The Bridges of Madison County (also known as Love in Black and White) is a 1992 romance novel written by American author Robert James Waller. The story follows an Italian-American woman who married a soldier during World War II and now lives on a farm in Madison County, Iowa, during the 1960s. When her husband and children leave for the State Fair, she begins a romantic relationship with a photographer from Bellingham, Washington, who is visiting the area to take pictures of the covered bridges. The book claims to be based on a real story, but it is actually completely fictional.

The novel became one of the most popular books of the 20th century, with 50 million copies sold worldwide. It was later turned into a movie in 1995 and a musical in 2013.

Background

In the early 1990s, Robert James Waller had the idea for The Bridges of Madison County without expecting to. At the time, he was taking a break from his teaching job at the University of Northern Iowa. While photographing the Mississippi River with a friend, he decided to take pictures of the covered bridges in Madison County, Iowa. This experience, along with a song he had written years earlier about "the dreams of a woman named Francesca," inspired him to write the novel. He completed the book in eleven days. After writing The Bridges of Madison County, Waller later believed that the character Francesca Johnson was based on his wife, Georgia, who physically resembles Francesca.

Analysis

According to Marc Eliot, Waller's novel is a modern version of Noël Coward's play Still Life (1934), which was later turned into David Lean's film Brief Encounter (1945). Still Life tells the story of two married people who meet, fall in love, and have an affair. They eventually separate forever. In The New York Times, Brigitte Weeks wrote that The Bridges of Madison County attracted middle-aged readers who feel tired of life, similar to the works of James A. Michener, though it includes more descriptions of romantic relationships. The Bridges of Madison County has been compared to Erich Segal's Love Story (1970) because of its story and writing style. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said Waller's writing style was inspired by Walt Whitman but felt more like a greeting card. Travers also noted that The Bridges of Madison County fits into a tradition of "great romantic stories" like Pat Conroy's The Prince of Tides (1986). The New York Times Magazine compared the novel's writing to Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1970) by Richard Bach. Nicolette Jones of The Independent said the book reminded her of stories published by Mills & Boon, while Owen Gleiberman thought it resembled an anecdote more than a full story.

Reception

The Orlando Sentinel and Publishers Weekly described The Bridges of Madison County as "quietly powerful and thoroughly credible." L.S. Klepp of Entertainment Weekly called the book "a short, poignant story, moving precisely because it has the ragged edges of reality." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times praised the novel's "compelling" story for "elevating to a spiritual level the common fantasy, in which a virile stranger materializes in the kitchen of a quiet housewife and takes her into his arms." The book first appeared on the New York Times bestseller list in August 1992. It gradually rose to the top spot and stayed there for over three years, from August 1992 until October 8, 1995. During this time, it remained on the list for 164 consecutive weeks.

Film adaptation

The book The Bridges of Madison County was made into a 1995 film with the same name. It was adapted by Richard LaGravenese and directed by Clint Eastwood. The movie stars Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep.

Musical adaptation

The musical version of The Bridges of Madison County was created by Jason Robert Brown, who wrote the music and lyrics, and Marsha Norman, who wrote the story and dialogue. It first performed at the 2013 Williamstown Theatre Festival. Bartlett Sher directed the musical, and the cast included Elena Shaddow and Steven Pasquale as Francesca and Robert Kincaid. The musical began previews on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on January 17, 2014, and officially opened on February 20, 2014. Kelli O'Hara played Francesca Kincaid, and Steven Pasquale played Robert Kincaid again. Bartlett Sher directed the musical, and the sets were designed by Michael Yeargan, the costumes by Catherine Zuber, and the lighting by Donald Holder. Hunter Foster played Bud Johnson, Francesca’s husband. The musical ended in May 2014 after 100 performances.

Theatre

In 2018, the Argentine theater director Luis "Indio" Romero directed actors Facundo Arana and Araceli González in a Spanish version of the play.