I find this hard to review because I've read other books (both fiction and nonfiction) that explored the relationship between Lorena ("Hick") Hickok and Eleanor Roosevelt. This was unique because it's told from Hick's point of view and, moving back and forth in time, looks primarily at her life. Her childhood was a misery. She triumphs, however, through the force of will and intelligence. These are two fascinating women, as is their interplay with Franklin. This isn't an especially emotional novel but there's a good heart to it. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This is for fans of historical fiction. If you weren't aware of this tiny chapter of history and would like more insight, this is a good one.

A very interesting story about Eleanor Roosevelt and her lover told by her lover. We learn a lot of inside information about FDR and White House mechanisms. While the story and information is fantastic, the telling of it is somewhat dry. I will definitely recommend this to my serious bookclub. It is also good for those who enjoy history and learning aspects that were previously not mentioned.

This was my first book by Amy Bloom. I will definitely be reading more. White Houses is told in an easy, honest emotional first person account. It read as if Lorena Hick was chatting with me as we sat through a long luncheon together, telling me of her relationship with Eleanor and the events in her life that shaped who she became. Historical fiction can be so tricky to keep from being heavy in its detail and depth. Amy Bloom has written a lovely book with enough detail to keep the historical perspective accurate, but not weigh it down. I really enjoyed this one!

White Houses was an extremely disappointing book. I was expecting a fictional account of the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and her dear friend Lorena Hickok. Unfortunately, Mrs. Roosevelt ended up being little more than a secondary character while her friend Hick quickly went from narrator to main character.

Instead of experiencing the relationship between these two dynamic women, we learn of Hick’s early years. While I’m sure some readers would enjoy this story, it was not the one I wanted to read. When the author does tell us about the women, most of it is done in the form of remembrances.

The characters were like cardboard cutouts. There was no depth to the them nor to the story, no why to it. The majority of the book was just told to the reader and usually in such a rambling, circuitous manner as to make a story that promised to “move elegantly through fascinating places and times, written in compelling prose with emotional depth” just dull and plodding.

Frankly, reading White Houses was like standing on a shore and seeing a glittering party on an island through the fog and mist. Occasionally, the fog would clear and I would get a brief glimpse of the story I was promised. Unfortunately, this did not happen very often.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book details the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and “first friend” Lenora Hickok. The book is written from Hick’s point of view. It’s not told in a linear fashion, but more as a series of memories.

When Hick focuses on her opinion about others, I loved it. The comments about Lindbergh, Wallis Simpson and even the Roosevelt children are priceless. In these paragraphs, her ability as a newspaperwoman comes shining through. She captured Eleanor’s character to the point you felt you could have been in the room with her. But it had a tendency to get overly mushy at times and that got old pretty fast. Flip side, she paints FDR in a harsh light, especially how he treats Missy LeHand.

Bloom does a good job of distinguishing between the acceptance of FDR’s affairs and the lack of the same for Eleanor and Hick. It definitely wasn’t an attitude of what’s good for the goose…

This is a good book for showing the difference between the public and private personas of the first couple. They were lucky to have at least lived in an age when they were allowed to have a private persona that the press was willing to keep hidden.

It’s a beautifully written book. Hick’s, or should I say Bloom’s, descriptions are spot on. An aging FDR’s face as an “aristocratic Jesus, hanging off the cross”. In fact, Bloom has done such a great job that never once did I think it was anything but Hick’s voice I was hearing.

My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

This fictionalization of the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok imagines the many quiet, intimate moments they had as well as the disagreements and jealousies that might have occurred between them. The on again/off again relationship grew from a friendship to even more based on the instant attraction between the two women. Their relationship was spurred on by the reoccurring dalliances conducted by President Roosevelt with Missy LeHand and others.

I have read other books that implied the relationship between Eleanor and 'Hick', I was unaware of the difficulties she experienced as a child and the financial struggles that she felt for most of her life.

I think this book was a bit too sentimental for my reading taste but I know it will be loved by many who are drawn to women's fiction. The factual basis gives it credibility and interest for those who see more than just a good story.

I loved the idea of getting a behind-the-scenes look at Eleanor Roosevelt and the affair she had with reporter Lorena Hickok. However, this book fell flat for me. The timelines jumped too much back and forth, so I often got confused at what time period the story was taking place in. There were also many scenes that felt super repetitive. I imagine this narrative could have been a great short story - just a snapshot of this love affair between two impressive women - instead it felt 200 pages too long

This is an interesting historical fiction book. I found it interesting to read about Eleanor Roosevelt, but there was less plot to this book than I was expecting. It also read a lot more like a love letter than I would have preferred, It's interesting to see how sexuality and relationships were different in those times and when one person is under heavy scrutiny.

Very well written fictionalized version of the love affair between Lorena Hickock andEleanor Roosevelt.
Interesting insight into the Roosevelts. Iienjoyed the humanness of the women.


B

I'm really intrigued by this relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and 'Hick', a lesbian journalist who moved into the White House during FDR's presidency - but this book didn't work for me at all.

Firstly, the prose just doesn't flow: there are whole paragraphs where every sentence begins either 'I' or 'I've' which makes the reading stilted and dull. On top of this, the whole story feels shallow and superficial: there's no sense of history, the White House could be any suburban home, and there's little attention to the politics and causes which consumed Eleanor Roosevelt in real life.

Even the lesbian affair is normalised and made boring: 'We came back from our northern holiday more in love than when we'd left. People could see it a mile away' - is that really how a sexual relationship between two women, one of them married to the President, would have been regarded in the 1930s? Characterisation, too, is paper-thin, and there's no chemistry or heat between our lovers.

There's a great story clamouring to get out but sadly this novel doesn't do it justice.

Amy Bloom’s White Houses reveals the love between a reporter, Lorena Hickok, and Eleanor Roosevelt. With this relationship comes not just an enduring love but a position for “Hick” in the Roosevelt government and a place to live in the White House. Although well written and an interesting story of a secret and lasting love, I found the book muddled as it jumped around in time and place and it even became a bit repetitive.

I really enjoyed Amy Bloom’s writing in this tale of Lorena Hickok and her romance with Eleanor Roosevelt. The book spans a good amount of time, jumping in a non-linear fashion between when Hickok was an item with Eleanor, Hickok’s early years, when the two split were not together after FDR’s death and after Eleanor’s death. I, for one, was not aware that both FDR and Eleanor were not in a typical marriage so I learned a little bit while enjoying Bloom’s writing. Sometimes I found the jumping around a bit hard to follow but overall a good book.

This was an amazingly good book that I enjoyed immensely. I have found a fascination with our presidents and our first ladies that I enjoy reading all types books about them. It's fascinating to get a peek into their lives and this book was very well written and the characters were very believable. Definitely pick it up. Pre order it became you will be as dazzled by this book as I was. Happy reading!

Historical fiction has the ability to allow one to imagine the underpinnings of a relationship while focusing on real historical events or characters. Amy Bloom has concentrated on Roosevelt's relationship with Lorena Hickok which historians still disagree as to the erotic nature of their relationship. When Doris Fabor was allowed to look ,however, at the letters between these women she felt that is was undeniable as to their deep rooted physical love for one another. The story is told from Hickok's point of view, beginning with her sharing her early childhood abusive days with her family, and leaving home at the age of 14. How much of her circus days was real or fictionalized I cannot say as I found no evidence researching this area. However, her "imagined" recount of this time was vivid and engaging, but I became less interested as the book wore on feeling it more fluffy and needing more substance than their whispers to one another.More of a character study than a plot driven novel although Bloom does take us through Roosevelt's passion about social injustice, civil rights and devotion to encouraging Americans to stand up for its ideals of humanity and tolerance but does not go into any depth in this matter. Hickok's acclaimed career as a newspaper reporter, her job as the chief investigator of FERA(Federal Emergency Relief Administration) and her devotion to Eleanor were explored but I never really engaged or grew to care about the characters. However, I left wanting to read more and have since purchased further biographies. This fictionalized account is a good headway to read about their historical lives for those we feel the need to explore further.

This book did not work for me.. I was aware of the probable relationship between Lorena Hickok and the first lady, but to have a fictional story written and told as fact, did not set well with me . Any intimate relationship has boundaries, memories, and special moments, that don't need to be aired to the public, especially since this is based upon fact, but still, a fictional story from the authors imagination.. I feel this book went past those boundaries. I will always have the utmost respect for the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt and feel she had a positive impact for our country, treated everyone with respect and as so eloquently mentioned in the book, she listened to everyone's story and did not judge. I felt this book did not do her justice. Just my opinion.

An interesting and insightful take on a side a closeted side of Eleanor Roosevelt. Although well researched, and full of beautiful descriptions, White Houses lags at times, and fails to hook the reader.

This is a work historical fiction that focuses on the life of Lorena HIckock and the love of her life, Eleanor Roosevelt. Bloom takes on the task of bringing life to the letters written between the two women, and creating a narrative that illustrates the life that became theirs.

Lorena Hickok, or "Hick" as we begin to know her, has a huge and inspiring story all her own. She was an acclaimed journalist, and her friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt lead to important work with FDR's New Deal to help the poverty stricken during the Great Depression. The book shines as the stories from Hick's past are told. The book moves back and forth through time, and is told through Hick's point of view.

The book loses me a bit with the erratic timeline. There were points that didn't feel as though they were working to move the story forward or to give vital information and I would get bogged down looking for connections. I enjoyed that White Houses introduced me to a woman who had an active role in US history, even though many history books neglect to mention her.

I love Historical Fiction so I was very excited to receive this incorrected proof from NetGalley to reviews.
I read a lot of Historical Fiction novels and I always find myself wondering how much of this is true or how close to the truth is this story. Do I believe Eleanor Roosevelt was probably a lesbian - sure. However, this story seemed too far-fetched for me. Their relationship seemed too out in the open given Eleanor Roosevelt's position and the time period in which they lived. I also did not care for the writer's blunt portrayal of their relationship (I don't want to quote anything because it isn't a finished copy) but her descriptions of their relationship simply do not match up with my perception of Eleanor Roosevelt as a poised, elegant, and regal woman.
I know I'm in the minority because there are a lot of good reviews for White Houses. This just wasn't for me.

Absolutely LOVED this book. Amy Bloom does a wonderful job of presenting the beautiful friendship and love shared between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Alice Hickok. Eleanor Roosevelt was certainly a woman before her time. This relationship stood the test of time. An untold story, fictionalized, which is endearing.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy for an honest review.

Although I love historical fiction, especially about strong women, I have never had any interest in Eleanor Roosevelt or that period, I usually avoid it. I even had looked at this novel and avoided it but the description was so captivating, I thought I would try it. What a truly page turning tale that I couldn’t put down. This is the story of the relationship of Eleanor Roosevelt and newspaper reporter, Lorena Hickok. They have a special friendship that goes back eleven years and this highlights the highs and lows.

This story is told in the first person by Lorena Hickok. The timeframe is a weekend in April 1945 shortly after the death of Franklin Roosevelt. It is Lorena’s story, how her life was intertwined with Eleanor’s and her inside look at the Roosevelts’ during Franklin’s presidency. By using this style, it makes you feel part of the telling, as if you are sitting in a room with Lorena as she relates the events of her life. You become emotionally involved and want the story to continue. It works very effectively with this account.

Amy Bloom’s story has had a threefold effect on me. I will definitely be reading more about Eleanor Roosevelt, she appears to be a many faceted woman. I also want to learn more about Lorena Hickok. She was a woman working in a man’s world during a time when most women stayed at home and took care of the family. Last, I have added Amy Bloom as one of the authors of whom I will certainly be reading more novels. This was riveting and I couldn’t put it down.