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4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully evocative and romantic -- AN ACCURATE REVIEW, Jun 4 2004
I picked this book up searching for inspiration to help me with writing my romantic fiction. I was very pleased with it.The Bridges of Madison County tells the story of Francesca Johnson, an Italian World War II wife of an Iowa farmer, and Robert Kincaid, a nomadic photographer traveling through town on an assignment for National Geographic. Their chance meeting ignites a romantic four-day affair that stays with them for the rest of their lives. This isn't a suspenseful novel; the plot is given away immediately in the book. It's a study of beauty, of wondering, of questioning why some things happen the way they do. Robert James Waller tells the story slowly, and few could do better. Rather than dragging out each action and frustrating the reader, Waller savors each moment, allowing the reader to bask in the beauty of this romance. Something unique that Waller does is tell the story as if it had been told to him by Francesca's children, and he includes an "author's note" and an "interview" with a jazz musician. He does it very well; in fact, I thought that they were real! The characters are so well constructed. The reader sympathizes with both Robert and Francesca, in spite of her commiting adultery, Francesca's two children, and even Francesca's absent husband as well. I highly recommend this book. In addition to being beautiful (there's that word again!) and a unique story, it's a quick read to boot (192 pages). This would be an excellent selection for a book group. Read this book, and you'll be swept up in a fleeting yet beautiful affair that was strong enough to last a lifetime.
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by Robert James Waller
DVD ~ Clint Eastwood
by Nicholas Sparks
by Julie Powell
