I really loved this historical novel and could not put it down. From the descriptions of the various settings to the actions of the protagonists, Eleanor Roosevelt and her reporter friend (lover), I was entranced and right there in the middle of it all, from Washington D.C to rural Long Island. I am always intrigued by a 'soul-mate' tale and this one was especially interesting because of who and when. Lovely story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Wow. Eleanor Roosevelt was gay. How, in my extensive historical readings, did I miss that? I came away with even more respect for the first lady understanding the sacrifices she made for her marriage to Franklin and for this country. Author Amy Bloom, speaking from the perspective of journalist Lorena Hickok, recounts the tale of her love affair with Eleanor Roosevelt. While the story of their relationship during and after the FDR years is remarkable, even more compelling is the early life of Lorena Hickok and how she survived a dysfunctional childhood and many hardships along the way to become a respected journalist.

Loved this homage to Elanor Roosevelt and, "first friend", Lorena Hickok. Insightful, passionate and wonderfully drawn.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

FDR is such a well known figure, immortalized in countless films and biographies. We know Eleanor as his "legs" touring what he cannot, as a champion of human rights, and an inspiring First Lady. This is a deeper and more intimate look at her own relationships, not written about in history books, Such an important chapter to tell. Beautifully written and researched.

I was given this book before published through NetGalley. I found this to be very informative. I always liked FDR. I never truly knew much about Lorena Hickok til I read this book. It talks about her childhood and her friendship with FDR’s wife Elenor. I ended up learning more about everyone after finishing the book and doing my own research, which I don’t typically do after reading a book.

The relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok appeared to be an intimate one. Amy Bloom takes this piece of White House gossip and fleshes it out into a fully sexual and romantic relationship. Franklin Roosevelt had his own affairs and apparently the gossip around his wife's very close friendship with Lorena didn't seem to bother him. I was looking forward to reading this book. It is very short and the writing spare. Bloom's writing style is not to my liking, but the story itself was so interesting and I wished there was more depth to the story. The characterization was lacking, I didn't get a good feel for Eleanor and who she was. Bloom's picture of her was somewhat different than my previous impressions of this great lady. Lorena was more fleshed out. I would vacillate between admiration, like, dislike, and annoyance for Eleanor and Lorena. I closed the book with confusion as to who these two women were and what Bloom was trying to portray. It did inspire me to move on to read a nonfiction book about the women and their relationship. Maybe this would change my ambiguous feelings for this book.

Amy Bloom does a magnificent job of telling the story about the beautiful friendship and love shared between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Alice Hickok. It kept my interest throughout. Even though it's fiction, it was heartbreaking to read about the double-standard that Eleanor and Hick faced because they were gay. A beautiful story.

This was a very enjoyable portrayal of the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and her journalist friend, "Hick". I wish there was more insight into the thoughts of these two woman as their friendship blossomed, but even so, the historical and political backdrop made this an intriguing story.

This was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it. thanks for letting me have an advance copy. I'm new to this author.

This novel is told from the point of view of Lorena Hickok (“Hick”), a journalist whose real life close friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt has historians debating whether the two were in fact in a relationship. They are both interesting historical figures and it’s an interesting question, but sadly this book, while coming down firmly on the side of yes, they had a relationship, gives you zero insight into either of their minds or their relationship. Instead, it just jumps all around in time in what to me was a totally incoherent fashion, giving little feeling of a narrative and leaving allthe characters feeling very flat.

Interestingly, I read another novel by a different author a few years ago, Loving Eleanor, also told from Hick’s perspective, which was also a disappointment. I don’t know if both authors felt constrained writing about real characters who left much correspondence in the historical record, or if there is just something about these two women that just can’t be captured on paper, or what, but sadly both books left me cold.

I absolutely love Amy Bloom’s earlier work, but despite the occasional lovely turn of phrase, both this and her most recent book before this, Lucky Us, did not really do anything for me.

This is historical fiction tale of Eleanor Roosevelt and her friend Lorena Hickok. This is the story of how they met, and how their relationship moved from there. This story is written more from "Hick's" side, and is a wonderful addition to their story.

I enjoy historical books and Eleanor Roosevelt is a hero of mine so I had high expectations and this book met them all. A gem of a book.

I started reading this a couple of times, and even borrowed a physical copy of the book from my local library to see if that would further my interest, but the story didn't connect with me.

Amy Bloom has written a wonderful historical fiction story. The story is about the relationship between Eleanor Franklin and journalist Lorena ”Hick” Hickock. Happy Reading!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a sucker for any historical fiction, but White Houses went above and beyond my expectations. It offers such a personal and unique perspective of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. All the characters are richly described and fleshed out and the backdrop of the political unrest and upheaval makes you really feel like you were apart of these crazy times!!

This book is one that I would not usually pick up. It had a unique plotline, the characters were fun and charismatic.

Love Amy Bloom! This was no exception. The intimate friendship forged between Eleanor and Hick was a delight to watch unfold in this fictional account. I had been unaware of this story before reading this book, and while I knew at the same time a nonfiction book about the relationship was released, I was much more eager to read this one. I knew Bloom would do it justice. A lovely little gem of a story.

RATING: 4 STARS
2018; Random House Publishing Group - Random House

A beautifully written novel about two strong women in history. "Lorena Hickok meets Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932 while reporting on Franklin Roosevelt’s first presidential campaign." Lorena, "Hick"meets Eleanor and it is not love at first sight. Hick worked her way up from poverty, and risen in journalism and making friends. It is spending time together that brings the two together, and builds a friendship and something more. This novel explores Hick's life and how the two kept in touch throughout their life. I enjoyed this novel, and am looking forward to trying other novels by Bloom.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

Written during a time that this subject was a HOT one. I learned so much from this story and came to further admire Eleanor as a woman away from being first lady. Beautiful cover and even better story inside

This was an easy read. I loved the setting and really enjoyed the descriptive language to describe locations. Historical fiction is an interesting genre to read I think as you always learn something of the era, even if the facts of the novel veer off course. This novel is told from the point of view of Lorena Hickok’s otherwise known as Hick. She tells the love story of her relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt, of their devotion, of their lives in the White House and of her relationship with Franklin D Roosevelt. While we don't know for certain which aspects of this novel actually cling very closely to the truth it still provided a strong and intriguing piece of enjoyable and worthwhile fiction. It opened my eyes to the relationships of both Roosevelts and has sparked by enthusiasm to learn more.