Through it all, even as Hick's bond with Eleanor is tested by forces both extraordinary and common, and as she grows as a woman and a writer, she never loses sight of the love of her life.įrom Washington, D.C. After she takes a job in the Roosevelt administration, promoting and protecting both Roosevelts, she comes to know Franklin not only as a great president but as a complicated rival and an irresistible friend, capable of changing lives even after his death.

She moves into the White House, where her status as 'first friend' is an open secret, as are FDR's own lovers.

But then, as her connection with the future first lady deepens into intimacy, what begins as a powerful passion matures into a lasting love, and a life that Hick never expected to have. 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. Lorena Hickok meets Eleanor Roosevelt in 1932 while reporting on Franklin Roosevelt's first presidential campaign. Then, I would have traded everything I ever had, every limo ride, every skinny dip, every byline and carefree stroll, for what Franklin had, polio and all.' It’s a sign of this novel’s success that it feels much too short the episodic structure (Bloom is best known for her short stories) may not appeal to all readers, but it is perfect for capturing the emotional intensity of one of the great love stories of our century.'I never envied a wife or a husband, until I met Eleanor. There is little in the way of historical event here instead, you get a moving, engrossing meditation on how Hickok carved an identity for herself as a gay woman and an intellectual, struggling to balance her devotion to the most powerful woman of her time with that woman’s need to keep their relationship secret. These social movements are a muted background, however, to the richly detailed portrait of Hickok that emerges from her hardscrabble childhood and romantic entanglements. The two women represented opposing poles of class and privilege in the first half of the American 20th century, but fought equally fiercely to improve the lives of working people. Both women are brought stunningly to life in Bloom’s sparkling prose, which captures Hickok’s Midwestern dry wit and Roosevelt’s patrician brilliance equally. Bloom has created an unforgettable voice for journalist Lorena Hickok, as she reminisces about her decades-long love affair with Eleanor Roosevelt.

Amy bloom white houses review