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

by Robert James Waller Narrated by Jim Bond

Overview

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

Rochelle O'Gorman

Ten years after the publication of The Bridges of Madison County, which in 1995 beat out Gone With the Wind as the bestselling hardcover novel of all time, Waller returns with an "epilogue" that details the last years of star-crossed lovers Francesca Johnson and Robert Kincaid. Narrated by Jim Bond, the book picks up sixteen years after the couple's last meeting, when Francesca is a widow and Robert, whose health is failing, decides to take one last road trip. During the course of his fateful journey, Robert unearths a secret that changes the remainder of his life.

Library Journal

Waller continues his paean to adultery (it's okay if you're bored with your marriage and really love the other person) in this epilog to The Bridges of Madison County. We pick up the ever-introspective, self-consciously sensitive Robert Kincaid in his twilight years as he is beginning to feel his age and he finds himself alone with only his memories, his dog, and an ever-increasing number of chest pains. He longs for Francesca Johnson and the Roseman Bridge, but of course he's just too noble or stupid to pick up the phone and give her a jingle. So...he begins a winding journey through California, Oregon, the Dakotas, and finally into Iowa in his old beat-up green truck. After a series of hilarious coincidences, he discovers that he isn't as alone as he thought. Waller is a gifted writer in many ways, with a deft turn of phrase and a keen sense of setting. Narrator Jim Bond does a good job with this poignant story, but while the tale itself deals with the powerful subjects of love, aging, loneliness, and death, it is rather slight. Be warned that the overt sentimentality will either make you cry or gag, depending on your mindset. Guardedly recommended for libraries where Bridges was popular, i.e., all libraries.-Barbara A. Perkins, Irving P.L., TX Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172696145
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	05/16/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

In the cabin Robert Kincaid took a knapsack from its place on the closet shelf and grabbed a scarred Gitzo tripod leaning against the back closet wall, behind the four shirts hanging there. Scrounging around on the closet floor, he found a black wool turtleneck sweater he had bought in Ireland years ago and draped the sweater over the Gitzo. His photographer's vest swung from a hanger. He took it down and slipped into it. From the kitchen cupboard, he loaded cameras and accessories into the knapsack, neatly packing each in its place. He still had forty-three rolls of Tri-X black-and-white film in a drawer, the rolls scattered over the face of a plaque from a prestigious photography magazine: TO ROBERT L. KINCAID

IN RECOGNITION
OF A LIFETIME OF EXCELLENCE
IN THE PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS
Animus non integritatem sed facinus cupit The heart wills not purity but adventure

He scooped the film into a plastic grocery bag, looked around, slung the tripod and sweater over one shoulder and the knapsack over the other. Locking the cabin, he was careful not to let the screen door slam as he closed it. Back in the truck. "Ready, dog?" he asked and started the engine. "Let's go see what we might have missed along the way."

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