Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders Reviews

• For true Wrightophiles

  
  By ACSRAU5HJDKUV on 2007-04-15
  Here we have a book that is part biography, part architectural analysis and part true crime expose'. It can be said that it provides a reasonable overview of Wright's early 'first career', his flight to Europe with the wife of a client, the ensuing scandal and his need to construct a rural redoubt, Taliesin, as a shelter from society at large. Discussion of his publicly stated rational for these actions as well as speculation as to the real reasons is provided.
  
  All of this is prologue to the crime that is at the heart of this book: the murder of Wright's 'soul mate' Mamah Borthwick Cheney, 6 others and the destruction by fire of Taliesin. The aftermath is also here. The capture and
  ultimate fate of the murderer, the effect on Wright, the man, and his later architecture. Wright devotees will find the occassional nugget of new information, but much of this ground has been mined before by other biographers. Drennan's conclusion that Wright's architecture subsequently turned almost fortress like is easy to accept, psychologically a neat fit and upon closer examination wrong. The factors that caused Wright's abandoning of the Prairie style were in place before the tragedy and played out well after it.
  
  What we are really to be interested in here, judging by the hatchet on the dust jacket, is the crime. A horrendous crime indeed, involving enough blood, gore and roasted flesh to do a Hollywood slasher movie proud. A detailed reconstruction of the murders is put forward, with various alternatives presented. The perpetrator's motive, thin as it was, is also discussed. Oddly, given that this is a book at least partially about architecture, no floor plan of the crime scene is provided. The extensive prose description of the killers movements would seem to have required the inclusion of one.
  
  Most curiously, a careful study of the endnotes will reveal the apparent contradiction of a major portion of the crime reconstruction scenario put forward by the author. Seemingly other, late discovered evidence including a post fire photo of Taliesin has caused him to doubt his own theory. If so, why not rework your text? Why not include the photo?
  
  In summation. If your primary interest in Wright is his architecture you may wish to pass this one up. If you wish to learn something of the 'trials & tribulations' the man had to survive in order to create the ground breaking architecture of his 'second career ', give it a look.
  
  

• No firm foundation for Taliesen or Frank Lloyd Wright

  
  By A278H96QN966LH on 2007-04-14
  This is a book sure to please both Frank Lloyd Wright scholars and those that enjoy reading true crime.
  
  The first half of the book is a biography of Wright's life up until the murders at Taliesen. There are several mysteries explored here. Why did Wright's mother nearly suffocate him with her love and attention? Why did his father leave the family? Why did Wright, a champion of family values and a doting father, abruptly run off to Europe with the neighbor lady and nearly destroy his career in the process? Love and morality in Wright's life appeared to have about as firm a foundation as Taliesen, which had to be built three times.
  
  The remainder of the book provides the details of the horrific murders at Taliesen and tries to uncover the motive of the murderer, Julian Carlton. Drennan shows us how the murders affected Wright both emotionally and professionally. In the epilogue he intrigues us with a description of how Wright's style dramatically changed after the murders and how it may have influenced architecture in America at large.
  
  Drennan has an elegant, clear writing style, reminiscent of the best classic British detective fiction. The book does not disappoint and remains thought-provoking long after the turn of the last page.
  
  

• Exposing Feet of Clay Through a Tragedy

  
  By A1K1JW1C5CUSUZ on 2007-04-26
  Those whose work we admire often are treated as though they can do no wrong. Frank Lloyd Wright certainly gets reverential treatment today, whether through retrospectives of his work, during tours of facilities he designed, or in long-term museum displays. Read what Wright had to say about himself and you also find that he was most impressed. Many of his apprentices were, too.
  
  Professor Drennan does us the favor of helping us see the rest of what Wright was like . . . and it was often wrong.
  
  A few years ago, my wife and I took a Wright vacation that enabled us to begin in the Chicago area and then move north into Wisconsin to see Taliesin and many of the works done by Wright in that state. In those brief few days, we could see that Wright had undergone some pretty amazing metamorphosis from the humble, practical elements of his Oak Park home and studio to the massive, unchurch-like but inexpensive, Unity Temple, to the magnificence of Robie House to the grandeur of grounds, view, and dominance of Taliesin. During the tours, a few words were mentioned about Wright taking off for Europe with the wife of one of his local clients . . . and a grisly murder ending the escapade. But as little was said as possible about these events.
  
  When Death in a Prairie House came out, I couldn't wait to learn more. And Professor Drennan satisfied my curiosity about Wright's wandering off with a married woman, abandonment of his own family, and how it all ended in bloodshed and fire. Although Professor Drennan's specialty is English, he does a competent job of sifting through the evidence and correcting mischaracterizations that have grown up over the years.
  
  That's the strength of the book. The book's main weakness is that it doesn't do enough to include Wright's work as an architect, especially after the Taliesin murders. You get this sense from the book of Wright as permanently closed off in his design work. But you could argue differently . . . that the seeds of the box-like designs were always present. Unity Temple has to be argument number one in favor of that view. The California boxes look a lot like Unity Temple. In addition, in those pre-air conditioning days, keeping sunlight out was a helpful way to keep interiors cool during the 100 degree plus days. At night, the air cools off in California and that cool air can be captured to keep the day pleasant if there aren't too many windows. Later, Wright designed the Usonian Style, a home meant to be built inexpensively by the owner. That, too, was boxlike, but mainly as a cost-saving measure. Taliesin West is just as grand in its own way as Taliesin was . . . even though Wright was broke when he built it. In the 30's, Wright developed a master plan for the whole United States in creating ideal communities. Also, Fallingwater and the Guggenheim were in Wright's future. Did the murders change him, or did they serve as a pause and change of focus into something he was always interested in? I suspect another scholar, who is involved in architecture, will have to answer those questions.
  
  But it's clear from this book that Wright was such a narcissist that he allowed his ability to succeed as an architect to be harmed by his extended dalliance with free-love advocate, Mamah Borthwick Cheney. I thought that the final irony of the murders was that the fire destroyed the copies of Wright's designs that would have extended his influence decades sooner. Although Professor Drennan dismisses this point from the view of the murderer, there certainly is a moral in this story about the wages of sin that Wright and his lover paid.
  
  Death in a Prairie House is well written, thorough in its exploration of the background to the murders and the events themselves, and a good story overall. I recommend you read it, particularly if you are a fan of Wright's architecture.
  
  
  

• DEATH HOUSE

  
  By A2MCCEJX2G0CIC on 2007-03-28
  A well written and definitive work on one of the more celebrated crimes
  involving a public figure in the last one hundred years. A complete lead-in to the actual incident. A good read -well worth the time.
  
  

• "Enquiring minds want to know" journalism

  
  By A3JVF9Y53BEOGC on 2007-05-14
  Mixed view of this book. The author has dug deeply to unearth whatever facts are still out there about this tragedy. And, the story is compelling. However, I am bothered somewhat that recent books on Wright have focused soley on the sensational aspects of his life rather than the work which made him famous and which is still relevant today!
  
  As for the content, I am not totally convinced by the timeline of events which he puts forth. However, he does convincingly demolish the long-standing, accepted version. That leaves some big questions which will probably never be answered. Finally, Bill (the author) has an irritating tendency to constantly refer to Frank Lloyd Wright as "Frank". Bill needed a more competent editor.
  
  
• This book has it all
  By A1VXZEW292O6TQ on 2007-05-02
  William Drennan blends brutal murder, sensational scandal, exhaustive research and thought-provoking theory in this important book. A clear style and a flair for the mot juste make this book both scholarly and page-turning.
  At last, an author has had the courage, persistence and skill to delve into Wisconsin's crime of the 20th century. It's a wonder no writer previously tackled this topic, given that it involves a horrific killing that claimed the paramour of America's foremost architect, as well as his signature home design, Taliesin. We're all fortunate Drennan accepted the challenge.
  
  
• Finally, the untold story...
  By AFZONP83TAPKQ on 2007-04-16
  I couldn't believe that in all my years as a FLW fan, I had not read anything that explored this incredibly important event in the architect's life and career as thoroughly as Drennan does in "Death in a Prairie House."
  
  The amount of research done for the book ALONE is fascinating, even for the most knowledgeable FLW fan. The book gives an authoritative analysis of the murders, the motives, and the effects this monstrous event had on Wright's future designs. The author does not claim to have all the definitive answers, but offers some very likely possibilities, all well supported.
  
  Drennan's voice is both wry--many times I even laughed out loud--and thoroughly compelling. Overall, the book is both emotionally and intellectually engaging. I can't wait for the movie!
  
  
• A brief, believable professor's eye view of the Taliesin tragedy
  By A2E3GFHUDNPYDH on 2008-01-13
  Author William Drennan, professor of English (and it shows), wastes little time and few words in summarizing the events leading up to a horrific crime: the murder of his lover, Mamah Borthwick Cheney, her two young children (visiting the estate), and (eventually) four workers, who were killed by an ax-wielding arsonist servant at the home Frank Lloyd Wright designed for life with his mistress, Ms. Cheney. Theories on the motive, never firmly established because the killer died before trial, include the perpetrator's mental instability or possibly revenge for verbal insults by one or more of the victims. Although the subtitle, Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders, indicates murder as the central theme, at least half of the (pre-reference section) pages leading up to the chapter entitled "A Summer Day That Changed the World" Murder at Taliesin, are filled with background, primarily of Wright: his ancestry, (pre-marriage) family life, career, married life, relationship with Cheney, and negative treatment by the press and people of Oak Park, Illinois. Drennan shares his views in several places, notably: in modifying the accepted version of the murderous rampage to better fit the evidence and that Wright was skilled at structural design of buildings. His examples, the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, which performed well during earthquakes in the 1920s, and Midway Gardens in Chicago, which because of its stout construction, was difficult to demolish, confirm the latter point, others, notably Fallingwater in Pennsylvania and the Freeman House in California, which have not fared as well structurally, do not. The issue of Wright's structural design skills and the sensationalist title and cover photo (ax prominently displayed) aside, Drennan has done an excellent job of putting together a short, reader friendly book about the circumstances surrounding the Taliesin murders. It would have been even better about fifty percent longer, with more information on some of Wright's many architectural masterpieces. Hands down better than Loving Frank by Nancy Horan.
  
  
• Completely inexcusable mistakes & shoddy research
  By ARVW0ILHTXTD7 on 2008-04-20
  While Drennan wrote about his amount of research done for this book, he came to incomplete conclusions; completely misinterpreted his research; or lost his references in (I am sure) his piles of notes. It's apparent to those who have studied Wright, or have an interest in him, that, while Drennan refers to books in the bibliography, he didn't study them, particularly in his misunderstanding of a proper floor plan for Taliesin I.
  
  There are things that he just gets plain wrong (page numbers refer to the hardcover version of the book).
  
  Page 6, he writes that Taliesin is on the "banks of the Wisconsin River." It's not. It's just down from the top of a hill (on the brow of the hill, leading to the name "Taliesin", "shining brow" in Welsh) and also separated from the river by a road.
  
  Page 16, he states that Wright spend "five summers" working on his family's farm. Wright spent summers there from the ages of 11-18.
  
  Page 19, He writes that Wright went to Chicago and spent 2 dollars on a concert. Wright wrote in his autobiography that he spent $1.
  
  Page 31, he states that Wright met CR Ashbee in 1896. They met in 1900, which Drennan would have known if he had read one of the books he cites in his bibliography, _Frank Lloyd Wright: The Lost Years, 1910-1922: A Study of Influence_, by Anthony Alofsin.
  
  Page 67, A statue shown in a photograph on this page is referred to as "an [Alfonso] Ianelli sprite" (from Wright's Midway Gardens project in Chicago, IL) when it's actually _Flower in the Crannied Wall_, designed by Richard Bock for Wright's Susan Lawrence Dana House in Springfield, IL (which he would have known had he read Narciso Menocal's article about the statue in _Taliesin 1911-1914: Wright Studies, v. 1_, which Drennan cited in his bibliography).
  
  Page 161 he writes that, "When Miriam Noel learned of Olgivanna, she lay siege to the place and dragged out divorce proceedings for five turbulent years." Wright and Noel were married in 1923, and divorced in 1927.
  
  Page 168, he states that Wright had been buried "next to" Mamah. Their graves are about 20 feet apart. Drennan refers several times to the valley that the Lloyd Joneses lived in as "Bear Creek," but it's never been called that (Helena Valley is acceptable).
  
  He also writes that Wright's family had come across the United States directly to Spring Green, Wisconsin, when in truth they'd actually settled in Ixonia, Wisconsin (on the eastern side of the state) for about a decade before coming to Spring Green.
  
  There are various statements he made that have no citation in the endnotes:
  Page 14, Wright's father's turn as a Unitarian minister is described on page 14 as "a 'sop,' it has been called" - no citation
  
  Page 15, he states that Wright's half-sister Lizzie charged that his mother was "spoiling Frank rotten..." - no citation
  
  Page 15, he states that Wright's father "pointedly" called Wright and his two sisters, "Anna's children" - no citation
  
  Page 137, he refers to "One online source" with no citation
  
  Et cetera.
  
  All the while, he writes that all of these other writers have gotten things wrong or misinterpreted things. He is the one who misinterpreted the area, misunderstood Taliesin, Wright's family, and Wright's background.
  
  If you want to know about Wright, read Meryle Secrest's biography. If you want to know about Taliesin I, get _Taliesin 1911-1914: Wright Studies, volume I_, ed. Narciso Menocal (this will also provide you with a Taliesin I floor plan). If you want to read about Wright's relationship with Mamah Borthwick, read Nancy Horan's book, _Loving Frank_. It's historical fiction that is better researched than _Death in a Prairie House_.
  
  
• A Great Read!
  By A2LNE5NVIK8XZK on 2007-04-26
  Meticulously researched and thoughtfully presented, Death in a Prairie House is also a great read. I recommend it.
  
  
• Scholarly, yet gripping
  By A1LHIK0K5IGKD2 on 2007-10-29
  After my wife finished reading this, she turned to me and said, "I am glad that we do not own a hatchet." I was hesitant to tell her that we do, of course, own one. Having now read the book myself, I understand my wife's sentiment. Drennan has related a chilling tale. It's hard to believe that this happened in the county in which I now live! As I said in the title of this review, it is a scholarly and gripping book. it will be of interest to fans of Wright, architecture, history-- in short, most intelligent people! I highly recommend this book.
  
  
• The Best Account of the Tragedy
  By A2J3TB174JKZED on 2008-05-21
  This books gives an account of the tragic event and the circumstances surrounding it -- the murder of Mamah Borthwick Cheney, her two children and other members of celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright's household at Taliesin, his sprawling hillside home near Spring Green, Wisconsin.
  
  The book is a work of non-fiction; it gives the reader as detailed a portrait of the tragedy as possible, now, nearly a century later.
  
  William Drennan's account of the events takes a closer and more scientific approach to the fire and murders than heretofore. Mrs. Cheney and her son and daughter, along with members of the Taliesin household, were having lunch when the disaster occurred. A servant set fire to the house, and as the frightened residents attempted to flee, he killed many and wounded others using an axe. Word reached both Mr. Wright and Mr. Cheney in Chicago, at about the same time; they took the same train up to Wisconsin, still unsure of who had lived, who had died, and what might have precipitated the disaster.
  
  In earlier biographies of Wright, none of the authors analyzed Taliesin's features--floor plans, doors, windows and courtyards--with an eye toward reconciling the sequence of events as witnessed by the survivors. Drennan remedies their oversight and in so doing, shows Wright scholars and aficionados, as well as the general reader, what probably occurred on that sad day. If you enjoy history, true-crime, or are simply a fan of Wright, you will not want to miss reading this book.
  
  
  
  
• Well Done
  By AWIH1X69FKQD1 on 2007-05-06
  This is a fascinating book that is written in an interesting style The history of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders in particular are well documented. Well worth the purchase.
  
  
• Death in a Prairie House
  By A1G7NBEWP4HTB4 on 2007-11-17
  I found this book well-researched and very interesting. The mystery of the murders at Taliesin were clearly detailed and possible motives clearly described. This book would provide new information for any Wright fan and would be interesting to anyone.
  
  
• book: Death in a Prairie House
  By A2AFV883FOO3E8 on 2008-03-29
  Having been a Frank Lloyd Wright "fan" for many years, and having taught a short course on his architecture at the college where I was a professor, before retirement, I appreciated the in depth research on this "scandalous" period of FLW's life. A daughter lives in Oak Park and I toured many of FLW's Prairie houses there, as well as visiting "Falling Water" from a later period of his career. Book arrived in good time, in excellent condition. I will lead a discussion next month on this book for my book club. After all, I recommended this book for discussion.
  
  

• Loving Frank: A Novel
• Frank Lloyd Wright: An Autobiography
• Frank Lloyd Wright: A Film By Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
• Fellowship, The: The Untold Story of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Fellowship
• Many Masks: A Life Of Frank Lloyd Wright