Rating: 
Summary: Quietly affecting and recognisably real
Review: For readers who were mesmerized by the poignant whirlwind affair between National Geographic photojournalist Robert Kincaid and Iowa common housewife Francesca Johnson in The Bridges of Madison County and hoping to get a glimpse of their reunion, they will be sorely disappointed in the conclusive epilogue A Thousand Country Roads. It focuses instead on the impact of their torrid affair as Kincaid and Francesca wallow in the emptiness of their lives as they revive memories. It is a cutting miasma of depression as Waller explores the fragile humanity through Kincaid's isolation and his unexpected legacy while Francesca continues to speculate the what ifs. The starkly heartbreaking landscape Waller paints through poems and details at Big Sur in 1945 as well as a short-lived affair renders this trip back to Madison County a frutiful one. Its lack of drama makes it quietly affecting and recognisably real.
Rating: 
Summary: Travel the country roads
Review: The perfect ending to the perfect love story. Robert and Fannie after all these years are still in love after only four days together. All of Robert's memories are so clear. The reader can picture each and every one with him. I wish the story could go on forever. Great read. I couldn't put the book down.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I started reading this book about five times before I forced myself to continue, and the journey to the end was less than moving. Although there are references to Robert and Francesca's love affair, those accounts are scattered throughout the book and garbled with other facets of Robert Kincaid's life. Francesca's life is portrayed as one walk to Roseman Bridge after another, which renders further focus on other facets of her life and even some character development. The Bridges of Madison County is so wonderfuly poignant . . . it is a pillar that should stand alone in its splendor.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Followup to Bridges
Review: After reading the horrible Puerta Vallerta Squeeze so many years ago, I was afraid Waller carved it out to finish off a contract so he would never have to write again. He doesn't have to after writing one of the bestselling books of all time. In "A Thousand Country Roads," Waller does us the favor of returning to the lives of Francesca Johnson and Robert Kincaid. This novel isn't so much a romance as it is a tale about getting older, about living with the decisions we've made whether they be good or bad. We knew from the ending of "Bridges of Madison County" (If we paid attention when we read the book) that the two would never meet again, and as we wish they would for one last tear jerker of a romance, Waller takes us on the road less traveled. He gives us a realistic portrait of two ex-lovers who will always care for and love the memories they shared. Kincaid makes his final journey to Roseman Bridge, but we must keep in mind that he doesn't know Francesca's husband has passed away, and he does what he does out of love and respect for what he believes to be her wishes. The son that he discovers so late in life is a nice touch, and the inclusion of key minor characters from the original make this a great epilogue to one of the best male-written romance novels ever penned. The ending isn't the over the top bawler of the original, but it is appropriately sentimental and touching. He couldn't have done a better justice to the characters without letting them fall into a romance novel cliche.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully written
Review: This book was hard to put down. Waller writes in a way that makes you feel you are right there, with the characters as they
examine their lives. I did not read "The Bridges of Madison
County," but I now want to because of this follow-up work by the author. Robert Kincaid's life is an interesting one, a loner with much to share. He learns this lesson too late in life...that the secret of life is sharing with others. Although his travels have taken him far across the globe, he still longs for the light of home and family...something he never
achieves.
Rating: 
Summary: Poignant Epilogue to Bridges of Madison Country
Review: Sixteen years after meeting Francesca Johnson at the covered bridge in Madison Country, Robert Kincaid is in semi-retirement and looking wistfully back on his life of chances taken and opportunities missed. He decides to hit the road one more time in his aging pickup truck with his dog named Highway and visit the scene in Iowa where he met the love of his life. This nostalgic journey, written in Waller's distinctive spare and concise style covers a lot of ground figuratively and literally as Kincaid reminisces about some of the great experiences he has had, stops on his trip to visit old friends from previous trips and makes some startling discoveries about his past. Since I'm usually a proponent of happy endings, this epilogue wasn't completely satisfying in that the conclusion was bittersweet. Without giving away the ending, I will state only that Kincaid discovers something about his past that he finds deeply satisfying, but ultimately the true happiness that he had sought for so long evades him. I was totally engaged by this sad, poignant tale of the twilight of a lonesome adventurer's life and kept thinking of the Socrates' quote "the unexamined life is not worth living". Kincaid's life has been thoroughly examined and was well worth living.
Rating: 
Summary: Can I get a refund?
Review: This is one book I should have borrowed from the library..."Bridges" was one of a kind, turn-paging and heartfelt drama which I could not put down till I completed it. "Country Roads..." is long and drawn out, boring, with no hooks whatsoever, nothing to make you want to keep reading through the end. I was relieved when it was over and wished I hadn't looked forward to Francesca and Robert's "in-between" story so much because it was such a disappointment. Mr. Waller has a wonderful gift but with this story, he missed the mark terribly.
Rating:
Summary: A Thousand Country Roads
Review: I was very dissappointed in this book. It was a let down after reading The Bridges of Madison County. If you are thinking this book really takes you beyond the original love story, then you too will be dissappointed.
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: Sorely disappointed with this one!
Review: I did not like this book at all. I loved Bridges of Madison County and only read the epilogue to find out what happened to the two star crossed lovers. I won't tell all since I know most of you are reading this to decide whether or not to buy it / read it. If I had it to do over again, I would definitely skip this one. Thank goodness I didn't pay $ for it. I would've wanted to demand my money back. It was that bad. It doesn't even have the same flavor to it that Bridges had....I spent the whole time reading it and waiting for the reunion. I was so disappointed.
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