Loving Frank is the book my book club in California read this month. I miss them - we almost never read anything I liked but the company made up for it. I give Loving Frank a 'B-' because it was well-researched and fairly well-written, but I’m also being generous because it was mega boring, like watching a mushroom grow.Then again, although I'm an avid reader I hardly ever like book club books that everyone else in the entire world loves so you might want to take my advice with a grain of salt. For example, I didn't like "Water for Elephants" so you can use that as a barometer to decide whether we have compatible literary taste.
Here is a very high-level plot synopsis of Loving Frank, which you SHOULD NOT READ if you hate spoilers:
"Married woman with unusual and somewhat irritating name (Mamah) and 2 children leaves family to shack up with Frank Lloyd Wright - a bit like Tolstoy's 'Anna Karenina' (now THAT was a great book), only without the character development. Husband pretty decent about it all and she gets visitation rights with her kids. Unfortunately, crazy ass hired hand kills pretty much everyone except Frank with an axe and then burns them to ashes, including the kids. Tearfully writing her eulogy, Frank justifies the decision she made to leave her children for the sake of love by pointing out that they were with her when she died. Frank goes on to design famous buildings. The end. "
So, I didn’t love it, although it was still better than She’s Come Undone.
You know that this was based (extremely) closely on fact? It's really more of a true crime story.
ReplyDeleteHere is a bit from Wikipedia about (it's a real name, no matter how silly)Mamah.
Martha "Mamah" Borthwick (June 1869 - August 15, 1914) is primarily noted for her relationship with Frank Lloyd Wright which ended when she was murdered.
That said, I didn't finish the book. Perhaps when I am really bored with something else...
I'm with you on Anna Karenina - I read it a couple of years ago and loved it. I'm not with you on She's Come Undone - I know it was awfully depressing, but I still liked it (but I read it years ago so I can't remember why.)
ReplyDeleteWow, sounds like a delightful, sweet book! :P
ReplyDeleteMy friend loves books about grisly things and tends to pick them for book club. We're reading Ayn Rand this month. I think I might die.
I just bought Anna Karenina! I didn't like "Water for Elephants" either... I threw it in the rubbish.
ReplyDeleteYes the Mormons contributed to the Yes on 8 campaign - what really got me about Tom Meathead's statement was that we are Un-American and all that infers. Neglecting to mention that the very procedure undertaken by 4 San Franciscan judges to overrule the constitution regarding marriage, was in itself un-american. So much for separation of church and state.
And, I have no problem with opposing opinions... I respect that gays believe in their entitlement to marriage. I don't respect attempts to misrepresent and undermine my religion.
To my knowledge, YOU have never done that. And from what I've read, you are tolerant of all religions... even the weird ones.
G: Per your earlier comment on getting a handle on the (German) book club, remember I'm the new girl and looked like Rudolph at the first meeting.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte: I know, pretty much everyone loved She's Come Undone. It's been a fairly lonely opinion.
Kristina: Oh, my, Ayn Rand. That's heavy stuff. Atlas or Fountainhead? I kind of liked Atlas but got really bored during the 90 page speech at the end about how everyone totally sucks.
R Max: Makes sense. Er. . . I've touched on Christianity, Mormonism, Judaism and Buddhism... just out of curiosity which ones are the 'weird' ones? ;-)