5 comments about Fellowship, The: The Untold Story of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Fellowship.

1. What fun this book is! I could hardly put it down. A fascinating, almost embarrassingly readable entree into a group of brilliant, talented and contradictory people who literally changed the face of America. Frank Lloyd Wright comes across as a conflicted and rather scary genius who attracted star-struck acolytes prepared to put up with his mercurial humors; his family and entourage are equally vividly brought to life, as is the fascinating intellectual and artistic spirit of the times in which Wright's unique vision was born and developed. Some critics claim that sources are not cited - not true, they are, dozens of pages of them, but you don't realize they're there until you've finished the book (no callouts in the main text). Treat yourself to this one, you're almost certain to love it, and learn from it too.



2. Like many former apprentices I learned much more about Olgivanna
   than I knew from my own contact during the time I was apprenticed at
   Taliesin. It never occurred to me that she was indeed cruel--I just thought she was
   FLLW's means to keep himself free of the logistics of housekeeping.
   He never expressed much liking for the mystic Gurjieff, and Olgivanna set up the school
   following Wright's death which spelled the demise of Wright's ideas in favor of the mystic.
   
   I am sorry that the existing remnants of the Fellowship at Taliesin
   seem to have prevailed in denying this exposition. The idolization of
   Olgivanna persists!
   
   The book reveals it all and is a great read!
   
   Bill Patrick



3. The 20th Century was to have been the era of transformation in which the human race, and indeed human nature itself was to be wholly revised and repaired. There were as many different formulas as there were thinkers and doers. From Lenin to the Ayatollahs, everyone had a plan to bring paradise back from the lost and found. It hardly needs to be said that all of the various visions found themselves at war with each other. More than 100 million people died in the ensuing competition.
   
   Frank Lloyd Wright thought that transformation would be a natural result of living in a dwelling that conformed with his ideas of "organic architecture". The dwelling would be properly sited in a non-urban, highly programmed, planned community. He hated cities.
   
   In the Taliesin Fellowship, Wright had the opportunity to operate his vision the way a model railroad enthusiast operates a miniature transportation network. The results are instructive. The story is a most entertaining read and well told by the authors, Roger Friedland and Harold Zellman. The writing is excellent. The narrative has everything: sex, power, ego, mysticism, a grand vision, vivid characters, tragedy and madness.
   
   Frank Lloyd Wright has been called the greatest architect of the 20th Century. He may be. It will remain an article of debate for as long as people care about 20th Century building. There is no debate that he lived in interesting times. The Taliesin Fellowship is an excellent mirror in which to glimpse both some of the glory and some of the horror of that time.



4. I have always been fascinated by FLW's architecture, my favorite styles being the Prairie and Usonian styles. When you read which and how many buildings he had built per year, it hits you as being odd that he built very little during the roaring 20's? How did he survive during the depression? How could he afford to build such elaborate estates on architecture fees?
   
   The Fellowship was the answer. I was amazed to discover from this book that he created a school and named it the FLW Fellowship. Applicants paid yearly tuitions to work there! In the beginning the education was gained by learning how to build Taliesin and doing such things as kitchen details and farming. It was gratifying to know that only rich kids could afford to attend the FLW Fellowship since no one except the rich during the depression had and money left. Rich kids paying to farm and do manual labor for FLW. Ya gotta love that.
   
   During the early phase of the Fellowship, Wes Peters (apprentice) and Svetlana Wright (FLW's adopted daughter) left Taliesin. "Svetlana wrote Wes" about Olgivanna (FLW's 3rd wife, Svet's mother), "When I read her words I feel that a witch sits behind them! And I feel all sort of creepy and unclean!" That is exactly how I felt as I experienced this book............UNCLEAN.
   
   FLW was a person of extreme contrast or shall I say a person that lived a bi-polar existence. He attracted the like into his Fellowship. I always wondered why his "organic architecture" never spread thru America. His ego would not allow it. He simply could not allow the possibility that someone else could progress his work to an even higher level of genius than his ego. His ego would not allow his genius to be "shared". This is the real FLW tragedy. For a genius to live to be 92 years old and not be able to "grow" apprentices to practice organic architecture. Pitiful. What a perfect ego lesson!
   
   FLW's architecture is nothing more than the celebration of the ego. It breaks my heart.
   
   It apparently took the authors ten years to write this book. The source material is amazing. While I doubt all the authors' conclusions are correct, they with their extensive research in my opinion used their best judgments in drawing conclusions. Most judgments are slanted towards being harsh.
   
   I often thought that FLW was cruel to leave his first family consisting of a wife and six children. Now I am convinced that by abandoning his first family, he saved them from even greater cruelty. If you decide to read this book and experience this very dark journey, I am sure you will agree with me that staying away from FLW was one of the best decisions one could make.



5. Absoulutley amazing research the author has put into this book! I have never read a book on Frank Lloyd Wright so well entailed and so complete as this one. The book is very entertaining and could not put it down!

5 comments about The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion, Revised Edition.

1. I bought this book from Amazon.com based on the Star rating. I did not know if it was really valid. It is!

   This book about Frank Lloyd Wright's designs give a conceptual overview to the evolution of his style. It is excellent for the novice, non architect (which I am). I have been able to visit three of his homes based on the directory in the back. It has also opened up other venues to help me arrive at a FLW inspired house that I am about to build. It is worth the cost if you are looking for the best single source of his work that I have been able to locate outside of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation




2. Covering the almost 80-year career from his Unity Chapel in Wisconsin in 1886 to the Lykes house built in Phoenix in 1966, seven years after his death, this book contains floorplans and textual desciptions for all FLW-designed structures as well as black-and-white pictures for almost all of them, except for a small handful which have been demolished and for which no pictures exist.
   The clear, readable floorplans which are given for every structure is possibly the biggest selling point of this book.
   I should add that an excellent addition to this book is Thomas Heinz' _The Vision Of Frank Lloyd Wright_ which, although not as complete, features large color pictures of many of the buildings.



3. If you want a complete overview and Wright reference, get this. I have a growing large FLLW library and this is a great compliment to every book I have.



4. I found a lot of errors in the floor plans in the first edition of this book (which may have been corrected this time around). Also, I really object to the use of contemporary photos of buildings which have been heavily altered over the years. Other than that, this book is highly recommended and, in fact, essential.



5. This is the finest compendium of all built Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings and is a top ten book for any Frank Lloyd Wright Enthusiast. This wonderful book documents all of standing buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright with excellent photographs, floor plans, and well written commentary. As a Frank Lloyd Wright homeowner and architect I enjoy looking up the less well known Wright buildings. The author, William Storer, is a highly respected Wright scholar. This book is highly recommended for its breadth, accuracy, and scholarship on the work of America's Greatest Architect.

5 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright Mid-Century Modern.

1. The description:
   
   "With lavish, new, previously unpublished color photographs and detailed plans"
   
   is not quite accurate. And while there are some new photographs, there are no detailed plans of any kind. And most of the photographs are really no different in content than can be found in some other books. In additon, there is practically no technical information in any of the photo captions.
   
   It would been nice to have other houses covered in this book that have not appeared in countless other books. Many of the subjects here have been beat to death.



2. Very comprehensive with new photos not shown before. As new owner of the Dorothy Turkel House in Detroit I was pleasantly suprised with 6 pages on our house. There is so much interest in Mr Wrights houses i cant believe it. Very timely.



3. Wow what great photographs and the essay's are great too. What really put me off - infact it angered me, the incorrect name used not once but twice for Harold Price - it is listed as Herbert. I just cannot believe that through all the proof readings and all the eyes writing this book that this attrosity was not found. Bad publishing. Other wise the information and photos are great - just wish there was alittle more care put into the proof reading.



4. I approached this book with some trepidation, as I suspected there would be much duplication of the material presented in "Frank Lloyd Wright: The Houses". As approximately 60% of the houses presented here were given to us in the earlier title, these suspicions proved to be correct, yet I am giving this book 4 stars. Why?
   
   This time, unlike what was done in "FLW: Prairie Houses", there has been some effort made to present different views of the repeated houses. However, be advised that there is reuse of the identical photos in many cases. What redeems this book are the seldom published houses that are presented. To those very familiar with Wright the names Buehler, Hughes, Neils, Pearce, Brown, Berger, et al will ring a bell, but may not bring a clear image to mind. Now the images are provided and great images they are. Often full page views of this wonderful architecture.These photos will draw you into serene spaces that are at one with nature. Almost 50 years after his death the artistry of this man still amazes. So, pick up a copy, settle into a comfy chair and prepare to be amazed.



5. Comprehensive photos of the interiors and exteriors of Wright's homes.
   One is able to see the materials used, arrangement of furniture and colors he chose. Just what I was looking for. Beautiful book.

5 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright: A Biography.

1. It's often pointed out that autobiographies are to a considerable extent works of fiction. It's less often pointed out, but equally true, that biographies are also to a considerable extent works of fiction. "Frank LLoyd Wright: A Biography" is a case in point. Now, it just so happens that the author of Frank Lloyd Wright's AUTObiography was a great artist, and it shows not only in his archecture, but also in his stylish, accomplished and original handling of English prose. This BIOGRAPHY, on the other hand, is dull, drab, and perfunctory, and its information is second-hand (at best). If you're going to read fiction, I say read GOOD fiction.

   Also: I've read a number of biographies of composers, and I find that they are almost always written by professional musicians. It seems to me that a biography of Frank Lloyd Wright ought to have been undertaken only by someone with a professional knowledge of architecture.




2. This is an excellent book by Meryle Secrest on Frank Lloyd Wright. It traces the career of America's foremost builder from his days in Chicago as a resident in fashionable Oak Park to his final days on the Arizona desert. Ms. Secrest does not specialize in architecture, but this appears to be an asset. While there are plenty of books that can go on (and on and on) about building techniques, this is intended for the lay person who is interested in Frank Lloyd Wright in general terms. This book provides an excellent introduction to both the man and his work.



3. Biography is very thorough, but the writing is somewhat difficult to read due to organization.



4. 
   Wright the man is chronicled here, in one of the two best biographies of the architectural superstar. One would also want to read Brendan Gill's "Many Masks" as a companion to Ms Secrest's treatment of F Ll W - just to get the harmonizing flavors of opinion.
   
   Ms Secrest does magnificent research and shares it in a narrative that flows easily and keeps one's attention. Her information about Wright's family tree, as well as the family background of his wives and Mrs. Cheney, is more thoroughly presented than I have seen elsewhere.
   
   One must not expect a thorough critique of Wright's buildings here -- there are too many works to be considered and there are many other resources, old and new, for such explorations. "In the Nature of Materials" leaps to mind. However, this book does flesh out the man and in some ways dispels some of the outlandish tales and outright fabrications about his life, toward which Wright was oft inclined.
   
   Yes, do read his disingenuous "An Autobiography" (1943) as well, and some of the family books - "The Valley of the God-Almighty Joneses: Reminiscences of Frank Lloyd Wright's Sister, by Maginel Wright Barney, 1986, and his son, John Lloyd Wright's "My Father Who Is On Earth", G P Putnam Sons, NY, 1946. . But consider this a more reliable guide to Mr. Wright's long and theatrical life.



5. It was a gift for someone (most of my purchases are), but the person said it was a wonderful book.

5 comments about Stained Glass Window Designs of Frank Lloyd Wright (Dover Coloring Book).

1. I just took my first stained glass class, and I was looking for a pattern book of designs that I actually LIKED, as opposed to the schmaltzy stuff that is so easy to come by. I own a bungalow, and I love Frank Lloyd Wright, so this was perfect for me. It's also fairly easy for beginners, because most of the patterns have only straight lines - no curves.

   There are only a few colored examples, but if you're familiar with Wright's work, or if you're creative enough to come up with your own colors, this is a great resource! I was just so happy to find this! I really didn't want to spend hours creating unicorns & rainbows!




2. I love this design book! While I was student teaching I used it to explain the layout that Wright used for his stained glass windows. Students could copy the designs to regular sheets of paper and then color them they way they wanted to. This book contains designs on vellum paper..not regular pulp paper, thus creating the "window" look. This is an excellent resource for teachers and students!



3. I personally have spoken several times with Mr. Casey over the telephone. I've made some of the designs which are easy to work from in his books and he is very upfront about the glass availabilities,where to get the caming - - which the smallest triangular caming is no longer available as he's aware also from source in Chicago. Their machine die's are worn and no longer make accurate runs of it. I had to use next largest size. The results are very nice and worth it.
   
   I'm glad someone with the abilitiy to do 'architecturally' accurate drawings took the time to do so and with the accuracy of ZEUS....Dennis is wonderful. We hope only to someday find any one of the over 150+ panels and over 80 sets of french doors done in artglass from the Midway Gardens project torn down after the prohibition years. The colors were clear, red, white, black however the exact orientation of the colors is left up to some interpretation. I've tried to get closer by comparing known photos of the multiple sets of panel types & sizes used along with the actual designs as drawn by Mr. Wright which vary in detail some from the completed glasswork done in Chicago. The Glass maker is still unknown but assumed as one of the larger in town and the drawings from their firms no longer exist to anyones knowledge so far in researching this now for several years. Should anyone out there actually possess one of these panels or door panels please contact one of the larger collections in the country for exhibiting it. None have ever been found or known about in the art world so far.
   
   PLEASE add this book and Dennis' other books to your collection if you are a serious ARTGLASS and Frank Lloyd Wright buff. I highly recommend them. bravo ---encore please Dennis!



4. If you're a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture and art, or if you like stained glass art, this coloring book can inspire your own designs. A few hours with a copy machine and some colored pencils can produce personally customized drawings for use in your own home. I recommend this book to the designers, and budding graphic artists in the crowd.



5. I used this coloring book in conjunction with an art/ art history lesson on Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture and stained glass windows. The final colored pages look great no matter the skill level of the child because the black lines "hide" where some may color "outside the lines." I used the book with first graders.

5 comments about Wright-Sized Houses: Frank Lloyd Wright's Solutions for Making Small Houses Feel Big.

1. I really liked this book. Quite well structured, it presents first key characteristics of Wright's architecture apearing in Prairie but also Usonian houses.
   The second part gives full details of some houses (mainly Usonian since the theme is about "making small houses feel big")
   Special interest for Isabel Roberts house, River Forest (on front and back cover pages) which is to my mind Wright's Masterwork joining Prairie and Usonian concepts.
   Photos are nice and drawings are also indicated (with scale and orientation).
   The only point I disliked is the fact comments relative to photos are not always fully precise : they could have highlighted a bit more key characteristics quoted in book's first part. The author has also preferred giving some details about Owners rather than focusing only on architecture.



2. I'm a Wright fan and an architect, so it was good to find a book the describes and illustrates FLLW's architecture "gems" to be considered in home design. Well done and useful, whether you are considering a "FLLW-inspired" or another architectural style. I think this book is a good compliment to Sarah Susanka's books (i.e., "the not so big house", etc.).
   
   I my opinion, Wright's approach is universal to many architectual style.



3. Despite the questionable purpose to show "solutions for making small houses big", as if using Wright's architecture for a DIY book, and the fact that all houses in the book are small like a condo, this is a very good book.
   Selection of the photographs, print and layout are excellent and decidedly over the average, even for such a popular subject.
   Plans and texts are plain and clear and eventually contribute to making it very easy for quick consultation. Somehow and unexpectedly, in my studio, you can never find this book in the same place.



4. I am building a custom home and I keep going back to this book for inspiration and important details. I have a library of at least 20 other FLW (Frank Lloyd Wright) books, but this is the most up-to-date and most on target reference for new home design. The photographs are large and focused on details, not just exterior elevations. Doors, windows, roofs, entrances and many other important features are explained and given an indepth perspective. This is a must have for any FLW library and I guarantee you will be handing this to to your architect if you want FLW details in your custom home. A great read.



5. This is a must have book for anyone interested in this style of building. Wright was, is, and will always be, a genius.

2 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright: An Autobiography.

1. Not just for architects.... the autobiography of Frank Loyd Wright it's a great story for everybody who's interested in passion for life.



2. This book is actually my first study on this amazing man, so I can only guess how much of it is honest and how much he is deceiving himself. But one thing's for sure: it is truly fascinating. One can't get much closer to understanding his creative perspective, and why he chose to design certain projects the way he did. If you are interested in the creative process, this book is a great read.

5 comments about Frank Lloyd Wright The Houses.

1. One beautiful and well done book. Look, read and indulge yourself in Wright. Wonderful photography and ineresting writing by many authors that all to the lore of Wright.
   
   A great gift for someone who has on interest in FLLW.



2. There are many different aspects to highlight when studying the work of one of Americas' greatest architects. The part of his work that is probably the most accesible, are his private houses. It was great to see all these houses together in one beautiful volume. The photographs are stunning, and it is great to see so much attention paid to the interior of these houses, as Wright was responsible for most interior design too.
   As a professional or just a fan, when you love Wrights' work and want to visually enjoy it to the fullest, this book is a must have. The only thing better is to buy one of his houses...



3. 
   This is a necessary book for all who study architecture. Why? Because the photography conveys something close to the reality of Mr. Wright's works, especially so when it comes to the interiors.
   
   When I was studying architecture in college in the 1970s, the BEST photography books about Wright's oeuvre were "In the Nature of Materials" and the very expensive Wendingen Edition. Both are presented in black and white and while that kind of pared-down quality may have suited the age in which the International Style was still in its ascendancy, it did nothing whatsoever to convey the true sense of a Wright space--specifically interior space. The intimately human scale of these spaces was missed.
   
   And color is so much a part of Wright's aesthetic, and without it, one is in dreary Kansas instead of Oz.
   
   Living in the northeast, it was not possible to see many Wright buildings first hand, until that trip to Chicago... and then what a revelation! These spaces were not cold grays but marvels of ochres and greens and wood tones and conveyed so much more serenity than those older photos could suggest.
   
   Happily, future years placed me in conjunction with many of the Midwestern buildings, and a day trip could take me to Wisconsin or Michigan or other less-frequently visited residential and commercial works by F L W. Friendships with original Wright clients or owners of Wright houses opened other doors--I have experienced about one third of the places in this book, so--trust me--the photos do them justice and are almost as good as being there.
   
   I would guess that anyone who has been in these places will tell you that this book gives a very fine representation of these spaces. And thankfully, more and more of these spaces are open on a regular or annual basis for the student or admirer of Wright to visit. Some residences are even now B&Bs. Wow!
   
   The fine articles that accompany the photographs are also most helpful and enjoyable.
   
   If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction.



4. This book was a wonderful eye opener. It will appeal to the reader for crisp pictures in beautiful settings and landscapes as well as the various style phases Wright went through architecturally. For Wright aficionados, there is a detailed, but not too intense history of his style, works and personal history as he changes design elememts during his career. Grand interior shots only enhance the overall attraction. The book will add diversity to anyone's collection.



5. This is a lovely coffee table book with mostly spectacular color photos of most of Wrights houses, including many interior shots. There is not much historical information but this is covered in other books.

5 comments about Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders.

1. Author William Drennan, professor of English (and it shows), wastes little time and few words in summarizing the events leading up to a horrific crime: the murder of his lover, Mamah Borthwick Cheney, her two young children (visiting the estate), and (eventually) four workers, who were killed by an ax-wielding arsonist servant at the home Frank Lloyd Wright designed for life with his mistress, Ms. Cheney. Theories on the motive, never firmly established because the killer died before trial, include the perpetrator's mental instability or possibly revenge for verbal insults by one or more of the victims. Although the subtitle, Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders, indicates murder as the central theme, at least half of the (pre-reference section) pages leading up to the chapter entitled "A Summer Day That Changed the World" Murder at Taliesin, are filled with background, primarily of Wright: his ancestry, (pre-marriage) family life, career, married life, relationship with Cheney, and negative treatment by the press and people of Oak Park, Illinois. Drennan shares his views in several places, notably: in modifying the accepted version of the murderous rampage to better fit the evidence and that Wright was skilled at structural design of buildings. His examples, the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, which performed well during earthquakes in the 1920s, and Midway Gardens in Chicago, which because of its stout construction, was difficult to demolish, confirm the latter point, others, notably Fallingwater in Pennsylvania and the Freeman House in California, which have not fared as well structurally, do not. The issue of Wright's structural design skills and the sensationalist title and cover photo (ax prominently displayed) aside, Drennan has done an excellent job of putting together a short, reader friendly book about the circumstances surrounding the Taliesin murders. It would have been even better about fifty percent longer, with more information on some of Wright's many architectural masterpieces. Hands down better than Loving Frank by Nancy Horan.



2. Having been a Frank Lloyd Wright "fan" for many years, and having taught a short course on his architecture at the college where I was a professor, before retirement, I appreciated the in depth research on this "scandalous" period of FLW's life. A daughter lives in Oak Park and I toured many of FLW's Prairie houses there, as well as visiting "Falling Water" from a later period of his career. Book arrived in good time, in excellent condition. I will lead a discussion next month on this book for my book club. After all, I recommended this book for discussion.



3. While Drennan wrote about his amount of research done for this book, he came to incomplete conclusions; completely misinterpreted his research; or lost his references in (I am sure) his piles of notes. It's apparent to those who have studied Wright, or have an interest in him, that, while Drennan refers to books in the bibliography, he didn't study them, particularly in his misunderstanding of a proper floor plan for Taliesin I.
   
   There are things that he just gets plain wrong (page numbers refer to the hardcover version of the book).
   
   Page 6, he writes that Taliesin is on the "banks of the Wisconsin River." It's not. It's just down from the top of a hill (on the brow of the hill, leading to the name "Taliesin", "shining brow" in Welsh) and also separated from the river by a road.
   
   Page 16, he states that Wright spend "five summers" working on his family's farm. Wright spent summers there from the ages of 11-18.
   
   Page 19, He writes that Wright went to Chicago and spent 2 dollars on a concert. Wright wrote in his autobiography that he spent $1.
   
   Page 31, he states that Wright met CR Ashbee in 1896. They met in 1900, which Drennan would have known if he had read one of the books he cites in his bibliography, _Frank Lloyd Wright: The Lost Years, 1910-1922: A Study of Influence_, by Anthony Alofsin.
   
   Page 67, A statue shown in a photograph on this page is referred to as "an [Alfonso] Ianelli sprite" (from Wright's Midway Gardens project in Chicago, IL) when it's actually _Flower in the Crannied Wall_, designed by Richard Bock for Wright's Susan Lawrence Dana House in Springfield, IL (which he would have known had he read Narciso Menocal's article about the statue in _Taliesin 1911-1914: Wright Studies, v. 1_, which Drennan cited in his bibliography).
   
   Page 161 he writes that, "When Miriam Noel learned of Olgivanna, she lay siege to the place and dragged out divorce proceedings for five turbulent years." Wright and Noel were married in 1923, and divorced in 1927.
   
   Page 168, he states that Wright had been buried "next to" Mamah. Their graves are about 20 feet apart. Drennan refers several times to the valley that the Lloyd Joneses lived in as "Bear Creek," but it's never been called that (Helena Valley is acceptable).
   
   He also writes that Wright's family had come across the United States directly to Spring Green, Wisconsin, when in truth they'd actually settled in Ixonia, Wisconsin (on the eastern side of the state) for about a decade before coming to Spring Green.
   
   There are various statements he made that have no citation in the endnotes:
   Page 14, Wright's father's turn as a Unitarian minister is described on page 14 as "a 'sop,' it has been called" - no citation
   
   Page 15, he states that Wright's half-sister Lizzie charged that his mother was "spoiling Frank rotten..." - no citation
   
   Page 15, he states that Wright's father "pointedly" called Wright and his two sisters, "Anna's children" - no citation
   
   Page 137, he refers to "One online source" with no citation
   
   Et cetera.
   
   All the while, he writes that all of these other writers have gotten things wrong or misinterpreted things. He is the one who misinterpreted the area, misunderstood Taliesin, Wright's family, and Wright's background.
   
   If you want to know about Wright, read Meryle Secrest's biography. If you want to know about Taliesin I, get _Taliesin 1911-1914: Wright Studies, volume I_, ed. Narciso Menocal (this will also provide you with a Taliesin I floor plan). If you want to read about Wright's relationship with Mamah Borthwick, read Nancy Horan's book, _Loving Frank_. It's historical fiction that is better researched than _Death in a Prairie House_.



4. The book was in excellent condition and shipped in good time. I believe it arrived even before the forecasted delivery date.



5. This books gives an account of the tragic event and the circumstances surrounding it -- the murder of Mamah Borthwick Cheney, her two children and other members of celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright's household at Taliesin, his sprawling hillside home near Spring Green, Wisconsin.
   
   The book is a work of non-fiction; it gives the reader as detailed a portrait of the tragedy as possible, now, nearly a century later.
   
   William Drennan's account of the events takes a closer and more scientific approach to the fire and murders than heretofore. Mrs. Cheney and her son and daughter, along with members of the Taliesin household, were having lunch when the disaster occurred. A servant set fire to the house, and as the frightened residents attempted to flee, he killed many and wounded others using an axe. Word reached both Mr. Wright and Mr. Cheney in Chicago, at about the same time; they took the same train up to Wisconsin, still unsure of who had lived, who had died, and what might have precipitated the disaster.
   
   In earlier biographies of Wright, none of the authors analyzed Taliesin's features--floor plans, doors, windows and courtyards--with an eye toward reconciling the sequence of events as witnessed by the survivors. Drennan remedies their oversight and in so doing, shows Wright scholars and aficionados, as well as the general reader, what probably occurred on that sad day. If you enjoy history, true-crime, or are simply a fan of Wright, you will not want to miss reading this book.

5 comments about Loving Frank: A Novel.

1. Very interesting read pretty much from start to finish. The book doesn't concentrate primarily on Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture/design, but it does give an interesting perspective into his daily life and turmoils surrounding his work.
   
   A little slow at parts, but nothing that terribly distracts from the book as a whole. Overall, a great read!



2. Although I found at times this book could drag on with details, I learned quite a bit about the prairie style and Frank Lloyd Wright's brilliant architecture. The romance kept the pages turning as I knew something big was bound to happen. Maybe it could've happened 50 pages earlier! I've lived in Chicago for 20 years and have never visited or wanted to visit Oak Park to see his home, but this book has inspired me greatly. Although the affair was illicit and "breaking all the rules", it amazed me how complete this couple made one another.
   My book club is planning an outing to Oak Park and I can't wait to walk where these fascinating people once walked.



3. I lead the discussion for this book at my book club. All members enjoyed the book and much of the discussion centered on feminism and the Woman Movement. We thought it was a well-written first novel for Ms. Horan and that she did a good job of blending history and fiction. We felt the author helped us to understand Mamah's personal struggle and the motivation for her decisions, even if we didn't agree with them.



4. Thank you Ms. Horan for writing a book about a woman who never got a chance to tell her side of the story. Mamah and Frank are both presented as multi-dimensional characters and their relationship is neither romanticized nor condemned.



5. I was so moved by this book. I was hesitant because the story was a "cheatin story" (as my husband refers to this type of book) and I normally do not read this type of story line.
   However, I was touched by this couples love and sacrafices. I was moved by the bravery of this couple to make such a decision in the time that this took place. (1907) I felt that even though they had made decisions that I cannot understand myself. They must have really loved one another to do what they did to their families and friends. I was not prepared for the ending and I felt sorrow for everyone involved. This book is an excellent love story and a good example of doing what you believe in right or wrong no matter what the consequences.
   I may not condone what this couple did but I respect their decision to love one another so deeply.
   I would recommend this book to my friends. Great Summer Read....