Western Swing" is a novel that starts out slowly, and then suddenly you are caught up. Sandlin's people are so real, and you find yourself caring about them, even if at first you don't especially like them.
The book is divided into five parts, each part alternating the point of view of the novel's two protagonists, a married couple. Loren Paul (a writer) and Lana Sue (a minor country singer). The book gives us their convoluted life stories and in revealing moments shows us how they ended up together. It is quite a journey! Especially good is Part Three of this text (told from Loren's perspective). It is seductive reading, because once you engage it you are drawn in and cannot stop.
"Western Swing" is really a book about how two people end up together. The route is never a straight one and Sandlin does a remarkable job of charting the indirect journey Loren and Lana Sue take to each other. It is a testament to his plotting and skill as a writer that is comes across as believable. Life is never a straight shot, and when a character says, "Pure happiness cannot be linked to the past because the past isn't pure" you find yourself nodding in agreement.
I have read all of Sandlin's novels and "Western Swing" is easily in the top three! The book is filled to the brim with great moments and little nuggets of life's truths throughout. For example, on page 407 a character says, "I made my choice and the direction I didn't take is none of my damn business." A simple, yet profound thought. This novel is full of them!

sex on a horse! sex on a horse! sex on a horse!
sex by a baby! sex by a baby! sex by a baby!

they're just sexing all over :(

Tim did it again. Or well, yeah, I suppose he did this before he did the other books I also liked a lot. But yeah, this was another great read from him. I can definitely see the influence this book had on Sorrow Floats and Social Blunders. Those are books dedicated to the downfall and redemption of two characters from Skipped Parts, and each of those books feels like a more elaborated version of the stories of the two main characters found here. The names and situations are different, but you can really tell that this made writing those books even better.

Not to say this is a subpar book by comparison. There are so many great moments here, and some amazing little life lessons and saying that hold more meaning than they are probably meant to littered about as well. The one that sticks out the most is easily "...being happy is nicer. right?" I actually kinda forget this sometimes and sulk when I should be making a better effort not to. So yeah, it was nice to have this oddly simple idea thrown at me a few times through the book.

Before I diverge totally off into nowhere though, I'll end this and just say, it's a great book by a great comedic writer and I can't recommend checking out his books enough at this point. If anything, I'm getting sad knowing that there are only a couple more left to read now. He needs to come out with a new book soon.

This is first of Sandlin's I'd ever read years ago, and it was immediately following another odd first which totally would make Sandlin or his characters nod with satisfication and say something bluntly clever about it. It's about a writer running around the Rockies on a vision quest trying to sort out his rocky marriage while being chased by someone who seems to want to kill him. Somehow ridiculous plots are made plausible by the fractured realness of the characters. I guess it doesn't really matter, plausibility, because the writing is just so great. Gush... I'm glad I'm not his publicist cause I would gush my face off (though it looks like I could be soon. Gulp!)

inspired me to be a country singer and drive cross country.

Very very good. Total fun.

Loved it!

amazing book. I loved it. Such a great story about love, loss and redemption. Very funny to boot. I have not read this author before, but will definitely be getting other books by him. Love the $2.00 bin at 1/2 price...

Maybe it's second-novel syndrome. "Sex and Sunsets" was so good, the follow-up had to disappoint.

Started off rip-roaring — action, interesting characters — then it slowed down.