Loving Frank (and this junk)

i just finished this book. holy crap, was it good. in my old age, i've become somewhat of a history freak. i love learning about all things past - especially if there's some drama and scandal involved. as it turns out, frank lloyd wright was a scandalous little man - also labeled a genius and progressive for the time. in the early 1900's he was emerging as an architect with an interesting vision. his muse was nature, and his creations were made up of clean lines and gorgeous details mimicking the simplistic beauty in nature. without giving away major details, he fell in love with one of his clients - a woman named mamah (may-muh) borthwick cheney. after several years of fighting the feeling, they eventually abandoned their families to be together. it's worth noting mamah was also considered ahead of her time. a college graduate and intellectual, she was your present day independent woman.

basically, this book tells the tale from mamah's perspective - later frank's. you can't help but root for them as they threw their lives as they knew it away to be together. i'm not a user of the term "soul mate," but after reading this, it's kind of one of those things - they were magnents to each other. the pull was something they felt they couldn't bear. it was worth destroying people they loved to be together. the book chronicles their affair - traveling the world together and later settling in frank's birthplace in a home he designed for them named taliesin. this name has some relation to the quote "the truth against the world" which was fitting for the time in their life as the scandalous nature of their relationship had nearly destroyed his career and her reputation.

do i think this affair is something to celebrate? no. but i did find the book very interesting and the research after even more fascinating. i can't really say more without giving away the ending of the book. if you prefer the cliff's notes, go to wikipedia and search frank lloyd wright. there, you will find the information all about his affair with mamah, and the ending is there as well.

because i am a dork, after reading the rest of the book, i went straight to the internet to get a visual of his work and taliesin. pictures are below ::

frank lloyd wright's home in chicago suburb :: oak park, illinois
this is the home he shared with his wife and children

another view of his home in oak park

the home edwin & mamah cheney commissioned frank to design
mamah and frank began their affair in this home - notice the two taller houses on each side - well, turns out, one of the neighbor's children totally watched them do it on the floor, and the upstairs windows were later boarded up because of it. rated r, ya'll.

taliesin somewhat present day :: spring green, wisconsin

from the hill

aerial view
for some reason, i pictured taliesin as a small cottage. none of these homes are small. they are freakin' awesome.

book review for loving frank? five stars. i absolutely loved every page of it. pick it up! let me know your thoughts!