Bill Ayers speaks out! An In These Times exclusive.

Prairie Style Romance

Though Nancy Horan takes great liberty in imagining intimate scenes between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney—of which there is no evidence—Loving Frank ultimately rests on historical record

By Achy Obejas

If Nancy Horan had presented the ending of her novel, Loving Frank (Ballantine), in a workshop, or if perhaps she’d stricken the historical names and pawned this as pure invention, it would have likely been considered an excellent example of deus ex machina. “Oh, please,” the reader would say. “You’re going to create these fascinating, complex characters, fill reams with… return to article

  • subscribe to print magazine

  • Zoom OutZoom In Reader Comments (5)

    Page 1 of 1 pages

    Words of wisdom.

    Walking a long
    way in search of
    a memory the snow,
    fallen again in
    the care of a
    footprint, describes
    the profile of
    a sibilant hail-storm,
    and that flake
    rejoices like an
    useful singing.

    Francesco Sinibaldi

    Italy Posted by Sinibaldi on Nov 13, 2007 at 4:06 PM

    Peace and silence.

    Peace and silence
    in the soul of
    the present ; a bird,
    leaving the country,
    arrives near the
    care now reflecting
    your feeling and then,
    in the meantime,
    that beautiful flow
    seems a light
    in the heart of the
    wisdom.

    Francesco Sinibaldi

    Italy Posted by Sinibaldi on Nov 17, 2007 at 1:47 PM

    The wing and a fine time.

    Listening to the
    sound of a delicate
    hovel, and recalling
    a wonder, I see
    magic profiles near
    the heart of a
    luminous pine-tree;
    the wind fades
    away, the care of
    a blackbird describes
    and emotion and
    always, in silence,
    your beautiful mind
    returns in the sky.

    Francesco Sinibaldi

    Italy Posted by Sinibaldi on Nov 24, 2007 at 1:45 PM

    The land of a little promise.

    There’s a land
    where beautiful
    lapels transform in
    emotion the care
    of a blackbird, and
    over that lamp-post
    the rise of a kingdom
    describes an intention
    in the light of a
    fountain; there’s even
    the sunshine, a
    soul and the prayer.

    Francesco Sinibaldi

    Italy Posted by Sinibaldi on Dec 1, 2007 at 1:44 PM

    Breaths and beautiful sounds.

    In the amazing
    song of a little
    blackbird chanting
    alone in a beautiful
    dream I hear
    glimmers of magical
    quietness, the love
    for the dark and
    a tender idea
    recalling the silence.

    Francesco Sinibaldi

    Italy Posted by Sinibaldi on Dec 8, 2007 at 1:49 PM
    Page 1 of 1 pages

  • register a new account »Posting Security

    To participate in our forums, please register for a free account.
     

    Retreive lost password »

Article Appeared in this Issue

Full contents
Past issues

Also by Achy Obejas
  • Portrait of the Awkward Artist
  • Prairie Style Romance
    Though Nancy Horan takes great liberty in imagining intimate scenes between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney--of which there is no evidence--Loving Frank ultimately rests on historical record
  • Survival of the Adapted
    The History of My Shoes and the Evolution of Darwin's Theory takes the theory of evolution--"survival of the fittest," a phrase that appeared only in a later printing of Charles Darwin's classic text--and, in alternating chapters, juxtaposes the relationship between Darwin and fellow biologist Alfred Russel Wallace with Fries' curiosity about his own adaptations to a world unprepared for his body and his means of motion
  • No Happy Endings
    Escape from North Korea, the world's most repressive regime
Popular Discussions