I wanted to like this book. I generally love historical fiction, especially of this era, but after about the first third of the book I felt let down. The subjects are interesting, but the author chose to focus on their feelings for one another and she lost me. The writing is well done, however.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy for my honest review. I would give this a 3.5 Stars based on content. And 4 stars because the writing is good, and I read it in a day. The story of Eleanor’s intimate relationship with her “First Friend” caught me by surprise. I never knew that Eleanor and her husband both had open relationships. I really knew little about their relationship except for the little I learned in history class. Wow! I’ve never read a book that shared so much intimacy between two women. It pushed me out of my usual genre, and that’s always a positive thing. I would recommend this to folks who enjoy history and would want to know more about Eleanor’s private life.

"White Houses" tells the story of Eleanor Roosevelt's lesbian long-time partner. I was never aware of this and found the historical telling of homosexuality very interesting. The book is well written and not graphic!

Initially, I was very excited to read a book that is compared to novels that I loved. This book, centered around Eleanor Roosevelt & Lorena Hickson's love affair, was plodding. It wasn't a glimpse into their lives, or into the White House, or into anything really. It was a slow slog of a forgettable relationship. I would have very much liked if there were any sort of flow, instead of the meandering through the minutiae.

Once again, Amy Bloom spins a love story that absolutely transports the reader. From the Depression-era Midwest to FDR’s White House and all points in between, Bloom creates the world of Lorena Hickok, a trailblazing journalist and Eleanor Roosevelt’s lover. Combining the historical with the romantic, Bloom gives Hicock a voice and heart unknown to most and deftly explores the hidden loves (and heartbreaks) of this forgotten American journalist and Roosevelt.

Lovely story of a romance between Eleanor Roosevelt and reporter Lorena Hickock - the prose is lovely and the book made me want to learn more about the actual people and their relationship. Both characters felt alive and complete. Fans of Amy Bloom won't be disappointed, and fans of historical fiction will enjoy this as well.

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

I found this to be a well written historical fiction that made for a thoughtful read as it looks back into the relationship between Eleanor Franklin and journalist Lorena ”Hick” Hickock. It’s not my usual genre but I enjoyed a great deal the way it was handled. It’s told in the voice of Hickock, who worked for the Associated Press covering Roosevelt’s run for the White House when she met Eleanor. Over time they became very close. By the time the election was won, Hick knew she had to quit her job to protect both of the Roosevelts. Eleanor invited her to move into the White House and in time she went to work for Franklin.  She tells how they managed a love against the odds.

I never realized before that the Roosevelt’s served 4 terms in the White House and that Eleanor was the longest-serving First Lady. She held the post from March of 1933 to April of 1945.  She's also known as a diplomat, activist, humanitarian and for her later work with the United Nations as US Delegate.  

Eleanor Roosevelt/ Quotes:

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Women are like teabags. You don't know how strong they are until you put them in hot water.

It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Oct. 11, 1884 – Nov. 7, 1962
Lorena Alice Hickok March 7, 1893 – May 1, 1968
Thanks for reading.

An advance digital copy was provided by NetGalley, Random House Publishers, and Amy Bloom for my review.

What if being Eleanor Roosevelt's lover were not the most interesting thing about your life? I'm amazed that it's taken so long to give a fictional voice to Lorena Hickock, the extraordinary woman who loved Eleanor and was loved by her, and whose life was jam-packed with adventure. If I have any criticism of "White Houses" it's that it doesn't spend enough time on Hick's amazing achievements besides loving and supporting one of the most inspiring people in US history.

Hick's start was rough, born on a farm in the middle of nowhere, dead mother, brutal father. Barely educated, sent off to be a servant, plain, blocky Hick makes her own future that included investigative reporting for major newspapers, reporting on the impact of the New Deal on displaced people, and writing respected non-fiction. She loved women all her life and had many romantic and intellectual relationships with other women. But she adored Eleanor from the moment they met and never stopped.

Eleanor Roosevelt also loved women, but she also loved Franklin and their children, and had a mighty love of public service. Hick and Eleanor manage to take vacations together and spend a lot of happy time alone together. Franklin knew about their relationship, and she knew about his harem of lovers as well.

This novel is a joy to read with pleasure on every page. Amy Bloom has a fine body of work already and "White Houses" is a fine addition. But I would still love another version of this book with even more detail on Hick's life outside of her love for Eleanor. What do you think, Amy?

If one were reading this ONLY as a novel, it's a great read and wonderful love story. However, it is "based on" real people and, supposedly, historical documents. I am always, however, skeptical of the "historical" basis when authors do as Bloom did here--cite those "sources" only in vague terms without giving any actual sources that can be consulted and cross-referenced.
I also often question the morality of exposing such private lives, even of historical public figures, after they are unable to comment on them or give consent for such exposure.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

White houses is the secret scandalous love life that went on between Eleanor Roosevelt and her friend Lorena Hickok. The plot should have been exciting, reading about this time in American history. However, it felt very lackluster to me. Lorena’s story was just not interesting to me. I wanted to like this one, but it just kind bored me.

I don't know why I chose this book it was not what I was looking for at all. I like historical fiction but not historical fiction smut which is what this is. Sorry zero stars.

White Houses is a beautifully written impressionistic depiction of two women caught in a particular time in history. I knew nothing about this relationship and very little about Eleanor Roosevelt. It's always hard to know how true a work of historical fiction is to the characters or events it depicts. In this case, it's hard to tell but Bloom's depiction of these women has a convincing air of reality. I'm left wanting to read more about them -- especially Eleanor -- which is not a bad thing.. I just adore Amy Bloom.

"White Houses" tells the fictional account of a historically true story about the love affair between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and reporter Lorena Hickok. For fans of "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Told from the point of view of Lorena Hickok, author Amy Bloom does a terrific job of showing us the history of these two women as they intersect during the high point of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidential run.

Covering stories for the FDR campaign and presidency, Lorena becomes romantically involved with the almost aloof Eleanor and the two work to keep their romance alive while hiding it, almost unsuccessfully, from everyone. The desperate need that Lorena has to live in a truth, to be with Eleanor, comes across beautifully and heartbreakingly as Bloom takes us from the tragic childhoods of both women to the very end of their lives. Expect a tear at the beautiful almost-a-eulogy ending of this novel.

With historical detail set in stone, Bloom is allowed to follow the two women as they navigate their relationship and its repercussions for FDR and the White House of the time. It's a timely read that takes place decades ago but the emotions that Bloom showcases are still all too real no matter how far we think we've come.

A great novel that is almost too heartbreaking to read, but then, Bloom shows us just in time the old saying that it was better to have loved.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for early access to this title due February 13th, 2018.

This is a novel of the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok from when they first meet during Franklin Roosevelt's first presidential campaign to after she moves into the White House to what happens afterwards. Beautifully written story.

3.5

I forgot, folks, I forgot!

I forgot I don’t like historical fiction that’s based on famous people. Why was my memory snoozing when I picked up this book? I remember (of course, too late) that I swore off reading such books after I finished Twain’s End and suddenly thought Mark Twain was a jerk. I used to like Mark Twain, but after reading that book, where it shows how he ruined his mistress’s life, I hate his guts. I even researched the facts a little, and yep, it appears he really was a bastard. But I didn’t want to know that! Erase, erase, erase that reading experience!

You see, when I finish reading a fictional book about a famous person, my head insists on thinking that I’ve just read the whole truth and nothing but the truth. That the characters’ personalities, words, and actions are the exact same as those of the real people. Beep! This is not right! How to get my head to just stop that?! How to explain to my head that the story may resemble history but could be embellished and exaggerated bigtime? How much was added for the sake of drama? And how much of the story is from the author’s imagination?

Luckily, this story is based on a fact that isn’t disputed: Eleanor Roosevelt and a female journalist, Lorena Hickok (called Hick), had a prolonged love affair. The book doesn’t create a negative image of either woman; its purpose is just to illuminate their scandalous love affair. The fact that Hick and Eleanor came from such opposite backgrounds makes their love story even richer.

Oh, and before I bring out the Joy Jar and the Complaint Board, I need to say wow, people other than the president’s family get to live in the White House?? Does that still happen these days? Hick lived there five years! I actually checked out that fact and it appears to be true. Hick must have been shaking her head, moving from the depths of squalor to the heights of luxury. How bizarre that must have been!

Joy Jar

The language is smart and pretty. It was smooth sailing and I’d stop now and then just to admire a phrase.

I like that it’s first-person narration. Hick is the one telling the story. To me, first-person narration always makes the story more believable and it usually makes me feel cozy with the storyteller. (Ha! I like that the story was more believable, yet we’re talking about a fictional character resembling a real person. See what I mean about my not being able to separate a fictional character from the person it is based on?!)

No over-the-top drama and no smut. Tasteful and eloquent. No graphic sex, no drama for drama’s sake. Even in the first half of the book, where Hick is describing her tough past, the story never veers into high-drama land. The concentration is on how much they cared about each other and how they had to keep their relationship a secret—as much as they could. This was an era when being gay was not accepted, of course, so secret was the name of the game.

Really got a sense of the era. And I also got a sense of the lives of the rich and famous. I was at times fascinated, at times bored, with the details of the good life. The life of the filthy rich equals vacations, flowers, comfort, multi-coursed meals, tea, maids, country houses, high ceilings, gardens, gold trimming, abundance, fanfare, elaborate everything.

First half of the book is boiling. It’s intense and powerful. We learn about Hick’s incredibly brutal life—sexual abuse, poverty, and neglect were mainstays. Oh, and she had a stint in a circus, which is completely fascinating. As is true of the whole book, her life story is handled without over-the-top drama, which is impressive.

Complaint Board

The second half of the book fizzles. I was all jazzed up after reading about Hick’s early life, but the second half of the book made me go still. The story never seems to boil again. It’s sort of the same thing over and over. It’s clear that there is lots of love between them, but the descriptions seem somewhat monotonous and flat.

Timeframe madness. Well, I’m making that sound all dramatic when it really isn’t. I think there were three timeframes and we had to jump from one to the other without much help. I got confused; the jumpiness made the story seem a little scattered.

Passion coated in Xanax. It was a low dose, okay? This was a general feeling I had, which I couldn’t exactly pinpoint. I think maybe it’s because Hick described what she loved about Eleanor, but we never hear from Eleanor and we never see a whole lot of interaction. It’s mostly Hick describing how much she cares for Eleanor. Come to think of it, maybe that is a problem with first-person narration. But the toned-down passion kept me at a distance. I didn’t ever feel like I was in the same room with them and I didn’t really feel much sympathy.

I didn’t particularly like Hick. She seemed too tough and self-centered. I’d also describe her as abrasive, unfriendly, and somewhat stoic. Maybe that’s another reason I felt distant from her and the story. It’s easy to understand her tough veneer, given her brutal childhood, but I just didn’t like her much.

I liked Amy Bloom’s writing enough that I would definitely read another of her books. I’m rating this one 3.5. A good read, but too many entries on the Complaint Board to grant it 4 stars. When I was done reading, I uttered a meh.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

I wanted more from this book. It's a historical fiction of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok, her "First Friend." Although this is written as an intimate account of "Hick's" childhood and time in the White House, I began to lose interest in it fairly quickly. Some parts of the story were fascinating, but others just fell flat.

I haven’t read much on Elenor Roosevelt so this was a good pick for me. The only problem was the flow was slow and choppy. It was hard to follow at some points.
I did enjoy the story though and am interested on reading more on the Roosevelt’s now thanks to this book.

On the heels of Kate Anderson's, First Women: The Grace & Power of America's Modern First Ladies, I was eager to read Amy Bloom's fictional account of Eleanor Roosevelt during her years in the White House. Written from the perspective of Eleanor's long-time companion and lover, Lorena Hicock, White Houses gives us an intimate look at an out-in-the-open-secret affair between two middle-aged women.

The dynamics between Lorena, the Roosevelts, and their inner circle was fascinating. It was also interesting to think about the longevity of a relationship like Eleanor and Loreta's in today's social (media) climate.

I only rated White Houses three stars because I found the storyline jumped around a bit and, at times, moved at a snailish pace as it described the depth of the love these two women shared.

Thank you to Net Galley for sharing an ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

This has to be Amy Bloom's best and most beautiful book yet. She left her heart on its pages, especially the heart of Leona Hickock. Most of us know what an incredible woman Eleanor Roosevelt was as First Lady to FDR and later in her own right, stepped out from behind her husband's shadow. Eleanor was a tireless giver, to her family, her husband, her children, the people of this country, and even the world. She fought for the downtrodden, the poor, civil rights, hunger, women, worker's rights, etc. She hardly accepted or even received affection from her family, husband or children. If any part of this beautiful historical novel is true, and I'm sure the relationship is, I'm so pleased that Eleanor had such happiness in her life. Whatever is imagined here let Eleanor have received its bounty.

I devoured this book. It is a historical novel, but only up to a point. What it felt like to me was a meditation on aging love, not just the sort of transformation love goes through as a relationship gets older, but how love feels as a body ages, particularly for women, particularly for the women who were FDR adjacent. There were moments that I was brought to tears. The intimate world of Eleanor and Hick that Bloom created was so believable, it felt as if she had been there or had drawn the tales out of Hickock herself over a glass or two of sherry. The whole book is filled with longing, and ache, the specter of what ifs and if onlys, and also the satisfaction of a life lived and loved. Lovely.

Excellent choice for a book group.