This book was interesting. I know very little about American presidents so I really don't know how much of this is true, rumour, or artistic license. I struggled with the characters. Some of the writing confused me. I couldn't make sense of some of the metaphors, Sometimes I wasn't sure who was speaking and had to reread. I enjoyed learning and reading about the complex relationships that existed in the white house, but the writing style was difficult to follow at times. Some of this may be due to my lack of knowledge in American history (I'm Canadian); some of this may be fixed in the final print? I'm not sure.
The characters.
Franklin Roosevelt - I can't help it, I don't like philandering men.
Eleanor - I'm not sure why she was bothered (according to Lorena) by Franklins affairs. (The book kept saying she was such a good person and treated the mistresses kindly even though they hurt her pride). She had her own affair. Possibly several. And he was accepting of her love life.
Missy - She was kind of pathetic. She was not only a mistress, but a lovesick sap who was driven mad waiting for Franklin's love.
I think Lorena was the only character I really liked. She had a rough life. She found her own kind of success and then love and made her life work in a time where her preferences were not acceptable.
The love story itself felt distant and slightly one sided. I'm sure it wasn't one sided, but it felt one sided. We only heard Lorena gush about Eleanor, we never heard Eleanor's side. Once in a while something was said or done that made you realize yes Eleanor also loved Lorena, it just wasn't always evident partly because of the narrative.

I received this book from netgalley in exchange for feedback

I completely enjoyed this book and recommended it to someone else before I finished! It read like a completely plausible memoir and I liked the journal entry format. This makes me want to get deeper into the actual history of Eleanor Roosevelt. The narrator of the book had a unique voice and was very likable.

Beautifully written, completely believable work of fiction. If you want to know what real love is then read this book.

White Houses by Amy Bloom is a novel about Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok. The story has some basis in factual information about their travels and letters, however this book is a novel. It is well written with the portrayal of two women who loved, but were constantly on guard with their relationship. Eleanor following her husband from governor to president, prevented any private life.

Lorena Hickok grew up in a harsh life in South Dakota and left home when the opportunity arose. She was curious and found a career in writing. However her relationship with Eleanor prevented her from continuing the coverage of the White House and she began to travel around the country to writing about the depression and how people were surviving.

What made the book poignant - because yes it was poignant - was the obvious affection and love between them. The thought and knowledge of loving someone, but only having stolen moments sometimes for days, others for hours and sometimes for just minutes. White Houses was a great read.

White Houses is not what I expected. I am a huge fan of historical fiction but this book did not work for me. Other reviewers have found this book to be remarkable. Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to review this book.

What truly happened between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena "Hick" Hickok may never truly be known.
FDR's proclivity for mistresses is well known. Did Eleanor truly have one of her own or was it just flirtation and passionate letters?
This book is historical fiction from the opinion that Eleanor and Hick were lovers. It crosses decades and covers the romantic relationship and the friendship that survived. If you are looking for a rosy picture of FDR this is not it. He was most definitely a multi-faceted man just as Eleanor was a multi-faceted woman. This book shows multiple sides of both of them...the public and the private parts included.
I certainly want to read some non-fiction book on the women to dig deeper and decide what I think.

"She sent me away eight years ago, and I left. Two days ago, she called me to come and I came."

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

White House tells the fictionalized romance between Lorena Hickok and Eleanor Roosevelt. Hick, as her friends refer to her, is sent to report on the up and coming Franklin Roosevelt in her first run for President. It is there she meets idealistic Eleanor. The relationship isn't love at first site, but the connection and bond the two have his deep and grows into a powerful passion and deep love that neither is able to eat go of, even though their relationship could cause a damning scandal. Their love becomes an open secret, but still they must hide the truth. Hick moves into the White House, become the "first friend" and referred to by Eleanor as "part of the family".

Hick lives there along with Franklin's own open lovers, and she comes to realize that she admire the President, but also finds him to be a staunch rival for the attention of the first lady. As time and tragedy test the bond between the two women, Hick comes to understand that she will never be able to fully let go of the love of her life.

This book bounced between the time after Franklin's (it is so weird to call a President by their first name) death and memories Hick has from living in the White House and her before. The transitions were not always smooth and I sometimes struggled to determine if this was after the President's death or if it was a memory. The narrator, Hick, often speaks of the deep and great bond her and Eleanor have, but I had a hard time feeling it as a reader. I wish there would have been more focus on the memories and less on the time after the President's death. I understand why the author chose to speak of that time, but it seemed like I never saw the bond form between the two which made it harder to believe later in the story.

There were moments in this book that touched me. Hicks childhood was awful and the author writes it in a no nonsense way that makes it almost more devastating because Hick seems so detached from it. Her hurt in being sent away from Eleanor was also emotional for the reader, though I wish the characters would have been more emotional about it.

Overall, I enjoyed this book but didn't find it groundbreaking. I had higher expectations for a novel about my favorite first lady.

5 strongly written stars

Eleanor Roosevelt...what person does not know that name? Wife of the longest serving president, humanitarian, mother to six children and wife to a philanderer of a husband. Speaking out as first lady, she became a woman working for the good of the poor, the downtrodden. She spoke out against racial discrimination. She was a paragon of virtue, intelligence, often using mass media to publicize the plight of many. She was also, as stated by this book and through her various letters written to Lorena Hickok (Hicks), in love with another woman.

This relationship to Lorena is the impetus behind this wonderfully written novel. Lorena, a poor young girl, born in rural Wisconsin. She was poor, raped by her father, and for a time worked in a circus where it seems her homosexual tendencies were awakened. In 1932, now a reporter for Associated Press, she is assigned to cover Eleanor as the new first lady. They meet and their life and love take off from there. Eventually, Lorena moves into the White House and her affair with Eleanor blooms as they revel in their love and their need for one another.

This was a beautiful love story told in the voice of Lorena. Over their many years together, there were separations, heartaches, and tragedy, but they always seemed to find one another. Lorena was often photographed with Eleanor but was most times cut out of the picture for there could be no scandal worse then being a homosexual in those days.

Lorena knows Eleanor, she knows that no matter what how many affairs, how many slights, how many indiscretions Franklin Roosevelt had, she will never leave him. Lorena had much respect for Franklin, she also had much jealousy of the hold he had over Eleanor.

This novel's words are tragically beautiful. Ms Blooms's ability to show us the beauty of a relationship that so few would know of until the death of Eleanor, is amazing. She opens up to us a world where love is the driving force and life can be wonderful when you love the right person. Tragically, these women never got the opportunity to be together for a lifetime. Eleanor once said"The future belongs who believe in the beauty of their dreams." Her dreams for a time were realized in the moments that she and Lorena shared.

Thanks you to Amy Bloom, Random House, and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this most tragic and poignant novel.

Beautifully written story of arguably the most effective U.S. First Lady and her love affair with reporter Lorena Hickock. The story is told from Lorena's point of view, which I think was an excellent choice; my favorite parts of the book were her backstory, which included a memorable stint with a traveling circus. In this book, the FDR White House was a hotbed of martial infidelity and musical partners, and FDR comes off as quite a cad, both in the bedroom and in the Oval Office. Eleanor Roosevelt was ahead her time, in her political views as well as in her personal life, and this book effectively conveys what an interesting and dynamic person she was. Born into immense wealth and privilege, she could have chosen a very different lifestyle. Her personality would not allow that and that's a wonderful thing. After reading this book, I am interested to learn more about her and the FDR presidency. Recommend.

White Houses is a historical fiction novel told in what appears to be journal entries by Lorena Hickok and her relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt. The author is very open that she did as much research as she could but that this is still a work of fiction. It made me want to know more about Eleanor Roosevelt and their relationship, and the inner workings of the white house before everything was played out on twitter.

The story is of two people in love that could not fully be together. Two women whose love for each other did not diminish although their lives took them close and far through the years.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Random House, and Amy Bloom for the opportunity to read and review this book. I'm a big fan of Amy Bloom's writing and this book was no exception, so the rating was a bit of a struggle for me - 3.5 stars.

This is the story of the lesbian relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok, a journalist and "first friend." The first part of the book was fascinating to me - Lorena's poor background with an abusive father, her running away and even joining a circus. What was less fascinating to me was the rest of the book - Lorena's story is told in memories as she is looking back on her life and relationships. It was amazing that both Teddy & Eleanor Roosevelt were able to have relationships outside their marriage without it being made public.

White Houses, by Amy Bloom, was an interesting look at the people who lived in the White House. Most books focus on the Presidents, some, who like FDR, had their share of mistresses, but this book invites us into the life of Eleanor Roosevelt, a strong-willed, intelligent woman, who played important roles in FDR’s terms of office, as well as making positive changes for women in America. Her special friend, Hicks, a female newspaper reporter, stood by her side throughout her life.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for letting me read this book.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book, but it didn't seem to be what I got. There were some interesting parts, but most of it seemed more like a thrown together romance novel. The narrative jumped from one time-frame to another constantly and most of the book focused on Lorena. Her background was interesting - but familiar.

I have a friend who loves historical fiction and I think she would like this book as will many. It's just not my favorite type of book

Lorena known as "Hick" is a reporter. Not just any reporter but a woman reporter. She is the liaison reporter for the Roosevelt campaign. When Franklin was running for his first term. Hick soon gets to know Eleanor Roosevelt as a future first lady. She takes back what she thought about her at First, as being somewhat arrogant.
They soon develop a friendship, which turns into intimacy. Know as " the first friend", Hick is able to do and experience things she never had before. An interesting historical novel.
4 Stars

The writing by Amy Bloom in “White Houses” is beautiful.....soooo lovely!!!

We learn a lot about Lorena Hickok, American journalist: her troubled childhood in South Dakota of sexual abuse - abandonment- poverty - and starting out on her own from an early age.

Lorena also disclosed her relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt. — All from Lorena Hickok’s perspective. Sure feels real to me... but it’s written as fiction. Amy Bloom did tremendous research - she went through three THOUSAND letters alone - plus diaries - etc.

We get history - read a little about Eleanor’s marriage - her children - the loss of her baby - living in the White House - Franklin’s death and funeral - her daughter Anna - Amelia Earhart....and the women Franklin had affairs with: Lucy Mercer and Missy LeHand.

I found myself looking up all the female - relations - to both Eleanor and Franklin on Google — just to see if there was anything new I might learn. The storytelling got me interested to know more. The sign of a good book.
This thin - very intimate novel was easily imagined....and emotionally felt.
At times I felt so sad - other times happy for the moments of blissful private hours these two women share together.

Amy Bloom eloquently constructed a meditation on the power of love! This is a gorgeous love story — as much as any I’ve ever read!!!

This is a magnificent excerpt:
“Every women’s body is an intimate landscape. The hills, the valleys, the narrow ledges, the riverbanks, the sudden eruptions of soft or crinkling hair. Here are the plains, the fine dry slopes. Here are the woods, here is the smooth path to the only door I wish to walk through. Eleanor‘s body is the landscape of my true home”

Thank You Random House, Netgalley, and Amy Bloom

This will become a number one best seller! Its extremely well written historical fiction about real life in the Franklin Roosevelt White House and beyond. I couldn't put the book down. It's extreordinary!!!!

I read the first third and just could not get into this book. The timeframes were all over the place. I knew that Hick and Eleanor had been great friends, but reading how they "almost broke the bed" and more fairly graphic language wasn't what I had expected or wanted to read.

This is a book about the life of Lorena Hickok - from her awful childhood to her job as a AP-reporter for the Roosevelt-campaign, and the (fictional, however in actual life possibly true) account of the relationship between herself and Eleanor Roosevelt. It is a work of fiction, but I had to remind myself more than once that this was not a memoir written by Hickok herself, but a fictional account written by an author of fiction. The narrative is so alive and true and has that feeling of "I was there, I know how this went", and that might have something to do with not only my slight confusion on the fiction/non-fiction part, but also my love for this book. I usually love a good plot, but there isn't much of that to be found here. Most of this novel is just little snippets of life with Eleanor and Lorena, and sometimes just Lorena all on her own, and it's wonderfully true to life and alive.

I went into this knowing very little about Eleanor Roosevelt - and not a single thing about Lorena Hickok. I left it knowing a lot about both - but unsure how much of it was true. These fictional accounts of real people always leave me with that feeling. How much of this was real? To be completely honest, I don't care if this was all true or not true at all. All I care about is that this is a beautiful story and I'd gladly change my "I don't really re-read books"-policy for White Houses.

Beautifully written factionalized account of the relationship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickock written from the latter''s perspective. Sensitively and realistically told.

Thanks Random House Publishing Group - Random House and nethgalley for this ARC.

i just couldn't finish this book. It was not for me.