FOUR DAYS' LOVE - Book Report "The Bridges of Madison County"

The book I read recently is "the Bridges of Madison County" by Robert James Waller, an American. Actually I had read the Korean version of same book aboout 8 years ago. Although this book contains just 171 pages, I spent a little bit long time reading because of my lack of English.

This painful and beautiful love story of Robert Kincaid and Francesca Johnson left me in tears. It shows us what loving and being loved mean and also tells that life is never the same again.

This story was filmed by a famous actor, Clint Eastwood, and I watched it also, but the book is much better than the movie for me as always.

The Bridge of Madison County from the movie

 



Robert Kincaid, who had a free spirit searching for the covered bridges of Madison County, was the photographer for National Geographic. Francesca Johnson was the farm wife waiting for the fulfillment of a girlhood dream. The four-day love story between Robert, a 52 year-old divorced man, and Francesca, a 45 year-old lady who had two children and a husband began to see each other on one hot summer day in 1965.

Robert Kincaid walked into the quaint Iowa town of Winterset to photograph its beautiful old bridges for a photo essay. Asking directions at a local farmhouse, he met Francesca whose family was away at the Iowa State Fair for four days. Robert had a wonderful time with Francesca. They were charmed by one another's beauty and the magic that they brought each other. They truely fell in love with each other.

When it came time for him to leave, Robert wanted her to go with him. It was a hard decision for her, and finally she said no because she couldn't leave her family. After Robert had gone, Francesca never talked of him again to anyone for 30 years. After Robert died, his ashes were scattered near the Roseman Bridge where they took the picture together long time ago. She got a box with his personal effects. In the box, there were camera equipment, a chane with a medallion with her name inscribed, and a photography book; a published collection of black and white photos by him entitled "FOUR DAYS." It was a beautiful, dramatic black and white represetation of love and passion, loneliness and pain, and union. On the front page, there read an inscription "FOR F."

After Francesca died, her ashes were spread over the same place where Robert's had been. She left some goods for her son and daughter. Those were three leather bound notebooks which contained her story of their love and a sealed envelop with "Carolyn or Michael" written on it. She told her children about Robert, her biggest and everlasting love.

Four days changed forever the lives of two lonely people. Before Robert, a roving photographer, intervened in Francesca's life, she used to be a common housewife. Her husband was a very good provider and truely loved his family. Francesca and her husband did care deeply for each other and raised their children without any shortage. But her marriage suffered from lack of romance. She always felt loneliness and emptiness that wasn't understood by her husband even if she seemed to live a comfortable life. At that time, Robert appeared in front of her, and they began to want each other and long for each other. They couldn't stop the powerful romance. Ultimately, she was left with her family after Robert left, but their need for each other lasted their lifetime.

When she went to groceries in the middle of Main Street in front of the whole town with her husband, she saw Robert leaving town in his pick up. She knew it was the last time she could see him. I couldn't bear with the sorrow welling up within my heart when I read the part that Francesca saw Robert's disappearing car in the back mirror of her truck and sobbed without being noticed by her husband. I was unable to keep back tears and wept freely.

How many times  do we encounter throughout our lifetimes? Unfortunately, nobody knows when love comes to us. Of course, whenever we fall in love with someone, we consider it as the last love. When we feel our love is leaving from us, we suffer pains as if the world would come to an end. But we'd better know the truth that another love will sneak in our heart when a love is over.

I remember one about LOVE of many proverbs in Korea. "The completion of love is the parting." You cannot realize your spose must be your true and last love because he or she is always beside you. Francesca might love both of her husband and Robert with different colored feeling. Anyway Francesca chose the love accompanied by responsibility, and she just believed that her love with Robert was the true and everlasting love.

I like Byron's beautiful poem quoted in this book.

      There is a pleasure in the pathless woods...
      There is a rapture on the lonely shore...
      There is society where none intrude...
      By the deep sea and music in its roar...
      I love not man the less, but Nature more...
      From these our interviews, in which I steal...
      From all I may be, or have been before...
      To mingle with the universe and feel...
      What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal.

Be careful!
Suddenly another love has come into your heart already even you don't realize it.  (2002)