two Persons

[Gwyneth S Lin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A book for book lovers- -it describes many aspects of how books can heal, save, and help the readers and how a book can connect so many people. Love it!

[Mary Beth Reimann · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was drawn in by Alice's story in chapter, and I waited with anticipation as each chapter unfolded a little piece of her or her brother.
It isva captivating read.

[Brooklyn Barker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Didn’t want it to end!!!! I loved all the characters so much!!! It was so rich and complex yet easy to follow!

[Dayna Bennett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book. The writing at the sentence level is at times breathtaking. The story, and its interconnectedness, is touching. It spoke to my writer’s heart, it tapped into my grief and pulled it to the surface, and it satisfied the need of my reader’s heart to feel like everyone was taken care of by the end. Just lovely.

[Evie Aaron · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My sister said this was one of the best books she’s read in a long time, and she’s an avid reader, making that suggestion legitimate to me. I convinced two book clubs to use it this month, and WOW, am I glad I get to discuss this with so many people! There is something to connect with in each character, and it’s divinely written. Everyone is going to take something different from the many stories told, which is exactly the point. BONUS: an author interview at the end!!

[Tammy Cole · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well done! Don’t miss the author’s interview at the end.

[Cheryl Leppo Roution · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this book when I had won it months ago on Goodreads- and I couldn't wait to hear what others thought of it who didn't get it for free.
I struggled with the first few chapters but once I understood what was happening I fell in love. By the end of the book I was highlighting and marking pages and quotes like mad. Could these be one of the best books of the year? For me, it has been the best- I can only hope others enjoy it as much! The concept was unique and the writing enigmatic.

[Aricka Rodgers · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I really wanted to like this book because it had a unique foundation but it feel flat for me. To many characters and surface level storylines.

[Vimla Gulabani · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Each chapter a journey into a new and fascinating adventure. I loved all the characters and narrators. The writer is so gifted.

[Emily Lassiter Branch · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh my goodness did I love this book - I was recommending it to book-loving friends before I even finished it, which is rare for me. It was such a fascinating premise for a booklover like me - essentially it's 10 short stories, all of which exemplify the saying that "No two persons read the same book." And oh, how beautifully it illustrates that idea. Starting with the author of the particular book in question and how she came to write it, it then segues into stories about how that book fell into 9 different people's hands and how it affected them. The subtle differences in what message they got from the book, which bits resonated with each character, was illuminating. I highly recommend the audiobook - there's a different narrator for each story, and each is brilliant. If you've ever been in a discussion about a book that you loved (or didn't love at all) and thought "Wow, did we read the same book??" - you'll relate.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.