Sunday, August 28, 2011

30) Bridges of Madison County-Robert James Waller



Yes, I read this. Yes, this is generally assumed as a book for older women looking for a great romance. Yes, they made a movie of this with Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood. I always wanted to read this, but never got around to buying it. When the library was selling books and this hardcover was only a dollar, I simply couldn't help myself. 

This book tells the story of National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid and farm wife Francesca Johnson in rural Iowa. Robert drives from his home in Washington in his beat up pick-up for an assignment on the bridges of Madison County in Iowa. After scouting the locations of most of the bridges, he pulls into the first driveway he sees and asks for directions to the last bridge. This is the first time he sees Francesca Johnson. She gives him directions and offers him a cool drink on that hot day which leads to asking him to stay for dinner. What happens in the next week, the next year, the next few decades that shapes the rest of both of their lives.

What I liked best was that in the beginning of the book, you read a letter from the author stating that Francesca's children came to him and relayed the story of their mother's love for a man she only knew a week. You go this whole book assuming that this had really happened, but it turns out that it was merely a work of fiction. How fun is that? It's nice to pretend like stories like this are real. Call me a silly girl, but sometimes, you just need to read books like that to take away from all the negativity going on in the world. It's a quick read that's really enjoyable.

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