The Bridges of Madison County Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary (2024)

Study GuideThe Bridges of Madison CountyRobert James Waller

41 pages1 hour read

Robert James Waller

Fiction | Novella | Adult | Published in 1992

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Summary and Study Guide

Overview

A world-traveling photographer and a farmer’s wife connect in a sudden, impossible romance in The Bridges of Madison County, a 1992 novel by Robert James Waller. Lauded by critics as a soaring, spiritual story of true love thwarted, but ridiculed by others for greeting-card sentimentality, Bridges became a #1 New York Times bestseller and stayed on the list for three years. With theater and film adaptations, it is one of the most widely read books of the 20th century. This study guide references the second ebook edition, published in December 2013.

Plot Summary

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While the novel is entirely fictional, the narrative presents itself as the documentation of a true story, with the fictional character of the narrator assumed as the author.

The narrator receives a visit from a man and a woman, siblings with one another, who ask him to write the story of their mother, Francesca Johnson, and her brief love affair with a photographer, Robert Kincaid. The narrator agrees, does extensive research, and discovers an intensely romantic tale that he fears some people will dismiss as claptrap. He asks the reader to keep an open mind.

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Long since divorced, the solitary, lonely Robert Kincaid finds solace in his work as an international photographer. In 1965, he drives his old pickup from his home in Washington state to Iowa to photograph the covered bridges there for a feature in National Geographic. He finds six of the bridges, but the seventh, Roseman Bridge, eludes him. He stops at a farmhouse to ask for directions and meets Francesca Johnson, an attractive, middle-aged housewife alone for the week, her husband and children away at a state fair. Hers is a durable if loveless marriage, but something about the tall, wiry stranger inspires Francesca, and she offers to show him the bridge herself.

They find Roseman Bridge, and Robert surveys the area for the best shooting angles. They return to the farmhouse, where Francesca invites him to dinner. He accepts, washes up out back, and they enjoy a meal, good conversation, beers from his travel cooler, and a brief after-dinner walk. They’re drawn to each other, and it’s more than merely physical. He thanks her for the evening and departs.

The next day at dawn, Robert shoots several rolls of film at Roseman Bridge, where he removes someone’s note from the bridge housing and visits a second bridge, where he takes more pictures. Later, he reads the note: It’s from Francesca, inviting him to return for dinner that evening. In town, he finds her phone number and calls to accept, and he asks her to accompany him to Cedar Bridge for sunset shots. She agrees.

She drives to Des Moines, where she buys a summer dress, earrings, brandy, and candles. They meet at the bridge, and Francesca volunteers to assist him. He shoots several rolls, including some candid shots of her. They return to her house, where this time she suggests he use the upstairs bath to clean up. Then she bathes, puts on makeup and jewelry, and comes downstairs wearing the new dress. Stunned by her beauty, Robert realizes he’s falling in love with her. She feels the same way about him.

They prepare dinner together over beers, then dance to radio music, and soon they’re kissing. She leads him upstairs, where they make love over and over for hours.

They spend the next few days together, talking or making love. Robert takes more photos of her. He tells her he’s one of the last cowboys, a dying breed swept aside by modern life. They realize theirs is a very special, and extremely rare, connection. Robert asks her to run away with him, and though her heart now belongs to him, she turns him down because it would ruin her family.

Robert understands. Before Francesca’s family returns, he packs up and they part, tears flowing. A few days later, driving through the village with her husband, Francesca sees Robert as he drives out of town. She wants to run to him but can’t and bursts into tears. She offers no explanation to her puzzled husband.

Months later, Francesca receives a package from Robert that contains the covered-bridge magazine article that features his photos, along with copies of pictures he took of her. To preserve their privacy, he never writes again. Years pass; after Francesca’s husband dies, she tries to contact Robert, but his old phone number no longer works. In 1982, she receives a letter from Robert’s estate—he has died, his ashes scattered at Roseman Bridge—along with a package containing his cameras, mementos of their time together, and a short letter from him.

Francesca writes about their affair; it takes up three volumes. When she dies, her children find the journals, cameras, and mementos, along with a letter from her that confesses the secret love affair.

The narrator goes to the Seattle area in search of more answers and finds an old musician, Nighthawk Cummings, who had befriended Robert shortly before the photographer’s death. Robert told Cummings the heartrending story of his brief encounter with Francesca, and Cummings composed a beautiful jazz piece called “Francesca” that Robert loved to hear during the last months of his life.

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The Bridges of Madison County Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary (2024)

FAQs

What is the message of Bridges of Madison County? ›

The story of Robert Kincaid, a free-spirited photographer in search of Iowa's hauntingly beautiful covered bridges, and Francesca Johnson, a farm wife in search of the fulfillment of a girlhood dream, The Bridges of Madison County gives voice to the longings of men and women everywhere, and serves to show us what it is ...

What is the storyline for The Bridges of Madison County? ›

What is the theme of The Bridges of Madison County book? ›

It explores themes of sacrifice, regret, and the profound impact of brief encounters that leave lasting imprints on our hearts and souls. “The Bridges of Madison County” is not only a story of forbidden love but also a reflection on the complexities of human desires and the choices we make in our lives.

What is the ending of Bridges of Madison County? ›

His ashes were scattered from Roseman Bridge. In the present, Michael and Carolyn, struggling with their own marriages, are deeply moved by their mother's story. They find new direction to their individual lives and carry out their mother's wishes to scatter her ashes at Roseman Bridge.

What is the moral lesson of the movie Bridges of Madison County? ›

"The Bridges of Madison County" is about two people who find the promise of perfect personal happiness, and understand, with sadness and acceptance, that the most important things in life are not always about making yourself happy.

Was Bridges of Madison County a true story? ›

The Bridges of Madison County is a 1992 fictional novel written by American author, Robert James Waller. The book was published by Warner Books, Inc. In the first chapter, “The Beginning,” the author misleads the readers by saying that the book is a true story. It is actually a work of fiction.

What is the famous line in Bridges of Madison County? ›

The quote from The Bridges of Madison County, "To love is to risk everything, but to risk nothing is to never truly live," encapsulates the essence of the human experience.

Why did they cover bridges in Madison County? ›

Most of America's covered bridges were built between 1825 and 1875. By the 1870s, most bridges were covered at the time of construction. The original reason for the cover was to protect the bridge's trusses and decks from snow and rain, preventing decay and rot.

Is The Bridges of Madison County a love story? ›

The Bridges of Madison County (also published as Love in Black and White) is a 1992 best-selling romance novel by American writer Robert James Waller that tells the story of an Italian-American World War II war bride living on a farm in 1960s Madison County, Iowa.

Is The Bridges of Madison County a good book? ›

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 are so moved by this small, unknown first novel that they became a publishing phenomenon and #1 bestseller.

Why are The Bridges of Madison County famous? ›

The bridges became nationally known because of the success of Robert James Waller's novel The Bridges of Madison County. The bridges reached super stardom after the release of the film, in 1995. And according to the website roadtrippers.com the bridges of Madison County are the number one make out spot in Iowa.

What is the follow up to The Bridges of Madison County? ›

A Thousand Country Roads is a 2002 novel by Robert James Waller. It is the epilogue to The Bridges of Madison County which was published in 1992. The book was written in order to appeal to fan interest in the story of Robert Kincaid and Francesca Johnson after their four-day affair.

How old is Francesca in Bridges of Madison County? ›

Two weeks later he had completed the manuscript of “The Bridges of Madison County.” It told the tale of Francesca, a 45-year-old Italian war bride on an Iowa farm whose life takes an unexpected turn when Robert Kincaid, 52, a free-spirited photographer, stops by one day to ask directions to the Roseman Covered Bridge.

Do The Bridges of Madison County still exist? ›

Visit our world-famous covered bridges, the inspiration behind and setting of "The Bridges of Madison County"; Guided tours available through the Chamber. Hours listed are for the Welcome Center only. The six remaining covered bridges are open year-round, 24/7 and there is no fee to visit.

Is there a sequel to Bridges of Madison County? ›

What is the saying from The Bridges of Madison County? ›

The Bridges of Madison County Quotes
  • “The human heart has a way of making itself large again even after it's been broken into a million pieces.” ...
  • “In a universe of ambiguity, this kind of certainty comes only once, and never again, no matter how many lifetimes you live.”

What is the subject of The Bridges of Madison County? ›

The Bridges of Madison County (also published as Love in Black and White) is a 1992 best-selling romance novel by American writer Robert James Waller that tells the story of an Italian-American World War II war bride living on a farm in 1960s Madison County, Iowa.

What did the letter say at the end of Bridges of Madison County? ›

In the letter, read aloud by her daughter, Carolyn (Annie Corley), Francesca explains to her children that “what becomes most important is being known.” The words are lifted verbatim from the end of the novel, where they function as a postscript, Francesca's posthumous confession.

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