When Mamah, Frank Lloyd Wright’s long time lover, was brutally killed along with her children, Frank wrote to the papers. Frustrated with the old raking up of gossip and scandal, he defended her as

“..(a) noble woman (who) had a soul that belonged to her alone – that valued womanhood above wifehood or motherhood. A woman with a capacity for love and life made really by a … finer courage, a higher more difficult ideal of the white flame of chstity than was ‘moral’ or expedient and for which she was compelled to crucify all that society holds sacred and essential – in name…”

Loving Frank is a novel that imagines the journey of such a woman, from the beginnings of her affair (they were both married at the time – she with two children, he with six) to her death. The author noted in an end note that there wasn’t much documentary evidence regarding Mamah, just a few letters and her translations of a feminist author. There was also plenty in the newspaper archives regarding the then scandalous affair. The author, Nancy Horan, does a compelling job of bringing Mamah and her dilemma to life.

The imagined Mamah is proudly, staunchly feminist – a highly intelligent woman who married a kind but very ordinairy man. She wants more, and in meeting Frank she finds it. He is certainly her intellectual equal, he is highly creative, and above all they love each other. But the story doesn’t end when they finally run away together – they have children, and now a reputation. They need money, they need friends, they need for their relationship to work. Mamah worries about being cut off from her children, and realises that she may have alienated her sister with her actions. Frank has troubles getting commissions and with his mother. Troubles, mundane and extraordinairy, dog their relationship. They have the great love that they flouted convention for, but not the happy ever after ending, particularly when it comes to the children.

The book is really one long question – was it worth it? The sudden, senseless ending of Mamah’s life means that there is no final answer. It does make you think, though – if this happened now, even with the greatly reduced scandal – what would the costs be? And would it be worth it?