Abbey at is orneriest.  Includes the Southwest, Appalachia, love story, tragedy, goat roast, cross country journey, Mozart and Waylon.  His second to last book published in 1988.  485 pages.  Recommended but not to the faint of heart.  

Me: I wonder what made those Russian composers so consistently good? 
Wife: It was those long winters.  Kind of like how the Milwaukee boys bikes are prettier than the Birmingham boys.