“You’re an extraordinary man, Frank Wright. I could so easily lose myself in your world and never make a world of my own.”
Frank Lloyd Wright is known as a famous architect. His own biographies don’t mention much of his personal life. Yet, he left his wife and six children to live with another man’s wife for several years. His life was intertwined with Mamah Borthwick Cheney and not much is known about why she chose to leave her own husband and children, other than her love for Frank. Loving Frank is a historical fiction novel that explores the possible relationship the two had and what influenced their decisions along the way.
I recently visited a Frank Lloyd Wright house near where I live. The Westcott House in Springfield, Ohio, shows how Wright was influenced by Japanese culture. The house fell into disarray by 2000, but was purchased and restored by a foundation. It is a beautiful house. When I mentioned going to this house to a friend, she told me about Loving Frank, and I knew it was the perfect book to read after visiting one of his homes. It was available to check out from the library right away.
Mamah wants more to life than just being a wife and mother. She waited to get married until she was almost 30, having a life of her own until then, which included going to college. Her husband was nice enough, but with Frank there was a spark and he stimulated her intellect. The allure of finding her own path again while joining Frank in Europe is almost as much what draws her here as being with Frank. They face newspapers and social scandals, but stay together through it all, eventually settling in Wisconsin. Their story ends tragically, but they lived true to themselves.
I really enjoyed learning more about Wright and his story, especially after visiting the Westcott House. I plan to add a biography of Wright to my list of books to read to fill in the gaps since Loving Frank focuses on his time with Mamah.
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