I'm sorry to say this book disappointed me a little. The main character Mamah Borthwick, the woman with whom Frank Lloyd Wright had a long extra-marital affair, is interesting enough, as are the times, however she seemed so blind to her own motives that I became frustrated with her. Frank himself is portrayed as such an unlikeable man (albeit with undeniable genius) that I couldn't see why Mamah would pay such an enormous price to be with him, virtually abandoning her children, destroying her reputation, and causing such harm to her husband and her sister. Genius alone didn't seem credible, nor did her assertion that she'd finally found someone she could talk to, someone who understood her. It smacked of the cliche.

The threads of Ayn Rand's objectivism run through the fabric of this novel, and the end result is that the characters, in this author's opinion, seem adolescent and narcissistic, but even worse, in terms of fictional characters, they are blind to their own flaws. There are moments when they do take tiny peeks into their own souls, such as when Mamah discovers Wright's slipshod money management and the callous way in which he accumulates things "of great beauty" but never pays, leaving others to suffer for his pleasure. However, these seem rather tacked on, as though an editor suggested they ought to be there, rather than coming organically from the author's own experience of the characters.

Finally, AND THERE IS A SPOILER HERE - I found the point of view flawed. The book is told in free indirect discourse, from Mamah's POV, which works well for almost the entire narrative -- right up until the point Mamah dies. Then it becomes...ahem...inconvenient, for obvious reasons, and the point of view shifts for the last two chapters to focus on Frank. I found this jarring and unsatisfying. In reading the author notes at the end I learned that Horan wrote the book twice, and the first time there were four points of view. She states it wasn't a very good book. Well, perhaps four was too many points of view but, in my opinion, she didn't quite solve the problem in the final version. Pity, because Horan shows much promise.

Having said all that, there are some moments of lovely writing and insight, such as when, near the end of the book, Mamah describes Wright as someone who, "had come to mistake his gift for the whole of his character."

As first novels go, it's pretty good, but I suspect some experience will serve her well. I look forward to seeing what she does in a few years. ( )

I was only remotely aware of the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and did not know the story of his life at all. Horan's novel depicts, with ficitional license, the years that FLW spent with Mamah Borthwick in Europe and in Wisconsin. The book moves compellingly toward a horrifying end, but the knowledge of that does not lessen the impact of the story. Horan weaves fact and fiction to offer a glimpse in to what their life together must have been like, two extremely talented and troubled artists trying to make a life in an honest and real manner. Like all good historic fiction, Horan's novel lead me to delve more in to FLW and Mamah and to understand more about them and their reltionship and lives beyond this period. I highly recommend this work. ( )

Loving Frank is the first novel by journalist and author Nancy Horan. It tells the story of Mamah Borthwick Cheney, who carried on a long love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright. This was a public scandal in the Chicago of the early 1900's. Frank and Mamah left their families and traveled extensively through Europe before settling in at Wright's Wisconsin farm and estate, Taliesen.

This historical novel tells the story through Mamah's eyes. Little is known of Mamah, and much that is written of her is fiction. The events of Wright's life are well-documented, as are the inspirations for his architectural genius. Horan lived for many years in Oak Park, Illinois, the Chicago suburb where many of Wright's early designs were built, including the home of Mamah and Edwin Cheney. Horan has a good feel for the community of Oak Park, and what it would have been like 100 years ago when the prairie ended just outside Chicago.

In this day and age, the idea of a major scandal erupting when two private individuals begin an affair seems quaint. But the Cheney/Wright drama was fodder for the yellow press for years. I visited Taliesen six years ago, and Mamah Borthwick was never mentioned on the tour. I imagine that now, with the popularity of Loving Frank, that is no longer the case.

While I suspect this is more fiction and less history, it's great to read historical fiction from the twentieth century. I enjoyed reading Loving Frank, and I do recommend it. ( )

What does it mean to love freely? What if you realized the father of your children was not the love of your life? Does your moral compass dictate you leave to honor truth?

Nancy Horan fleshes out the relationship that may have existed between Borthwick and Wright in the years after they left their families to love one another. Perhaps their love was not the scandalous affair the newspapers painted, but something more sacred.

Their characters come very much alive in this intimate portrayal of two flawed individuals who loved beauty, truth, and intellectual integrity. Midway though the story, the pace slows, but the tragic, historically accurate, ending is well worth the journey. ( )

I now know more about Frank Lloyd Wright than I ever thought I wanted or needed to know. The book was written very well and moved very quickly. It provided my book club with great discussion. The characters chaffed me a bit. As a mother, I cannot imagine ever giving up my children for a love interest. As a matter of fact, I can't imagine giving up my children for anything. What was she thinking???? ( )