Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was the subject of scandal in upper-class Oak Park, Illinois. Edwin and Mamah Borthwick Cheney had commissioned Wright to design their home. A romance sparked between Mamah and Frank and an affair quickly blossomed. Both felt obligations to their respective families, so rather than divorce, each separated, to reunite in Europe. For years, they traveled and lived together, each inspired by their own intellectual pursuits. When they returned to the United States, they settled in Wisconsin, in Taliesin, one of Wright's structural masterpieces.
Cheney is conflicted between her desire to be with Wright, and societal expectations placed upon her. Critics of their relationship were open in their distaste for her ethical decisions. Because she was the other woman, Cheney was vehemently accused of homewrecking, more so than Wright. Her narration reflects her guilt and eventual acceptance of her choices
This novel is part historical fiction, part biography, and reflects a dedication on Horan's part to research a relatively unknown part of Wright's romantic past. Beautifully written, Loving Frank exudes a graceful flow, introducing the reader to the beauty and complexity of their illicit affair.
Leave a comment