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 -

3.5I 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 basta...

White Houses has been sitting on my shelf for some time and finally, I grabbed it off my shelf and found a grassy, shady spot to hide in a coulee till I finished reading this storyAmy Bloom beautifully captures the hidden love between Eleanor Roosevelt and journalist Lorena “Hick” Hickok. She does a fanatic job creating a compelling picture of the relationship between these very different women from different backgrounds. Though Hick’s perspective she brings to life their relationship while givi...

Whenever I read fictionalized accounts of famous people I always wonder about what really happened. I especially wonder about their conversations and I have to keep reminding myself that I'm reading a work of fiction. Amy Bloom in this wonderfully written book, imagines the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lenora Hickok, an AP reporter who becomes Eleanor's "first friend" and actually for a time moves into the White House. While I did wonder here what actually happened and what was ima...

!! NOW AVAILABLE !! “In many dreams I've held you near,Now, at last, you're really here.“Where have you been?I've looked for you forever and a dayWhere have you been?I'm just not myself when you're away” -- Where Have You Been lyrics by Kathy MatteaWhen Franklin D. Roosevelt was campaigning to become the 32nd President, Lorena Hickok was one of many reporters covering his campaign. Through this, she meets, and is befriended by Eleanor Roosevelt, despite their vast differences, economically

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 cou...

White Houses is a timely read which I don’t think Amy Bloom could have predicted. In response to a recent immigration border policy separating children and parents, First Ladies from past to present spoke out. If Eleanor Roosevelt was still alive, her voice might be the loudest. Secondly, June is Pride month and I can’t help but think how Lorena would relish that with Eleanor and her linking arms.The narration of White Houses is Lorena Hickok’s point of view. There is the backstory of Lorena’s y...

5 starting-my-new-year-in-reading-with-an-absolute-BANG 🎉 💥 🎇 stars to White Houses 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟My grandmother had a saying that what you were doing when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve is what you will be doing all year long. I always thought it was some kind of scare tactic. 😂 I shared that with some of my book friends, and they were told a similar saying, but instead it’s what you do on New Year’s Day. I’ll take that and run with it because I was reading this book on that day, and

3.5 A fly on the wall, that is how I felt reading this novel. Told from the viewpoint of Hick, we are privvy to intimate glimpses of her relationship with Eleanor, as well as glimpses into the secrets of those living in the White House. Roosevelt and his harem, as Hick calls them, the way his polio was hidden, and the relationship he and Eleanor had with their children.The book opens a short time after Roosevelt's death, and circles back to this period often. This is very much Hicks story though...

This book is a work of fiction based on the relationship of Eleanor Roosevelt and her long time friend and companion, Lorena Hickock. Lorena’s voice narrates this story. They both seemed to be lost souls that found together, what they both never had in life, and it was written in a beautiful and intimate way. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy!

This is a fictionalized account of the friendship, and probable lesbian relationship, between Lenora Hickok (“Hick”), a journalist, and Eleanor Roosevelt. The author tells the story through Lenora’s eyes and what I enjoyed the most are the historical details: the Lindburgh kidnapping, the camp the Roosevelts founded for victims of polio, the marriage between Franklin and Eleanor, FDR’s affairs, the Roosevelt children…and more. I enjoyed Hick’s voice and the details of her abusive childhood gave

I said that the Potsdam diner was a delight. She said that after the funeral there was corned beef and cabbage and homemade beer. She said the service was Irish Catholic and heartfelt. I hung up my coat and made a show of taking out my notebook and doing my job, and asking about her husband's ambitions. Lordy lord, if you can manage to read such flat, 'told', random prose then you're more tolerant than I am. I'm really intrigued by this relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and 'Hick', a les

White Houses is a fictionalized account of Eleanor Roosevelt's relationship with Lorena Hickok. The novel is narrated from Hickok's perspective. It's more of a character study than a story. Hickok recounts part of her childhood, and moves back and forth in time, always coming back to the few days following FDR's death. What made this worth reading to me were the writing and the sharply drawn personalities of these characters. Bloom makes it easy to understand what drew these women together and p...

This is a work of historical fiction about first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and her romantic relationship with American journalist Lorena Hickok (nicknamed "Hick"). Born in Wisconsin, Hickok triumphed over a disastrous childhood to eventually become a reporter for the Associated Press (AP). She was assigned to cover Franklin D. Roosevelt's first presidential campaign when she established a close friendship with the future First Lady. I had an unusual experience reading this book in that I tore throu...

4.5 strong written starsEleanor 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

3.5 stars Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review. A touching fictionalized story about the love affair between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and writer Lorena Hickok. Amy Bloom tells the story of the two women through Lorena's eyes as she recounts their past and present romantic relationship. You see me.You see all of me and I don't think you love everything you see. I hope you do, but I doubt you do. But, you see me. The whole person. Not just yourself, refl...

I normally enjoy historical fiction books and I honestly can't remember the last time I have had to rate one this low. Unfortunately I thought this one lacked a clear focus and bounced all over the place. Reporter Lorena Hickok first met Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932 while FDR was running for president. Historians have debated for decades whether the two women shared more than a friendship. At one point Lorena actually moved into The White House. But at the end of the day we truly don't know if they...

I do not know what I can say about this book, I find myself a bit with a wobbly judgment on this historical fiction reading. I don’t want to waste too many words on it, but honestly Amy Bloom went down with a heavy hand and trouble making up this homosexual love story...Before I started the reading I wanted to understand a little bit how much there was truth, seen and proven facts, but it would seem that there is nothing true and certain to substantiate these suspicions about this possible lesbi...

Fifty-five years after her death, and more than 70 years after she left the White House following her husband's death, Eleanor Roosevelt remains one of the most intriguing women in history. She certainly was a role model for trailblazing women not interested in being confined to the boxes in which society wants to contain them, but rather working to bring about change wherever it is needed. While much is known about her public persona, her personal life has always remained more of an enigma. Mor...

This fictional portrayal of the love relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and a journalist who joined the White House staff as her PR writer, Lorena Hickok, was fun to read. Told from the perspective of Lorena (known as “Hick”), we get a “fly on the wall” window into Eleanor’s personal life in the early period of FDR’s presidency, a long period of separation, and a renewal of close relations after Franklin dies. Hick comes off as a straight-shooter in honesty to all her friends, often sprightl...