White Houses

Breathtakingly intimate... If White Houses isn't an example of the great American novel then frankly, I don't know what is ... heartening and refreshing * Financial Times *
Irresistibly readable, fascinating material - Amy Bloom has written a remarkably intimate and yet informative novel of the (secret/scandalous) love of Eleanor Roosevelt and her longtime friend and companion Lorena Hickok, who relates the tale in her own, quite wonderful voice -- Joyce Carol Oates
It seems a minor miracle, what Amy Bloom has done in White Houses. In Lorena Hickok's unforgettable voice, she brings an untold slice of history so dazzlingly and devastatingly to life, it took my breath away. Easily, the most intimate, crackling and expansive rendering of Eleanor Roosevelt in print, and more than this, a dizzyingly beautiful tale of what it means to be human, and what it is to love. This is a book I won't forget -- Paula McLain
Amy Bloom illuminates one of the most intriguing relationships in history with her graceful prose and sensitive portrayals in White Houses. Her Lorena Hickok is entirely sympathetic and often quite funny, yet ultimately she is a woman who found love with another lost soul, Eleanor Roosevelt. And love is what this book is all about; it suffuses every page, every scene so that by the time you reach the end, you are simply stunned by the beauty of the world these two carved our for themselves -- Melanie Benjamin
A story that seems to have been invented for Amy Bloom to write: hidden love, the vagaries of public life, and enduring passion. Her finest novel to date -- Caryl Phillips
What a novel. If Brazilian football is a joy to watch and Steely Dan are a joy to listen to, then Amy Bloom is a joy to read -- Roddy Doyle
White Houses demonstrates that real people are far more fascinating than icons. But in the hands of a master storyteller, the combination is dazzling -- Lionel Shriver
A tender, heart-warming exploration of a hidden but profound love...[Bloom] takes the historical moment and opens it up, prising it apart to let in the light -- Sean Hewitt * Irish Times *
Hick is a compelling narrator ... White Houses reflects on what it means to at least try to take up the responsibilities politicians are given -- Jane Smiley * Guardian *
A spare meditation on heartbreak -- Claire Lowdun * Sunday Times *
This historical novel tells the story of Lorena Hickok - the first female journalist to get a byline on the cover of The New York Times - and her friendship and alleged love affair with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt -- Martina Bausells * Elle *
From its brief opening sentence to its gloriously poetic, heart-wrenching final paragraph, this is an extraordinarily accomplished piece of fiction. Bring on all the prizes * A Life in Books *
Amy Bloom is descriptively dazzling, her dialogue perfectly pitched and her finger on the pulse of what it is to be human and unmasked, to be knowingly flawed and to seize intimacy (mostly) without giving a damn for the danger -- Madeleine Kingsley * Jewish Chronicle *
A candid and intensely realized celebration of love * TLS *
A refreshingly open tale of love in later life -- Summer Books of 2018 * Financial Times *
This reimagining of their relationship, told from Hick's perspective, swirls us back and forth in time. In the heat of their first passion, Hick lives at the White House. Then time, responsibilities, unreasonable dreams and widowhood intervene; the affair cools to friendship. Hick's love for Eleanor is at the heart of the story - but more often minor characters, such as FDR's discarded mistress, leave a deeper impression * The Times *