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Loving Eleanor
When AP political reporter Lorena Hickok—Hick—is assigned to cover Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1932 campaign, the two women become deeply involved. Their relationship begins with mutual romantic passion, matures through stormy periods of enforced separation and competing interests, and warms into an enduring, encompassing friendship documented by 3300 letters.
Set during the chaotic years of the Great Depression, the New Deal, and the Second World War, Loving Eleanor reveals Eleanor Roosevelt as a complex, contradictory, and entirely human woman who is pulled in many directions by her obligations to her husband and family and her role as the nation's First Lady. Hick is revealed as an accomplished journalist, who, at the pinnacle of her career, gives it all up for the woman she loves. Then, as Eleanor is transformed into Eleanor Everywhere, First Lady of the World, Hick must create her own independent, productive life. Loving Eleanor is a profoundly moving novel that illuminates a relationship we are seldom privileged to see, celebrating the depth and durability of women's love.
Set during the chaotic years of the Great Depression, the New Deal, and the Second World War, Loving Eleanor reveals Eleanor Roosevelt as a complex, contradictory, and entirely human woman who is pulled in many directions by her obligations to her husband and family and her role as the nation's First Lady. Hick is revealed as an accomplished journalist, who, at the pinnacle of her career, gives it all up for the woman she loves. Then, as Eleanor is transformed into Eleanor Everywhere, First Lady of the World, Hick must create her own independent, productive life. Loving Eleanor is a profoundly moving novel that illuminates a relationship we are seldom privileged to see, celebrating the depth and durability of women's love.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2016
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About the author
Susan Wittig Albert
119 books2,364 followersSusan is the author/co-author of biographical/historical fiction, mysteries, and nonfiction. Now in her 80s and continuing to write, she says that retirement is not (yet) an option. She publishes under her own imprint. Here are her latest books.
A PLAIN VANILLA MURDER, #27 in the long-running China Bayles/Pecan Springs series.
Two Pecan Springs novella trilogies: The Crystal Cave Trilogy (featuring Ruby Wilcox): noBODY, SomeBODY Else, and Out of BODY; and The Enterprise Trilogy (featuring Jessica Nelson): DEADLINES, FAULTLINES, and FIRELINES.
THE DARLING DAHLIAS AND THE POINSETTIA PUZZLE #8 in the Darling Dahlias series, set in the early 1930s in fictional Darling AL
THE GENERAL'S WOMEN. Kay, Mamie, and Ike--the wartime romance that won a war but could have derailed a presidency.
LOVING ELEANOR: A novel about the intimate 30-year friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok, based on their letters
A WILDER ROSE: the true story of Rose Wilder Lane, who transformed her mother from a farm wife and occasional writer to a literary icon
THE TALE OF CASTLE COTTAGE, #8 in the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter
DEATH ON THE LIZARD, the 12th and last (2006) of the Robin Paige series, by Susan and Bill Albert
TOGETHER, ALONE: A MEMOIR OF MARRIAGE AND PLACE
AN EXTRAORDINARY YEAR OF ORDINARY DAYS
WORK OF HER OWN: A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO RIGHT LIVELIHOOD
WRITING FROM LIFE: TELLING YOUR SOUL'S STORY
A PLAIN VANILLA MURDER, #27 in the long-running China Bayles/Pecan Springs series.
Two Pecan Springs novella trilogies: The Crystal Cave Trilogy (featuring Ruby Wilcox): noBODY, SomeBODY Else, and Out of BODY; and The Enterprise Trilogy (featuring Jessica Nelson): DEADLINES, FAULTLINES, and FIRELINES.
THE DARLING DAHLIAS AND THE POINSETTIA PUZZLE #8 in the Darling Dahlias series, set in the early 1930s in fictional Darling AL
THE GENERAL'S WOMEN. Kay, Mamie, and Ike--the wartime romance that won a war but could have derailed a presidency.
LOVING ELEANOR: A novel about the intimate 30-year friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok, based on their letters
A WILDER ROSE: the true story of Rose Wilder Lane, who transformed her mother from a farm wife and occasional writer to a literary icon
THE TALE OF CASTLE COTTAGE, #8 in the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter
DEATH ON THE LIZARD, the 12th and last (2006) of the Robin Paige series, by Susan and Bill Albert
TOGETHER, ALONE: A MEMOIR OF MARRIAGE AND PLACE
AN EXTRAORDINARY YEAR OF ORDINARY DAYS
WORK OF HER OWN: A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO RIGHT LIVELIHOOD
WRITING FROM LIFE: TELLING YOUR SOUL'S STORY
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 449 reviews
September 30, 2017
Lorena "Hick" Hickok is assigned to cover Eleanor Roosevelt in the 1932 political campaign. This is the start of a love story that would last for years, despite long periods of separation and the fact that Eleanor Roosevelt was to become The First Lady of United States. But, this love story could not last. Madame, that Hick so lovingly called Eleanor could never become someone anonymous again, even after FDR death.
Loving Eleanor is a fictional memoir based on the relationship between Lorena Hickock and Eleanor Roosevelt. When I first saw this book was my reaction "is this about Eleanor Roosevelt?" And, strangely I was correct. I do have an interest in FDR and that could very well be why my first reaction was thinking this was about his wife.
The book starts off with a funeral, Eleanor Roosevelt's and a grief-stricken Hick isn't there, despite being invited. She can't handle it and don't want them all to see how Eleanor's death has broken her. And, now she wonders what to do with all the letters that she has after Eleanor. There are vultures out there that would do anything to get their hands on them. In the end, she decides to have the letters sealed and not open until 10 years after her death. In this book, she decides also to write their story and having it sealed as well.
Susan Wittig Albert has written a poignant tale of a doomed love story. A talented journalist that falls in love with the wife of the future president. At first, their love burns hot, but as the years go by their love grows perhaps not colder, but the hot passion is not there anymore. But, they still love each other dearly. But Eleanor's would become a personage, an icon. The First Lady of the World. She was no longer a privet person from the day FDR become president. They would both fall in love with other people, but they would until Eleanor died always be in touch. And for Hick would Eleanor always be the one.
This is a story that touched my heart. I found that both Hick and Eleanor came alive in this story. But, Loving Eleanor is also deeply tragic to read. As Eleanor so pointedly says in the book that they are; Like Little moons orbiting around a giant planet. That is the cost of being around FDR. And, if FDR feels that you are a threat, then he will remove the threat. That sounds very wrong and threatening. But what he did was reward anyone around Eleanor if he felt that the person would be harmful to the presidency. Marry away someone like he did with the trooper that Eleanor fell in love with or in Hick's case he gives her a job that took her around the country and by that separate Hick from Eleanor. I could feel reading this that Hick retelling their story is pained with the knowledge of what happened and writing she sees now all the signs that in the end would lead to their breakup as "a couple",
I especially liked the fact that, despite that, the book's story takes place during several years when much happened in America; the Great Depression, and WW2, did the book never feel too heavy to read and it never felt too bogged down with too much history. It was well-written and well-researched. The story flowed easily on and it was hard to put the book down.
Hick never wrote a memoir about their life, but this book has through extended research given us a fictional version of their life together.
For more information read: The story behind the book and the extensive research that went into the project.
I want to thank the publisher for providing me through NetGalley with a free copy for an honest review.
Read this review and others on A Bookaholic Swede
Loving Eleanor is a fictional memoir based on the relationship between Lorena Hickock and Eleanor Roosevelt. When I first saw this book was my reaction "is this about Eleanor Roosevelt?" And, strangely I was correct. I do have an interest in FDR and that could very well be why my first reaction was thinking this was about his wife.
The book starts off with a funeral, Eleanor Roosevelt's and a grief-stricken Hick isn't there, despite being invited. She can't handle it and don't want them all to see how Eleanor's death has broken her. And, now she wonders what to do with all the letters that she has after Eleanor. There are vultures out there that would do anything to get their hands on them. In the end, she decides to have the letters sealed and not open until 10 years after her death. In this book, she decides also to write their story and having it sealed as well.
Susan Wittig Albert has written a poignant tale of a doomed love story. A talented journalist that falls in love with the wife of the future president. At first, their love burns hot, but as the years go by their love grows perhaps not colder, but the hot passion is not there anymore. But, they still love each other dearly. But Eleanor's would become a personage, an icon. The First Lady of the World. She was no longer a privet person from the day FDR become president. They would both fall in love with other people, but they would until Eleanor died always be in touch. And for Hick would Eleanor always be the one.
This is a story that touched my heart. I found that both Hick and Eleanor came alive in this story. But, Loving Eleanor is also deeply tragic to read. As Eleanor so pointedly says in the book that they are; Like Little moons orbiting around a giant planet. That is the cost of being around FDR. And, if FDR feels that you are a threat, then he will remove the threat. That sounds very wrong and threatening. But what he did was reward anyone around Eleanor if he felt that the person would be harmful to the presidency. Marry away someone like he did with the trooper that Eleanor fell in love with or in Hick's case he gives her a job that took her around the country and by that separate Hick from Eleanor. I could feel reading this that Hick retelling their story is pained with the knowledge of what happened and writing she sees now all the signs that in the end would lead to their breakup as "a couple",
I especially liked the fact that, despite that, the book's story takes place during several years when much happened in America; the Great Depression, and WW2, did the book never feel too heavy to read and it never felt too bogged down with too much history. It was well-written and well-researched. The story flowed easily on and it was hard to put the book down.
Hick never wrote a memoir about their life, but this book has through extended research given us a fictional version of their life together.
For more information read: The story behind the book and the extensive research that went into the project.
I want to thank the publisher for providing me through NetGalley with a free copy for an honest review.
Read this review and others on A Bookaholic Swede
May 8, 2019
I was leery to take on this book club selection as I had read White Houses, another novel about Eleanor and Hick, late last year. I needn't have worried. I found this to be different enough and if anything, more engrossing. It does a wonderful job of combining historical fact with well developed characters.
Having just finished Becoming last month, I was struck by the similarities between ER and Michelle Obama. Both are reluctant politician’s wives, determined to not lose themselves to their husbands’ careers. And both do a masterful job of carving out a path for themselves.
Albert does a wonderful job of giving us the details of the history of the time covered, especially the Great Depression and WWII. She manages to weave these details into the story without making the story drag. If anything, the pieces of history she highlights make the tale even more engrossing and poignant.
April 30, 2023
5★
“My dear, if you meet me may I forget there are other reporters present or must I behave? I shall want to hug you to death. I can hardly wait! A world of love to you and good night and God bless you, light of my life.
—Eleanor Roosevelt to Lorena Hickok, March 9, 1933”
Imagine . . . without Lorena Hickok’s influence, Eleanor Roosevelt might have remained in her husband’s shadow, and we would be the poorer for it.
This is a fascinating, imaginative insight into the very personal relationship of two exceptional women and their challenging circumstances. The historical detail of the Great Depression and WWII from the perspective of the White House makes compelling reading.
Hick and E.R (or Mrs. R or Madam) wrote almost daily to each other with great warmth and affection for many years, so their letters and other research are the basis for this fictional autobiography.
It started simply. Lorena Hickok, “Hick”, as she was always known, was the only woman Associated Press reporter, and as such was assigned in 1928 to follow Mrs. Roosevelt for human interest coverage during her husband Franklin’s campaign for governor of New York. You know, woman's view.
At one point, while travelling together by train, they shared extremely private confidences-- both grew up feeling unloved and unwanted--and Hick fell head over heels in love. The author writes (as Hick):
“Later, I would imagine that night on the train as a metaphor for our relationship: two lonely people hurtling through the dark toward an unreachable destination, each clinging to the other as if they were the last survivors on a moon swept out of orbit by a force too powerful to be opposed. That the metaphor didn’t quite fit would not be clear to me until much later, and then it would be too late.”
When FDR was later in the White House and knowing Hick was a top reporter, he asked her to investigate how people were actually faring during the Depression. Incognito. No by-line, no recognition. (And no paparazzi!)
Her reports made harrowing reading and vindicated FDR’s expensive, expansive FERA, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, with its budget of HALF A BILLION DOLLARS! Even now, that’s a lot of money.
She travelled all over, ate tumbleweed soup and visited starving families living in hovels where the only water for all purposes was putrid - polluted from privies uphill and mining waste.
Her reports were invaluable to the horrified FERA agency and the President.
She also talked Eleanor into giving press conferences for women reporters only, since they’d be the first sacked in hard times. Then she convinced her to write a syndicated newspaper column, “My Day” (which is still quoted).
Hick created America’s first real First Lady.
The author has included a cast of characters (real and fictional) and an excellent biographical afterword explaining the mechanics of piecing together a work like this.
Enormous thanks to the author (who has kindly allowed me to quote) and to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy.
UPDATE April 2023 - I just found this terrific article about Hick’s extremely rough, poor, abusive childhood and her later coverage of the Depression. Fascinating.
Don’t Forget Me: Lorena Hickok’s Unsung Oral History of the Great Depression by Kelly O'Connor McNees March 7, 2018.
https://themillions.com/2018/03/dont-...
“My dear, if you meet me may I forget there are other reporters present or must I behave? I shall want to hug you to death. I can hardly wait! A world of love to you and good night and God bless you, light of my life.
—Eleanor Roosevelt to Lorena Hickok, March 9, 1933”
Imagine . . . without Lorena Hickok’s influence, Eleanor Roosevelt might have remained in her husband’s shadow, and we would be the poorer for it.
This is a fascinating, imaginative insight into the very personal relationship of two exceptional women and their challenging circumstances. The historical detail of the Great Depression and WWII from the perspective of the White House makes compelling reading.
Hick and E.R (or Mrs. R or Madam) wrote almost daily to each other with great warmth and affection for many years, so their letters and other research are the basis for this fictional autobiography.
It started simply. Lorena Hickok, “Hick”, as she was always known, was the only woman Associated Press reporter, and as such was assigned in 1928 to follow Mrs. Roosevelt for human interest coverage during her husband Franklin’s campaign for governor of New York. You know, woman's view.
At one point, while travelling together by train, they shared extremely private confidences-- both grew up feeling unloved and unwanted--and Hick fell head over heels in love. The author writes (as Hick):
“Later, I would imagine that night on the train as a metaphor for our relationship: two lonely people hurtling through the dark toward an unreachable destination, each clinging to the other as if they were the last survivors on a moon swept out of orbit by a force too powerful to be opposed. That the metaphor didn’t quite fit would not be clear to me until much later, and then it would be too late.”
When FDR was later in the White House and knowing Hick was a top reporter, he asked her to investigate how people were actually faring during the Depression. Incognito. No by-line, no recognition. (And no paparazzi!)
Her reports made harrowing reading and vindicated FDR’s expensive, expansive FERA, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, with its budget of HALF A BILLION DOLLARS! Even now, that’s a lot of money.
She travelled all over, ate tumbleweed soup and visited starving families living in hovels where the only water for all purposes was putrid - polluted from privies uphill and mining waste.
Her reports were invaluable to the horrified FERA agency and the President.
She also talked Eleanor into giving press conferences for women reporters only, since they’d be the first sacked in hard times. Then she convinced her to write a syndicated newspaper column, “My Day” (which is still quoted).
Hick created America’s first real First Lady.
The author has included a cast of characters (real and fictional) and an excellent biographical afterword explaining the mechanics of piecing together a work like this.
Enormous thanks to the author (who has kindly allowed me to quote) and to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy.
UPDATE April 2023 - I just found this terrific article about Hick’s extremely rough, poor, abusive childhood and her later coverage of the Depression. Fascinating.
Don’t Forget Me: Lorena Hickok’s Unsung Oral History of the Great Depression by Kelly O'Connor McNees March 7, 2018.
https://themillions.com/2018/03/dont-...
November 19, 2018
This book introduced me to Ms. Lorena Hickok, gave me an idea of all that Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt had accomplished, and other important people who shaped their lives and who made them into the people they were. They are definitely two fascinating women who made the most of their lives even when it was hard and exhausting to be themselves. It was great hearing how their friendship and love shaped them into better versions of themselves.
There will always be speculations on the sexuality of the Former First Lady and no one will ever be 100% certain of it, but all the "evidence" that has been gathered leads me to believe that Eleanor did have strong feelings for women. It's nice to know that she wasn't afraid to socialize and befriend, in real-life, known lesbian couples. Even if she couldn't fully live the life she wanted for herself, she was glad for those who did during a time where it was extremely frowned upon. It made reading about her character that much more interesting. However, it showed a downside to her personality in the sense that she kept some of her friends at an emotional distance and put them to the side while she focused on her own pursuits. Many of us do that but it can be hard to not have a friend who is always available to communicate with, which explains how her relationship with Ms. Hickok happened.
This book is complicated to rate for me as I feel it’s between 3 to 4 stars. After some time, I listened to the audiobook to see if my rating would become better defined. Sadly it didn't work but I was able to figure out why I was having a hard time deciding between a 3 and 4 star. There wasn’t anything wrong per se other than the slow parts that kept popping up. The complaining about Mrs. Roosevelt leaving Ms. Hickok for long periods of time grew repetitive after a while, but that is to be expected since everyone complains when the person they love leaves and is busy so often. There were quite a few people and locations that appeared throughout the book so I forgot who some people were.
This was a nice book to read or listen to for fun but it wasn’t as good as I would have liked. Still I’m glad I read it. I think I’ll remember parts of it long after reading and listening but some will sadly fade in my memory. Thankfully I can always find more information on these women through research if I feel like reminiscing about them.
There will always be speculations on the sexuality of the Former First Lady and no one will ever be 100% certain of it, but all the "evidence" that has been gathered leads me to believe that Eleanor did have strong feelings for women. It's nice to know that she wasn't afraid to socialize and befriend, in real-life, known lesbian couples. Even if she couldn't fully live the life she wanted for herself, she was glad for those who did during a time where it was extremely frowned upon. It made reading about her character that much more interesting. However, it showed a downside to her personality in the sense that she kept some of her friends at an emotional distance and put them to the side while she focused on her own pursuits. Many of us do that but it can be hard to not have a friend who is always available to communicate with, which explains how her relationship with Ms. Hickok happened.
This book is complicated to rate for me as I feel it’s between 3 to 4 stars. After some time, I listened to the audiobook to see if my rating would become better defined. Sadly it didn't work but I was able to figure out why I was having a hard time deciding between a 3 and 4 star. There wasn’t anything wrong per se other than the slow parts that kept popping up. The complaining about Mrs. Roosevelt leaving Ms. Hickok for long periods of time grew repetitive after a while, but that is to be expected since everyone complains when the person they love leaves and is busy so often. There were quite a few people and locations that appeared throughout the book so I forgot who some people were.
This was a nice book to read or listen to for fun but it wasn’t as good as I would have liked. Still I’m glad I read it. I think I’ll remember parts of it long after reading and listening but some will sadly fade in my memory. Thankfully I can always find more information on these women through research if I feel like reminiscing about them.
February 28, 2016
Unfortunately I don't have a positive review of this book. The author's decision to write in the first person as if Lorena Hickok were speaking struck a false, unbelievable note from start to finish. At times it seemed juvenile, as if a "character" portrayed by an actor in a historic village were speaking to schoolchildren. Although the book covers some of the most riveting, dangerous and tumultuous years in American history, there is a lack of depth. Ditto the central (forbidden and taboo) relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and AP reporter Lorena Hickok. I felt distant, almost no emotion, as I read this book...not when bombs are dropped, not when people die, not when affairs end, not when the dog dies. The use of italics for emphasis, especially when a hardboiled AP writer was supposedly writing, was an odd editorial choice for an adult book. I finished this with great effort, for a book club read.
January 9, 2016
This book is excellent on so many levels! As fiction, it enchants, as reporter Lorena Hickock meets, loves, and mentors Eleanor Roosevelt, whose aversion to being a public persona is transformed - to the benefit of the United States, but not always those who love her. How much time and energy can one woman have?
Based on extensive research, including the enormous trove of letters between these two fascinating women, Loving Eleanor is a glimpse into the life of a pioneering woman journalist, and the times she reported on - including the most dire poverty of the Depression. Without Hick's advice, Eleanor would not have written the columns ("My Day") that endeared her to the masses. Without Hick's reporting (and company on trips to mining camps), Eleanor's understanding of how people were suffering would have been secondhand.
Some of the details in this book, such as the lives of people so poor they could only offer a bowl of tumbleweed soup to visitors, are so graphic that your heart will ache. Others, such as the gradual realization by Hick that the post-political idyll she wanted for herself and Eleanor will never happen, are heartbreaking in a very personal way.
I'm grateful to Albert for including endnotes and an extensive bibliography -- I want to learn more about both of these women, and their times.
Recommended. Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me an ARC to read and review.
Based on extensive research, including the enormous trove of letters between these two fascinating women, Loving Eleanor is a glimpse into the life of a pioneering woman journalist, and the times she reported on - including the most dire poverty of the Depression. Without Hick's advice, Eleanor would not have written the columns ("My Day") that endeared her to the masses. Without Hick's reporting (and company on trips to mining camps), Eleanor's understanding of how people were suffering would have been secondhand.
Some of the details in this book, such as the lives of people so poor they could only offer a bowl of tumbleweed soup to visitors, are so graphic that your heart will ache. Others, such as the gradual realization by Hick that the post-political idyll she wanted for herself and Eleanor will never happen, are heartbreaking in a very personal way.
I'm grateful to Albert for including endnotes and an extensive bibliography -- I want to learn more about both of these women, and their times.
Recommended. Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me an ARC to read and review.
February 4, 2016
This book stands out to me for so many reasons. First, I love learning about history from a mostly accurate historical perspective. The story of Eleanor's (ER) and Hick's relationship was thoughtfully and respectfully told by Ms. Albert. I learned more about the times and about ER than I could have in 10 history books. Second, the author provides the keys to these two women's friendship and the very real trials they faced because of that friendship. Whether they were lovers or not is simply left to the reader's imagination. I'll keep my mouth shut about my beliefs.
This is a beautiful story encompassing many turbulent years, including the Depression and WWII. It includes excerpts from letters between the two women. I learned so much about Eleanor Roosevelt. Now, I'm hunting for a biography to enhance my knowledge!
I received this book from NetGalley and Persevero Press in exchange for an honest review.
This is a beautiful story encompassing many turbulent years, including the Depression and WWII. It includes excerpts from letters between the two women. I learned so much about Eleanor Roosevelt. Now, I'm hunting for a biography to enhance my knowledge!
I received this book from NetGalley and Persevero Press in exchange for an honest review.
January 10, 2016
Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Loving Eleanor started really slow for me...as in I felt like I was reading information off Wikipedia. I had my doubts and at times in the first 20 pages or so, I thought of putting this book down. Then I found my stride, if you will. Or perhaps, I got past all of the information that is given to us in the beginning of this novel. I believe this book started slow for me because I was learning so many things that I did not know.
Susan Wittig Albert did a tremendous amount of research in preparation of writing this book. It is obvious in the writing. To say that I learned a lot is an understatement. I will be the first to admit that I really did not know all that much about Eleanor Roosevelt. Sure I liked a lot of things she said. I have posted her quotes on various forms of social media, but I really did not know much about the woman herself. I knew nothing about AP reporter Lorena Hicks "Hick".
This book is a fictionalized biography based on the thousands of personal letters between Eleanor "Madame" and Lenora Hicks "Hick". This books really shows what it is like to have a private/personal relationship with a very public figure. The story of two lonely people who found comfort in their relationship. The reader is also shown relationships that Eleanor had with her husband and others in her life.
Once I got past my reservations in the beginning of the book, I really began to enjoy the book. This book is not that big, page wise, but it felt like a big book/novel for me as it is so dense in information. It is beautifully written and a very enjoyable read.
I would recommend that if anyone feels the beginning of the books is slow, is to give it some time, let the information absorb as this book won me over. I really felt for both women at times. There is a passage where Eleanor talks about what her life will be like when her husband goes to the White House. She discusses how she feels she doesn't do anything of consequence except teach and that she will not be able to do that once in the White House. She will only be able to "put on a gown and white gloves and stand in a receiving line and smile and say frivolous things to silly people. And the next night, I will do it all over again, and the next and the next." That stuck with me as I wondered what must it have been like for a strong intelligent woman to not be able to live the life she wants to live.
Loving Eleanor started really slow for me...as in I felt like I was reading information off Wikipedia. I had my doubts and at times in the first 20 pages or so, I thought of putting this book down. Then I found my stride, if you will. Or perhaps, I got past all of the information that is given to us in the beginning of this novel. I believe this book started slow for me because I was learning so many things that I did not know.
Susan Wittig Albert did a tremendous amount of research in preparation of writing this book. It is obvious in the writing. To say that I learned a lot is an understatement. I will be the first to admit that I really did not know all that much about Eleanor Roosevelt. Sure I liked a lot of things she said. I have posted her quotes on various forms of social media, but I really did not know much about the woman herself. I knew nothing about AP reporter Lorena Hicks "Hick".
This book is a fictionalized biography based on the thousands of personal letters between Eleanor "Madame" and Lenora Hicks "Hick". This books really shows what it is like to have a private/personal relationship with a very public figure. The story of two lonely people who found comfort in their relationship. The reader is also shown relationships that Eleanor had with her husband and others in her life.
Once I got past my reservations in the beginning of the book, I really began to enjoy the book. This book is not that big, page wise, but it felt like a big book/novel for me as it is so dense in information. It is beautifully written and a very enjoyable read.
I would recommend that if anyone feels the beginning of the books is slow, is to give it some time, let the information absorb as this book won me over. I really felt for both women at times. There is a passage where Eleanor talks about what her life will be like when her husband goes to the White House. She discusses how she feels she doesn't do anything of consequence except teach and that she will not be able to do that once in the White House. She will only be able to "put on a gown and white gloves and stand in a receiving line and smile and say frivolous things to silly people. And the next night, I will do it all over again, and the next and the next." That stuck with me as I wondered what must it have been like for a strong intelligent woman to not be able to live the life she wants to live.
July 21, 2017
This novel is a fictionalized account of the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and AP political reporter Lorena Hickok. They met in 1928 when Franklin Roosevelt was running for the office of governor of New York, and Lorena was assigned to cover the campaign. Lorena attended a luncheon and speech that Eleanor gave, and was immediately impressed by Eleanor and her thoughts and ideas. They became quick friends and their friendship endured for the rest of their lives.
Although the novel details much about the relationship between the two women and the times in which they lived, it did tend to drone on. Although the author does quote from letters exchanged by Eleanor and Lorena, there is much speculation about their relationship. It just fell flat for me.
Although the novel details much about the relationship between the two women and the times in which they lived, it did tend to drone on. Although the author does quote from letters exchanged by Eleanor and Lorena, there is much speculation about their relationship. It just fell flat for me.
December 21, 2015
Reading an advance copy of Susan Wittig Albert's Loving Eleanor was not only an eye-opening visit to the past, it was a delightful surprise. A long-time fan of the author, I expected the book to be good. So I settled in with a nice cup of tea on a rainy afternoon to travel back in time and learn more about Eleanor Roosevelt—an American icon I have admired over the years for her accomplishments and apparent strength of character. Like so many others, of course, I admit to a good bit of curiosity about her personal life as opposed to her public persona, and was looking forward to a peek into her more intimate relationships.
A few pages in, however, everything changed for me when I realized that the true heroine of this book was Lorena Hickok, Eleanor's one-time lover who eventually enjoyed an intensely close friendship with the famous first lady for more than three decades. Their relationship, like most, evolved over time, often becoming too complicated for both. Hick's love for Eleanor endured, and they remained devoted to each other over the years, as demonstrated by their incredible volume of correspondence. For decades, they wrote letters almost daily to share their experiences.
Although the book is noted as a work of fiction, Albert did her homework. Her research into the hundreds of letters exchanged by these two women along with interviews and more research at the FDR Presidential Library helped create a strong foundation for the novel with the ring of truth in her characters (both fictional and real) and the many stories within.
Many readers may be as surprised as I was when they realize that, at least in the beginning of their relationship, Hick rather than Eleanor was the strong one. Their story is told in Hick's voice as she becomes something of a mentor and advisor for Eleanor, whose self-confidence was at rock bottom when they met. Raised by a family who openly inferred that she was unattractive and a bother, Eleanor was in a marriage of apparent convenience rather than love and was completely intimidated by her mother-in-law, who seemed to run the show. Even though she found some professional success on her own as a teacher, writer and business owner, Eleanor was extremely nervous about her husband's political aspirations and the idea of having to live such a public life, much less eventually serve as First Lady.
Hick, an AP reporter in New York (the first female to hold that job), decided to interview Eleanor in 1928, when Franklin was running for governor of New York. From the first moment they met, Hick seemed to grasp Eleanor's need for a friend and advisor she could trust. She spent most of the rest of her life trying to fill that role in one capacity or another. Eleanor often heeded her advice and grew into one of the most dynamic women of the past century, eventually referred to as "First Lady of the World."
This is not just a love story between two women. It's an intimate visit to an era in American history filled with more challenges and potential for disaster than this country has faced before or since. Hick's descriptions of her work for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) reveal the agony and struggles endured by Americans during and after the Great Depression as she traveled across the country investigating the need for the money offered by the agency as an important part of Roosevelt's New Deal. Her account of activities within the White House, where she was living as Eleanor's guest, on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941 was chilling. Comfort for her came with the words spoken by Eleanor during a radio interview that night... "Whatever is asked of us, we can accomplish it."
For unique insight into an incredible era and an appreciation of the triumphs and tribulations two people in love can bring into each other's lives, read this book. Maybe Hick will open your eyes a bit, too, just as she did mine.
by Paula Stallings Yost
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
A few pages in, however, everything changed for me when I realized that the true heroine of this book was Lorena Hickok, Eleanor's one-time lover who eventually enjoyed an intensely close friendship with the famous first lady for more than three decades. Their relationship, like most, evolved over time, often becoming too complicated for both. Hick's love for Eleanor endured, and they remained devoted to each other over the years, as demonstrated by their incredible volume of correspondence. For decades, they wrote letters almost daily to share their experiences.
Although the book is noted as a work of fiction, Albert did her homework. Her research into the hundreds of letters exchanged by these two women along with interviews and more research at the FDR Presidential Library helped create a strong foundation for the novel with the ring of truth in her characters (both fictional and real) and the many stories within.
Many readers may be as surprised as I was when they realize that, at least in the beginning of their relationship, Hick rather than Eleanor was the strong one. Their story is told in Hick's voice as she becomes something of a mentor and advisor for Eleanor, whose self-confidence was at rock bottom when they met. Raised by a family who openly inferred that she was unattractive and a bother, Eleanor was in a marriage of apparent convenience rather than love and was completely intimidated by her mother-in-law, who seemed to run the show. Even though she found some professional success on her own as a teacher, writer and business owner, Eleanor was extremely nervous about her husband's political aspirations and the idea of having to live such a public life, much less eventually serve as First Lady.
Hick, an AP reporter in New York (the first female to hold that job), decided to interview Eleanor in 1928, when Franklin was running for governor of New York. From the first moment they met, Hick seemed to grasp Eleanor's need for a friend and advisor she could trust. She spent most of the rest of her life trying to fill that role in one capacity or another. Eleanor often heeded her advice and grew into one of the most dynamic women of the past century, eventually referred to as "First Lady of the World."
This is not just a love story between two women. It's an intimate visit to an era in American history filled with more challenges and potential for disaster than this country has faced before or since. Hick's descriptions of her work for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) reveal the agony and struggles endured by Americans during and after the Great Depression as she traveled across the country investigating the need for the money offered by the agency as an important part of Roosevelt's New Deal. Her account of activities within the White House, where she was living as Eleanor's guest, on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941 was chilling. Comfort for her came with the words spoken by Eleanor during a radio interview that night... "Whatever is asked of us, we can accomplish it."
For unique insight into an incredible era and an appreciation of the triumphs and tribulations two people in love can bring into each other's lives, read this book. Maybe Hick will open your eyes a bit, too, just as she did mine.
by Paula Stallings Yost
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
March 1, 2016
"Loving Eleanor" is the story of the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena "Hick" Hickok. These two women were said to be in love through much of FDR's time in office. In this book, the author offers a nuanced portrait on the relationship between these two women. Being a fan of Eleanor Roosevelt but not knowing much about Hick or Roosevelt's relationship with Hick, I was excited to read this book!
I thought that the author's choice to have Hick as the narrator was a great choice. We get a front row seat to the love affair that was and how difficult it was for both women to manuever in the relationship when all eyes were on Mrs. Roosevelt. I loved getting to know Hick and how she saw Eleanor, a much different person privately than she was publically. I feel like I learned more than I did before about Eleanor. Hick was a private citizen and Eleanor was anything but. This difference impacted the relationship between the two in many different ways that were fascinating to watch play out!
The author did a lot of research into what made both women tick and seemed to draw extensively on the broad correspondence between the two women. All the detail really pulled me into the book and made the characters feel real. I did find myself wanting more when the book ended but in this case, it was simply due to the book being so interesting! This book will appeal to those historical fiction lovers who are interested in a different side of Eleanor Roosevelt!
I thought that the author's choice to have Hick as the narrator was a great choice. We get a front row seat to the love affair that was and how difficult it was for both women to manuever in the relationship when all eyes were on Mrs. Roosevelt. I loved getting to know Hick and how she saw Eleanor, a much different person privately than she was publically. I feel like I learned more than I did before about Eleanor. Hick was a private citizen and Eleanor was anything but. This difference impacted the relationship between the two in many different ways that were fascinating to watch play out!
The author did a lot of research into what made both women tick and seemed to draw extensively on the broad correspondence between the two women. All the detail really pulled me into the book and made the characters feel real. I did find myself wanting more when the book ended but in this case, it was simply due to the book being so interesting! This book will appeal to those historical fiction lovers who are interested in a different side of Eleanor Roosevelt!
December 31, 2016
Lorena "Hick" Hickok was an AP journalist who covered Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt's wife Eleanor in the late 20s. She met the first lady of New York and continued to cover her until Roosevelt won the 1932 Presidential election. Hick and Eleanor became steadfast friends and many historians believe that they had a deeply intimate relationship. Loving Eleanor is the fictionalized account of that relationship from Hick's perspective based on over three thousand letters written by Hick and Eleanor throughout their friendship. This book shows Eleanor in a way most people have never thought of her. Many know about FDR's philandering ways, but many did not realize that Eleanor was a deeply loving person, who may have also had several affairs herself with both men and women. She was devoted to family, friends, and domestic causes. She was definitely her own woman.
The book is really from Hick's point of view but the reader will definitely get a sense of what Eleanor was like on a personal basis, away from politics. I found Hick to be a bit whiny and selfish who didn't always seem to understand that she had a friendship / relationship with the First Lady of the United States and a woman that had her own agenda in life. They were likely very much alike, so much so that it caused occasional riffs. I'm not sure I cared so much about some of the intimate details, but I did like getting to see a different side of Eleanor than I had known / realized. I've always admired Eleanor's work and spirit and this has caused me to want to read more about her.
The book is really from Hick's point of view but the reader will definitely get a sense of what Eleanor was like on a personal basis, away from politics. I found Hick to be a bit whiny and selfish who didn't always seem to understand that she had a friendship / relationship with the First Lady of the United States and a woman that had her own agenda in life. They were likely very much alike, so much so that it caused occasional riffs. I'm not sure I cared so much about some of the intimate details, but I did like getting to see a different side of Eleanor than I had known / realized. I've always admired Eleanor's work and spirit and this has caused me to want to read more about her.
March 24, 2016
This was a super accessible look into a tumultuous period in American history, and a personal look at two rather astonishing women. Eleanor Roosevelt is someone you've probably already heard of (and if not, please - get thee to Wikipedia!). I have to admit, though, that I wasn't aware of her extreme reluctance to engage in public life. It seems strange, since she was so good at it. She was responsible, both directly and indirectly, for so much that it seems impossible that she never wanted to live life as the First Lady. I was aware of FDR's long-term affair with his secretary, Missy LeHand, but I wasn't aware that Eleanor also looked for love and comfort outside of their marriage. I especially didn't know that she found it at one point with a female reporter.
Which brings me to Lorena Hickok, "Hick," who I also didn't know about. Which is a goddamn shame, because she was a trailblazer. She was a female reporter for the Associated Press who covered crime and politics in an age where women who managed to get hired as reporters were relegated to the society pages. She was also a dear friend and, for a time, lover of Eleanor Roosevelt. (This was all revealed in the pair's correspondence, which was released after Hick's death. Although it seems to have been a little bit of an open secret among certain circles.) In addition to her work as a reporter (with her own byline), Hick also worked for the Roosevelt administration, touring the country to help determine where New Deal funds were most needed. She encouraged Eleanor Roosevelt to break out of the traditional First Lady mold, developing her own voice and choosing her own projects. She worked for the DNC, helping FDR get re-elected. And she became a biographer of several great American women, writing biographies for young audiences. She even took steps to become a foreign correspondent during World War II, which were thwarted by health concerns. She lived her life as a lesbian, if not openly, then not completely closeted either. She was a woman before her time, and I wish there was a way to show her some of the progress we have made as a society.
The cover and plot summary makes this book seem like it's focused on the relationship between Eleanor and Hick, but really that's just the thread that ties everything together. Their relationship faced dozens of challenges, and in the end the two drifted apart, although they never lost all of their closeness. But by following their story, readers get to see the United States during the Great Depression, during the New Deal, as World War II breaks out, and into the formation of the United Nations. It was a time that included John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Winston Churchill, and Amelia Earhart. And all of them get a mention. These were influential people in a complicated time, and I thought that Susan Wittig Albert did a very good job of giving us this story in a compelling, accessible voice. And the notes at the end both clarify the few fictional events she added or extrapolated, and offer advice for further reading.
Which brings me to Lorena Hickok, "Hick," who I also didn't know about. Which is a goddamn shame, because she was a trailblazer. She was a female reporter for the Associated Press who covered crime and politics in an age where women who managed to get hired as reporters were relegated to the society pages. She was also a dear friend and, for a time, lover of Eleanor Roosevelt. (This was all revealed in the pair's correspondence, which was released after Hick's death. Although it seems to have been a little bit of an open secret among certain circles.) In addition to her work as a reporter (with her own byline), Hick also worked for the Roosevelt administration, touring the country to help determine where New Deal funds were most needed. She encouraged Eleanor Roosevelt to break out of the traditional First Lady mold, developing her own voice and choosing her own projects. She worked for the DNC, helping FDR get re-elected. And she became a biographer of several great American women, writing biographies for young audiences. She even took steps to become a foreign correspondent during World War II, which were thwarted by health concerns. She lived her life as a lesbian, if not openly, then not completely closeted either. She was a woman before her time, and I wish there was a way to show her some of the progress we have made as a society.
The cover and plot summary makes this book seem like it's focused on the relationship between Eleanor and Hick, but really that's just the thread that ties everything together. Their relationship faced dozens of challenges, and in the end the two drifted apart, although they never lost all of their closeness. But by following their story, readers get to see the United States during the Great Depression, during the New Deal, as World War II breaks out, and into the formation of the United Nations. It was a time that included John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Winston Churchill, and Amelia Earhart. And all of them get a mention. These were influential people in a complicated time, and I thought that Susan Wittig Albert did a very good job of giving us this story in a compelling, accessible voice. And the notes at the end both clarify the few fictional events she added or extrapolated, and offer advice for further reading.
November 17, 2015
Since reading A Wilder Rose I have been waiting for this book. Thankfully I was allowed to read an eARC. I was reading another book (and travelling) when I got this ARC. I immediately stopped what I was reading and read this in three days.
Once again Albert has written an outstanding fictional biography. The research is impeccable and helps to bring the story to life. I've learned a lot about the Roosevelts this year but had little knowledge about her intimate and very close friendship with Lorena Hickok. While of course a lot of the book is about Eleanor, it is really Hick's story. A remarkable woman in her own right, she deserves to be known and Loving Eleanor goes a long way to increasing our knowledge of her. If you enjoyed Circling the Sun (Paula McLain) or A Wilder Rose, this book is for you.
Once again Albert has written an outstanding fictional biography. The research is impeccable and helps to bring the story to life. I've learned a lot about the Roosevelts this year but had little knowledge about her intimate and very close friendship with Lorena Hickok. While of course a lot of the book is about Eleanor, it is really Hick's story. A remarkable woman in her own right, she deserves to be known and Loving Eleanor goes a long way to increasing our knowledge of her. If you enjoyed Circling the Sun (Paula McLain) or A Wilder Rose, this book is for you.
June 8, 2016
To be honest, I abandoned this at around 80%, but I feel the writing style is engaging and well done. My problem with the book was its repetitiveness. By 80% I simply grew tired of "Eleanor and I met for a vacation, but after that she was too busy for me." That's what it pretty much amounted to after a while. Yes, the first lady was a busy woman. I know that from previous books, such as The President's Lunch. She had a column, press conferences, pet projects, liked to take vacays at Val Kill. There was nothing new in this for me, merely more focus on the relationship between Eleanor and Hick, but as Eleanor became more engrossed in being first lady, she no longer had time for Hick and that was the constant message I felt beat over the head with.
August 20, 2016
A love story, sensitively told.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy to read and review.
September 16, 2020
10.5 hour audible listen. For a book club. Look forward to discussion. Was one of those books that keep you company during this insane covid /smoke filled 2020. Historical fiction based on letters between ER and Hick - goes through their relationship and all the history. Started strong. Slogged last 3 hours but may have been my state of mind ( can’t leave house due to bad air ). I did appreciate the last chapter where author explains all the parts of book that were fiction. Reminds me how much I miss traveling and we are people who go to presidential libraries so very much want to go to Hyde park / fdr library and valkyle. Did not enjoy as much as past historical fiction like loving frank or last days of nights ( Edison/ Westinghouse book ). Do want to learn more about ER and hick.
March 13, 2016
“One day you look at the person you loved and see someone you haven’t seen before – and then you look at yourself and you see that you are altered as well.”
“Love has a way of creating its own truth, of writing its own story.”
This astoundingly readable novel takes a look at the possibility that First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt had a romantic relationship with another woman, Lorena Hickok, nicknamed Hick. She was, at the time the AP political reporter assigned to cover Roosevelt through the 1932 presidential campaign. There have been rumours of Roosevelt’s alleged lesbianism, and in this well-researched novel, author Wittig Albert takes the premise into a story that traces the imagined arc of this love.
Told in the first person from Hick’s point of the view, the story starts with Hick looking back at her life and her developing relationship with Roosevelt: “Funny thing. The day I met Eleanor Roosevelt was the first day of the rest of my life, and she would be at the very center of it.”
From the beginning, when Roosevelt is involved in the presidential campaign, Hick must know that she will always be at the margins of a busy life – wife of a president elected three times in a row, at the heart of public life. Their affair can only be secret one, although others in Roosevelt’s circle will know about it. they exchanged over 3000 letters to each other – tender, needy, passionate missives. “And there are a great many instances in her letters to me when she lovingly recalls or looks forward to a touch, an embrace, to moments when we could lie close together. Touching was what she wanted, what she needed.”
Hick will come to work for Roosevelt, and this will make it easier to be together, but there’s always the danger of discovery, “yet complicity was the name of the game. I wasn’t the only one who played it”.
Inevitably their early romantic passion will wane – love can’t survive such scrutiny, such intensity, such pressure, it would seem. A trip they make together signals how love will change, and this passage reveals a truth about relationships that is startling to read:
“Every trip you make with someone teaches you something important about the person you travel with—and about yourself. The three weeks that Eleanor and I spent together on the West Coast revealed some truths about each of us, truths that changed the way we understood each other. In those weeks, I was challenged in ways that showed me who I was, essentially, what I wanted in my life, and what I didn’t want. It reminded me of something I already knew from personal experience: every love affair has a beginning, a middle, and an end. California would be the end of our beginning. Eleanor and I would go on loving each other for the rest of our lives, dearly, deeply, tenderly. But not in the way we began.”
The relationship ebbs into friendship and the years go on, from Depression-era America and into the 1940s and beyond. A powerful portrait of Roosevelt emerges , tireless champion of the underdog, a columnist, a workaholic which must have required a prodigious energy ,a wife and mother, yet a woman too who needs love and security, and never quite feels that need met with the love she so desperately desires. Bound within a marriage in which her husband has strayed, will stray again – and the betrayal runs like a scar through that union.
A highly recommended read.
“Love has a way of creating its own truth, of writing its own story.”
This astoundingly readable novel takes a look at the possibility that First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt had a romantic relationship with another woman, Lorena Hickok, nicknamed Hick. She was, at the time the AP political reporter assigned to cover Roosevelt through the 1932 presidential campaign. There have been rumours of Roosevelt’s alleged lesbianism, and in this well-researched novel, author Wittig Albert takes the premise into a story that traces the imagined arc of this love.
Told in the first person from Hick’s point of the view, the story starts with Hick looking back at her life and her developing relationship with Roosevelt: “Funny thing. The day I met Eleanor Roosevelt was the first day of the rest of my life, and she would be at the very center of it.”
From the beginning, when Roosevelt is involved in the presidential campaign, Hick must know that she will always be at the margins of a busy life – wife of a president elected three times in a row, at the heart of public life. Their affair can only be secret one, although others in Roosevelt’s circle will know about it. they exchanged over 3000 letters to each other – tender, needy, passionate missives. “And there are a great many instances in her letters to me when she lovingly recalls or looks forward to a touch, an embrace, to moments when we could lie close together. Touching was what she wanted, what she needed.”
Hick will come to work for Roosevelt, and this will make it easier to be together, but there’s always the danger of discovery, “yet complicity was the name of the game. I wasn’t the only one who played it”.
Inevitably their early romantic passion will wane – love can’t survive such scrutiny, such intensity, such pressure, it would seem. A trip they make together signals how love will change, and this passage reveals a truth about relationships that is startling to read:
“Every trip you make with someone teaches you something important about the person you travel with—and about yourself. The three weeks that Eleanor and I spent together on the West Coast revealed some truths about each of us, truths that changed the way we understood each other. In those weeks, I was challenged in ways that showed me who I was, essentially, what I wanted in my life, and what I didn’t want. It reminded me of something I already knew from personal experience: every love affair has a beginning, a middle, and an end. California would be the end of our beginning. Eleanor and I would go on loving each other for the rest of our lives, dearly, deeply, tenderly. But not in the way we began.”
The relationship ebbs into friendship and the years go on, from Depression-era America and into the 1940s and beyond. A powerful portrait of Roosevelt emerges , tireless champion of the underdog, a columnist, a workaholic which must have required a prodigious energy ,a wife and mother, yet a woman too who needs love and security, and never quite feels that need met with the love she so desperately desires. Bound within a marriage in which her husband has strayed, will stray again – and the betrayal runs like a scar through that union.
A highly recommended read.
January 14, 2016
FTC Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed are mine.
The Roosevelts have always fascinated me, even as a girl. Perhaps it was my mother's stories of life when FDR was in office, or how she believed Eleanor set the standard for independence among women. And this brings me to Loving Eleanor.
The Eleanor we know is the one found in documentaries, history books, and in the press. However, there is more to Eleanor's rise to independence as the First Lady. Susan Wittig Albert brings us the story behind Eleanor's public image in Loving Eleanor.
A young AP journalist, Lorena Hickok or "Hick," is assigned to cover Eleanor Roosevelt in FDR's 1932 bid for the presidency. Out of this assignment grew a friendship which evolved into a deeper relationship over time.
Without Hick's willingness to share her knowledge of the press, the First Lady might have never emerged as the heroine of the downtrodden. Hick taught Eleanor how to "use" the media to exert her independence during FDR's four terms in office. Hick suggested the First Lady's press conferences and her newspaper column, My Day.
This new image of Eleanor Roosevelt, a surprise to many, launched the First Lady into the lives of the American people. At the same time, Hick's innovative suggestions once implemented tore Eleanor away from Hick.
Hick gave women an incredible role model in shaping Eleanor Roosevelt's time as the First Lady of America. It is tragic that in time it would bring to an end that which both Hick and Eleanor had cherished for so long--their deeply intimate relationship.
Once again, Susan Wittig Albert has used her inimitable research talents to bring from the past a story never known to most of the reading public. Using a collection of letters between Eleanor and Hick, sealed following Hick's death for a decade, Albert shares the story of two women considered not so conventional at the time and who risk stepping outside their "boxes." The result is a beautiful rendering of a remarkable love shared by these women.
Albert's bibliography and her list of resources give the reader a roadmap to learning more about these two fascinating women.
Anyone who enjoys reading about our country's Presidents and their First Ladies will enjoy Loving Eleanor. Written by Susan Wittig Albert, a pre-eminent writer of historical fiction, the reader can trust the word on the page to be accurately researched and for the story to be true to the best of her knowledge. Susan's writing style is fluid and transitions from chapter to chapter seamless. I look forward to each of her new books and the opportunity to read them.
The Roosevelts have always fascinated me, even as a girl. Perhaps it was my mother's stories of life when FDR was in office, or how she believed Eleanor set the standard for independence among women. And this brings me to Loving Eleanor.
The Eleanor we know is the one found in documentaries, history books, and in the press. However, there is more to Eleanor's rise to independence as the First Lady. Susan Wittig Albert brings us the story behind Eleanor's public image in Loving Eleanor.
A young AP journalist, Lorena Hickok or "Hick," is assigned to cover Eleanor Roosevelt in FDR's 1932 bid for the presidency. Out of this assignment grew a friendship which evolved into a deeper relationship over time.
Without Hick's willingness to share her knowledge of the press, the First Lady might have never emerged as the heroine of the downtrodden. Hick taught Eleanor how to "use" the media to exert her independence during FDR's four terms in office. Hick suggested the First Lady's press conferences and her newspaper column, My Day.
This new image of Eleanor Roosevelt, a surprise to many, launched the First Lady into the lives of the American people. At the same time, Hick's innovative suggestions once implemented tore Eleanor away from Hick.
Hick gave women an incredible role model in shaping Eleanor Roosevelt's time as the First Lady of America. It is tragic that in time it would bring to an end that which both Hick and Eleanor had cherished for so long--their deeply intimate relationship.
Once again, Susan Wittig Albert has used her inimitable research talents to bring from the past a story never known to most of the reading public. Using a collection of letters between Eleanor and Hick, sealed following Hick's death for a decade, Albert shares the story of two women considered not so conventional at the time and who risk stepping outside their "boxes." The result is a beautiful rendering of a remarkable love shared by these women.
Albert's bibliography and her list of resources give the reader a roadmap to learning more about these two fascinating women.
Anyone who enjoys reading about our country's Presidents and their First Ladies will enjoy Loving Eleanor. Written by Susan Wittig Albert, a pre-eminent writer of historical fiction, the reader can trust the word on the page to be accurately researched and for the story to be true to the best of her knowledge. Susan's writing style is fluid and transitions from chapter to chapter seamless. I look forward to each of her new books and the opportunity to read them.
June 8, 2016
Susan Wittig Albert is one of my favorite authors and I love her mystery series. This book was an interesting look at the love affair between Eleanor Roosevelt and one of the first women reporters, Miss Hickock . Told with compassion for both women's circumstances and how hard it was for them at that time in our history. Researched thoroughly, I found this book fascinating.
June 10, 2018
This fictionalized story is of the passionate love affair between Hick (Lorena Hickok) and Eleanor Roosevelt, told in first person from Hick's point of view. Much of it is drawn from the actual letters that passed between the two, and leave no doubt as to the nature of the relationship.
"Most clearly I remember your eyes, with a kind of teasing smile in them, and the feeling of that soft spot just north-east of the corner of your mouth against my lips."
It is hard to imagine how Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt could hide their open marriage in plain sight; he had his partners and lovers, and she had hers, both male and female. But they did, and though at times there were rumors flying, the newspapers never printed them. The term polyamory hadn't been coined yet, but there was definitely not merely sex, but emotional connection between Eleanor and Hick, Eleanor and her other partners, and probably (though it's not within the scope of this book) between Franklin and his other partners, too, as well as a complicated but unwavering commitment between Eleanor and Franklin.
It was an interesting read, and it was beautifully written, but lacked the tension of a novel, and the opening prologue was extremely slow. Actually, the whole book moved at a glacial pace, IMO. The primary problem Hick and Eleanor had was finding time to be together, while trying to keep the true nature of the relationship in the closet. The only surprise for me was how much time they were actually able to chisel out, and the vast number of letters they exchanged over the years. The gradual shift in the relationship from "I can't wait till someday soon when we'll be living together" to friends with fond memories, while both women moved on with other partners, felt inevitable.
I also really liked this line: "there is love, love in all its many disguises, love embracing loss and death and imperfection, love changing, mutable, many-formed, but never diminishing—love, simply, and simply enduring." I *am* a sucker for love in all its forms, however unconventional.
"Most clearly I remember your eyes, with a kind of teasing smile in them, and the feeling of that soft spot just north-east of the corner of your mouth against my lips."
It is hard to imagine how Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt could hide their open marriage in plain sight; he had his partners and lovers, and she had hers, both male and female. But they did, and though at times there were rumors flying, the newspapers never printed them. The term polyamory hadn't been coined yet, but there was definitely not merely sex, but emotional connection between Eleanor and Hick, Eleanor and her other partners, and probably (though it's not within the scope of this book) between Franklin and his other partners, too, as well as a complicated but unwavering commitment between Eleanor and Franklin.
It was an interesting read, and it was beautifully written, but lacked the tension of a novel, and the opening prologue was extremely slow. Actually, the whole book moved at a glacial pace, IMO. The primary problem Hick and Eleanor had was finding time to be together, while trying to keep the true nature of the relationship in the closet. The only surprise for me was how much time they were actually able to chisel out, and the vast number of letters they exchanged over the years. The gradual shift in the relationship from "I can't wait till someday soon when we'll be living together" to friends with fond memories, while both women moved on with other partners, felt inevitable.
I also really liked this line: "there is love, love in all its many disguises, love embracing loss and death and imperfection, love changing, mutable, many-formed, but never diminishing—love, simply, and simply enduring." I *am* a sucker for love in all its forms, however unconventional.
July 24, 2017
"Loving Eleanor" is Susan Wittig Albert's story of the relationship between Lorena Hickok, journalist and writer, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Set against a birds' eye view of the 30's and 40's, the book is a tender account of the friendship and romantic relationship between the two women. Their almost daily letters over the course of several decades provide the source for the novel, and Hick, as narrator, refers frequently to "as I told Eleanor in my letter that evening." Eleanor herself is, as always, a fascinating character, and Hick becomes a flesh-and-blood real person with her own accomplishments and point of view. As events on the world stage and events in the First Lady's life evolve, the friendship is forced to assume a myriad of forms. The epilogue catches the reader up with the post-Washington Roosevelt years and takes the two women to the ends of their lives. Always, the story is told with style and grace, never seeking sensationalism or exploiting the characters. Hick refers again and again to one constant element of her story: this is what happened as "I was loving Eleanor." What a fascinating tale of two amazing women!
March 10, 2017
"Loving Eleanor" is an historical novel written from the perspective of Lorena Hickok, Eleanor Roosevelt's friend, lover, companion and champion. Although devoted to each other throughout their lives, the novel focuses on the years in which FDR was governor of New York and the White House years.
The book is very tasteful regarding the physical intimacy between the two women. Don't expect any lurid sex scenes between Eleanor and Hick. The author Susan Wittig Albert researched the novel, not only as it relates to the relationship between the two women, but also the work they did. A poignant example was during the Depression Hick was working for Harry Hopkins in FERA (Federal Emergency Relief Administration). Her job was to tour the country and size up who needed federal emergency aid. This was in the early thirties when the Depression was at its worst. The author frequently used direct quotes from the women's letters which were very moving in their description of impoverished coalminers in West Virginia who subsisted on hogback, cornmeal and molasses.
Eleanor Roosevelt was raised by a stern Victorian aunt, and was continually criticized for being homely and incompetent. She then entered into a marriage with her fifth cousin FDR who was constantly unfaithful to her. Her mother-in-law dominated her. If you tour the family home in Hyde Park, NY (which I did), you see very little of Eleanor there. She felt imprisoned. And then her husband becomes President of the United States. Eleanor had little confidence in herself and worried she would be lost in the White House simply hosting dinner parties.
Lorena Hickok, loving called Hick by her friends, including Eleanor, provided a safe haven for Eleanor. Their friendship and affection for each other bolstered Eleanor as she grew into her role as First Lady. Again, the actual letters between the two women shine a light on this growing confidence in Eleanor, but her struggle with being who she was as opposed to the "personage" of the First Lady. Ultimately, the personage won, and became the strong and trendsetting First Lady that I admire so much.
I enjoyed the book very much. Perhaps you will, too.
The book is very tasteful regarding the physical intimacy between the two women. Don't expect any lurid sex scenes between Eleanor and Hick. The author Susan Wittig Albert researched the novel, not only as it relates to the relationship between the two women, but also the work they did. A poignant example was during the Depression Hick was working for Harry Hopkins in FERA (Federal Emergency Relief Administration). Her job was to tour the country and size up who needed federal emergency aid. This was in the early thirties when the Depression was at its worst. The author frequently used direct quotes from the women's letters which were very moving in their description of impoverished coalminers in West Virginia who subsisted on hogback, cornmeal and molasses.
Eleanor Roosevelt was raised by a stern Victorian aunt, and was continually criticized for being homely and incompetent. She then entered into a marriage with her fifth cousin FDR who was constantly unfaithful to her. Her mother-in-law dominated her. If you tour the family home in Hyde Park, NY (which I did), you see very little of Eleanor there. She felt imprisoned. And then her husband becomes President of the United States. Eleanor had little confidence in herself and worried she would be lost in the White House simply hosting dinner parties.
Lorena Hickok, loving called Hick by her friends, including Eleanor, provided a safe haven for Eleanor. Their friendship and affection for each other bolstered Eleanor as she grew into her role as First Lady. Again, the actual letters between the two women shine a light on this growing confidence in Eleanor, but her struggle with being who she was as opposed to the "personage" of the First Lady. Ultimately, the personage won, and became the strong and trendsetting First Lady that I admire so much.
I enjoyed the book very much. Perhaps you will, too.
August 12, 2017
Wow, just wow, still shaking my head. I learned so much about what the world was like in the early to mid 20th century. This novel spans the time period of what was my grandmother's lifetime. What I still don't know is how much this book was slanted toward the author's stanch stand that Eleanor and journalist Hickok had a long time lesbian affair and how much was a story of a very lost, unconfident First Lady finding her way in a very public life. Though I loved learning more about Eleanor it was Lenora Hickok's story of tough female journalist blazing a trail in a male dominated world that makes this a must read story. I'm very sure I could not have withstood nearly as well the very public scrutiny that Eleanor handled so deftly. A very engaging novel.
Read
November 7, 2017Interesting story about the relationship between first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and the journalist Lorena Hickok, told from "Hick"'s point of view. I'd heard that Roosevelt had had a long-term affair with a woman, but this book portrays all the nuances of that relationship in a beautiful way. I now want to learn more about Hick.
June 24, 2022
This is a fascinating look at a relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and an AP writer Lorena Hickok (Hick). Although fiction the author used 30 years of letters between the two women to support the novel.
I recommend this book to all who enjoy a look into the past of the USA.
I recommend this book to all who enjoy a look into the past of the USA.
June 7, 2025
As I dive into learning more about Eleanor Roosevelt, I appreciate this fictional interpretation of her and Hick’s relationship, which didn’t feel like a fictional interpretation at all. I found this novel to be deeply moving and a very realistic representation of the challenges of hiding a lesbian relationship, especially at a time when there was close to zero visibility. It’s heartbreaking in many ways and it’s also a beautiful novel about a very deep and profound love.
February 18, 2016
Albert, Susan Wittig. “Loving Eleanor”, Persevero Press, 2016.
Lorena and the First Lady
Amos Lassen
We have been hearing the rumors about former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt for years and now we have a fictionalized look at the love affair between her and reporter Lorena Hickok or Hick as she was familiarly known. Susan Witting Albert has based her novel onthe thousands of personal letters between the two women and what we read here is about two lonely women who through each other found solace and pleasure, each with the other.
Lorena Hickok was assigned to cover Eleanor Roosevelt as the wife of the Democratic presidential candidate in 1932 and as she did the two women become deeply, intimately involved. Their love for each other ended when both died in the 60s after some thirty years of love and friendship. Author Susan Wittig Albert has wonderfully written about the two women during some of the stormiest times in American history including the Depression and World War II. Eleanor comes through as a complex yet very warm woman who was obligated to not only her husband and family but to the politics of the time. We see Hick as a journalist who gave up everything for Eleanor and she had to find a way to be an independent woman in the process. Both women were intelligent and sensitive and they loved each other at a time in this country when this kind of love was looked at as immoral and distasteful.
Susan Wittig Albert research here is thorough and amazing. When over 3000 letters were unsealed, she had her work cut out for her. There are some wonderful inside views of Roosevelt as she realized what her life would be like as the wife of the President. We read of a highly intelligent woman who had to simply become a wife, a representative object and a symbol of the country thus limiting her from outside activities that she had once so enjoyed. This was quite a change for her and the life that she wanted to live was put on hold as she took up the job of being the First Lady.
What really struck me as I read was how real the two women became. The more I read the more I learned and even more important was that I loved them both on each page. Something I found here absolutely fascinates me and that is the fact that there are modern parallels in what we read and this further shows how true it is that “there is nothing new under the sun”. We see that Eleanor and her husband were opposites and yet they managed to support each other. Granted, this is fiction but it is based on fact. The history behind the story actually took place and we not only learn about Eleanor and Hick but also about the Depression and the war.
Everything between the two women began innocently and it was not until they were traveling together that they decided to share confidences. We see that both women felt that they had been unloved and unwanted as children. Perhaps this is what made Hick’s falling for Eleanor so easy. She also did investigative reporting for the President and managed to talk Eleanor into giving press conferences and later to write her own newspaper column that came to be “My Day” and it is still being looked at today. Eleanor also helped bring German and French Jews fleeing from the Holocaust to this country.
As I read I was surprised to discover that the Eleanor that I read about here was not the same as the Eleanor I thought I knew something about. Hick taught Eleanor how to make use of the media to claim her independence during FDR’s four terms in office. Hick suggested the First Lady’s press conferences and her newspaper column. Eleanor actually became the first lady to reach out extensively to the people and it was Hick that had a lot to do with that.
This new image of Eleanor Roosevelt, a surprise to many, launched the First Lady into the lives of the American people. At the same time, Hick’s innovative suggestions once implemented tore Eleanor away from Hick. This is really the story of two unconventional women who risked a great deal as they went after what they wanted and who they wanted to be.
If after reading this you still want to know more there is an excellent bibliography and list of resources. I recommend that you start here and then move on. You will not be disappointed.
Lorena and the First Lady
Amos Lassen
We have been hearing the rumors about former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt for years and now we have a fictionalized look at the love affair between her and reporter Lorena Hickok or Hick as she was familiarly known. Susan Witting Albert has based her novel onthe thousands of personal letters between the two women and what we read here is about two lonely women who through each other found solace and pleasure, each with the other.
Lorena Hickok was assigned to cover Eleanor Roosevelt as the wife of the Democratic presidential candidate in 1932 and as she did the two women become deeply, intimately involved. Their love for each other ended when both died in the 60s after some thirty years of love and friendship. Author Susan Wittig Albert has wonderfully written about the two women during some of the stormiest times in American history including the Depression and World War II. Eleanor comes through as a complex yet very warm woman who was obligated to not only her husband and family but to the politics of the time. We see Hick as a journalist who gave up everything for Eleanor and she had to find a way to be an independent woman in the process. Both women were intelligent and sensitive and they loved each other at a time in this country when this kind of love was looked at as immoral and distasteful.
Susan Wittig Albert research here is thorough and amazing. When over 3000 letters were unsealed, she had her work cut out for her. There are some wonderful inside views of Roosevelt as she realized what her life would be like as the wife of the President. We read of a highly intelligent woman who had to simply become a wife, a representative object and a symbol of the country thus limiting her from outside activities that she had once so enjoyed. This was quite a change for her and the life that she wanted to live was put on hold as she took up the job of being the First Lady.
What really struck me as I read was how real the two women became. The more I read the more I learned and even more important was that I loved them both on each page. Something I found here absolutely fascinates me and that is the fact that there are modern parallels in what we read and this further shows how true it is that “there is nothing new under the sun”. We see that Eleanor and her husband were opposites and yet they managed to support each other. Granted, this is fiction but it is based on fact. The history behind the story actually took place and we not only learn about Eleanor and Hick but also about the Depression and the war.
Everything between the two women began innocently and it was not until they were traveling together that they decided to share confidences. We see that both women felt that they had been unloved and unwanted as children. Perhaps this is what made Hick’s falling for Eleanor so easy. She also did investigative reporting for the President and managed to talk Eleanor into giving press conferences and later to write her own newspaper column that came to be “My Day” and it is still being looked at today. Eleanor also helped bring German and French Jews fleeing from the Holocaust to this country.
As I read I was surprised to discover that the Eleanor that I read about here was not the same as the Eleanor I thought I knew something about. Hick taught Eleanor how to make use of the media to claim her independence during FDR’s four terms in office. Hick suggested the First Lady’s press conferences and her newspaper column. Eleanor actually became the first lady to reach out extensively to the people and it was Hick that had a lot to do with that.
This new image of Eleanor Roosevelt, a surprise to many, launched the First Lady into the lives of the American people. At the same time, Hick’s innovative suggestions once implemented tore Eleanor away from Hick. This is really the story of two unconventional women who risked a great deal as they went after what they wanted and who they wanted to be.
If after reading this you still want to know more there is an excellent bibliography and list of resources. I recommend that you start here and then move on. You will not be disappointed.
February 5, 2016
An exquisite, moving and profound story of love.
Dear Readers, I think that every now and again a book comes along and makes you realise how little you actually know about historical events. This is one such book. I feel that something has changed inside me. A more open mind? A better grasp of historical facts? Yes, absolutely to both these questions.
I’m sure most of us have heard of Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin D Roosevelt, the president of the USA who steered the country through the Second World War. We also know from history that he’d suffered from polio, but what we may not know is that their marriage was more a match of convenience and each led a separate lifestyle.
Eleanor met Lorena Hickok (Hick) in 1928. Hick was the only woman reporter working for the Associated Press, stationed in New York. She was asked to cover the Democratic ticket. It wasn’t love at first sight, but over the years turned into a profound and very deep love affair. It was a difficult relationship because of Eleanor’s public position, but they kept their love alive by writing to each other every day, sometimes more than once a day. Every opportunity they could spend together, they did.
It wasn’t just the story of this love affair that makes this one of the most special books that is going to be published this year, but how Susan Wittig Albert has woven historical facts into the story. The crash of Wall Street and the effect it had on the country, is told through Hick’s reports. Thirteen million people were left unemployed after the crash.
Hick moved from working for Associated Press and worked for FERA, (Federal Emergency Relief Administration) and travelled the country sending reports back from the devastated countryside. Coal mines had dried up and become homes to the coalminers who lost their jobs. Droughts occurred that meant farmers were not able to grow crops. Shocking viruses were spreading amongst the poor.
Thanks to Hick, we get to know what the country was going through and THAT is what affected me the most. I had absolutely no idea what the United States had gone through. Eleanor was so shocked by the stories that Hick was relating, that she immediately offered help and support.
I hope that my review has tempted you to buy a copy of this vast story, covering not just a love story of a President’s wife with her very talented journalist lover, but a journey through history, starting in 1928 and ending with Eleanor’s death in 1962. The world is a far richer place thanks to courageous women and that’s the other message I’m taking away from this.
Treebeard
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
Dear Readers, I think that every now and again a book comes along and makes you realise how little you actually know about historical events. This is one such book. I feel that something has changed inside me. A more open mind? A better grasp of historical facts? Yes, absolutely to both these questions.
I’m sure most of us have heard of Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin D Roosevelt, the president of the USA who steered the country through the Second World War. We also know from history that he’d suffered from polio, but what we may not know is that their marriage was more a match of convenience and each led a separate lifestyle.
Eleanor met Lorena Hickok (Hick) in 1928. Hick was the only woman reporter working for the Associated Press, stationed in New York. She was asked to cover the Democratic ticket. It wasn’t love at first sight, but over the years turned into a profound and very deep love affair. It was a difficult relationship because of Eleanor’s public position, but they kept their love alive by writing to each other every day, sometimes more than once a day. Every opportunity they could spend together, they did.
It wasn’t just the story of this love affair that makes this one of the most special books that is going to be published this year, but how Susan Wittig Albert has woven historical facts into the story. The crash of Wall Street and the effect it had on the country, is told through Hick’s reports. Thirteen million people were left unemployed after the crash.
Hick moved from working for Associated Press and worked for FERA, (Federal Emergency Relief Administration) and travelled the country sending reports back from the devastated countryside. Coal mines had dried up and become homes to the coalminers who lost their jobs. Droughts occurred that meant farmers were not able to grow crops. Shocking viruses were spreading amongst the poor.
Thanks to Hick, we get to know what the country was going through and THAT is what affected me the most. I had absolutely no idea what the United States had gone through. Eleanor was so shocked by the stories that Hick was relating, that she immediately offered help and support.
I hope that my review has tempted you to buy a copy of this vast story, covering not just a love story of a President’s wife with her very talented journalist lover, but a journey through history, starting in 1928 and ending with Eleanor’s death in 1962. The world is a far richer place thanks to courageous women and that’s the other message I’m taking away from this.
Treebeard
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
March 6, 2016
In Loving Eleanor, Susan Wittig Albert's writing is the same direct, down to earth and entirely readable kind of story you find in her other books, but this time, Eleanor is a familiar and for some, including me, a beloved figure. This book is a work of fiction, but it is based on some actual events, letters and biographies about this great lady, Eleanor Roosevelt.
Loving Eleanor is an unashamed and straightforward telling of the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickock, who started out covering the soon to be First Lady as a journalist, and then fell headlong into a relationship with her. Loving Eleanor was clearly not for the faint of heart, for ER, as she is often referred to in the book, was a strong personality with a strong will and a determination to do what she pleased. It is to the great good fortune of the country that what she wanted benefited many. Her programs were often strongly woman centric, family centric and always approached with passion and strong resolve.
Unfortunately for Hick, as Lorena Hickok was called, it was ofter at loggerheads with her great passion, which was Eleanor. This being a novel, it was easy to take historical fact and then imagine what was happening behind the scenes. The author takes full advantage of that, and what we are left with is a book I was unwilling to put down. A book filled with great happiness, as well as heartbreak, betrayal, war, The Great Depression, civil rights injustices, and great love. The love is a thread through the book, and not just the feelings between Hick and ER, but others as well. Both women were strong, passionate and loving.
As I flew through the pages, I was familiar with much of this story, having read the Blanche Wiesen Cook biographical series on Eleanor. This takes those books and shines the light of imagination in many of the most intimate places, as well as some of the historical events that we tend to forget. Read this one, really. You won't regret one page or one minute.
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