“The Bridges of Madison County”, by Robert James Waller

Waller, Robert James. The Bridges of Madison County. New York, NY: Warner, 1992. Print.

I picked this up from the bedside table in the guest room at my parents’ house during the holidays.  She sometimes puts out books she thinks a guest will like, sometimes piles up books she’s getting rid of, and I think sometimes it’s a place for her to put books that she borrowed from someone.  In any case, it’s usually a coin flip what you’ll find there.

This slim volume captured a lot of imaginations in 1995 when it was published, enough that it was made into a Meryl Streep/Clint Eastwood movie.  I didn’t see the movie and never thought about reading the book, and all I can say about it now is “meh”.  I read it in two evenings before falling asleep, and although it was entertaining enough I can’t say I would recommend it.

The conceit that it isn’t really fiction – that it came from notebooks written by the main character – I found annoying.  It seemed like an apology from the author, to make me accept a romance story more readily than I normally would.  I also never buy the plot of a love that was born in an afternoon, and a relationship that lasted less than a week, leading to a long-term relationship where they’re “true” to each other in spirit, without ever seeing each other or even communicating.  That might be romance, but it’s not love, to me.