A Thousand Country Roads: An Epilogue to the Bridges of Madison County [Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged] [MP3 CD]

Robert James Waller (Author), Jim Bond (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2004

At last, the rest of the story... Ten years and twelve million copies after the first printing of The Bridges of Madison County, Robert James Waller brings to a poignant conclusion his story of the love affair between a wandering photographer and the conventional wife of an Iowa farmer. In A Thousand Country Roads, Robert Kincaid initially finds himself with little but memories–memories of a lonely existence lived mostly on the road and memories of Francesca Johnson, the woman whose passion he stirred so briefly and with such power. Kincaid takes to the road again in what becomes a journey of discovery and surprise. With his dog Highway beside him, Kincaid begins a long winding run back to Roseman Bridge in Madison County, Iowa, returning to the place of his great love affair. Living her own solitary life, Francesca still visits Roseman Bridge and reflects on her days and nights with Robert Kincaid. Cherishing the memory of the strange wandering man who changed her world, she vows to search for him.

Editorial Reviews

Review

* 'Readers of THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY will find this a satisfying conclusion. The author has developed the characters in a realistic way and is successful in recreating the intensity of their feelings for one another' - DAILY EXPRESS * 'A gentle story with an unexpectedly powerful grip' - GOOD BOOK GUIDE * 'For those who remember THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY with affection, it makes a worthy coda' - SUNDAY TELEGRAPH --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Author

Stories sometimes must wait their turn lest they clutter other things having first call. Over the years, letters arrived from the readers of The Bridges of Madison County, from men and women, teenagers, truck drivers, housewives, lawyers, pilots, and oil-rig workers.

A fair percentage of those who wrote wanted to know more about Robert Kincaid and Francesca Johnson, about their lives, what happened to them after their four days together in Madison County, Iowa. Living a quiet, contented existence on a remote, high-desert ranch, having returned to my studies of economics and mathematics and jazz guitar, I felt no need to dig out the research notes, no push to write more. Yet, somewhere, at some time, for reasons not clear, after reading one more letter requesting information, I decided to tell the rest of the story.

And I wonder always about the improbabilities, the nature of chance. The Bridges of Madison County, a small story set in a small time, a book originally written as a gift for family and friends, a book I never had any hope of getting published nor intentions of doing so when I wrote it, is in thirty-five or more languages now.

So, for those of you who asked and for anyone else with such curiosity, here is the rest of the story...I think you will find, among other things, surprise at the unexpected joy Robert Kincaid discovered late in life. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• MP3 CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on MP3-CD Lib Ed; Library edition (June 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593353480
• ISBN-13: 978-1593353483
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,478,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

96 of 98 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For fans of the first, April 23, 2002

By 

A O Cazola (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Thousand Country Roads: An Epilogue to The Bridges of Madison County (Hardcover)

It has been a long time since we've heard these all-too familiar names: Francesca Johnson and Robert Kincaid. A decade ago, it was impossible to enter a movie theatre or abookstore without being bombarded with images of the world's all-time bestselling hardcover novel: The Bridges of Madison County. Now, we hear those names again...

A Thousand Country Roads is aptly described on the book jacket as an epilogue to Bridges. It is exactly that. This new book shows us some of the inbetween spaces in the lives of Robert and Francesca. A Thousand Country Roads aims to answer some questions about what happened to the two lovers after their affair at Roseman Bridge. What it does, and does well, is give us more insight into how the events in Bridges affected both Francesca and Robert and how they deal with it. Interestingly, for both people, a nostalgic journey is in the works.

Adding some excellent new characters and a few very clever twists, Robert Waller has recreated a lot of the magic of Bridges in this new tale. Readers who loved Bridges will anxiously follow the paths of Robert and Francesca as they explore what happened over those stolen four days, and examine what their lives have become Because of its nature though (it is an epilogue), it is certainly not going to be enjoyed by anyone who hasn't already read Bridges of Maisdon County.

The magic of Bridges is sustained in A Thousand Country Roads, and, a decade later, Robert Waller is back on the map. An execllent way to complete the picture for anyone who read and loved The Bridges of Madison County.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Thousand Country Roads, May 30, 2002

By 

Sandra Mitchell "Sandra Mitchell" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Thousand Country Roads: An Epilogue to The Bridges of Madison County (Hardcover)

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.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I DEVOURED IT IN ONE SITTING, June 20, 2002

By 

HARL KOCH - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Thousand Country Roads: An Epilogue to The Bridges of Madison County (Hardcover)

Before writing this I first read the ten reviews presented here. Perhaps I've become too long in the tooth to relate to the lack of heart in these spiritless opinions. For example, "I didn't look at the book for a week," wrote one. By contrast, I couldn't wait to tear the Amazon package apart and start reading. It's the first book in recent memory that I've read in one sitting. I'll not embellish those hackneyed expressions: riveting and page turner but I couldn't leave my chair.

I don't believe I yawned once; my wife returned from opera at midnight to find me just as I was closing the book. I told her, "it was one of the most fascinating books I've read in the past five years [I very much liked "James Adams" but I used two weeks to read it. Not so with Thousand Country Roads.

No mention of other reviewers is made of the inclusion of Carlisle McMillan or his mother. Of the electricity generated when Kincaid peered through the window of her Mendicino shop, when Francesca discovered Highway's dog tag. And I suppose the others have no great interest in geography and the routes Kincaid covered because none of this, the trip to Big Sur, was ever mentioned.

This is not made in the deprecatory sense toward other reviewers but somehow I don't believe that any of them have lived long enough to feel the innate essence of what traveled through Kincaid's thoughts. For example, they found nothing remarkable re Blackhawk when Waller wrote: "Old men worry about each other..." When Waller wrote: "At one time, Robert Kincaid would have jumped down from the truck box, but now he sat on the tailgate and gently slid off." Those were very perspicacious observations but it takes someone over 45 with the experience to even notice they had been written.

I thought it was a helluva fine story. Very tasteful, even better than "Bridges" and I salute Waller for having written it. Unfortunately,there were possibly too many of the reviewers who didn't fully feel or understand the brisance of its many impelling nuances.