The Bridges of Madison County was an iconic story written by Robert Waller, however, few people know about the woman behind the story, Jana St. James. She could be the woman behind it. Maybe. Or she could be a woman who had a brief affair with Waller and wanted to capitalize on his fame. You decide. 

In the story, St. James is a naive college student who meets Waller in the Student Union and starts taking guitar lessons from him. She has feelings but later discovers he is married. She details their short-lived affair in her book Memories of Madison County. Is this book total fluff? Yes, but we enjoyed picking it apart just the same.