Review: The Bridges of Madison County

The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 out of 5 stars - It was ok.

Being a 4th generation Iowan, I felt it was time for me to read/listen to this book. The narrator was great, so I'm glad I listened in the car rather than reading it.

This is the story of Robert Kincaid, a photographer and free spirit, and Francesca Johnson, an Iowa farm wife. They meet when Robert gets lost trying to find one of the covered bridges of Madison County for an article in National Geographic.

This story was completely unrelatable. Within less than a week, these two are sleeping together and claiming the other is the love of their life. Francesca contemplates leaving her husband and children for someone she had just met. While it tries to be a sweet love story, it's just kind of cringe-worthy with the adultery and continued annual "ceremony" that Francesca has on her birthday.

The book is presented as a telling of a "true story", yet it's a complete fabrication. That part also highly bothered me.

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