A fast and furious novel, Waller tells a simple story and he tells it well. I haven't seen the movie, but it doesn't matter: I'm picturing Streep and Eastwood all the way through the book.
I like how it plays itself off as a real story (as in: I swear I've heard of the very real-life photographer Robert Kincaid ... haven't I? Or am I just mixing him up with Thomas Kinkade?), and the device of truth bubbling up through letters was entertaining. I found it worked best when the characters weren't talking as much (I know Francesca and Robert liked to not talk, also) because Waller was a little on-the-nose with his dialogue, and I found it did take me away from an otherwise very moving ending sequence with Francesca's kids coming to terms with their mother's secrets.
I can see why it's a bestseller. Again, the economy of writing and the forbidden romance make it an easy pick-up-and-read.
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