The Duet [Paperback]

Robert Elmer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 2004

Four Hands. Two Hearts. One Song.

When widower Gerrit Appeldoorn takes his granddaughter to piano lessons one day, he finds himself drawn to her music teacher: a woman unlike any he has known. It’s an unlikely attraction. He’s a retired dairyman with mud on his boots; Joan Horton is a world traveler and former piano instructor at New York’s most prestigious academy of music. Not quite “beauty and the beast,” but close.

Even so, Gerrit slowly begins to open his heart: to Joan, to music, to the possibilities that may be found in both. Yet as their relationship deepens, Gerrit faces crises concerning his family and farm, while Joan confronts a dark secret that threatens her future. While coping with these challenges, neither can predict how their duet will sound as they practice the music of renewed hope and second chances.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this sweet, well-written contemporary Christian novel about a romance between a widow and a widower, Elmer (the author of several popular CBA youth series) shows he can pen a good yarn for adults as well as kids. Joan Marie Horton has left Long Island to use her sabbatical year teaching piano in the Dutch Reformed town of Van Dalen, Wash., where she hopes to spend time with her daughter and son-in-law, who are expecting a baby. When a piano student's handsome grandfather, retired dairy farmer and widower Gerrit Appeldoom, tags along for his granddaughter's lessons, Joan awakens his aptitude for music-as well as some other emotions he'd thought were permanently buried. As their romance unfolds, Elmer paints a detailed picture of the challenges of life for an outsider in a Dutch Reformed community. There's a nice underpinning of spiritual angst: Appeldoom, a stubborn Calvinist, begins to realize that his ideas about "God's will" may be the manifestation of his own fears and desires, while Joan "has no idea how to refloat the shipwrecks of her guilt-ridden life." Although the subplot of her son Randy's downward spiral is less engaging, competent writing, interesting characters and the quirky backdrop of Van Dalen keep the pages turning. While some readers may find Joan's fate too self-abnegating, this is an enjoyable story, laced with humor.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Will retired dairy farmer Gerrit Vandekamp get together with sophisticated piano teacher Joan Horton? Of course, because beauty and the beast can have only one outcome in romances. And yet The Duet stands out from its colleagues because of Elmer's wry delivery and his knack for characterization. For instance, there's Gerrit' s grandson, Warney, the runt of the litter and yet the smartest, who's taken over the farm and is more skilled at it than Gerrit, but whose talents are never recognized. Gerrit has worries: his health is poor, and he sees little he likes in modern life; Joan, so assured outwardly, is running from her past. When she begins giving Gerrit piano lessons, both teacher and pupil have much to learn--and to forget. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press; 1 edition (February 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578567408
• ISBN-13: 978-1578567409
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #925,826 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A delight, March 26, 2004

By 

Robin (Meridian, ID, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Duet (Paperback)

This novel made me want to settle down in a small town like Van Dalen and get to know all my neighbors. Robert Elmer made music with words while writing The Duet. I look forward to reading more of his fiction. I especially appreciated how he wrote about matters of theology that different Protestant denominations often quibble about, helping me understand things I hadn't understood before. And although I learned as I read, I never felt like I was being taught. It was simply part of the story. I loved that.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kudos for Robert Elmer's first "grown-up" novel!, March 21, 2004

By 

Melissa Merrifield (Arkansas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Duet (Paperback)

I really was not sure what to expect from this novel. I've read many of his juvenile and youth books, and all are exciting, with twists and turns that keep the reader hooked. Well, I can tell you right now, Robert Elmer's first novel written for those over fifteen years old is wonderful!

The setting, that of a tiny, close-knit farming community in the Northwest, was admittedly foreign to me since I've lived in the midsouth since I was small. Like the New York-raised piano teacher in the book, it took me a while to understand and warm up to these Dutch-heritage farmers. But the more I read, the more I liked. By the middle of the book, I was absolutely hooked, both on the people, and what was happening.

Although it's a romance, it's not your usual fare. The two main characters, worlds apart in their cultural backgrounds, are up in years, and have seen a lot of life...and death. But this aspect of the story makes it all the sweeter and more satisfying to this baby-boomer.

Congratulations to Robert Elmer. Your first novel is a winner! I hope we hear more from you!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Duet - Robert Elmer graces Christian adult literature!, February 18, 2004

By 

Carla Wood, Librarian (Boise, Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Duet (Paperback)

With a warmth like "Mitford", yet a unique style, amusing humor, and pleasant charm all its own, The Duet by Robert Elmer captured my heart. I found myself rolling with laughter one moment and misty-eyed the next as I journeyed with characters, Gerrit and Joan through their grief, joys, prayers and hopes.

The Duet is about two widowed adults from opposite spectrums of life who find that they really have quite a lot in common. Whether you are young or old, musical or not, you will find that you can relate to Gerrit, Joan and their families and be inspired to find answers to life's problems in Jesus Christ.

I trust that this is only the beginning of many more delightful Christian adult novels by Robert Elmer!