Rating: 
Summary: A Thousand Near Misses
Review: Called an epilogue, "A Thousand Country Roads" reveals the separate pathways of Robert Kincaid and Fransesca Johnson since their torrid four day love affair in "The Bridges of Madison County". The primary focus is on Kincaid as the complexity of his background and character is explored. As he contemplates the end of his life, Kincaid is anxious about his past, concerned about leaving this earth with a broken heart and no legacy. The reader will be surprised with what he discovers. Fransesca has a minor role. Her affair with Kincaid strengthened her. While she lives with its memories, she never regrets their brief relationship.Robert James Waller is a gifted writer with poetic prose and a creative use of settings. His weakness is how he designed the story - more like an engineer than an artist. To add drama and suspense he engineers a number of coincidences and close encounters between Kincaid and some key characters throughout the story. Unfortunately, it isn't natural or realistic. The reader often loses one's suspension of disbelief. Otherwise, Waller delivers a fine story about aging and dealing with a haunted past. As one of the zillions that read "Bridges", I am curious if "A Thousand Country Roads" will appeal to someone that is clueless about the Roseman Bridge. Probably a mute point - only a fraction of us zillions need to try it for Mr. Waller pave quite a few roads with gold.
Rating: 
Summary: Great writing skills
Review: Robert James Waller's "A Thousand Country Roads" is NOT a continuation of "Bridges of Madison County" as some readers thought but actually deals with the in-between, after Kincaid left Iowa and before he died. During this time, he met up with a son he thought didn't exist and it shows how close both Kincaid and Francesca at meeting each other. Also, I am amazed that some readers wanted to know if they were going to meet even though it said clearly in "Bridges of Madision County" that they would not meet. The author's writing skills is great and very personal. The book is short but especially intense and deep. Waller has the ability to bring and draw his readers into the story and just mesmerize his readers. Some might not like this book or feel dissatisfied because the ending is not what they want even though the ending was already determined in the previous book. I do agree that Waller should not dwell on the Kincaid past quite that much. However, I still think this is still a great story. I also highly recommend that the readers should read "Bridges of Madison County" first in order to understand better the story.
Rating: 
Summary: A disastrous epilogue to an excellent story
Review: It would have been much better if this book had never been written. The story in this volume takes place in the time period
after the wandering photographer (Robert Kincaid) left Madison County, Iowa, following his short love affair with the
conventional wife of an Iowa farmer (Francesca Johnson), until his death. Actually there is not much discussion about
Francesca; rather the story is focused on Robert's new discovery of his forgotten son produced from a one-night sexual
encounter with a free-spirited girl in Northern California when Robert was much younger. This epilogue dilutes the beautiful
love story between Robert and Francesca described in The Bridges of Madison County, which I have always defended against
pretentious friends who regarded it as a trashy romance novel. It appears to me that Robert James Waller was forced to write
this terrible "A Thousand Country Roads" for some reason which I don't understand.
Rating:
Summary: A Thousand Country Roads
Review: In this sequel to Bridges of Madison County, Robert James Waller takes us back to the story of the great love affair between Robert Kincaid & Francesca Johnson. Though we know the ultimate outcome from the Bridges of Madison County, in A Thousand Country Roads, we get to go back into Robert Kincaid's life and see what roads he travelled after his life changing experience in Madison County, Iowa. Did Robert Kincaid ever get
over his love for Francesca & find happiness? Was his life one fulfilled or one left with unrealized dreams? Waller warns the reader in the beginning, that A Thousand Country Roads is a book that most likely cannot stand on it's own, but should be read as an epilogue to Bridges of Madison County. Going forward and backward in time throughout the novella, we get to see both a Robert Kincaid pre-Francesca as well as what happened to the post-Francesca man who left the woman he loved to stay with her husband and family. Waller takes us through some interesting events in Kincaids life, but at times the story got too bogged down with details of Kincaids photographs instead of focusing on the feelings and thoughts of Kincaid. I wanted more of who this character was, what his heart and mind were thinking, and less about the ins and
outs of his photography. Perhaps it was intentional on the author's part, as photography was who Robert
Kincaid was. A man of few words, who kept to himself and enjoyed being out in the great wide open. For fans who enjoyed Bridges of Madison County, A Thousand Country Roads provides a nice rounding out to some unanswered questions, but it wasn't quite as satisfying as I'd hoped.
Rating:
Summary: The Longest 500 Yards
Review: .
...On The Road & Travels with Highway and Harry It is now 1981 - Robert Kincaid is 68. He still has his old truck, Harry, and has a golden retreiver named Highway. Francesca is 60. It has been 16 years since their previous encounter.
I confess, I never read the first book, The Bridges of Madison County, (I'm gonna call that Bridges I,) but I cherish the beautiful Streep/Eastwood movie, and I went and read the excerpts of Bridges I here on A.c while reading A Thousand Country Roads (I'm gonna call it Bridges II.) Obviously, author Robert Waller is "stuck" within the parameters of Bridges I while writing Bridges II, so, ja, sorry, there is going to be no "and- they-lived-happily-ever-after-together Ending." But it is a good tale, well-told, nonetheless. Now, a Note to Hollywood: Bring `it back! But it better be the perfectly-cast Streep and Eastwood again! Thank you.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing epilogue
Review: Read A THOUSAND COUNTRY ROADS by Robert
James Waller, an epilogue to THE BRIDGES OF MADISON
COUNTY . . . I was sooooo looking forward to this to see
what happened to Robert Kinkaid and Francesca Johnson,
the memorable characters introduced in the earlier book. But this short tale did very little for me, and I must admit
that I was disappointed . . . very much so, in fact. Francesca
plays far too small a part . . . instead, I got to meet other
characters who frankly had little interest to me. Waller certainly does have a way with words . . . as such,
several passages did nevertheless catch my attention . . . among them: Still, Richard had a sense of it all. His deathbed words, a muted, scratchy sound deep in his throat only a few hours before he became unconscious. "Francesca, I know you had your own dreams, too. I'm sorry I couldn't give them to you." "Hell, yes," the old man said. "Ain't met him yet, but like dogs, overall. Hardly ever met a dog without all the elements of good character--trust, loyalty, honor, all that. Can't say the same for most people l've met." Carlisle started to protest, but Kincaid held up one hand, indicating he had more to say. "This has to do with a view of life and death that's almost impossible to explain in words. It's more of a gut-level feeling that time and I are old partners, that I'm just another rider on the big arrow. My life is worth no more than what I have done with it, and I've always seen the search for immortality as not only futile but ludicrous, just as elaborate coffins are a pathetic attempt
to evade the carbon cycle."
Rating:
Summary: A disastrous epilogue to an excellent story
Review: It would have been much better if this book had never been written. The story in this volume takes place in the time period after the wandering photographer (Robert Kincaid) left Madison County, Iowa, following his short love affair with the conventional wife of an Iowa farmer (Francesca Johnson), until his death. Actually there is not much discussion about Francesca; rather the story is focused on Robert's new discovery of his forgotten son produced from a one-night sexual encounter with a free-spirited girl in Northern California when Robert was much younger. This epilogue dilutes the beautiful love story between Robert and Francesca described in The Bridges of Madison County, which I have always defended against pretentious friends who regarded it as a trashy romance novel. It appears to me that Robert James Waller was forced to write this terrible "A Thousand Country Roads" for some reason which I don't understand.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT but what would you expect from Waller??
Review: I don't know what the "average" person expected from this novel -- there would be NO happy ending in reality because we couldn't see the 2 of them get back together! But we did see they never stopped loving each other so that helped us all! I agree with the reviewer that said Francesca should have been featured more and less of the other woman. But all in all -- Waller doesn't let us down. For those of you that don't know -- there is a CD of music -- Ballads of Madison County --its FABULOUS -- I found a copy on ebay -- Waller plays and sings some great songs.
Rating:
Summary: An easy book to tie it all up....
Review: I actually liked this book quite a bit. Now I will say, when I read Bridges I was so overcome with emotion, it also was an easy read, but it really struck a chord (I find this true with my friends also) I was thrilled to see the second book, and it has also hit paperback (a nice, inexpensive option) for you tote with you. I loved that the book stayed true to the characters, just kind of taking you inside their lives and minds and souls a little bit more. Kincaid, such a loner and wandereer... but a nice twist is thrown in to this book ( I am not giving it away) that helps you realize his tender side.... Francesca, always the loyal submissive housewife (except for her time with Robert) shows us how these memories both sustained and haunted her after her goodbye to Robert. It's an interesting peak into their lives after the fact. You know from reading the first book, that these two do not ever come in contact again, but a for some reason a little part of me thought maybe this book would try to defy it in one small way. I actually think I was hoping for it, but don't worry, Waller doesn't give in so easy.... he stays true to the plot, meanwhile giving you a satisfying look at the ends of these lives. If you are looking for a light, easy read, with just enough emotion to touch you (though this is not the kind of book that will ROCK your world or anything) especially if you enjoyed the first book, don't pass this little one up. Even if you haven't read the first one, I think you could still find this one enjoyable. It is always interesting to be pushed into that thought of wondering..... what chances have we missed ??????
Rating:
Summary: Must read
Review: Although I had expected so much more out of this epilouge to Bridges of Madison County, if you have read about the Bridges, you must read about the lives of Robert and Francesca after their love affair. I wish Francesca had played a bigger part in this second book. If you went to the Bridges you must walk the roads!
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