The Bridges of Madison County

The Bridges of Madison County is a 1992 best-selling novel by Robert James Waller.

The novel follows Francesca Johnson, a married but lonely Italian woman, living in 1960s Madison County, Iowa, who engages in an affair with Robert Kincaid, a National Geographic photographer from Bellingham, Washington who is visiting Madison County in order to create a photographic essay on the covered bridges in the area.

The Bridges of Madison County was also adapted in 1995 to film. It was produced by Amblin Entertainment and Malpaso Productions, and distributed by Warner Bros.. The film was produced and directed by Clint Eastwood with Kathleen Kennedy as co-producer and the screenplay was adapted by Richard La Gravenese. Clint Eastwood was cast as Robert Kincaid, Meryl Streep as Francesca Johnson.

Tropes associated with this work:

 * December-December Romance
 * Down On the Farm
 * Good Adultery, Bad Adultery: An odd case given that the affair is not set up by an abusive husband and the like, it's simply done and the implications of it being wrong are never explored.
 * Fake Nationality
 * Hot Mom: Francesca, although she seems to be this only when her family ISN'T around. She starts the film looking rather plain and dowdy, becomes visibly sexier and more attractive during the four days she spends with Robert, then reverts back to her plain Jane look as the affair ends and her family returns from their trip.
 * Men Don't Cry: A ridiculous amount of coaxing was required to get Clint Eastwood to cry for a scene.
 * Movie of the Book
 * Playing Against Type: Some critics were skeptical about Dirty Harry casting himself as a romantic lead. Eastwood himself has stated that this movie is as close as he has ever been to playing himself.
 * Your Cheating Heart: Francesca.