Loving Frank: A Novel

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It's a hit!

growing up in the midwest, with an architect grandfather, frank lloyd wright was always a household name. i have admired his work in person and in... (show more)

growing up in the midwest, with an architect grandfather, frank lloyd wright was always a household name. i have admired his work in person and in books many times, but i was never familiar with the man himself...until i read "loving frank."

while the book is labeled "fiction," i think that author nancy horan researched enough before writing this novel that is more than a little bit true. the book itself was more about mamah borthwich cheney than wright, but it's better that way. i've always felt that you can see the character of a man most intimately through the eyes of the woman who loves him.

in his life, wright never publicly discussed mamah or the tragedy surrounding her death. however, i don't think his unwillingness to talk about it should be used as a measure of the magnitude of their relationship. i think that wright being the sensitive artist that he was, it was simply too painful for him to talk about the tragic loss of his soul mate.

set over a seven-year period at the turn of the 19th century, this novel delves deeper than architecture and addresses the revolutionary spirit of one of the greatest minds of the 20th century. And, more importantly, the woman who was brave enough to love him. (show less)

 

 

by Facebook-användare

No, it's a flop!

I was underwhelmed by this book. I found both main characters to be very off-putting, even though Horan is clearly trying to portray Mamah as a sy... (show more)

I was underwhelmed by this book. I found both main characters to be very off-putting, even though Horan is clearly trying to portray Mamah as a sympathetic character struggling against the bonds of society's restraints against women. Restraints there were, to be sure, but the portrayal of Mamah didn't convince me she had it all that bad. Only briefly is there mention of the incredible class privilege she enjoyed. And while I agree that women need not sacrifice themselves in the name of marriage and motherhood, Mamah's surprise at the consequences of her actions on her family seemed incredibly naive and selfish. FLW -- whether in reality or in Horan's rendering -- came off as a self-absorbed, arrogant, petulant, spoiled little boy who excused everything in the name of "truth" and "art." And the belief that artistic genius comes from extraordinary individual men, who must be given leeway to share their God-given gifts with the world is itself a notion that came under intense scrutiny by feminist writers and thinkers who rightly pointed out how social systems came to support a man's ability to be so independent-minded and generous with his gifts. I think the book *does* nicely show the double-standards that worked against women's desire to pursue their own interests, even if Mamah herself seemed to have indulged FLW's excesses.

It wasn't until near the very end of the book that I felt some relief regarding these issues. I also felt that Horan sometimes resorted to "telling" the history of these two rather than showing it; some of the dialogue seemed artificial and designed only to give the reader a bit of schooling on FLW's architectural theory or the history of the Woman Movement or whatever.

All that said, I was shocked at the ending. I knew nothing of Mamah Borthwick before reading this book, or of this history of FLW. I wonder, though, if the story would have been as compelling, as worth telling, as it was without this conclusion. I also wonder if I'd have appreciated it more had I known at least a little bit about these two and their relationship beforehand. I'm glad I didn't know the ending, though, because it did pack quite a punch. No one deserves that. (show less)

 

 

by Kim Wikstrom Heikkila

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  The first half of the book covering the beginning of the affair and Frank and Mamah's time in Europe was well written, eventful, and interesting. Mamah's discovery of Ellen Key's work leading to the solidification of Mamah's own philosophy was an exciting intellectual process to observe. However, Frank and Mamah's return to the US and their settlement in Taliesin brought the story to a frustrating crawl, with no real developments in the characters or in the plot. As the book limped on towa... (show more)

  The first half of the book covering the beginning of the affair and Frank and Mamah's time in Europe was well written, eventful, and interesting. Mamah's discovery of Ellen Key's work leading to the solidification of Mamah's own philosophy was an exciting intellectual process to observe. However, Frank and Mamah's return to the US and their settlement in Taliesin brought the story to a frustrating crawl, with no real developments in the characters or in the plot. As the book limped on toward its conclusion, I grew more and more detached from Frank and Mamah. The intended emotional impact of the ending was lost on me.

  In the end, I found Frank and Mamah turned out to be unlikeable characters. Their claim that their happiness would eventually benefit their children seemed like a way to assuage their guilt over the abandonment of their offspring. If they truly believed it to be true, they would not have had to continually reassure themselves of this point, nor would they have faced ongoing torment over their actions. While I sympathisized with their internal struggle, their external decisions were ultimately alienating. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook-användare on Sep 19, 2009 at 04:57AM

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  I know this novel got rave reviews and I fear I will have to tuck and roll after I state my opinion but, I state it non the less.
  The story was good, the characters O.K. though I didn't fee any depth in most of them. To me, this book was a well done romance novel. Nothing wrong with that what so ever but it was not what I expected.
  Perhaps my opinion was formed, in part, because of the book I read just prior to this one. Singing Them Home was a very difficult act to follow.
  We will be ... (show more)

  I know this novel got rave reviews and I fear I will have to tuck and roll after I state my opinion but, I state it non the less.
  The story was good, the characters O.K. though I didn't fee any depth in most of them. To me, this book was a well done romance novel. Nothing wrong with that what so ever but it was not what I expected.
  Perhaps my opinion was formed, in part, because of the book I read just prior to this one. Singing Them Home was a very difficult act to follow.
  We will be discussing Loving Frank in one of my face2face groups and no doubt, as often happens, I will come away from the group with a greater understanding as to why the book was so highly praised. It may be that I missed something .
  Having said all that.....this is an easy book to recommend to other readers as I know many have enjoyed the book and I know many readers who would......good job Horan ! (show less)

   

   

  by Jeannie Brandt-Lietzau on Mar 25, 2009 at 05:11PM

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