I was interested in reading this book and it's topic of the close and quite possible lesbian relationship between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and journalist Lorena Hickok. Eleanor Roosevelt is a historical figure that most people are quite familiar with, both for her relationship and marriage to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, as well as for all of her work to promote equality between the races. Despite knowing a fair amount about the former first lady, I had never heard of Lorena Hickok, let alone of her status as "first friend." I enjoyed that this book introduced me to this unique relationship and the speculation that the two women were more than just close friends, but that they were actually lovers. In the end I was left wanting more insight into the character of Lorena and her relationship with Eleanor. I couldn't help but feel that when I completed the book that the actual known historical facts and the conjectured premise were skimmed over and I was left wanting more story and information than what I received. What this book did for me in the end, was make me want to do more research about Hickock and the relationship between Hickok and the Roosevelt's.

One of my most anticipated releases turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments. It’s no secret I LOVE biographical fiction – historical fiction that uses real figures from history – and this one takes on Eleanor Roosevelt. Not only that, but it focuses on her relationship with Lorena Hickok. UM YES PLEASE! …I DNF’d this one at 52%. How a book about an affair a First Lady had with another woman could be so boring is beyond me.

What really sealed the deal was when Lorena decided to run away with the circus at 14. White Houses went from boring to absurd. In one scene, Lorena discovers she likes girls when a performer, Uncle/Aunt Gerry, took her into a wagon, stripped, and then asked Lorena which side she preferred (the male or female side). I had such high hopes for this one, but no. Moving on.

First Friends

Bloom’s historical fiction novel tells of the lesbian relationship between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and first friend Lorena Hickok. The story timeline includes Lorena’s coverage of FDR’s presidential campaign in 1932, to the time of his death and up until the death of Eleanor herself.

This story, told in Lorena’s voice is also a story of her complicated and abusive past as well as her fight to make it on her own. Her many opportunities along the way would not have been so obviously presented in today’s world so her meeting a woman like Eleanor is remarkable in itself. Lorena’s poor upbringing sits in opposition to Eleanor’s privileged one yet makes these two women far more interesting together than they might have been apart. Eleanor, the great love of Lorena’s life, does at times seem more of a deterrent to the success she might have otherwise achieved. Eleanor’s charm and ability to attract a wide variety of people is a central theme in both Hickok’s attraction to Eleanor and her jealousy in having to share her with a larger audience. She respects Franklin but also views him as a rival for Eleanor’s time and affection.

Bloom’s meticulous research elevates this story into something that lies between fiction and non-fiction. So real does the story line come across that knowing that these are indeed real people makes one forget that this is a novel. It does lack a certain excitement however the writing is impeccable and the story comes through with a certain quiet deliberation.

BRB Rating: Read It.

Amy Bloom offers a different perspective on public life vs personal secrets in "White Houses." The fictional account of a relationship between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and journalist Lorena Hickok may take some readers by surprise.

The novel is written from the perspective of Hickok, nicknamed Hick, as she tells of her time as the secret lover and confidante of an extremely protected, yet vulnerable wife of the president. There are few explicit sex scenes, and the reader is left with a candid, while fictionalized, look into the relationship from a personal, emotional point of view.

In the modern world of no-holds-barred social media and publicity frenzy, "White Houses" steps back into time when private lives could be led and enjoyed. Kudos to the author for taking a brave and about-time look at love from a different angle.

So happy to have finished reading this book on International Women’s Day!

I gave this one 2 tries, but it is going to be a DNF book for me. I wanted to like it, but I didn't like the author's narrative style. Too much telling, not enough story.

I cried at the end. This was really so much better than I expected. Bittersweet, funny, personal, lovingly told. To me it's a love story filled with sorrow and joy.

Here is a blurb, and I can't really say it any better.
"Lorena Hickok meets Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932 while reporting on Franklin Roosevelt’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,” as she’s known to her friends and admirers, is not quite instantly charmed by the idealistic, patrician Eleanor. " BUT, she does fall in love. And it's quite a love story. I laughed, I cried. I re-read parts and chatted with friends about it. This is historical fiction and the kind I enjoy.

Hick begins living in the white house and gets close to Eleanor. A mutual attraction develops. They become friends and lovers. There is more to this story than just the romance. We are taken thru many events and relationships in Lorena's life. But, she always comes back to her great love, Eleanor. It's beautifully written and entertaining. I found it heart wrenching at times. Lots of passion and the stuff true love (and friendship) is made from.

I highly recommend this to readers of Literary Fiction as well as Historical Fiction. Thank you Amy Bloom, NetGalley, and the publisher for a digital copy to read and review. I look forward to adding more books by Bloom to my reading adventures soon.

Skipped this one, Once I realized that I have already read 2 of this author's books, I chose not to read this one. I read Lucky Us, and found it tedious. I always give writers a second chance, so I read Away. Again, I was disappointed, even more so as the description was a story I was drawn to. I guess Amy Bloom books just aren't my cup of tea.

Such an interesting story about the love affair between Eleanor Roosevelt and her close friend, Lorena Hickock (Hick). As I read this story I began to wonder how much of it was true so I did some basic Googling and discovered that historians argue about how deep this friendship was and if it ever blossomed into a physical relationship. Apparently two of Eleanor's children published conflicting accounts about both of their parents' extra-marital affairs and friendships; one to be salacious and sell books, and the other to preserve the parents' reputations, I would assume. As with most differing accounts I bet the truth is probably something in between.

As the author states in the afterward, the book is fiction. However, world events, events in the Roosevelts' lives, and events in the country are all well researched and fold into the story. As with all historical fiction, the dialogue and nature of this private relationship can only be guessed at.

The characters had complicated very public lives with equally complicated relationships and power dynamics. I enjoyed this glimpse into the personal lives of the Roosevelts, although I realize that much of it is supposition. It also kindled an interest in them and FDR's presidency. Of course I know him as the president who created the New Deal and guided the country out of The Depression, as well as the president who led the country through WWII, but other than famous quotes attributed to Eleanor, I didn't really know much about her political life and causes nor her role as a humanitarian in the world.
My only complaint was sometimes I lost track of where the story was in time when we rambled through Hick's memory. Our memories are often not straight and linear so it felt natural, but I would get confused with trying to figure out the nature of Eleanor and Hick's relationship during a given memory.

Beautifully crafted - it was a joy to watch Bloom's writing evolve and unfold before my eyes. I enjoyed Lucky Us, but White Houses is a step above. Well done.

A truly captivating book. I really enjoyed this fictional tale of history based on real life. Would definitely recommend to others.

Lenora Hickok was a formidable woman for her time. In fact, she'd probably still be considered a formidable woman. From a childhood of deprivation and abuse she went on to become a renowned reporter, which, in the 1930s, was a huge achievement in and of itself. In 1928 she interviewed Eleanor Roosevelt for Life magazine, went on to cover Eleanor's part in her husband's 1932 campaign for president, and even lived in the White House for a time during his presidency. Her life alone would make for fascinating fiction, but in White Houses author Amy Bloom looks at her through the lens of her longtime affair with Eleanor, another strong, fascinating woman.

The beginning of White Houses is a recap of Hickok's early life, before her success as a journalist. From there the novel jumps to the weekend of FDR's funeral in 1945. Once the public ceremonies are completed Eleanor retreats to an apartment in NYC with Hickok and in the span of three days Bloom recounts their years together with piecemeal bits from the present leading to deeper memories of the past.

Written from Hickok's perspective, Bloom does a wonderful job in capturing the voice of a woman who had little interest in anything feminine, but was a journalist through and through. The tone of White Houses borders on brusque, as Hickok relays the various historical moments she was not only privy to, but experienced through Eleanor. She is reporting events as she saw them without sugarcoating. She softens only in reminisces of their times together. I appreciated Bloom's ability to bring to light what lived in the shadows, even if it is a fictional accounting.


For some, particularly those who will be offended by the thought of Eleanor Roosevelt in love with a woman, White Houses will not be a novel of interest. Historians are divided on just how far the relationship between the two went-dear friends or something more? For me, I sincerely hope that, beyond the artistic license Bloom takes with private conversations, Eleanor was deeply loved by Hickok. She deserved it. Her husband was unwilling to stick to his marriage vows and showed little interest in anyone's feelings beyond his own, meaning his mistresses were installed at the White House and paraded in front of Eleanor. There is no historical doubt about Eleanor as a woman of principle, who fought for the vulnerable of this country, so if she found some small measure of happiness I'm pleased. And grateful to Bloom for her tender portrayal of the two.

"Did not finish....very disappointed in this one. No emotion, no depth to the characters...with the unlimited potential for this story, there was nothing to hook me in."

I received an ebook of White houses by Amy Bloom from NetGalley and Random House.

Lorena Hickok grew up destitute and abused, but she perseveres to become a successful AP reporter who is assigned to cover FDR's presidential campaign in 1932. Hr relationship with Eleanor moves from professional to friendship and eventually intimacy.Throughout the years of FDR's presidency and in their later years, their love remains.

I was aware of the relationship between Eleanor and 'Hick', and appreciate Ms Bloom's expressive and witty novel. Her portrayal of Hickok's childhood was gaunt and desperate. She conveys all the nuances of their affair while in the White House, while FDR conducts his own illicit relationships. I enjoyed this novel and it's piqued my interest in FDR and Eleanor's lives.

The book opens a short time following the death of FDR and moves forward and back to this time period often. Told in the voice of Lorena Hickok, an American journalist who is well known for her close relationship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Hickok had an unhappy childhood marked by isolation and abuse. She ventures out on her own at an early age and becomes successful. We begin our journey with Hick as a young girl in the first quarter of the book. (The part of the book I liked the best)

Lorena goes on to reveal intimate details of her relationship with the First Lady; for this amount of detail the author did an exceptional job in her research. We learn that Eleanor was a compassionate and loving woman. We learn only that the Roosevelt children are difficult and devoted to their father. We discover very little about FDR other than he was a philanderer and a good president (I wanted more, I already knew this). As an insider in the White House, I had hoped for a more rounded story of the life the three led (FDR, Eleanor, and Hick). After all she is having an affair with the First Lady!

My take away was much less than many other reviewers. The first half of the story held me captive, then it fell away to redundancy as Hick relives the times where she is in and out of favor with Eleanor. I couldn't understand why the author chose to include Eleanor's cousin, Parker Fiske in many parts throughout the story (other than he was gay) while at the same time excluding Eleanor's relationship with her children. I would have thought her relationship with her children, good, bad or ugly much more relevant. Typically in a historical fiction novel (my favorite genre) there is usually a little something that I can take away that I didn't know. This one was disappointing.

Read it for yourself, I hope you take away what so many others have and much more than I did
Many Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review an ARC copy of White Houses. Best of Luck.

Did they or didn’t they? The question of whether or not Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok were more than friends has been a hot topic ever since their passionate letters were made public in the late 1970s. While historian Doris Kearns Goodwin declared that “whether Hick and Eleanor went beyond kisses and hugs” can never be known, others find the correspondence makes a convincing claim for Roosevelt’s queerness. Here’s an article featuring excerpts from a number of their more romantic letters. Sample: “Hick darling, I just talked to you, darling, it was so good to hear your voice. If I just could take you in my arms… Someday perhaps fate will be kind & let us arrange a life more to our liking.”

The Hick/Roosevelt relationship has been explored in books like "Empty Without You: The Intimate Letters Of Eleanor Roosevelt And Lorena Hickok" and "Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair That Shaped a First Lady," as well as a play, “Hick: A Love Story.” Now comes Amy Bloom with a fictionalized account of their relationship, which definitely comes down on the “yep, they were lovers” side of the equation. (Franklin Roosevelt, in this telling, is having a long-term affair with his secretary, Missy LeHand, another allegedly-romantic pairing which has been debated by historians.)

Bloom’s novel is narrated by Hickok, who describes her rough upbringing—her mother died when she was quite young, and she left home at the age of 14, escaping her abusive father. She eventually became a successful journalist, the first woman to have a byline in the New York Times. Assigned to interview Eleanor Roosevelt shortly after Franklin had been elected governor of New York, Hickok found herself drawn to her subject. She began covering Eleanor full-time during Franklin’s first presidential campaign. Their relationship heated up when Hickok accompanied Eleanor on a train trip; by the time FDR was in office, it became increasingly clear that Hickok could not cover the administration objectively, so she quit her job with the Associated Press. At times, Hickok even lived in the White House, but in Bloom’s telling, loving Eleanor was not easy—the beloved First Lady always had many demands on her attention. Hickok describes herself as “the brave and battered little dinghy” to Eleanor’s “lighthouse.”

While most of the people in "White Houses" are historical figures, I’m pretty sure that the Roosevelt cousin Parker Fiske, a key character in the book, is fictional. Fiske is a career diplomat and closeted gay man who is not above using a little blackmail to gain protection for himself; he pops up from time to time to beg Eleanor for a favor or threaten Hickok of the potential consequences if her relationship with the First Lady became public. “People didn’t see his homosexual self coming (unlike yours truly) and that bothered them. He didn’t look at all like that type of man, so everyone who liked him—smart and charming and so good at his job—pretended it didn’t happen, or that somehow it had happened but only due to a mix of bourbon and misunderstanding.” By today’s standards, the fact that Eleanor and Hickok were not able to live openly as lovers does seem sad, but Fiske’s story is ultimately far more tragic, a way for the author to shine a light on the genuine dangers of being gay in an earlier era.

"White Houses" is obviously not meant to be the final word on the subject, but it offers an interesting and poignant perspective on a relationship that continues to intrigue.

I always enjoy historical fiction so I was prepared to really really like this book, but, unfortunately, I was disappointed. There seemed to me to be unnecessary pages spent on the love life (sex) between Eleanor and Hicks. It's lovely to know that they had a truly meaningful intimate relationship for many years but what I expected to read was more on how Hicks dealt with her career during that time and then afterwards when Eleanor changed the nature of their relationship. At any rate, it was an enjoyable read and I appreciated NetGalley giving me the opportunity to review it.

The characters in this fictional account of a relationship between these women were actual people, it made for a good story but in some ways it did make me feel like I was intruding into their lives as well. I knew about this relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok intellectually because it is pretty much common knowledge but this tale is far more intimate and there were times I felt that I was reading someone’s private diary.

White Houses by Amy Bloom is the fictionalized account of the unexpected and forbidden affair between Eleanor Roosevelt and reporter Lorena Hickok. They meet in 1932 while Lorena is reporting on Franklin Roosevelt's first presidential campaign. The two women couldn't be more different - Lorena grew up poorer than poor, Eleanor is a Roosevelt. But there is an immediate powerful, passionate connection that develops into a forbidden-for-the-times love affair that endures through the years.

The story is fictional, but the history and characters are real. It's a fascinating glimpse into what was happening in the world, the United States, and the White House in those times.

White Houses has been described as an unforgettable novel, and it is certainly that. The prose is compelling. Eleanor and Franklin are not like you and me; they are part of an American Dynasty, and you feel almost uncomfortable as Lorena never quite fits in. "A Rooseveltian silence" is mentioned and you understand just what the author means to convey. Eleanor is wonderful and loving and caring, but for all that she can be thoughtless and cruel and often unlikeable. Franklin's reputation precedes him. He is presented as the man we've read him to be: many faces, so popular, determined, cruel, angry, and very, very needy. A formidable rival for Lorena.

Amy Bloom's writing is amazing. Moving, elegant, thoughtful, with turns of phrase that you will not soon forget, applicable to an enduring love between any two people. But in the end, although compelling, this story is also unsettling and sad, with tension running throughout. There is a marvelous description of so many love affairs: "…her wish to periodically forget that he was the whole world for her and she was a delightful little village for him." This was meant to apply to Franklin, but in a sense it described Eleanor's actions, whatever her feelings, as well. And through it all, she was the love of Lorena's life, "All those ups and downs, our separations and closed doors, those terrible fights and furies, our cruelties and our silences, seem like nothing, like losing a handbag or missing the morning train."

An excellent read, a reminder that love does not run smoothly, does not conquer all, and life is not a fairy tale, but well worth the living. Note I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

This book started off being quite interesting and then became tedious and repetitive as the relationship between. Eleanor Roosevelt and her female friend Loerno Hickok developed . I enjoyed the historical element of the book as was unfamiliar with the Roosevelt ‘s and their years in the White House. I have visited their summer home on Campbello Island and familiar with locations in Maine so this was refreshing to read. I just thought the relationship although touching became stale . A decent read though into how two women expressed their deep affection towards each other. Thanks netgalley