Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Loving Frank*****Warning (SPOILER)



I read " Loving Frank" is a historical novel about Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect and Mamah Borthwick Cheney's affair in the early 20th Century. Mameh, was a modern thinker of her time, and a feminist.
She left her marriage, and her children behind in the States. She and Frank, left for Europe where he was offered a job opportunities. She became employed by a woman philosopher.
Where her employer all along told her free love, do what it takes no matter what. Later on, she told her after she left her children for quite awhile to take care of her maternal instincts first before taking care of her emotional side, which is love. I think this was the turning point of the book. Because she thought so highly of her. Because this was the reason that she did what she did.
She eventually did return to the States with Frank. Frank Lloyd Wright was a very self centered, selfish person, and spend money like water. The only order he had in his life was the fine lines in architecture but not in his life. How could Mameh leave her children and go to Europe. That is just unheard of even today. They caused a scandal in the community of Oak Park. Ill. She became a marked woman, where the community eventually forgave him.
To this day, to visit the museums if they bring up Frank Lloyd Wright's life Mameh Cheney is not mentioned anywhere.
I did enjoy the book because of the women issues, the conflict of self-women issues, marriage and children. In the early 20th century women did not have a voice or a opinion. Unfortunately, she became the scandal not Frank. She was very modern in her time. Perhaps she would have fared better if she was born in the 21st century, rather than the early 2oth Century.
I did not like Mameh in the beginning, but she grew on me as the story went on.
For further resources here is the website to the book.