“Martha Anne Toll’s new novel is a beautiful meditation on love and the great vessel of time. Begin reading Duet for One to be stirred by its symphonic prose, and soon you’ll harmonize and fall in love with its unforgettable characters.”

—Jai Chakrabarti, author of A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness and A Play for the End of the World

“Duet for One is a lovely story about artistry, time, memory, and romance. Martha Anne Toll has a wonderful way of writing about music. It is a balm to the spirit!”

—Lydia Kiesling, author of Mobility and The Golden State

“Music—like love—is a challenge to both the senses and the intellectual mind. In this poignant and attentively-written novel, Martha Anne Toll writes about the triumphs and sorrows of these two elements of human life, and considers how they might intertwine. Duet for One unfolds with symphonic sweep, each of its movements revealing deeper layers of emotion and insight into the central characters. The great works—works by Brahms, Beethoven, Schubert, Paganini, Mozart, Smetana—serve as the backdrop for Toll’s clever and intricate storytelling. Truly, a memorable novel.”

—Pauls Toutonghi, author of The Refugee Ocean and Red Weather

New York Journal of Books, forthcoming:

Duet for One deals with themes of love and independence, loss and memory—and all of it is expressed in Toll's exacting descriptions of music and musicians....One of Toll’s real strengths is her ability to capture the work performing artists do. In Three Muses, she captured the sheer physical labor involved with ballet dancing as well as the complex relationship between the dancer and the choreographer. Here her depiction of the muscle building necessary to have the hands and fingers of a violist or cellist are fascinating.

The sheer physical labor that is part of musical mastery is palpable—so much depends upon a strong wrist and fingers. A bonus here is that, as we follow the rehearsals and performances of various musicians, we get an excellent chamber music playlist.... The chronology here is complex ... Dara and Adam’s lives from adolescence onward, move backward and forward, probing Adam’s relationship with his mother, other women and music, seeing Dara’s teaching career, the dissolution of her marriage, and her loyalty to other friends....Like music you have heard before, the experience is rewarding. 

Marketing Plan:

Publicist: Lauren Cerand

Launch at Politics & Prose DC May 6, 2025, violin music with Anne Midgette, former WaPo classical music critic interviewing

Two events at well known New York clubs-Mid May 2025, one with live piano music and Marina Harss, Ballet and Cultural Critic interviewing

Main Line Books in Wayne PA- May 21, 20205, Helena Campbell interviewing

Berkeley, CA-Hillside Club with live music, June 8, 2025

Headhouse Books in Philadelphia, PA June 17, 2025, Memoirst Paul Lisicky interviewing

Penina Roth Reading Series, New York, July 14, 2025

Further events likely in the DC metro area in the autumn

Print and online media at time of launch:

Full page interview in the Writers Center magazine

3 craft essays in Poets & Writers

Written interviews with well known writers

Essay in Lit Hub

Further media in progress

Full social media promotion on all platforms