
Loving Frank
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Joyce Bean
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By:
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Nancy Horan
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of The House of Lincoln, an “enthralling” novel that brings “the buried truths of the ill-starred relationship of Mamah Borthwick Cheney and Frank Lloyd Wright to light” (The New York Times Book Review).
“Masterful.”—People
“A fascinating love story.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Truly artful fiction.”—The New York Times
“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 of the house, a powerful attraction developed between Mamah and Frank, and in time the lovers, each married with children, embarked on a course that would shock Chicago society and forever change their lives.
Drawing on years of research, Horan weaves little-known facts into a compelling narrative, vividly portraying the conflicts and struggles of a woman forced to choose between the roles of mother, wife, lover, and intellectual. Mamah’s is an unforgettable journey marked by choices that reshape her notions of love and responsibility, leading inexorably to this novel’s stunning conclusion.
Elegantly written and remarkably rich in detail, Loving Frank is a fitting tribute to a courageous woman, a national icon, and their timeless love story.
Winner of the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction • One of the Best Books of the Year: The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor
©2007 Nancy Horan (P)2021 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
“[A] thoughtful debut novel [that] pits morality against passion . . . the perfect selection to jump-start some satisfyingly heated arguments within your book club.”—USA Today
“The powerful writing imbues the tale with the terrible inevitability of a Greek tragedy.”—Chicago
“Loving Frank reveals what we expect to get from great fiction: timeless truths about ourselves.”—New York Daily News
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I have been to Taliesin East and West as well as his home and studio in Oak Park. I have enjoyed touring buildings in both CA (San Rafael Civic Center) as well as Arizona.
I was able to get my junior high teaching job in 1970 because I could teach drafting, math, and art. I taught many other subjects in my 37 year career at the same junior high school in Fremont!
How life was for women in the early 1900’s. The tragedy that Frank Lloyd Wright endured.
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FLW and his mistress…
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Should Have Read Myself
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Good History of FLW
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I enjoyed this book and seeing how the author drew me into his passion of creating. I also really liked how Mamah challenged him and made him into wanting to be a better man.
Inspired my career
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Struggled at times but the ending, wow!
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Airtight storytelling, respectful and compelling characterizations—with a little dose of first wave feminist history.
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Illinois people should remain in Illinois if they feel it is superior to Wisconsin. This was apparently an issue then and continues today. Fill in the blank: ——- people should stay in —— if they think it is superior to ——.
As for woman’s suffrage, leaving your children to go to Europe and live a life footloose and fancy free is disgusting. The main character (with her ridiculous name and all) felt she should have been entitled to doing just that and having her kids too. Ugh! The book was well written, but there was way too much focus on woman’s rights issue…
The performance was good. The story was interesting and sadly, based on actual accounts.
Not saying the ending wasn’t tragic, but I can see why the nut-job found her privileged life disturbing.
The book inspired me to research more on Frank Loyd Wright and enlightened me on his work, career, and personal life. It was a good read.
Tragic Choices
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Riveting
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Great Listen!
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