Saturday, July 15, 2023

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister ~ Book Review

Alice has always wanted to be a writer from the time she was little.  In college her stories, though good, are safe.  Her professor and mentor, Professor Roberts, recognizes her talent and encourages her to step out of her comfort zone and write the gripping story he knows she has within her.  When a devastating event happens in her life, Alice is finally able to step beyond the safety and comfort of her former writings and writes right out of her heart.   But after sending it to lists of publishers and after rejection after rejection, Alice gives it one more shot and sends it to the publisher whom her professor recommends.  As her story finds its way into the hands of readers, no one can predict how her words can change the course of the lives of those who read them.

I loved this book.  Though I must admit it took a little to get into, the first chapter was 32 pages long and I'm a short chapter kind of gal, but once it got rolling I couldn't put it down.  It starts with the quote:

"No two persons ever read the same book, or saw the same picture"
The Writings of Madame Swetchine 1860

The story then goes on to show just how a good story can do that.  Each chapter is like a story unto itself about a person who the book makes itself to and how the story affects them and changes the way they look at their lives.  I was drawn into each character who were as different from each other as they could be and how Alice's story touched each of them in a totally different way.  The book is definitely character driven and the author was able to take nine very different characters and their stories and weave them together into a lovely story that comes full circle and that any book lover would understand and relate to.   The premise is original and it totally drew in my emotions.  And bonus,  parts were set in Canada which as a Canadian reader I loved.  

"I think each story has it's own life.  In the beginning, it lives in the writer's mind, and it grows and changes while it's there.  Changes the writer, too, I'd bet....At some point it's written down and that's the book the readers hold in their hands.  But the story isn't done, because it goes on to live in the readers' minds, in a way that's particular to each of them.  We're all caretakers of the stories, Alice.  Writers are just the lucky ones that get to know them first".

"Professor Roberts" in
No Two Persons
by Erica Bauermeister
pg 31


I rated this book a 10/10

Reading Challenge Goal Met:  A book a month from my library list



1 comment:

Barbara H. said...

This does sound really good. I just put it on my TBR list.