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 enlarge | Author: Nancy Horan
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $7.11
You Save: $6.89 (49%)
New (59) Used (25) from $5.00
Rating:  191 reviews
Sales Rank: 106
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0345495004
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780345495006
ASIN: 0345495004
Publication Date: April 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Excellent book November 9, 2008
Well written and well researched account of a woman's struggle between love, passion and responsibility.
one of the best books I've ever read November 4, 2008
You must read this book. You will learn about history, architecture, and real love. You will also have conflicting emotions throughout the book, but in the end, you will praise this author and ask for more works to be written.
Stunning November 4, 2008
Veteran journalist Nancy Horan spent seven years preparing her debut novel, "Loving Frank," for publication.
Maybe all first-time novelists should follow Horan's formula because she hit this one out of the park.
It's been a long time since I read such luminous prose, told by someone who pays close attention to details and the development of her characters.
"Loving Frank" is the fictional retelling of the scandalous love affair between architect Frank Lloyd Wright, struggling to make a name for himself, and Martha (Mamah) Bouton Borthwick Cheney, who, along with her husband, Edwin, commissions Wright to design a home for her in 1903 on 520 North East Avenue in the Oak Park suburb of Chicago.
The story begins with an entry from Mamah's diary:
It was Edwin who wanted to build a new house. I didn't mind the old Queen Anne on Oak Park Avenue. It was full of the things of my childhood, and I found it comforting after so many years away. I wonder if he reflects on those days now - on the fact that it was he who craved a place entirely his own.
In addition to the extensive research she did on Frank Lloyd Wright's life, Horan also had access to ten handwritten letters from Cheney to Swedish feminist philosopher Ellen Key. Cheney served as translator for several of Key's works released in the United States.
It's rare for me head straight to my computer after finishing a book, but that's what I did after closing the cover of "Loving Frank." I wanted to know more about Mamah.
If you decide to pick up this title, please hold off going to the Internet until you're finished. Let Horan's beautifully crafted work its magic before the story's ending jerks you back to reality.
 The Ending was a Shock November 4, 2008
I liked the book but because it was about a famous architect I wished the book contained more pictures of the homes he designed. The ending was totally unexpected.
Loving Frank November 3, 2008
This was a good book, that beuatifully intertwined fiction and non-fiction. It is about a love affair between Frank Lloyd Wright and a married woman, Mamah Borthwick Cheney.
At times, it was a bit slow, but over all the book moved along nicely. Mamah is a woman that was well beyond her time. I have a feeling that we all would know her name had she not fallen to tragedy. I would like to know more about her. And Mr. Wright, I believe, has a reputation for being egotistical, yet brilliant. This book shows a different side of him, although we still get a good taste of the FLW that we have all heard about.
What I found most interesting about this book was the fiction and non-fiction that were intertwined together. I found myself researching his homes and the people in the book. I became even more interested in the book once I realized that many parts are true (the end, for example). Being from Illinois, I am familiar with FLW and his work, but enjoyed hearing about how some of his designs were created and came to fruition. I will be sure to make a trip to the Dana-Thomas House in my hometown, Springfield very soon.
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