Simon & Garfunkel and Fallingwater. That’s about all I ever knew of Frank Lloyd Wright. That is, until I read Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. An historical fiction novel, it tells the story of Wright’s affair with Mamah Borthwick Cheney in the early 1900s. Despite both being married to others at the time, a love affair soon developed while Wright was building a home for the Cheneys. Eventually, Cheney left her husband and two children to travel the world with Wright. News of their scandalous relationship made the front page of The Chicago Tribune. Not likely to happen today.
Carefully researched, the novel is apparently quite accurate with regard to dates, events, and locations. We can only guess as to how well the dialogue tracks with reality. That’s what I love about historical fiction. It gives you the illusion of knowing more about the past than is likely the case.
The most disturbing thing about the story is that both Cheney and Wright walk away from their children in order to be with each other. Both feeling justified because of their certainty that they had found an emotional and intellectual equal. As a mom, that was a little hard for me to take. Walk out on my husband, maybe, my kids, never! But, the book was completely mesmerizing and led one to want to know more about the man, the architecture, and the women that were drawn to him.
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