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 Entertainment | Books | July 2005 
On the Shelf: Robert James Waller
 ABCNews.com
| | Robert James Waller is a writer, photographer, and musician. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers The Bridges of Madison County and A Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend. His other works include the New York Times bestsellers Old Songs in a New Caf?, Border Music, and Puerto Vallarta Squeeze, and his book of photographs, Images. His recording The Ballads of Madison County was released by Atlantic Records. |
You may have already seen it in the bookstore: High Plains Tango by international bestselling author, Robert James Waller. The third novel in a trilogy connected with The Bridges of Madison County and A Thousand Country Roads, High Plains Tango is a signature book, richly plotted and filled with memorable characters. It is, in many ways, a timeless tale of love, friendship, and community - of the things that unite us and give our lives meaning, as well as the values and convictions that separate us.
Best known for his 1992 breakout novel, The Bridges of Madison County, Waller has long served a large and loyal readership. Each of his novels have been New York Times bestsellers, notably Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend, and Border Music. Waller's seven books combined have sold more than ten million copies in North America alone, with even greater international sales.
Waller's most recent book A Thousand Country Roads (2002) was unconventionally self published by the author in cooperation with the owners of a small independent bookstore in Texas. After an initial printing of only 25,000 copies, the book went on to sell more than half a million copies
High Plains Tango picks up where Bridges of Madison County and A Thousand Country Roads left off. Waller tells the story of Robert Kincaid's illegitimate son, Carlisle McMillan, an itinerant master carpenter intent on changing his life, who finds his way to the small town of Salamander, South Dakota.
Not far from town, Carlisle begins rebuilding an old house near an area dominated by a monolith called Wolf Butte, a towering rock of superstition and legend, a place of curious and apparently supernatural events. His purpose is to transform the decrepit property into a beautifully crafted masterpiece as a tribute to the gruff old carpenter who taught him the trade. In the course of his work, Carlisle McMillan finds he also is rebuilding himself. And into his life come two very different, independent women: Gally Devereaux, who works at a diner in Salamander and longs for something more than she is, and Susanna Benteen, beautiful and enigmatic, who was drawn to Salamander for mysterious reasons of her own, a woman the town has labeled a witch.
Gally and Susanna, along with a wise American Indian known as Flute Player, become Carlisle's community until a proposed new highway threatens his quiet and sense of contentment. Strange and unsettling things begin to happen as the bulldozer treads start to turn. Carlisle, though reluctant to give up his life of quiet and craftsmanship, challenges governments and contractors, gradually exposing gnarled threads of corruption and environmental disaster. The Yerkes County War commences and things get much rougher than Carlisle imagined. Run or stand your ground, that is Carlisle's dilemma, Gally on side, Susanna on the other, and his self-respect in the balance.
About the Author
Robert James Waller is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers The Bridges of Madison County and A Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend. His other works include the New York Times bestsellers A Thousand Country Roads, Old Songs in a New Cafe, Border Music, and Puerto Vallarta Squeeze, and his book of photographs, Images.
Waller lives on a small farm in Harper, Texas, with his wife Linda. The authort leads an unconventional and interesting life in the Texas Hill Country, far away from the celebrity and fame he has received as a result of his success. Waller is known for his novels of course, but he's a quirky, fun and dynamic guy who has a doctorate in mathematics, worked as a musician for over twenty years (and until recently played the banjo in the neighborhood bar), fly fishes on the weekends, and is a serious photographer.
Read an excerpt from "High Plains Tango:"
www.randomhouse.com/crown/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307209948&view=excerpt
For more information visit:
www.randomhouse.com/crown/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307209948
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