The PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY

“So writes Mamah Borthwick Cheney in her diary as she struggles to justify her clandestine love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright. Four years earlier, in 1903, Mamah and her husband, Edwin, had commissioned the renowned architect to design a new home for them. During the construction of the house, a powerful attraction developed between Mamah and Frank, and in time the lovers, each married with children, embarked on a course that would shock Chicago society and forever change their lives. In this ambitious debut novel, fact and fiction blend together brilliantly. While scholars have largely relegated Mamah to a footnote in the life of America’s greatest architect, author Nancy Horan gives full weight to their dramatic love story and illuminates Cheney’s profound influence on Wright. Drawing on years of research, Horan weaves little-known facts into a compelling narrative, vividly portraying the conflicts and struggles of a woman forced to choose between the roles of mother, wife, lover, and intellectual. Horan’s Mamah is a woman seeking to find her own place, her own creative calling in the world. Mamah’s is an unforgettable journey marked by choices that reshape her notions of love and responsibility, leading inexorably ultimately lead to this novel’s stunning conclusion. Elegantly written and remarkably rich in detail, Loving Frank is a fitting tribute to a courageous woman, a national icon, and their timeless love story.”

(Above Summary From RandomHouse.Com) 

MY REVIEW

I have seen some mention of this book around the blogging community, but knew nothing about it when I purchased it in January.  I was not familiar with the historical background of this story, nor the popularity of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural designs.  In fact, while reading the book, it had not dawned on me that this was, in fact, based on a true story.  Now, I am even sadder. 

As Random House summarizes above, this is a story about the woman that Wright fell in love with and became a better man for.  This is more so a story of her quest for self-discovery and living a life true to her heart’s desires, despite the social consequences of her decisions.  Mamah (pronounced “May-Mah”) and Frank fell in love with each other, over a period of years, after Frank designed a home for her and her husband, Edwin.  Mamah was raising, with help, her sister’s child as well as two of her own, John and Martha.  Frank was married to Catherine and they had six children.

In the early 1900′s, divorce was highly unattainable and required two years of separation from your spouse to obtain.  In most cases, the women were not granted custody of her children in the case of divorce.  Consequently, leaving Edwin to pursue a life with Frank meant a high probability of losing her kids.  As hard as I try, I cannot imagine being faced with that decision and electing to chose a man over my kids.  To me, a life without them would be more unbearable.  For Mamah, her soul was unable to fully flourish without Frank and he became her choice.

This is a long story of Mamah’s journey, commencing with the affair and leading ultimately to her divorce.  In her journey, she attempts to discover a life without Frank nor Edwin and travels to Boulder, CO to stay with her friend, who was due to give birth.  She spent a summer with her children in this community, away from both men, and to me was seemingly fairly happy.  She considered a life there and a job there.  However, Frank invited her to travel to Germany with him for two months to test their relationship and see what it would be like to live together outside of hiding. She accepted.  News ran rampid in their hometown of Oak Park, IL.  Headlines made waves throughout local and national papers and eventually copies made their way to Frank and Mamah in Germany. 

Mamah attempted to create some distance from Frank and work on her own venture of translating a book by Ellen Key on women’s rights and love.  However, their separation didn’t last long and they both ended up in Wisconsin on a venture to build a home and share a life.  Mamah attains her divorce despite Frank’s inability to obtain one.  Some wounds are healed between Maham and Edwin, however her relationship with her children never fully recovers from her abandonment. 

The end of the story, I will leave “unspoiled” for those who have not heard it nor read the book.  I was shocked at the ending.  If you end up reading this book, take some time to visit the above referenced website first.  I wish I had.  There are great pictures of the characters and the buildings that Frank designed.  I had no idea the realm of his creative genius.  He designed the Gugganheim in New York… did you know?

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”

This book was excellent.  However, it took me longer than most books to read.  I don’t know why, specifically.  However, the read was not difficult and I did want to digest the details brought forth in the novel.  This book contains controversy and thought provoking topics and, as such, would make an excellent book club read.  This terrific read gains from me, under the genre Fiction:Historical, a 9 out of 10! 

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