A few years ago, when Amy Bloom's last novel, Lucky Us, came out, I read an interview with Bloom in which she said that her children said about her work: "It's always about sex and death." I thought that sounded intriguing.
So when my book group chose White Houses to read, I looked forward to it.
White Houses is historical fiction, about the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and her lover, the newspaper reporter Lorena Hickok.
I didn't like the beginning. The scene in the opening chapter takes place just after the death of Franklin Roosevelt, and Eleanor and Lorena meet again after having been apart for some years. This scene emphasized the class difference between Eleanor and Lorena: Eleanor enters the apartment and sheds her clothes as she walks through it; Lorena follows, picking up Eleanor's clothes off the floor and hanging them up.
But I found as I read on that this novel was a compelling read. There's a tremendous amount written about the life of Eleanor Roosevelt, and Bloom seems to have read it all. It's clear she did a great deal of research. The narrative is full of observations about Eleanor's life, the many people she knew, and the many things she did.
We also learn about Lorena's hardscrabble rural background. This interest in the Depression and the period before it reminds me that Lucky Us was set during the depression (and partly in Hollywood).
There's an interesting contrast, to me, between Lorena's deeply practical nature and the richness of Bloom's language. Bloom is a wonderful writer, and her prose just pulled me along.
So when my book group chose White Houses to read, I looked forward to it.
White Houses is historical fiction, about the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and her lover, the newspaper reporter Lorena Hickok.
I didn't like the beginning. The scene in the opening chapter takes place just after the death of Franklin Roosevelt, and Eleanor and Lorena meet again after having been apart for some years. This scene emphasized the class difference between Eleanor and Lorena: Eleanor enters the apartment and sheds her clothes as she walks through it; Lorena follows, picking up Eleanor's clothes off the floor and hanging them up.
But I found as I read on that this novel was a compelling read. There's a tremendous amount written about the life of Eleanor Roosevelt, and Bloom seems to have read it all. It's clear she did a great deal of research. The narrative is full of observations about Eleanor's life, the many people she knew, and the many things she did.
We also learn about Lorena's hardscrabble rural background. This interest in the Depression and the period before it reminds me that Lucky Us was set during the depression (and partly in Hollywood).
There's an interesting contrast, to me, between Lorena's deeply practical nature and the richness of Bloom's language. Bloom is a wonderful writer, and her prose just pulled me along.
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