Sex and Sunsets [Paperback]

Tim Sandlin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997

Meet Kelly Palamino, a successful dishwasher and failed husband described by People as "the Lone Ranger in love, riding out the rough patches on a Thorazine habit." When Kelly's wife leaves him for his best friend, he becomes color-blind and left-handed, and his toilet starts to talk. But Kelly really sails off the edge when he spies a beautiful bride just before her wedding. All Kelly has to do is convince Collette to dump her husband and take a chance on a man she thinks is crazy-before her in-laws and the law can put him away.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bride Colette Hart makes just one mistake when she spiritedly takes hold of a football on the steps of a Jackson, Wyo., church and gives it a good, smart punt over the rectory before proceeding to her own wedding: she drops her good-natured kick in sight of dishwasher Kelly Palomino, lounging across the street on his porch, who is seized by an instant, not-to-be-thwarted love for her. Kellyseparated from his wife, a slob, a man who hears voices but argues he is sane, a good old boy with a vulgar sense of humor and an embarrassing penchant for humiliating himselfcrashes the wedding and, a true obsessive, irritatingly proceeds to follow Colette everywhere, begging her to leave her new husband and marry him. This first novel is as single-minded as its narrator, hammering over and over at the pitiable Kelly's unreasonable mission. Although at times charming and insightful, the narrative rarely rises above its conceit about the folksy, foul-mouthed wisdom of madness.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Sandlin's first novel is almost a tribute to Tom Robbins, with waitresses, cowboys, crazy but wise old men, musings on love and death, and a main character whose life is completely out of the ordinary. Kelly Palamino, a dishwasher in Jackson, Wyoming, wonders "if there might be a reason why some lives are consistently more bizarre than others." His certainly is: he's written four unpublishable novels, his ex-wife insists they were never married, and he hears voices in running water. His life takes on meaning when he sees his "soulmate" at her own wedding and dedicates his life to making her his own. Though the story is far-fetched and the outcome ridiculous, yet predictable, Sandlin has a light touch and a wry humor. The next one should be better. Susan Avallone, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Riverhead Trade (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573226289
• ISBN-13: 978-1573226288
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,506,641 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sandlin is my new favorite author, January 8, 2000

By 

patty nottoli (Chatsworth, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sex and Sunsets (Paperback)

I found Sex & Sunsets in a used bookstore yesterday and today I'm going out to buy all his other books. I couldn't put it down. Kelly Palomino is crazed and the scary part is I totally understand him. Sandlin is an incredible wordsmith--I found myself laughing out loud at his wry, quirky, hyper-attunement, and underlining words and phrases to remember the rest of my life!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Start Sandlin with This One, January 16, 2005

By 

J. Tuttle "saucy24" (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sex and Sunsets (Paperback)

Don't be swayed by the negative reviews for this book! Tim Sandlin's stories are not steeped in realism, they require a suspension of disbelief and a light hearted approach.

Far from being a creepy stalker, the main character Kelly Palamino (best protagionist name ever!) is a die hard romantic, playful and self-depricating, who falls in love and perserveres against all odds. Sure, it's a plot that been been done before, but I've never come across an ending as satifying. Those who feel his character isn't believable aren't being honest with themselves. All of us share Kelly-like quirks, thoughts and motives, (we just don't act on them the way he does!)

Sandlin is one of the few authors who makes me laugh out load and every once in a while hits upon a universal truth about life that delights. I think the people who didn't enjoy this book just don't "get" Sandlin's sense of humor and style. I feel lucky that I'm someone who does.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites, April 4, 2000

By 

C. B. Manges (Westsylvania, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sex and Sunsets (Paperback)

I had the pleasure of reading Sex and Sunsets while living in the community in which the book is set. A deceptively light-hearted romp with a lead character so odd, so miserable, so painfully honest in accounting for his myriad misfortunes that one can't help cheering for the fellow. He is Everyman to which EVERYTHING has gone laughingly wrong. Other reviewers have faulted this book for it's lack of a real-world sensibility--a quality which I believe recommends it for re-reading. I get enough of the real world in the course of my everyday life--Sandlin gives us romance via vaudevillian silliness. His charms are those of the jester--deceptively wise. His follow-up, Western Swing, is even better.