A THOUSAND COUNTRY ROADS (Robert James Waller) - January 27/13

This seemingly needless followup to The Bridges of Madison County is, at the outset, exactly what one might've expected, given that we know the whole story of Robert and Francesca. But Waller offers up a surprisingly compelling story about Robert and the long-lost son he never knew he had, with this aspect of the story ultimately compensating for the more overtly padded-out portions. It's a decent read and it's probably better than one had any right to anticipate (ie it never quite feels like the money-grubbing endeavor it could've been). **1/2 out of ****