Double Concerto

Doha · August 1, 2022

The tale of Rick, the plumber and Gus, the Concert Pianist is one of my favorite stories on GA.

The characters are well-developed and capture both our minds and hearts.

In many ways, their stories are our stories and we can empathize with their dilemmas, and celebrate their joys.

The story comes to a pleasing conclusion, and yet I long to know more and to engage once again in the lives of these two delightful men.

Mrsgnomie · May 26, 2022

This is an incredible story: well written, engrossing, and realistic. I found myself feeling protective of Rick. I got so angry at times, when he was treated poorly, and elated when he was happy. If you're on the fence, do yourself a favor and read it.

ChillFire · August 20, 2021

Congratulations on moving to Eagle Lake!

Plumbing problems? Call Heinrich Ernst and Son, Plumbing and Heating. Rick will certainly help you out.

Need to relax? Be sure to check out our picturesque lake, near the Cedarcrest property. You should especially consider visiting at night – there might be a surprise in store for you.

Doubting your investment? Our little town will most certainly be the place to be in the future. Contact your real estate agent, Rita McKee, for more details on what’s to come.

And remember:

“The pace is slow, and everyone knows your name. And your business.”

What I Loved

God, I loathed Rita and Heinrich Sr. Every time they showed up and started spouting off about whatever, I honestly wanted to just yell at them.

On a semi-related note, the content warnings slowly morphing into Rita and Heinrich Sr. “weather reports” was hilarious.

Great job capturing the atmosphere and vibe of life in a small town. Reading Double Concerto almost makes it feel like you’re actually living in Eagle Lake!

Thanks for including links to the various music referenced throughout the story. I’m not a huge classical music fan, but it’s nice to have this “supplementary material” for those who want it. I’ll be sure to have a listen later.

Spoiler

Parallels – parallels everywhere! (Is that what you even call them? You get what I’m referring to, right?) Rick and his dad, Zoltan/Magda and Gus, Zoltan/Magda and Marta, the teenager on the plane…

Rick’s one liner when he burst into the room where Magda and Zoltan were arguing with Gus was cheesy as hell and I legitimately laughed out loud when I read it. Perfection.

What Could’ve Been Better

Jerry kinda felt like a throwaway character, to be honest. Did he even have much of a role in anything? Perhaps he did and I just forgot.

Spoiler

Would ICE really act on some random unreliable tip that fast and then allow a Wikipedia page and piano playing as evidence? I mean, I get why it was included (to introduce Gus’s backstory), but perhaps there could’ve been a better way.

Unfortunately, I found the large time skip between the last chapter of the Chicago arc and Coda to be quite disappointing. I wanted to see a bunch of things “on-screen” that were given only passing mentions, like Rick’s dad hearing that his son is gay (this in particular felt like it was building up to something big). The Chicago arc and Coda did not wrap things up enough to my liking.

Did Rick even deal with the trauma he endured from being sexually assaulted by Willy? Or his self-esteem issues? I was expecting him to go to a therapist or something. Gus being there definitely helps, but I think there needs to be more done to deal with all that.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

The theme of “having your life be micromanaged” hit very close to home, honestly.

At one point during the first half of the book, I felt like Gus was being put in front of Rick just to torture him, haha. What’s that saying, again? “Authors love to torture their characters?”

I should really check out the series where CJ and company are featured in.

I don’t live in the States (nor do I participate in my country’s equivalent patriotic day), so it was interesting reading about all the festivities surrounding the 4^th of July.

Spoiler

Is Rick really fine with living at Cedarcrest? I mean, he was raped in the basement…

Verdict

I couldn’t put down Double Concerto when I was reading it! (One time, I accidentally read to 6am in the morning. Had to “wake up” shortly after. Whoops.) The slow pace of life at Eagle Lake pulls you in and makes you never want to leave. While I have some issues with some elements of the plot, they aren’t too major and Double Concerto is still a very enjoyable read.

5 stars.

84Mags · May 12, 2021

Take your time and really enjoy the many details of this well written work, including each chapter title and orchestration references. The story is engrossing and the characters captivating. The reader is able to wander through small town life as we follow along with Rick, as he overcomes personal trauma and self doubt to find lasting friendships and love. Along the way we meet some interesting characters and challenging situations. I really love everything about this story. Rick, Gus and the good people of Eagle Lake will stay with you in the most satisfying way.

CincyKris · May 10, 2021

This is one of the most absorbing and heartfelt stories I have read, but don't worry, it's never cloying or mushy. You will love some characters and hate a few. The protagonist, Rick, grows and develops realistically and satisfyingly. The side characters are entertaining and maddening, sometimes all at once. While it was fun anticipating and devouring a chapter a week, this is one I would binge read in a couple of days!

IanDaniels · May 10, 2021

Absolutely wonderful story, one my favorites! I think many can relate to Rick. 🥰

weinerdog · May 9, 2021

Other readers will be for more eloquent then I in reviewing this story I'm just making sure this author gets his share of 5 star reviews and trust me he will probably before I'm done writing this.

If you read this author's other stories you know that he's very good at taking his and other people's life experiences plus doing his due research in creating a story you can relate to.There are many stories on the GA site about teenagers coming to terms about being gay and coming out.In this our main character Rick while no age is given I think it's safe to say he is in 40's and is still in the closet.Living in a small town where most of the people grew up with him or at least knows him well complicates thing in addition to a dominating father who thinks he needs supervision even from a distance.

His Job as the town's very respected Plummer has him cross path with a concert Pianist named Gus.From this point things are different and Rick tries to find a path to Gus.

The one thing that set this author's apart from other good writer's is while you root for his main characters you also openly cheer for them and feel the emotions they feel. Enjoy reading this story there is no doubt in my mind you will.

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Doha 5,505

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Mrsgnomie 48,660

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ChillFire 58

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84Mags 7,387

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CincyKris 8,751

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IanDaniels 181

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weinerdog 30,695

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