Living in Chicagoland I'm particularly aware of Frank Lloyd Wright and his brilliant architecture. Many a time I've driven through Oak Park where his work abounds. Never before have I been interested in the man's personal life, until our most recent book club pick was a work of fiction based on him and his seven-plus year affair with a married woman. While a fictional piece, the book is based on facts, and the author dug into these facts as well, drawing from newspaper accounts, diaries, letters, and the like. The love affair of these two people and their quests to find their true selves brings them Westward, overseas, to the heart of Chicago as well as the countryside of Wisconsin. Woven throughout the tale is heartbreak as the families of Mamah (Wright's lover) and Frank are brought under public scrutiny, children are left in the lurch, and Wright's career is nearly derailed due to the scandal. Most tragic is the abrupt end to their affair (is that too much of a spoiler?). In the midst of it all is the story of Wright's genius in architecture and his artistic process.
BOTTOM LINE: I found myself by turns cheering for and condemning Frank and Mamah. I also found myself spending long hours Googling images of the amazing buildings Wright designed.
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