The Bridges of Madison County author dies

Robert James Waller, 77, known for his best-selling 1992 novel The Bridges of Madison County, died Friday at his home in Texas. The author had been fighting multiple myeloma, a form of cancer. The novel, which Waller famously wrote in 11 days, tells the story of a National Geographic photographer who spends four days luring an Iowa farmer’s wife into an illicit relationship. Critics panned the cloying, cliched plot, not to mention its celebration of adultery. But that didn’t hamper its popularity with the public. Bridges became a hit movie starring Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood in 1995 and a 2014 Broadway musical. The book reached No. 1 on The New York Times best-seller list, staying on it for more than three years, and sold more than 12 million copies in 40 languages. Waller’s novel turned Madison County, Iowa, and its covered bridges, into an international tourist attraction.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.