Border Music [Hardcover]

Robert James Waller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 1995

Most people don't run out the back door of a place called the Rainbow Bar in Dillon, Minnesota, with someone they don't even know, get in a pickup truck, drive all day, and end up without any clothes on in a motel room. But that's what Texas Jack Carmine did with Linda Lobo. It was the kind of thing Jack was famous for doing. The people who knew Texas Jack Carmine - such as songwriter Bobby McGregor and Jack's uncle Vaughn Rhomer back in Iowa - called him God's only freeborn soul, rider of the summer roads, traveler of the far places. Where he was headed with dark-haired, long-legged Linda was not just back to his one-horse Texas ranch. It was somewhere he had never been: face to face with his own heart and the wild, strange things that live there. Border Music is the story of Jack and Linda, of long, hot days on a high desert ranch, nights wild with loving beneath West Texas skies, and times when their relationship tears them both apart. It's about Vietnam and the Midwest, and Vaughn Rhomer, an old man who,tries in his own fumbling way to be free. It's about men and women who work hard and care intensely, about romance and the passion that you only find once...and you never stop wanting to find again.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The lead sentence of Waller's potential bestseller is a first line that may turn up in quizzes, though not of the literary variety. "When this nameless piece a' shit tore off Linda Lobo's G-string instead of sticking money in it... Texas Jack Carmine went crazy-over-the-edge...." But make no mistake about it: while Texas Jack Carmine is neither as well-educated nor as well-spoken as Robert Kincaid or Michael Tillman, the protagonists of Waller's previous novels, he is equally intelligent, sensitive and romantic under the facade of his raunchy, beer-guzzling persona. With a twang in his voice matched by the low-down grit of Waller's prose, Jack is a restless man who lives "sweet and free... a rider of summer roads, traveler of far places." After he impulsively rescues long-legged, "high-assed" Linda from her job in a Minnesota bar, he discovers that she is the woman of his dreams. Jack takes Linda home to his one-horse ranch in Texas where they enjoy an idyllic year, doomed to end, however, as readers realize immediately, since Waller applies foreshadowing with a sledgehammer touch. Jack's "spells," flashbacks to the killing he did in Vietnam, are the reason that the lovers eventually part. But Jack assumes legendary proportions in the lives of everyone whose path he crosses; all eventually realize that "'he set us free... he loved us in a special way and in doin' so taught us to think better of ourselves." A silly subplot concerns Jack's disillusioned uncle Vaughn Rhomer, a produce manager in a Iowa supermarket, who secretly nurtures his own romantic dreams and adventures, and finally realizes that Jack has "shown him the way." Waller is dangerously self-indulgent here; his style has become a shtick, and this story is all atmosphere and rugged sentiment and no action. His fans will probably buy it, but there's no magic in this tale. Major ad/promo; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selection.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Although Waller's popularity may be on the wane-his Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend has sold "only" two million copies, compared with five million for The Bridges of Madison County-don't dismiss the metaphor-mangling romance writer as a flash in the pan. His latest tells of two star-crossed lovers who dare to confront their dark pasts.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (February 7, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446518581
• ISBN-13: 978-0446518581
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,422,649 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good plot but a little disappointing for this author, November 26, 1999

By 

"neeterskeeter27" (http://www.neeterskeeter.com/new) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Border Music (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is not as good, in my opinion, as some of his other books, such as Puerto Vallarta Squeeze or Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend, but it is still sad, realistic, and a good read. The only criticism I have is that in the beginning, it moves too slow and gives a negative attitude about the plot to the reader. However, as it moves on, it gets rather good. This book almost made memad, the way things turn out, but it also dives into the human indeciciveness between fantasy and reality. This is another sad but interesting book by Robert James Waller, and it is much easier to find than "Puerto Vallarta Squeeze." Though, in my opinion, not his best book, it is certainly good and worthy of the time it takes to read it.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtfull alternative to Bridges., August 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Border Music (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book before I read Bridges and find it much more inspirational. If you thought Bridges was good, but a little too sappy, you might find Border Music a more adventurous ride. This book is the story of a modern day explorer living his life to the fullest despite the mundane obstacles in today's world. Its the story of the road less traveled. You won't cry while reading Border Music, but you might get a new perspective on life. Bridges might be one of the best all-time romance novels, but if you're looking for a broader look at a great way to lead a life, Border Music is a great choice.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Flow, May 19, 2003

By 

BDH (Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Border Music (Hardcover)

I found this book in a bargain bin a few years back and finally got around to reading it only recently. Fortunately, I was glad I did, as it was diversely interesting, different from what I expected, too. No big surprises or stunning twists, but a nice flow all the same. Waller has a style of writing that fits the characters in his story; he writes from the angle of a Texas cowboy or other southern rugged, feral type, raw and unrefined.

'Border Music' is the story of untamed love, of romance initiated on a whim. It is the story of Jack Carmine and Linda Lobo, a drifter in a pickup truck and a sexy barroom dancer, who meet by chance, and decide to take a chance with each other. Sometimes a man will simply be a man, a drifter always a drifter as well; love dwindles and fades, and events become uncontrollable; fate takes control. Life gets on in years and the past appears as a dream. We know, ourselves, how much we'd love to try and grasp it and hold onto it just one more time, but always find it gone forever, leaving only faded memories. Country singer, Bobby McGregor, Jack's close friend, eventually realizes that his memories make him smile and reminisce, as he longs for the good ol' days to re-emerge. Uncle Vaughn Rhomer leaves in search of a dream, too, yearning for the experience himself, in search of his nephew also.

Maybe it's Jack who has the right idea, God's freeborn soul, for even though he longs for Linda, his true love, his heart calls on him to constantly wander ... keeping life fresh, free, and unpredictable.

Don't look back, Jack Carmine.

Though a novel for women also, this is a love story for men, which is somewhat rare.
Waller pulled it off nicely.