I love Amy Bloom's writing and her latest was a great read from start to finish. The aspect that appealed to me most was the voice in which Lorena Hickok ("Hick") spoke, as imagined by Bloom. Smart, pragmatic, clever, funny, wry, masculine, and tender, Hick used her smarts and journalistic talent to earn a living and then a reputation, but she didn't expect to fall in love with Eleanor Roosevelt. I confess, of all the impressions I ever had of ER, "sensual" was not one of them. Yet Bloom invites us into their relationship, and it's believable.

There's a strong core of irony running through the story, in that ER, born with a silver spoon in her mouth, can't shake off her blueblood nature even as she tries to identify with and help the common man. Yet Hick, born as common as they come, was ever loyal to ER even as the latter inadvertently broke her heart.

So interesting to "see" life behind the scenes in the Roosevelt White House. Hick's observations on the president, his women, the numerous minions, sycophants, and enemies, were compelling. I'd never had reason to think of Franklin Roosevelt much, but through Hick's eyes we see a master manipulator who could turn on the love and seconds later, Machiavellian cruelty.

If I could guess at a theme, it might be, "the very rich and privileged really are different from you and I, and there is no breaching the gap." Although Lorena Hicks breached it and then walked away, head held high.

Eleanor Roosevelt had always been such a fascinating First Lady. She was a pioneer with her active political and social causes during her White House years and beyond. Lorena Hickok set the stage for other women reporters to follow. This story gave voice to a warm, supportive, and loving relationship between two trailblazers who each secured an important place in history.
There were many other interesting stories interspersed throughout the novel such as Hickok’s reporting on the Depression and Veterans’ rights, the relationship between her and the rest of the White House staff, and Eleanor Roosevelt’s relationship with her children.
This was an extremely well written and researched novel.

First off I would like to thank Random House and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. When I was growing up (and this is surely dating me) Eleanor Roosevelt was held up to me as an example of an amazing modern woman that cared deeply about the poor, uneducated or oppressed. She was my first activist role model so I was intrigued when I saw this book. I was curious about her as a private person rather than the public person I had only known. And that leads me to my only complaint about the book as it was told from Hick's (her paramour) point of view and I was hoping to hear more from her point of view. I know this is a work of fiction but it was well researched and the writing was wonderful! Cudos to Amy Bloom! I loved reading about the elite life she came from but was saddened by Eleanor's relationships with her children and FDR, I'm glad she found love in her life but had a hard time reconciling her choice of a love mate with the public persona I had grown up with. Here were two women who were vastly different. I wanted to know more of Eleanor' thoughts and feelings. All in all I enjoyed this book very much. especially the writing.

This was a somewhat interesting book regarding the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and her very dear friend Lorena Hickok, during FDR's time in the White House.

Honestly, I struggled to read this book. For me, it was hard to follow, and generally I like historical fiction-type books. I believe it was difficult for me because it didn't flow very well between parts.

What a lovely little piece of historical fiction! I enjoyed it from beginning to end. This book is written from the perspective of Lorena Hickok, believed to have had a romantic relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt during FDR's presidency. (I was in the believer's camp, even before reading this book, based upon what I knew about their relationship already.)

It's not a long book, but is lovingly well-crafted. The author's affinity for her subjects shines through. Obviously the relationship had many many barriers, and it could have been a depressing book, but Bloom does a good job acknowledging the complexities of the situation without having them overshadow the story. Eleanor and Hick's love shines through, and Hick's personality and personal narrative is developed so that we understand "her side of the story" when involved with the larger-than-life personality of Eleanor Roosevelt, who we already feel like we know from the history books.

Unless you have a strong aversion to the genre of historical fiction (some object to creating "characters" from people who existed, as if "history" doesn't do the same in retrospect), or you can't handle a little middle-aged lesbian romance, then I strongly recommend this book.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the idea of this book--the plot reads like Eleanor Roosevelt fan fiction and I was excited to try it out. For me, the writing didn't support the emotional heft of the story.

I was so engaged throughout this book, and found it difficult to put it down. I felt very connected to both Lorena and Eleanor, and felt deeply Lorena's lifelong struggle to love a woman who was not only married, but belonged to the world.

However, the non-linear storyline and time spent with minor characters such as Parker made it hard to follow at times. I would think we were in the past and then suddenly we would be back in the White House, or at Parker Fiske's house. This was confusing as a reader, but the character development and beautiful writing kept me going through the end.

3.5 stars
Isn't it wonderful when reading a work of fiction peaks your interest in a topic,  makes you hunger for information and eager to research the facts?     That's how it was for me reading White Houses by Amy Bloom.    Touted as entirely fictional, White Houses put forward one possible version of the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and her very dear friend Lorena Hickok.   In this story, there is no doubt theirs was a physical relationship, an on and off again love affair which endured throughout the years.    Sure I was curious about the true nature of their relationship but that's not really what had me hitting Wikipedia.      In fact my interest was piqued by Eleanor Roosevelt herself and to a lesser extent by her husband FDR.   I'll admit my knowledge of US presidents and first ladies is sketchy (let's be honest, it's almost non-existent) so I loved reading this fictionalised account, wondering how much, and which parts, were true.  
 
Amy Blooms story wove together elements of history, incorporated facts where possible and then spun a tender story of a secret love (or perhaps not so very secret)  between these two women.      When they first met Lorena Hickock was a journalist interviewing Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the USA.   They hit it off and a friendship blossomed.  Meanwhile, the spark had long gone out of Eleanor & Franklin's marriage.   Though they remained married and there seemed to be an abiding love between them, they were each romantically involved with other partners.   Eleanor moved Hick into The White House where she spent several years as First Friend.      Alternating between one weekend shortly after FDR's death and various reminiscences of the past, we gradually came to know Hick, Eleanor and Franklin, as well as many of his friends, colleagues, rivals and lovers.

I definitely enjoyed the story as a work of fiction and it was simply a bonus to be able to go online and see photos, confirm elements of the story and question others.   I was surprised at just how open it seemed the Roosevelts relationship had been.   I enjoyed the writing, the delivery of the story and the way the characters came to life for me.   I congratulate the author on her book, and genuine thanks go to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R3DUS4EGZF2SUX/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8

Amy Bloom’s new novel, White Houses, combines a pacey but cozy literary love story of heart-plucking longing balanced by realistic barriers—which hinge on mutable emotions, cultural restrictions, poor timing, bounds of duty—with clever banter and an irresistible peek inside a presidential marriage. At its core, though, White Houses is simply and powerfully an ode to lasting, shifting love.

Lorena Hickok, once the most popular woman reporter in America and confidant to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, grew up abused and neglected in the Midwest. After her mother’s death, the fourteen-year-old fled by train to take up housekeeping work, a stint with a traveling circus and finally became a reporter. She covered the Lindbergh baby kidnapping for the Associated Press and wrote about Roosevelt’s campaign until her growing friendship with Eleanor made objectivity impossible.

Told from the point of view of Hickok, known as Hick, White Houses flows with a dreamlike quality of someone remembering a time she longed for even as it was happening.

“We think we’ll remember it all and we remember hardly anything. Even when the car is only doing forty, it’s still going too fast,” Hick muses. “Neon-green streaks and bolts of flamingo pink blow up the sky on a winter’s night in Maine and we think—oh, we will never forget these northern lights, but we do.”

Hick leaves her beloved, hard-won profession to work for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration and live in the White House, to be near Eleanor. While historians continue to quibble about whether Hick and Eleanor’s relationship was physical or one of fervent but platonic devotion, Bloom firmly rejects any diminishment of their complicated passion.

While we witness the novel as Hick’s beautiful elegy for what was and what might still be, she remains a steely reporter, one unwilling to twist the past to form a more beautiful present.

She recalls her reaction when Eleanor first requested her presence on a trip: “I was between girlfriends and between dogs. I packed my bag.” On that trip, the two begin to share intimacies, but Hick holds back: “People like when their griefs balance, when the sufferings can share the same stage. My heartache, your heartache. My illness, your illness. Not my broken arm, your mass murder.”

Hick’s realism and stoicism create an even more moving story because her clear-eyed devotion proves more rousing than any sentimental romance. The gruff pluckiness makes the sweet more precious. Hick playfully tells Eleanor: “I will pay you a million dollars to let me look at you.” She confides to the reader: “Eleanor’s body is the landscape of my true home.”

Here they are, two ordinary women, neither great beauties, neither young, but their hungry desire for one another extends beyond the physical, beyond any immediate satisfaction. They know their love, in whatever form it takes, will lead to unfulfilled yearning, to loneliness, to fear, but they believe in its value, its necessity.

Bloom laces White Houses with gems about the nature of love, packaged in swoon-worthy prose. The final paragraphs left me in tears—for what I know is true in her words, and for all of those out there who haven’t experienced it.

I first read about Lorena Hickok and Eleanor Roosevelt last year when I read Loving Eleanor by Susan Wittig Albert. It's a fabulous book, deep and well researched. And I loved it. So, when I learned about White Houses by Amy Bloom was I curious about how it would be. I'm glad to say that this one is also very good, well-written and engrossing.

I'm fascinated by the Roosevelt family and even though FDR is my favorite do I find Eleanor Roosevelt to be such an interesting woman. This book is a fictional take on Eleanor's relationship with Lorena Hickok. It's an engaging tale, where we get to Lorena's POV of her growing up with fan abusing father, her time at a circus and of course her first interview with Eleanor that starts off a love affair.

However, I did feel that, despite the wonderful portrayal of the characters, and the compelling dialog that the story lacked the depth that Loving Eleanor had. I miss some parts from Loving Eleanor, like for instance how their relationship was put an end by FDR because they were a risk to the presidency. I never really got the sense of what happened to them in this book. Lorena moved out from the White House and was involved with another woman. And, then that relationship ended. Sometimes the story just felt a bit disjointed. But, that's perhaps the point, although it did feel like Lorena jumped from thought to thought in her recollection of her relationship with Eleanor.

If you want a tragic love story is this book great. There are several wonderful memorable scenes that I loved like Lorena last meeting with Franklin. Or in the beginning when Eleanor arrives at Lorena's place after Franklin's death. I think that Amy Bloom did a wonderful job of describing the book's characters.

White Houses is a fictional account of the love between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and journalist Lorena Hickock. I learned a lot about Lorena and thought she was a very interesting character. The childhood abuse she endured was heartbreaking. She struggled to become one of the first well known female journalist, in an exclusively male dominanted profession. Lorena first met Eleanor when she was the journalist assigned to cover Eleanor. I had a hard time believing the openness of their relationship due to the social unacceptance of loving another of the same sex. Lots of history popped up on the pages...the Lindbergh baby...Amelia Earhart...The World's Fair...FDR's infidelity. This is a short read and I did enjoy it!

This is a book for historical fiction based on the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and "first friend" Lorena Hickok.

I'm not sure if it was the style of writing - it felt like it was also written in a 1940s/1950s "news bulletin" type narrative: very abrupt, matter-of-fact ... but I also felt like so much was missing.

In part that could be because we only get Lorena's perspective - and the telling of her love story is choppy at best. Jumping from past to present, from her story to Eleanor's, from when they were together to when they no longer were ... it just felt too disjointed to be an enjoyable read. It actually would have worked better as a series of short stories, written from different perspectives.

I'd give this maybe 1.5 stars. The subject intrigued me, but I was let down in the telling of their story.

A touching fictionalized story about the love affair between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and writer Lorna Hickok. Amy Bloom tells the story of the two women through Lorna's eyes as she recounts their past and present romantic relationship.

You see me.You see all of me and I don't think you love everything you see. I hope you do, but I doubt you do. But, you see me. The whole person. Not just yourself, reflected in my eyes. Not just the person who loves you. Me.

White Houses is filled with a sense of the bittersweet. As much as Lorna and Eleanor loved, their relationship was behind closed doors and stolen moments. Just like Jake Gyllenhaal's character in Brokeback Mountain, Lorna finds herself unable to quit the hold that Eleanor has over her because of the love they share for one another. There are so many beautiful lines in this story and Amy Bloom crafts with care and respect the relationship between the two women. I would hope to see this book discussed for many months to come.

Thank you Random House for the opportunity to read White Houses before it's publication date. As a fan of Eleanor Roosevelt's, I jumped at the chance to read this novelization of her love affair with Lorena Hickok, a well know journalist who evenutally moved into the White House as the "first friend." I had a vague awareness that Eleanor had been know to have female partners, but was not familiar with the details of her love life outside of her marriage to FDR. And I wanted to love this book - however, it left me wanting.



White Houses is told from the perspective of Lorena, or Hick, as she is known, as she comes to comfort Eleanor in the days after FDR's death. Hick's experience of the present moment is interwoven with her memories of her childhood (abusive, neglectful) and her early relationship with Eleanor (passionate, largely accepted) and their eventual undoing. There are some fantastic quotes from Eleanor ("the function of democratic living is not to lower standards but to raise those that have been too low") and some juicy, heartbreaking, but ultimately not surprising tidbits about FDR's own extramarital romances, but ultimately I could not get deeply invested in the characters, however well-known or familiar they may be. Everything about the book carried the feeling of misty, water-colored memories, but perhaps because of that, made it difficult to connect with. There were a few standout moments of romance though, and one of the strengths of the book is the passion between Eleanor and Hick, and the ways in which Bloom describes the beauty of two middle aged women coming together in love, which I've not often encountered in my reading - not necessarily the sexualized part, but just the idea of seeing an aged woman's body as beautiful and sensual - that was powerful.



Overall, a sweet read, but not one I'd likely revisit... although, maybe I'd see it differently after a more biographically focused book about Eleanor to fill in some of the space in her public life.



3/5 stars.

Bloom is the author of two best-selling novels, three short story collections, a children’s book and an acclaimed collection of essays. She’s been a nominee for the National Book Award (Come to Me: Stories) and the National Book Critics Circle Award (A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You: Stories).

And she’s written another stunner here!

Synopsis (Amazon): Lorena Hickok meets Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932 while reporting on [FDR’s] first presidential campaign. Having grown up worse than poor in South Dakota and reinvented herself as the most prominent woman reporter in America, “Hick” … is not quite instantly charmed by the idealistic, patrician Eleanor. But … as her connection with the future first lady deepens into intimacy, what begins as a powerful passion matures into a lasting love, and a life that Hick never expected to have. She moves into the White House, where her status as “first friend” is an open secret, as are FDR’s own lovers. After she takes a job in the Roosevelt administration … she comes to know Franklin not only as a great president but as a complicated rival and an irresistible friend, capable of changing lives even after his death. Through it all, even as Hick’s bond with Eleanor is tested by forces both extraordinary and common, and as she grows as a woman and a writer, she never loses sight of the love of her life. | From Washington, D.C. to Hyde Park, from a little white house on Long Island to an apartment on Manhattan’s Washington Square, Amy Bloom’s new novel moves elegantly through fascinating places and times, written in compelling prose and with emotional depth, wit, and acuity.

The subject matter of this story was not new to me, but Bloom’s superb execution brought these two characters, and their historical times, to life. Told from Hick’s perspective, in Hick’s unique, hardboiled, irreverent South Dakotan voice, this is a poignant, funny, often heartbreaking story of forbidden love, secrets, double standards and the school of hard knocks.

Can’t recommend this one enough!!

This is a fictionalized account of the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok.

Hickok is a reporter and is assigned to interview Eleanor Roosevelt. They form a bond, and the story traces their friendship and relationship over the years.

The book is written from Lorena's point of view. The narrative goes back and forth between 'present day' and Lorena talking about her roots growing up in poverty in South Dakota.

I am intrigued with books that take real life people and weave a fictional narrative around them. I think that would be more challenging than coming up with complete fiction: you need to use facts and portray the real-life characters as they are known.

Overall I really liked this book. It took me a bit to get into the narrative and get used to the flow of the book - the flipping back and forth in time. But once I got over that, probably 25 or 30 pages, I really got into it and enjoyed it.

I found two things particularly interesting...

The first was that, at least according to the book, it was an open secret that both Roosevelt's were having affairs. I am not that familiar with the history, so I am assuming that this is somewhat rooted in fact. That was back in the day before full-on media coverage and social media. Today to be able to pull that off would be unthinkable. How times have changed.

The second interesting thing was around the progress of the ability to be openly gay. Hickock is a lesbian and has many relationships and affairs. They aren't secret, but they aren't flaunted around openly either. This theme runs through the book with another gay character, a man.

This was a good read, and great story. I would highly recommend it.

I gave it a 4/5 star rating on Goodreads.

Full disclosure: I received this eARC from NetGalley for a fair and honest review. (Thanks NetGalley!)

In White Houses, Amy Bloom tells the story of Lorena Hickok and her longtime relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt. We see "Hick" growing up as a young girl in South Dakota and the path that led her to the Roosevelts. This work of fiction gives insight into the lives of the Roosevelts and life in the White House. I am fascinated by this period of time, and Eleanor Roosevelt as a person. However, this book did not "wow" me. While I enjoyed it, the writing was so matter of fact and it was missing the emotional component that I needed. Also, there were phrases used in the book pertaining to their sex life that I found to be unnecessary and classless. This book, for me, was good but not great. Thank you @randomhouse for an advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

Life does not endow much to young Lorena Alice Hickok. When her mother dies, her father sends her away and she has to make her way on her own. Thanks to her stubbornness and perseverance, Lorena becomes one of the first woman journalists of the United States. In 1932, she works for Associated Press and reports on Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s electoral campaign. This is when she meets Eleanor for the first time. They women fall for each other immediately and this, Lorena gets closer to the famous couple and finally becomes Eleanor‘s lover.

Based on the known facts, Amy Bloom tells the story of two unorthodox and progressive women of the 1930s. It is especially Lorena who is an extraordinary character. She is not particularly charming, nor very attractive at the first glance, nevertheless, there is something fascinating about her, her independence makes her stand out and her courage and self-confidence irritate the men around her.

On the other hand, Eleanor Roosevelt is an outstanding first lady. Educated in the best boarding schools and acquainted with the manners of the high society, she moves smoothly around the rich and famous. When she entered a room, all eyes were on her. Yet, this did not prevent her husband from betraying her and obviously, she was aware of this. His lovers lived under their roof and Eleanor could watch them closely. But, had Franklin and Eleanor lost interest, they could be awful, nasty people.

Amy Bloom unveils a scandalous affair and tells the story of a woman, or rather two women, who followed their instincts and thus were quite ahead of their time.

So much has changed, but so much stays the same.

Imagine a world in which America's First Lady could carry on a lesbian affair with her lover living in the White House and working for the government. Imagine keeping that affair private. Imagine what it felt like to love the First Lady of the United States,

Amy Bloom has done a wonderful job of imagining the details of Lorena Hickok’s life, and the intimate details of her affair with Eleanor Roosevelt. The two women come completely alive in this retelling. I particularly love Hicks’ passionate defense of Eleanor, particularly with her children, and all of the people in her life who have hrt her.

Much has been written about all of Bloom’s characters, but this fictionalization explores the private lives of the FDR White House in an unusual and intimate way.