The Bridges of Madison County

I am in a train going from Karwar to Mumbai. I just finished reading this good book by Robert James Waller I got from Ashwini. Now, I am not a peregrine as defined by Francessa to her kids twenty two years after Kincaid had waxed lyrically during their lovemaking, in response to her bewildered whispers about his emotional and physical power over her, "I am the highway and a peregrine and all the sails that ever went to the sea". I am not a stranger, foreigner, wanderer, leave alone a falcon. I considered myself quite firm footed and worldly until sometime ago. My dreams were academic and my passions professional.

What then draws me to Francessa so much that I almost identify with her? Her undying feelings for Kincaid coupled with her sense of commitment and responsibility that kept her in Winterset, Iowa with her family. What sets apart Kincaid from other dreamers who hold on to images long after the flesh is lost? His longing for Francessa coupled with the self-control that kept him from Winterset, Iowa. I loved the book, I love these two characters. I almost believe in eternal romance now... As you kept getting pragmatic and getting over, I was learning a trait that made me closer to Robert than Richard - love. "In a universe of ambiguity, this kind of certainty comes only once and never again, no matter how many lifetimes you live."

Now onto the next book, which is sure to be in a much much lighter vein than this one - Richard Gordon's 'Doctor in Clover'.