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Loving Frank: A Novel Audiobook
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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. In this ambitious debut novel, fact and fiction blend together brilliantly. While scholars have largely relegated Mamah to a footnote in the life of America’s greatest architect, author Nancy Horan gives full weight to their dramatic love story and illuminates Cheney’s profound influence on Wright. 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. Horan’s Mamah is a woman seeking to find her own place, her own creative calling in the world. Mamah’s is an unforgettable journey marked by choices that reshape her notions of love and responsibility, leading inexorably ultimately lead 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. Praise for Loving Frank: “Loving Frank is one of those novels that takes over your life. It’s mesmerizing and fascinating–filled with complex characters, deep passions, tactile descriptions of astonishing architecture, and the colorful immediacy of daily life a hundred years ago–all gathered into a story that unfolds with riveting urgency.” —Lauren Belfer, author of City of Light “This graceful, assured first novel tells the remarkable story of the long-lived affair between Frank Lloyd Wright, a passionate and impossible figure, and Mamah Cheney, a married woman whom Wright beguiled and led beyond the restraint of convention. It is engrossing, provocative reading.” —Scott Turow “It takes great courage to write a novel about historical people, and in particular to give voice to someone as mythic as Frank Lloyd Wright. This beautifully written novel about Mamah Cheney and Frank Lloyd Wright’s love affair is vivid and intelligent, unsentimental and compassionate.” —Jane Hamilton “I admire this novel, adore this novel, for so many reasons: The intelligence and lyricism of the prose. The attention to period detail. The epic proportions of this most fascinating love story. Mamah Cheney has been in my head and heart and soul since reading this book; I doubt she’ ll ever leave.” —Elizabeth Berg
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"I love reading about women who make life choices that are outside the mainstream. This book reminded me of a filmI had seen about a woman named Maria who left her kids to go fight with the FMLN guerrillas in the mountains of El Salvador. In both stories live of country and or of a man take precedence over maternal love. Hard and heart wrenching choices."
— Ellen (4 out of 5 stars)
Loving Frank Listener Reviews
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" I loved this book. Before I even finished it I was surfing the web for pics of FLWs homes and was shocked to to find out what happened before finishing the book. But finish it I did. "
— Sheri, 2/5/2014 -
" Interesting details on the life of Frank Lloyd Wright, his beliefs, attitudes, family and love Mamah Cheney. "
— Lois, 1/12/2014 -
" Well, here is one of those instances where I was completely clueless going in to this book. Not only did I know nothing of Frank Lloyd Wright's personal history, I also (shamefully) had no idea this was a historical fiction, which really affected my perception of the book. Had I known much of this was accurate, it likely would've engaged me more. I would've been absolutely enraged with the protagonists (what selfish individuals Frank & Mamah were), and would've been beyond devastated at the turn of events (the end was an absolute tragedy). Unfortunately, I labored to finish the book and didn't care much for the writing style. It took some time to get to the point.... an abundance of trivial details took away from the story. Furthermore, there was never any real emotion in this book... the author seems to paint a very banal picture of what were, in actuality, very emotionally wrought lives... perhaps that's where she lost me. "
— N., 12/3/2013 -
" This was one of my favorite books; I didn't want it to end. "
— Mlj1963, 12/1/2013 -
" Loved the history.... huge fan of FLW buildings. "
— Donna, 11/27/2013 -
" hated it. It's hard for me to truly enjoy a book (perhaps especially non-fiction) when I find the main protagonists loathsome and without redeeming value. The 'heroine' severs ties with her husband and family (I'll be honest here; I hated her the minute she abandoned her young children) for Frank Lloyd Wright, and although she characterizes her decision as one of liberation and proud refusal to be bound by traditional mores, in the end she willingly abandons her own identity in order to keep him as a lover. And while FLW was without doubt one of the greatest architects of the modern age, Mr. Wright doesn't exactly come off as Mr. Right. "
— Teeliles, 11/18/2013 -
" Interesting at times... Other times i found it quite monotonous. Overall glad I read it, but there's plenty of books I've liked better. "
— Nancy, 11/14/2013 -
" What a tragedy, what a fool, what a jerk, but a good read. "
— Sheryl, 11/12/2013 -
" I guess I chose this book because my step-daughter once wanted to be an architect and was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. "
— Kristi, 11/7/2013 -
" Wonderful book of Frank Lloyd Wright's love life, and what really inspired him. The book is written through the eyes of his mistress, and great love Mahma Cheaney. She in her own right was a remarkable woman for this time period. "
— Joy, 10/25/2013 -
" It was ok, but I don't really like FLW as a person--amazing architect, but just didn't get to the meat of WHY... "
— Barbara, 8/7/2013 -
" I had a hard time connecting to this booking. I wasn't emotionally invested in the characters at all. I was very shocked by the ending. What a tragic story. "
— Leslie, 8/4/2013 -
" I found this book reallly moving and I typically don't like non-fiction. I had no idea about this illicite side of Frank Lloyd Wright, even though you hear about his work all the time. Facinating, but with a crazy ending. "
— Claire, 6/22/2013 -
" I thought this was an excellent book. "
— John, 6/11/2013 -
" I have a keen interest in anything to do with Frank Lloyd Wright so naturally I had to read this book! Thoroughly enjoyed it! "
— Kelly, 5/21/2013 -
" Loved this book, but I love fiction based on actual historical facts. This is a great book! "
— Nancy, 10/9/2012 -
" Could not get through it. "
— Xania, 8/31/2012 -
" Greatly enjoyed this book, especially after seeing his home out in Arizona. The ending was not what I had expected. "
— Jackie, 8/24/2012 -
" Anyone who is interested in Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture will love this book. We followed up the reading of the book by a trip to Taliesin, Wright's home near Madison, WI. Fascinating! PBS also produced a documentary about Wright that was produced by Ken Burns and is worth the time to watch. "
— Elizabeth, 8/11/2012 -
" Very interesting...worth the read. "
— Heidi, 10/10/2011 -
" I bough this book at Goodwill because I had remembered the ward book club read it. It's a historical fictional account of an affair between Mamah Borthwick Cheney and Frank Lloyd Wright. I liked the book, but didn't like Mamah and didn't agree with her leaving her children for Frank. "
— Janeece, 8/27/2011 -
" I really wanted to love this book. I knew the basic story before I read the novel. The problem I had was that I just couldn't feel close to the main character. It's a fascinating story, but I didn't find myself rooting for the heroine as much as I'd hoped. "
— Ruth, 7/30/2011 -
" I was not a fan, so it took me forever to read it. "
— Liz, 5/23/2011 -
" I loved the "behind the famous architect" story. Had no idea about his life and found the book very enlightening. "
— Gina, 5/22/2011 -
" Another good book about choosing love and passion over safety and comfort. The ending was devastating but based on real life, so not the author's fault. An unknown perspective behind the story of Frank Lloyd Wright, very enjoyable. "
— Katie, 5/19/2011 -
" I ended up disliking nearly every character. Too bad. "
— Kate, 5/19/2011 -
" I really loved this OK. This summer my husband and I are going to tour some of the Frank Lloyd homes in Chicago. "
— Tina, 5/17/2011 -
" Interesting peek into the life of genuis Frank Lloyd Wright through the eyes of his lover. Sadly, most of the real life characters were unlikeable and the true ending is gruesome. "
— Laura, 5/15/2011 -
" Listened to it on cd. Kind of drawn out but had a suspenseful ending. I would recommend it. "
— Sharleen, 5/12/2011 -
" I love Frank Lloyd Wright architecture but I had no idea about his background and "scandalous" lifestyle! The book was okay - it wasn't a compelling read because it was a little too... old-timey for me! "
— Jamie, 5/10/2011 -
" Listened to it on Audio CD for book club. I thought I knew a lot about the man, but this book really opened my eyes with many stories that were never shared on his home tours. "
— Mary, 5/10/2011 -
" Interesting book- actually read it for a book club and we went to a Frank Lloyd Wright's house here in No. Va.... "
— Meghan, 5/7/2011 -
" This book for me is OK. It waas hard to read the book all the way to the end. I rally liked the idea of the book but it felt slow. "
— Maria, 5/7/2011
About Nancy Horan
Nancy Horan is the author of Loving Frank. She is also a journalist whose work has appeared in numerous publications. She has two sons, and lives with her husband on an island in Puget Sound.
About Joyce Bean
Joyce Bean is an accomplished audiobook narrator and director. In addition to having won several AudioFile Earphones Awards, she has been nominated multiple times for the prestigious Audie Award. Equally adept at narrating fiction and nonfiction, and she also narrates audiobooks under the name Jane Brown.