Amy Bloom’s latest novel, White Houses, is a work of historical fiction that recreates the love affair between Eleanor Roosevelt and journalist Lorena Hickok. The novel is told from Lorena’s perspective and spans decades, encompassing everything from her abusive childhood in South Dakota to her time spent living in the White House (and ultimately finds her in her elderly years). Lorena makes a witty, charismatic narrator, and her relationship with Eleanor seems built on a mutual respect for each other’s strength. As a result, White Houses is a charming and tender depiction of middle-aged love, and Bloom captures the gamut of emotions—everything from rapture to pain—that accompanies growing older with someone. Lorena’s childhood in South Dakota informs facets of her relationship with Eleanor, and this section proves to be one of the most moving and vivid parts of the novel. Lorena’s family is in extreme poverty and Lorena endures sexual abuse and horrible work conditions before she successfully escapes her father’s clutches. It’s in this heart-wrenching section that Bloom plants seeds for what later becomes an interesting aspect of Lorena’s relationship with Eleanor, which is her need to negotiate the class differences between her and her lover. The majority of the continue...