Rating: 
Summary: Mills & Boon
Review: Junk. I read this book on the recommnedationm of someone whose taste I questioned. Having struggled to finish this Mills & Boon type romantic tripe I vowed never to listen to that person again. This book is just dreadful - the macho male and fawning female actually annoyed me. A shocker and a waste of time.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: I won't work myself up into a frenzy about how the book glorifies adultery, although I think it might if it were interesting enough. My objection is simply that I was bored silly. I didn't find any of the characters interesting or believable enough (and please, give me at least one of the two) to care about.
Rating: 
Summary: O.K. You'll only hear this from me once so listen up...
Review: Yes, I admit I have read this novel, and although it wasn't the mind-blowing love story some would have you to believe, it ultimately wasn't as horrid as others would have you to believe. It did have several things going for it: a. It was an easy read, appropriate for a lazy afternoon. b. It was not so boring it was unbearable to read. c. It attempted to embody a magical, whimsical sort of feeling, and although it wasn't entirely believable, its heart was in the right place. d. Its unbelievability actually worked to its advantages in some places, because it put a humorous spin on the novel. O.k., so perhaps it was supposed to be romantic when Kincaid does his little monologue about how he was every ship that had ever set to sea, etc. Yeah, so what if it actually sounded pompous, rehearsed, and all together ridiculous? And so what if I would laugh my face off if some guy ever said that to me? It still redeemed itself with its entertainment value, because as you read this, you know that some guy (meaning Wallaer) actually thought this was a truly romantic thing to say. In short, yeah the book had a tendancy to be lame, but hey, we're all entitled to endulge in reading a novel that won't neccesarily contribute to the overall scholarliness of society every now and agian.
Rating: 
Summary: You will love it for years to come!
Review: A dear friend gave me this glorious book some years ago as a birthday gift. I was at first taken aback by her choice, but once I started reading it, I completely understood her motive in gracing me with this treasure. You see, I was experiencing a situation at the time that was causing me a certain amount of melancholy, and she gave me "Bridges" to brighten up my life a little.Within minutes of reading this lovely tome, my troubles were forgotten as joyous, helpless laughter bubbled forth from my lips. How could I keep myself from enjoying such lines as: "And out of the pickup came Robert Kincaid, looking like some vision from a never-written book called "'An Illustrated History of Shamans.'" And what about: "After the pork chops and steaks and roasts she cooked for the family, this was quiet cooking. No violence involved anywhere down the food chain, except for maybe pulling up the vegetables." And then there's "Dimension Z." Priceless. You know, it's much more difficult to write truly amusing humor than to write truly dramatic pathos, but Mr. Waller managed to pull off the most difficult task of all; humorous pathos. I LOVE "Bridges" for that reason. When I need to liven up my dreary day with a good laugh, I know that Mr. Waller's novel won't let me down. Well, old knapsacks, this sailing peregrine at the end of her evolutionary branch has to saddle up and take off in Harry like some animal in an old zoology text before some hairy semi from dimension z splashes water all over my covered bridge that is so naked under its wood. It's just so dam' lyrical!
Rating:
Summary: Basically a nice book
Review: Okay so this book is not all that and a bag of chips, but at least it is a light read which is all I ask of some books, especially if I am reading it on the train. This is a romantic story about a lonely housewife and the photographer she meets whilst her husband and family are at a fair. It is a gentle book that doesn't offend (unless adultery offends you, then you will be offended!)and yes it is wordy and yes it can be a bit sugary, but it doesn't have your archetypal happy ending either so this makes up for that shortfall. In its own quiet way it is quite a believable book, so read it and enjoy. I did.
Rating:
Summary: Botched Opportunity Revealed by Film
Review: Robert J Waller botched his opportunity to make "The Bridges of Madison County" an interesting novel. The book contains fascinating themes of conflict including the struggle of choosing between passion and loyalty, and the difficulty of coming to terms with a mother's secret love affair. Unfortunately, rather than exploring these themes, Waller makes them the vehicle for a cardboard love story. The hero, Robert Kinkaid might have been believable if Waller had endowed him with human qualities. Instead, Waller portrays him as a middle-aged superman: lover, artist, pacifist yet war hero, impoverished, yet glamorous, lovable but unavailable. His discourse is sometimes witty and often cheesy, but never quite believable. I know that Waller wanted to make Kinkaid engaging and appealing, but the resulting character is a two dimensional fantasy. The Heroine Francesca is a bit more believable when she expresses her erotic feelings for Kinkaid and works through the dilemma over whether to run away with him or to dutifully remain with her husband. Unfortunately, Waller renders her character meaningless with vapid remarks about how Kinkaid should go on without her because she'll only cramp his style. The condescending manner in which she posthumously explains her love affair to her children comes across as artificial, and insulting. I think the film version of "Bridges of Madison County" starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep succeeds where the book fails. Contrary to the book, Francesca angrily accuses Kinkaid of being selfish and egotistical-a flaw which he admits. Her objection and his subsequent admission provide the relationship with more dramatic tension and make it more believable. The fact that Kinkaid has his flaws makes him more believable and more appealing. Instead of being insipid characters that introduce the story, Francesca's children experience emotional conflict and character development of their own. The revelation of their mother's infidelity comes when each of them is experiencing a crisis in their lives. At first, the shock and shame of their mother's affair adds to their troubles. But slowly they come to terms with her affair and subsequently derive the courage and inspiration from it needed to repair their own lives. I might not have given "Bridges of Madison County" a second thought and certainly would not have wasted time reviewing it if the film version had not revealed its failed potential to be a decent novel.
Rating:
Summary: I recommend it!
Review: It's not a bad book. I think it's well written (a little on the "artsy" side). It's a book about "chemistry" between two human beings. The kind of chemistry that you can lose yourself in.
Rating:
Summary: I HAD TO LAUGH...
Review: when I read the review from Dave in the Great Midwest because I AGREE THOROUGHLY! I, too, read this book in an afternoon on the advice of a friend and I, too, was apalled. The characters ARE both quite pathetic. And since when did adultry get to be so romantic? The premise is stupid and the dialogue is atrocious. The male character could well be an escapee from a mental hospital, he says such bombastically, nonsensical things! I think the popularity of this book and the subsequent movie just go to show that if you TELL people something is good, most will believe it.
Rating:
Summary: I HAD TO LAUGH...
Review: when I read the review from Dave in the Great Midwest because IAGREE THOROUGHLY! I, too, read this book in an afternoon on the advice of a friend and I, too, was apalled. The characters ARE both quite pathetic. And since when did adultry get to be so romantic? The premise is stupid and the dialogue is atrocious. The male character could well be an escapee from a mental hospital, he says such bombastically, nonsensical things! I think the popularity of this book and the subsequent movie just go to show that if you TELL people something is good, most will believe it.
Rating: 
Summary: A TRULY BELIEVABLE LOVE STORY
Review: The story unfolds through the eyes of children after the death of their mother. Everyone on this earth has their secrets. Some are never told -- some, like this one, are revealed on a persons death. These children were now grown -- and could understand their mothers intense feelings. The version I saw on T.V. was beautifully acted out. I can still remember the emotional impact it had on me.
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