Download Your Copy Undiscovered Country: A Novel Inspired By The Lives Of Eleanor Roosevelt And Lorena Hickok Assembled By Kelly OConnor McNees Available In Audiobook

novels based on the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok were published in, I wish I had read them closer together so that I could compare them more directly, Both are narrated by "Hick," and both assume a sexually intimate relationship, something that not all historians agree on, This one has a more compressed time frame, covering only the period from Octoberto the end of, Amy Bloom's is much more popular with GoodReads readers, but this one is better loved,average rating compared to.for Bloom's. In a quick perusal of the reviews here, I only saw one that did compare them directly, to the detriment of this one, I found this one to be a bit too sentimental, almost like a romance novel at times, with uncounted instances stating the longing that the two characters felt for each other when apart which was most of the time.
The author does devote a fair amount of space to the Arthurdale project in West Virginia, a pet project of Eleanor's, in an attempt to add some heft to the story.
But although Eleanor Roosevelt is certainly an admirable character, she is too heroic here to be entirely believable, UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY is actually the third fictional account I have read about Lorena "Hick" Hickok and Eleanor Roosevelt, And, I would, without any problems, read at least three more, I find both women fascinating to read about and I like reading new books that take a different look at their relationship,

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT sitelinkFRESH FICTION! A great look behind the curtain at a relationship that has not been covered extensively.
This is a beautifully written novel, I wish I could give itstars, McNeess use of metaphor and vivid imagery is exquisite, The use of firstperson narrative and Lorena Hickocks voice to tell the story is spoton and the treatment of the well documented relationship between

Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok Hick is realistic, sensitive and wrenching.
I laughed out loud a few times and ached for the characters in other places, You get hooked early and cant help but love Hick and her story, It also paints a historically accurate depiction of The Great Depression and the horrible poverty in America in thes, I highly recommend this novel, Kelly O'Connor McNees is simply a beautiful writer, I have adored all her novels and have eagerly been awaiting the release of Undiscovered Country, She has a way of capturing characters and setting that stay with you long after you've turned the last page, I can't wait to see what she does next! Tender and heartbreaking love story, Loved the writing, only criticism is it went by too fast,: Undiscovered Country by Kelly O'Connor McNees, . . a "gift" from the Book of the Month Club with a deadline for reading and a survey to be completed an opportunity and assignment I COMPLETELY relished!, This beautifully and well told fictional story is based on the volume of correspondence exchanged between Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok, an AP journalist assigned to FDR and his wife during his Presidential campaign.
I struggle with the genre, honestly, that is neither true nonfiction nor completely fiction, Historical fiction is not my goto genre, but when I read it I do so critically, wishing to identify and process appropriately the unbelievable parts as well as the believable ones that then aid my understanding of or fill in the blanks of that time and place.
I wrestle even more, I think, with what this is while McNees is completely honest about the story itself and conveys, even, that one of the characters completely her creation rather than fact, I have a hard time filing it for myself, given that it's based on REAL people and a potentially REAL story.
. . but not truth or fact in its telling, But that is not to indicate at all a dislike or discredit for this story or book, McNees is a talented artist, telling well the story she crafts, using valuable and even poetic devices as well as enjoyable and invigorating diction, and also creating complex and viable characters of these women, making them believable as well as engaging readers in their story.
Hopefully BOTM does feature it, . . and then also gives me the opportunity to do more for them! : my thoughts for this book can best be described as "okay, i guess" it's going to completely vanish from my mind in one month's time and when i look back at my list of books ini'm going to think 'oh right i read the gay eleanor roosevelt novel.
hm. ' and then it will once again vanish from my mind,

kelly o'connor mcnees is a fine writer, in my opinion, i found the prose in the first half to be wellcrafted and evocative, but it inexplicably tapered off in the second half.
moreover o'connor mcnees doesn't manage to truly sell the romance, the brief scene of hick amp nora listening to a tenor sing an aria they'd heard the other night from his balcony on a crowded new york street, while being unable to physically touch and feeling that ache was great, but that was the peak.
after that, the romance plateaued until it almost reached "very good friends" territory, this book cannot decide whether it wants to be about hickok amp roosevelt's relationship, or their humanitarian efforts, and, while it is definitely possible to explore both with equal weight, there was a definite wedge down the centre of the book.
the first half is a love story, the second half is a crusade against poverty,

of my further grievances, i'll spare you the majority and leave you with this: the book vaguely operates on a framework of hick in the future telling the reader her story.
i say vaguely because it comes up perhaps two times in the beginningmost notably when narratorhick interjects that she cannot talk about her amp nora sleeping together because she "promised to protect her"before being discarded almost immediately.
now, i'm not mad that i didn't get to read about eleanor roosevelt having sex in fact i'm rather glad i didn't, it just felt like an odd place to cut in rather than a simple fade to black.
Actually finished this book a week ago, The book left me with many unanswered questions, As a novel I shouldn't expect more, but since the book focused on the relationship of two prominent women I wanted more, I grew up in a household where both FDR and Eleanor were worshipped for their liberal thinking by the standards of the time, To read a fictionalized account of these personalities and the programs they proposed left me wanting to know where the line was drawn The hook here was the relationship between the FLOTUS and Lorena Hickok.
Don't expect a love story or even a happy ending, unless you are into unrequited types, Again, truth v fiction makes for lots of gray lines, The back story of Lorena Hickok would've been more up my aisle as Eleanor was too busy to be bothered with a lover, much less with a reader.
Imminently readable and relatable. I like when historic fiction makes me want to learn more about the actual historic figures in the book, After reading this novel, I wanted to learn more about Hick and her role in Eleanors life and Roosevelts White House,

I highly recommend this book if youre at all interested in the Great Depression, the Roosevelts, women in journalism, lesbians in thes, or the domestic arrangements of the wealthy.
Its a solid read. Theres nothing wrong with this book, except that it cant hold a candle to White Houses, Might return to it someday, A different look at the depression through the love affair between first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and journalist Lorena Hickock, An easy to read historical fiction, Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok exchanged more thanletters over ayear relationship, In this novel their relationship is explored, Were they friends or more than friends The author uses the visit of Hickok to view and report the deplorable conditions in West Virginia that prompted Mrs Roosevelt to build Arthurdale, a town of small homes to house the poor.
The truth of their relationship will never be known, but this is an interesting take on it, .