Undiscovered Country

February 15, 2018

Lorena "Hick" Hickok is a tough-talking and hard-drinking New York City reporter from an abusive childhood, who suffers the pain and isolation that accompanies being a lesbian in 1903s America. Through her work she meets First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, trapped in a marriage with a philandering husband but supremely competent and energetic and devoted to social causes. Their relationship provides McNees with wonderful historical details such as the sapphire ring Hick gave Roosevelt (whom she called Nora), and their plans for a shared home in the future; she seamlessly weaves real-life details from their actual correspondence over 30 years (although Hick destroyed some of the most intimate letters) into her fictional depictions. The combination of sympathetic yet flawed characters, rich atmospheric details about Depression-era America, and lyrical writing make this one a winner. VERDICT In the wake of Susan Wittig Albert's recent Loving Eleanor and Amy Bloom's forthcoming White Houses, McNees (The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott) has written an engaging, richly detailed historical romance about a once overlooked love story now receiving renewed attention. Highly recommended for readers of Theresa Fowler's Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald or Paula McLain's The Paris Wife.--Elizabeth Safford, Boxford Town Lib., MA

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 26, 2018
Letters between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and journalist Lorena “Hick” Hickok inspire McNees’s rich exploration of their secret relationship. Narrated by Hick, the novel follows the trajectory of the relationship from its start in 1932, when Hick is assigned to cover Mrs. Roosevelt while her husband runs for president. There’s heat from the get-go between the two women. As their relationship develops, it’s implied that Hick galvanizes Mrs. Roosevelt to be more than just a social hostess in the White House—the Arthurdale homestead project, which Eleanor champions, is showcased here. After Hick is fired for choosing loyalty to Eleanor over headlines that would have compromised her access, the first lady creates a government job for Hick reporting on the horrific conditions caused by the Depression. Though McNees (The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott) leaves the end of their relationship out of the narrative, which may frustrate some readers seeking a more thorough depiction, her novel nevertheless provides a moving and intimate glimpse of Hick and Roosevelt.