The Bridges of Madison County; Robert James Waller

The Bridges of Madison County

(Previously published as "Love in Black and White")

by Robert James Waller

Buy (if available): The Bridges of Madison County

Personal Review/Comments

I saw this movie years ago and thought it was an ok movie despite the big billing of great stars like Clint Eastwood (as Robert Kincaid) and Meryl Streep (as Francesca). I would have said the same for this book except for a strange and unexpected occurrence.

I would not have read this book except for the fact that I ran out of books to read. And now I am glad I did. Despite what I then thought was the mediocrity of the movie, as I read this book, the images from the movie are so strong that they come back, overlay, and add to the reading of this book. This is most especially for the character of Robert Kincaid played by Clint Eastwood. You cannot read the book without seeing him; and also Meryl Streep.

And it is these images that come back in such clarity that makes this book much more enjoyable and recalls to mind both book and movie, the scenes and emotions long after I have put the book down. The book has made the movie a better remembered experience and the movie has added more live and pathos to the book.

Synopsis

Robert Kincaid, a photographer and free spirit, and Francesca Johnson, the farm wife waiting for the fulfillment of a girlhood dream, reveal what it is like to love and be loved so intensely that life is never the same again.

Book Review

"This is the story of four days that change forever the lives of two lonely people. Robert Kincaid is a roving photographer for National Geographic and Francesca Johnson is a housewife whose marriage suffers from a lack of romance. Francesca's family is out of town when Kincaid arrives on the scene, and the pair are instantly attracted. They soon become lovers, and Kincaid asks Francesca to run away with him, but she refuses. Francesca stays loyal to her family, and memories of Kincaid are all that remain. Contrived, unrealistic dialog detracts from a well-plotted, quick, and pleasant read."
- Bettie Spivey Cormier, Charlotte-Mecklenburg P.L., Charlotte, N.C.

“A hauntingly understated love story, set in small town America, that stays with you long after you've reluctantly finished reading the final page"
- Terence Stamp

"A story of surprising complexity and emotional power."
- Mail on Sunday