The author follows Mamah’s career as translator of her mentor, Ellen Keys, proponent of the feminist movement in Sweden. The author also follows Wright’s architectural career. She recounts anecdotes and provides construction details of their sprawling, innovative Wisconsin home, Talliesin. The home, however, becomes the scene of death and considerable destruction.
The author told the story in a balanced, straightforward manner, allowing the reader to make his or her own judgments on the characters’ actions. In a letter written in 1914, Mamah writes, “Maybe I can tell my story in a way that is helpful to someone else.” I conjecture that the question most readers ask is, “Was their choice worth the repercussions felt by many?”
I would not recommend this book to many of my fellow readers. Some would not relate to the artistic and intellectual setting, and some would find the “romance” troublesome.
