Thanks to everyone who attended our first meet-up of 2012 and for the unfolding discussion of “Suite Francaise” but Irene Nemirovsky. If you haven’t read it or skipped the Appendices at the end, go back and read them! They add a complexity and a revealing layer to the book. Haunting, thought-provoking, humorous, and a true re-telling of human nature during war, and one that the characters have no idea is just beginning.

February’s book will take us back a few decades, over the Atlantic to Chicago, and gives life and voice to an American icon:  “Loving Frank” by Nancy Horan

 I have been standing on the side of life, watching it float by. I want to swim in the river. I want to feel the current.

 So writes Mamah Borthwick Cheney in her diary as she struggles to justify her clandestine love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright. Four years earlier, in 1903, Mamah and her husband, Edwin, had commissioned the renowned architect to design a new home for them. During the construction of the house, a powerful attraction developed between Mamah and Frank, and in time the lovers, each married with children, embarked on a course that would shock Chicago society and forever change their lives. 



In this ambitious debut novel, fact and fiction blend together brilliantly. While scholars have largely relegated Mamah to a footnote in the life of America’s greatest architect, author Nancy Horan gives full weight to their dramatic love story and illuminates Cheney’s profound influence on Wright. 

 

Drawing on years of research, Horan weaves little-known facts into a compelling narrative, vividly portraying the conflicts and struggles of a woman forced to choose between the roles of mother, wife, lover, and intellectual. Horan’s Mamah is a woman seeking to find her own place, her own creative calling in the world. Mamah’s is an unforgettable journey marked by choices that reshape her notions of love and responsibility, leading inexorably ultimately lead to this novel’s stunning conclusion. 


Elegantly written and remarkably rich in detail, Loving Frank is a fitting tribute to a courageous woman, a national icon, and their timeless love story.

Wow, it has been an incredibly busy week but look at these lovely shots Kristiiina captured last week at the their lifestyle shoot here at the Inn! It was a pleasure working with these two local talents and thanks so much for the lovely mention here.  Don’t forget to check them out on facebook (here and here) and visit Kristiina’s blog.

Thanks to everyone who came to the Literary club last night to discuss “Suite Francaise”–what a fascinating, horrifying, and brave book. We will post next month’s book on Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Yesterday we were thrilled to host Gosia Meyer Jewelry and Kristiina Sheree Photography for a lifestyle photo shoot at the Inn. It is exciting to have such incredible talent in the area and we can’t wait to see some of the pictures from their shoot. Check out their Facebook pages here and here for more information and like their pages. We hope to share some of the photos once they are released. 


Photos care of Gosia Meyer Jewelry and Kriistina Sheree Photography

Our first meeting of 2012 is next Thursday, January 26 at 7:30PM. Even if you haven’t read, “Suite Francaise” but would like to come and mix and mingle with the group, come on by. We have great discussions. We rotate who chooses the book each month so we have a variety of perspectives and interests represented. 2011 was a great success for Snapdragon Inn’s Literary Club.  We were taken on journeys all around the world across diverse settings and time periods. Certainly, a hi-light of the year was having Abraham Verghese,  join our conversation via phone back in April as we discussed his book, “Cutting for Stone”.