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archytas's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Quinn tells a surprisingly engaging story of the enduring relationship between writer/journalist/activist Lorena Hickok and Eleanor Roosevelt. I came in knowing little, so there were surprises galore from how I thought this story would go. Eleanor's comfort with lesbianism for starters, given her closest friends were a female couple, and that homophobia seemed barely a blip in their lives. What was, my second surprise, was clearly Hick's being somewhat of a more strident FDR fan than ER was, and the way this tension between FDR as a leader being good for the country, and how much ER hated being First Lady played out. Then there is the class differences, and how the snobbery plays out, and the somehow tragic reality that Hick's career was more torpedoed than supported by the relationship. Fourthly, that FDR and ER led essentially separate lives, with mutual respect and domestic arrangements that worked, but nothing resembling an intimate partnership. My last surprise, of course, was that Hickok wrote one of my favourite books, the Story of Helen Keller, which blew. my. mind. as a child. And nobody mentioned the author was the lesbian lover of a First Lady!
Quinn avoids canonising the couple - she gives us each ones' point of view, but also doesn't skimp over their less likeable qualities, their mistakes and the ways in which they let each other down. It is a real portrait of a relationship under extraordinary pressure, and women attempting to live happy, authentic lives when every choice is a pitfall.
There are some fabulous anecdotes scattered through, never entirely gratuitously, (who would be surprised to learn that Churchill sounded like the houseguest from hell?) but the focus is on a broader narrative - that of two women navigating personal happiness in the midst of duty, progressive politics and a terrible war. The push and pull of their politics, their responsibilities and their passions made for a great story, and one that lingers.
Quinn avoids canonising the couple - she gives us each ones' point of view, but also doesn't skimp over their less likeable qualities, their mistakes and the ways in which they let each other down. It is a real portrait of a relationship under extraordinary pressure, and women attempting to live happy, authentic lives when every choice is a pitfall.
There are some fabulous anecdotes scattered through, never entirely gratuitously, (who would be surprised to learn that Churchill sounded like the houseguest from hell?) but the focus is on a broader narrative - that of two women navigating personal happiness in the midst of duty, progressive politics and a terrible war. The push and pull of their politics, their responsibilities and their passions made for a great story, and one that lingers.
readerpants's review against another edition
3.0
Oh for a half-star option! This is 3.5 stars for me.
Many fascinating moments and (for sure) lots of new-to-me information, though the pacing was uneven and parts definitely dragged. Mostly it was a book about the roots of White Feminism (TM) in a way that felt pretty uncomfortable and only spottily examined.
Many fascinating moments and (for sure) lots of new-to-me information, though the pacing was uneven and parts definitely dragged. Mostly it was a book about the roots of White Feminism (TM) in a way that felt pretty uncomfortable and only spottily examined.
vezreads's review against another edition
I'm interested in the story but the writing was just not drawing me in.
monicamjw's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting look into the lives, times, and relationships of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickock. I found the subtitle - "The Love Affair that Shaped a First Lady" - a bit off, however - while it certainly shaped Hick's life, my impression was it encouraged and supported E.R.'s more than "shaping" it.
magslyt77's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 - The title and summary of this book was definitely misleading. While the relationship between Roosevelt and Hickok was a common thread, it read as more one-sided in this portrayal. I still enjoyed learning more about the role that Eleanor Roosevelt had in National and global politics & of course humanitarian work, but wasn’t what I had anticipated when picking up this read.