Frank Nancy Horan
Book Review – Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
Few books are so widely loved, or reviled, or have sparked such interesting book club discussions as Loving Frank by Nancy Horan—a novel based on the real-life, ripped-from-the-headlines affair of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his beloved mistress-muse Mamah Borthwick Cheney.
Based on years of exacting research, Horan creates vivid portraits of Frank and Mamah, two outcasts, of sorts, who brave public condemnation to carve out a life of their own making. Mamah (pronounced MAY-muh), in particular, is perplexing—some readers find much to admire in her, others much to abhor.
Mamah, a bright, educated woman, just beginning to move past the bounds of marriageable age, is persuaded to marry Edwin Cheney, a kind, honorable, but uninspiring businessman from Chicago.The two settle in Oak Park, Ill., have two children, and lead a seemingly content life. Then in 1903-04 they decide to construct a new home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Mamah and Frank fall in love.
The story revolves mostly around Mamah’s internal conflict, one still unresolved by women 100 years later—how to justify the desire for self-realization with the traditional role of wife and mother. As she writes in her diary, “I have been standing on the side of life, watching it float by. I want to swim in the river. I want to feel the current.”
In 1909 Mamah decides to plunge into the river. Giving no notice, she leaves her children in the hands of a dear friend in Colorado and joins Frank in Europe. During her two year stay, Mamah meets feminist Ellen Key and studies Swedish in order to translate Key’s books into English. In 1911 Frank persuades her to return to the States to the new house he has been building for her in Wisconsin.
From there Mamah attempts to make peace with her children, who have by this time all but forgotten her. So that she (and we) can gauge the devastating impact of her actions, her now ex-husband, reveals that shortly after she abandoned them in Colorado, John, a mere youngster, was lost for hours…only to be found wandering the streets in search of his mother.
Horan writes beautifully, objectively, carefully avoiding the language of judgement. She lays no blame nor condemnation on two people who in many ways were at odds with their own time, Mamah especially. The price Mamah pays for her elopement is dear—and readers are left to ponder, on their own, whether that price was too dear, or not dear enough.
About the Author
Molly Lundquist is owner of
LitLovers(http://www.litlovers.com/), an online resource for book clubs and solo readers. LitLovers brings together Molly’s life-long love of reading, writing, and teaching. The website includes a large list of in-depth reading guides, book recommendations and reviews, free online literature courses, international book club recipes, and plenty of “how-to” tips for book clubs, including tips for kids book clubs.
Touring Frank for LOVING FRANK (Loving Frank)
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Loving Frank by Nancy Horan (2007, Unabridged Compact Disc) WORLDWIDE SHIP AVAIL $8.76 |
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Loving Frank: A Novel $15.00 I have been standing on the side of life, watching it float by. I want to swim in the river. I want to feel the current.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… |
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Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders $10.51 The myths and mystery history of the 7 murders at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin that shook the foundations of a house and a nation…. |
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By Nancy Horan: Loving Frank: A Novel $5.11 … |
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Loving Frank By Horan, Nancy $19.31 Fact and fiction blend in a historical novel that chronicles the relationship between seminal architect Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Cheney, from their meeting in Oak Park, Illinois, when they were each married to another, to the clandestine affair that shocked Chicago society. A first novel. Readers Guide included. Reprint. 200,000 first printing. Author: Horan, Nancy Subtitle: A Novel Publication Date: 2008/04/29 Number of Pages: 377 Binding Type: Paperback Language: English Depth: 1.00 Width: 5.50 Height: 8.00 |
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How to Disappear By Ahearn, Frank A./ Horan, Eileen C. $22.1 Presents advice on how to secure privacy and prevent identity theft, discussing strategies for removing information from public and Internet sources, creating false information trails, and protecting personal records. Author: Ahearn, Frank A./ Horan, Eileen C. Subtitle: Erase Your Digital Footprint, Leave False Trails, and Vanish Without a Trace Publication Date: 2010/09/01 Number of Pages: 204 Binding Type: Hardcover Language: English Depth: 1.00 Width: 5.75 Height: 7.75 |
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Featherweight 221 By JohnsonSrebro, Nancy/ Srebro, Frank (CON) $27.47 Author: JohnsonSrebro, Nancy/ Srebro, Frank (CON) Subtitle: The Perfect Portable and Its Stitches Across History Publication Date: 2010/08/16 Number of Pages: 220 Binding Type: Paperback Language: English Depth: 0.50 Width: 6.00 Height: 8.00 |
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Nancy Travis $90.81 High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles Nancy Travis (born September 21, 1961) is an American actress. She is known for supporting roles in both movies and television. Travis was born in New York City and raised in Massachusetts. She lived in Baltimore as well as Boston during her childhood. Travis first job after graduating from high school was a play, Its Hard to be a Jew, at The American Jewish Theatre in NYC. After that, Travis appeared in a stage version of Neil Simons Brighton Beach Memoirs and was a founding member of the OffBroadway theater company Naked Angels. She appeared in their Frank Pugliese play Aven UBoys, as well as in King of Connecticut. Another Broadway play Travis appeared in was Im Not Rappaport. She has also starred in Athol Fugards My Children, My Africa. Author: Surhone, Lambert M./ Timpledon, Miriam T./ Marseken, Susan F. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 144 Publication Date: 2010/07/11 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.00 x 0.34 inches |
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Mike Horan autographed Football Card (Philadelphia Eagles) $20.4 Mike Horan autographed Football Card (Philadelphia Eagles) Mike Horan autographed Football Card (Philadelphia Eagles) 1985 Topps #130. Item comes fully certified with a tamper-evident, serialized hologram and certificate of authenticity. |
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Mike Horan autographed Football Card (Denver Broncos) $18.7 Mike Horan autographed Football Card (Denver Broncos) Mike Horan autographed Football Card (Denver Broncos) 1989 Pro Set #103. Item comes fully certified with a tamper-evident, serialized hologram and certificate of authenticity. |
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Biochemistry By Gumport, Richard I./ Deis, Frank H./ Gerber, Nancy Counts/ Koeppe, Roger E., II (CON) $72.67 Author: Gumport, Richard I./ Deis, Frank H./ Gerber, Nancy Counts/ Koeppe, Roger E., II (CON) Subtitle: Student Companion Publication Date: 2006/06/16 Number of Pages: 628 Binding Type: Paperback Language: English Depth: 1.75 Width: 8.75 Height: 11.25 |
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Permanent Residents by Horan, Patrick [Paperback] $23.41 Author: Horan, Patrick Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 160 Publication Date: 2001/12/01 Language: English Dimensions: 9.10 x 5.90 x 0.49 inches |
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James Horan (Actor) $100.37 High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles James Horan (b. December 14, 1954 in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.) is an American character actor who has appeared in many television programs and films. He has starred in several soap operas, including Guiding Light as Det. Kirk Winters in 1981, Another World as Denny Hobson (19811982), General Hospital as Brett Madison (19851987), and All My Children as Creed Kelly (1988 1989). Author: Miller, Frederic P./ Vandome, Agnes F./ McBrewster, John Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 152 Publication Date: 2010/08/14 Language: English Dimensions: 5.98 x 9.01 x 0.35 inches |