A Thousand Country Roads: An Epilogue to the Bridges of Madison County

Not as good as the first

It was a good book. But it left me wanting more....

Not half as good as 'Bridges of Madison County'

'Bridges of Madison County' is one of the best romantic books that i have ever read .. and i picked up ' A Thousand Country Roads' only for its connection to 'Bridges ..' but as a reviewer has already mentioned, it is more of a story of an 'abandoned' son searching for his father.. with Francesca's story being mentioned parallely to this one ... I longed for the connection to be made, something that would lead the reader to heave a sigh of relief ... but instead found myself reading about Kincaid's other escapades .

A sad love story

The two books (I consider them as one) have become my favorite books (along with 'On the Beach' by Neville Shute). I was disappointed that Robert & Francesca were not reunited-they came so close at the bridge-but the his life was somewhat fulfilled by his unexpected find. (I am an unabashed romantic!!)

Roads not a sequel to Bridges

When I saw this 'epilogue', I wondered how a story that had ended could have a sequel. Roads fills in some time gaps and opens the door for yet another Waller novel, but there shouldn't have been a continuation to Bridges. Waller states he did not intend to write this book. If a sequel had been intended, opportunities for it would have been built into the original novel. Honestly, I wanted to see Kincaid and Francesca, after her children were out of the house and her obligation to raising them filled, find each other again, but it didn't happen in Bridges, so the hope of seeing in Roads was mute as well. I found several things in the book to be somewhat sadistic. Perhaps it is a love story, but a very sad one.

I Took The Challenge ¿ Shade of the Maple Wins!

A previous reviewer challenged fans of Bridges to read Bridges and A Thousand Country Roads next to Shade of the Maple by Kirk Martin. I agree with her ¿ Shade of the Maple is better than Bridges and Country Roads! Thought I would never say that, but it captures a depth of connection between two people in a way I have never seen before. Bridges is romantic, but Shade is intimate. With Bridges, you can get into the characters and feel what they are feeling, but they are outside of you. With Shade of the Maple, you are the characters, which ultimately makes it very powerful and even life-changing. Pick them all up, but don¿t miss Shade of the Maple. Wow!!

An epilogue but....

I did enjoy the book.... however, like many, I did hope for some connection to Franseca. Knowing this would probably be impossible as 'Bridges' made it clear they did not meet again....I still yearned for it to happen. Then again...Im a hopeless romantic! :-)

Not Bridges of Madison County

I bought this book for more of the love story between the main characters; there was none of that. I hoped they would at least have some connection. This is not a continuation of their story. It is a story about a boy seeking his long lost father.

The Mysterious Robert

Long before I picked it up, I knew it wasn't Sleepless in Seattle. Wasn't expecting any reunion and thoroughly enjoyed the construction of the story that filled in many of the blanks of Robert Kincaid. Through the eyes of son Carlisle, we get to understand some of the mystery and yet are still in possession of his four-day love story. No Hollywood ending, thankfully, but a delightful read that paces itself nicely. Like many, we would have liked to have seen a reunion, but it didn't happen. Perhaps in the next one, now that we have a connection to the mysterious Robert Kincaid.

A Thousand Country Roads: An Epilogue to the Bridges of Madison County

This book explores complex themes of loneliness, aging, and the path not taken with beauty and grace. I couldn't put it down. I ached for these characters.

A Thousand Country Roads, a book that wasn't

We knew that Robert and Francesca had not met again since the four days; however, I expected the book to at least promote some emotional connection to 'Bridges of Madison County'. I enjoyed the beginning of the book and suddenly felt that, without any connective commitment, a portion of another manuscript was added at the last minute. The author admitted he wanted to write about Carlisle McMillan ...too bad he didn't do that.

Disappointing - Lacks Depth and Emotional Payoff

A Thousand Country Roads is the epilogue to one of the great romantic novels of our time. Mr. Waller should have left well enough alone. Lacking originality, A Thousand Country Roads merely plays on the popularity of the original story and the fact that we are all interested to know what happened in those intervening years to Francesca and Robert Kincaid. Two vivid conclusions shine forth from a reading of Country Roads. First, not only does this epilogue lack depth or intimacy, it also reveals the fact that in retrospect the original work¿though moving¿lacked depth as well. The prose is stilted, the actions contrived and we are left with the empty musings of an old man. We wait and wait, and yet there is no emotional payoff in this novel, nothing to move us. And so the author leaves us empty. Second, during the time between these two novels, male authors such as Nicholas Sparks in The Notebook and Kirk Martin in Shade of the Maple have taken relationship dramas to a new level, gracing us with great depth and meaning. And we are moved deeply. I wish I had not ruined Bridges by reading A Thousand Country Roads. I will stick with Sparks and Martin from now on.

A Thousand Country Roads: An Epilogue to the Bridges of Madison County

I've been waiting for Robert Waller to write this book forever. After staying up half the night to finish it, I'm happy to report that it was definitely worth the wait. We learn so much more about the mysterious character, Robert Kincaid. It's extremely satisfying to discover that Francesca really was the love of his life. Read it now! You won't be disappointed.

A Challenge for Us 'Bridges' Fans

I had to buy A Thousand Country Roads. Simply had to find out 'the rest of the story.' I tore into this book and flipped page after page, but it seemed to lack the spark that Bridges had. I guess that was to be expected, but I still wanted more drama and to feel that same longing that consumed me in Bridges. I am glad that I picked up Country Roads, and I believe it was worth the time I spent reading even if the anticipation of receiving it was more fulfilling than the actual story. The best thing to come out of this was that I took a previous reviewer's challenge and read this novel next to Shade of the Maple, whose cover says it is 'the most intimate novel since The Bridges of Madison County.' I beg to differ. It is more intimate and better than Bridges. Heresy to some, I know, but find out for yourself. Plus the author is donating $1.00 from every sale to breast cancer research. If half the people who pick up A Thousand Country Roads also pick up that novel, we'd raise a lot of money, and I can guarantee a lot of people will have found a new favorite author. In summary, if you liked Bridges, you owe it to yourself to read A Thousand Country Roads.

Eagerly awaited epilogue - BIG Disappointment!

This book was so far from the 'can't put it down' interest of The Bridges of Madison County. It went back to very detailed information of Robert Kincaid's life, but nothing of substance about Francesca. I wish I had not wasted my time reading it!

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.