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    The Bridges of Madison County
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    The Bridges of Madison County
    Unavailable
    The Bridges of Madison County
    Audiobook3 hours

    The Bridges of Madison County

    Written by Robert James Waller

    Narrated by Steven Pasquale and Kelli O'Hara

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    If you've ever experienced the one true love of your life, a love that for some reason could never be, you will understand why readers all over the world were so moved by this small, unknown first novel that they made it a publishing phenomenon and #1 bestseller. The story of Robert Kincaid, the photographer and free spirit searching for the covered bridges of Madison County, and Francesca Johnson, the farm wife waiting for the fulfillment of a girlhood dream, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY gives voice to the longings of men and women everywhere-and shows us what it is to love and be loved so intensely that life is never the same again.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateFeb 4, 2014
    ISBN9781478928713
    Unavailable
    The Bridges of Madison County
    Author

    Robert James Waller

    Robert James Waller is a writer, photographer, and musician. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers, The Bridges of Madison County and A Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend. Born in England, and educated at Oxford, Waller now lives in Texas.

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    Reviews for The Bridges of Madison County

    3.5/5

    1,433 ratings56 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Absolutely wonderful book. I loved the story of Robert and Francesca.

      I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone - male, female, old, young, married, single. It is a short book, less than 200 pages, so it took no time at all to read.

      The time Robert and Francesca have together is short, but they make the most of it. A wonderfully heart-wrenching romantic story of two people who really seem to be meant for each other.
    • 5/5
      This book was of a rare beauty. People know not of what they speak, when they speak of a 'romance'. No other book I've read has affected my emotions so completely.Upon finishing it, I gave it away to the girl I love, and I only regret that this means that I can't pick it off the shelf for a re-read right this moment.
    • 5/5
      This edition titled:'Love in black and white.Moving, spare, brief encounter love-story. Amazing sense of place and characterisation. Read it and weep.
    • 1/5
      I picked this up shortly after it came out in paperback.

      The quintessential "throw across the room" book. When a meal shared by the lovers-to-be was described as "quiet food", I should have stopped there. Yet I wasted more time before actually throwing it.

      Now whenever I'm reading a bad book, I use the "Bridges of Madison County" test to decide whether or not to throw it across the room. I'll generally take pity on even a bad book if it's not as bad as Waller's "masterpiece". A throwing book must be truly bad to deserve the dubious honor.
    • 4/5
      Wow. A lot of people hated this book. The first page of the reviews alone is flooded with 1-stars. Like, whaaat? I feel have to defend this.

      *Commence*

      Granted, I read this when I was 15 or so. My teenage self probably would've rated this 5.1 stars. I've probably read it 5 times in my life. One of my best friends fell in love with it like I did, and when she lost her copy of this book, I gave her mine because I love her that much, and I figured I would find another copy in Booksale anyway.(I did, but I had no wish to spend my money on it when the time came.)Actually, I lost the first copy I had and I was really bummed about that. I then commenced to hunt for another copy (Which is actually hard to find), which I eventually found, and it is this copy I gave to my friend. Nice little story doncha think? ;)

      Anyway, my other friends liked it, too. Why, you might ask?

      I believe in soulmates. Though my definition of soulmates changes through the years, I believe Robert and Francesca were soulmates. Other people can't get past the fact that Francesca had an affair, when she was 40 no less. I'm not saying I condone infidelity. It's just I can place myself in Francesca's shoes. She's at a point in her life where she stops and thinks, How has my life come to this? This wasn't what she wanted. I think of the dreams I have and imagine landing in life where Francesca landed. I would feel really frustrated.

      Let me quote Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) on soulmates, which I think fits R and F perfectly:
      People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.

      A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave.

      There's just something darn romantic about it. This book is barely 200 pages long, and yet it says so much. They spend 4 days together, and they're certain of their love for one another.
      In a universe of ambiguity, this kind of certainty comes only once, and never again, no matter how many lifetimes you live.
      Imagine having that kind of certainty. Imagine.

      Okay, so it's insta-love. The kind where they're drawn to each other without any explanation. But there's something so darn convincing about it.

      And it's so damn melancholic. Robert James Waller wants to make you sad. But it's a good sad. No b.s. What's life without a few good cries? Waller's writing reminds of the beauty of sadness.

      I gave this 4 stars because it's been a long time since I read this book. I probably exhausted myself from rereading it so much, much like you could get tired of listening to a song you play a thousand times a day. Maybe that's why I couldn't buy the book when I saw it at Booksale. I wasn't ready to read it again. I only remembered this now, despite it being one of my teen faves. Sheesh.

      And yet, reading the excerpts from this novella, I'm beginning to love it again. Maybe it's time to reread it and re-evaluate it. There are books I felt were destined for me to come across. Why do some books catch your eye, and others don't? The Bridges of Madison County is one of those books, and it holds a special place in my heart.
    • 1/5
      Pure kitsch. A sub-par romance novel inexplicably elevated to popular status a while ago, and clogging up the shelves of used book stores everywhere.
    • 4/5
      I read this book for a TIOLI challenge. One of my categories for the 12 in 12 challenge is to read some books for TIOLI. I did this one because it was short and I knew I could read it in about 5 days. I did just that.This is the story of a woman and a man that she met one day. Francesca and Robert. Francesca is a farm wife and mother. While her husband and children are at a state fair showing their prize cow Francesca meets Robert Kincaid and photographer. When she sees him for the first time she feels drawn to him.As I read the story I felt the attraction between the two of them. I was feeling her loneliness and lack of love from her marriage. She loved her husband but was still missing something and Robert Kincaid brought that yearning to the front.The ending was very heartwarming. It brought tears to my eyes. I am glad that I took the time to read this book.
    • 4/5
      I listened to this book on the heels of The Horse Whisperer and so felt I'd had more than my share of idealized, justified adultery pushed in my face. Moralizing aside, The Bridges of Madison County was by far a more palatable story of forbidden love, or lust. Bridges seemed nearly poetic in style and the characters, while not fully developed, danced well to Waller's cadence. I would recommend this book to fans of romance and/or poetry.
    • 3/5
      I finally read this one which was popular when I was a teenager. I think now was the right time to read it. It is about an austere affair, something with few accoutrements besides minds, bodies, and four days of hot, quiet summer. I would say that there is something of the declensionist point of view here... that passion is vanishing... and yet it bottles up a little of that passion. I suspect this is why it became so popular. Adulthood is rarely that intense of an experience and this novel reminds us what falling in love is like. It also affirms it as an adult possibility--the characters are in their 40's and 50's at the time of the affair--rather than being one more high school romance. It is a fairy tale in which the "happily ever after" is not their dissolving their past to create a blank future, but rather carrying that light with them into their future responsibilities. The poetry was not awful, the sex was not awful, and the book was quite short, so I did enjoy myself as I read it.
    • 3/5
      I saw the movie first, but it did not ruin the book. It was a great read.
    • 5/5
      I am a major sucker for a sad love story. Although I detest adultery, there's no way you can't feel sorry for these lovers.
    • 3/5
      A quote never to forget: "In a universe of ambiguity, this kind of certainty comes only once, and never again, no matter how many lifetimes you live." The book revolving around this idea makes the story strong and intriguing.
    • 5/5
      Bridges of Madison County was a book that crossed by path by accident. I am glad it did. I actually had to finish the book in mutliple sitting because I was crying so hard I could no longer read the words on the page.
    • 5/5
      What a beautiful, wonderful love story, the kind of love that lets you go but still not want to do so. The kind of love that transcends everything. The kind that just can't really be real until it happens to you.
    • 4/5
      Do I feel guilty about loving a book about adultery? No. Because I am a realist. This is an amazing book about life and the insanely difficult choices that fall into our laps when we least expect it. Or do they happen because we are dying inside and are unaware of it, reaching out for a life preserver? Do you agree with the decision she ultimately makes? That depends on weather you lead with your heart or your head, or in this case both.
    • 5/5
      Probably one of the greatest love stories ever written. It's the simplicity of the story that's magic. People can relate to Francesca as there ordinary lives become complacent. The dream of being swept away by a stranger, giving up everything you hold dear for one last chance. Robert Johnson said it best, "Francesca I know you had your own dreams." Waller is a truly great writer whom I admire greatly not just because of his writing skills but the fact that he is also an accomplished musician, world class photographer and was Dean of a business school. Read the book and then watch the movie. Better yet also listen to the audio version of Waller reading the book. I have many times and surely will again.
    • 3/5
      An easy read, an interesting story, yet one wonders why women are all agog about this story. If ANY man did what this woman does would be road kill. Raises some very interesting questions between the sexes.
    • 3/5
      The Bridges of Madison County. It just has such a romantic connotation and I think it always will. Maybe not so much because of this novel but more for the experience I shared there. I read this book because my sister in law got married here. I wanted to get the full feel of the place and why it was famous for being a romantic landmark.I'm not going to say much about the book. I didn't really like it much. It was sort of idealistic and blabbered on and on in flowery language about love and what it meant to Francesca and Kincaid. Who were having an affair, by the way, no matter how pretty the words are to describe it. I've heard the movie was better...I'm willing to give it a shot.But boy, was it fun to go there and see what was described - in a rather lovely fashion - in the book.
    • 4/5
      I loved this when I initially read it back in 1992. I don't know if I'd like it as well now--I need to reread it. I know I definitely liked it less when I saw the movie...hmmm.....
    • 5/5
      This was one of the first books that actually made me cry! A beautifully written love story.
    • 5/5
      Very moving, a true love story where you want the couple to succeed even though they are adulterous.
    • 5/5
      Ah.. a tale of tragic love. Weep with the sadness of it all... Well done.
    • 4/5
      Very romantic. The portrayal of characters and the first person narration is superb. Though the story is slightly beyond the realms of reality, it explains something which could happen to anyone. It is all about this lady, Francesa who meets the man of her dreams when she is already married and a mother of 2 kids.
    • 5/5
      Everytime I read this book if moves me so deeply, a love story so intense that the passion is felt inside me, a simply story yet it reaches deep into my soul and touches it in a way no other book ever has.
    • 2/5
      This book was perfect for me in so many ways - I have now succeeded in reading a soppily romantic novel that can only really appeal to women who read mostly Cookson or Binchy; and doing so cost me no more than a long afternoon. That same day, I also read the equally short parody, "The Ditches..." by some anonymous ghostwriter. At least "Bridges" carries with it some literary merit.
    • 3/5
      I worked in a bookstore during the frenzied craze surrounding this book. I resisted for about a year, then finally read it. It just wasn't very good. When I heard a movie was being made, I had extremely low hopes; however, the movie turned out to be surprisingly well done.
    • 5/5
      Having Kelli O’Hara and Steven Pasquale read this made it come alive. I hurt in the best of ways and am so very happy to have discovered this audiobook edition.
      If you haven’t listened to the Broadway cast of the musical, give it a listen. Kelli and Steven are even better than one could hope for this story.
    • 5/5
      Simply a beautiful and romantic and sad story! Well written and wonderfully produced in the audio book. I just cannot stop listening to it once I start playing. God knows how many times I have played this book. Thanks for making such a beautiful book!
    • 5/5
      Floored. This book was unlike any I’ve ever read or listened to before. I related so well to Robert and his way of explaining the last cowboys. Although it is a somewhat short book, the impact will last for a long time.
    • 5/5
      Excelente novela. La volvería a escuchar. Realmente tocó mi corazón.