Seldom without love is a novel filled with boisterous good humor, heady sentiment, and, of course, , love- all kinds of physical love, family love, and the love of God. From the moment Sam Carlson's wife straps the batteries of a mail-order hearing aid just above her shapely knees, tucks the amplifier into her bosom, and tunes herself back in on the noise of small town Texas life, the story of her of her "whole long wonderful hot crazy summer"" leaps to life with resounding gusto.