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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Historical Fiction (2017)Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
389 pages, Hardcover
First published June 13, 2017
About the author
Taylor Jenkins Reid
20 books195k followersTaylor Jenkins Reid is the New York Times bestselling author of Carrie Soto Is Back, Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones & The Six, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as four other novels. Her next novel, Atmosphere, will be published in June 2025. She lives in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 299,258 reviews
March 27, 2019
5/5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
This book is phenomenal. This book is spectacular. This book is outstanding. I have nothing negative to say about this book. It's a pure 5 star for me. I'm irrevocably astonished and astounded. I want to hug and kiss this book till I bleed. I couldn't leave it down. I just couldn't. Storytime. It's 12:36am, I have to wake up in 7 hours or so and I'm casually reading this book. I'm on page 233, 50 pages after it got amazingly good for me. And then this line makes its fucking appearance. "I have no idea that in less than a week, Evelyn Hugo will finish her story, and I'll find out what this has all been about, and I will hate her so much that I'll be truly afraid I might kill her." LIKE??? AFTER THIS LINE I HAD TO FINISH THIS BOOK. And I decided I would finish it. I would read more than 150 pages and finish it. So I went to my obligation the next day with 4 hours of sleep but I was happy about it. Because I knew I couldn't survive a whole day without finishing this book. I would die. This is the impact this book has had on me. Now, let's talk specifics.
Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds through the decades—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
Historical fiction is my favorite genre of all time. I love it in every form, books, tv shows, movies. But not this kind of historical fiction, the Outlander and Ross Poldark kind of historical fiction. The older one, you could say. Also, historical fiction about wars and stuff, which is more recent. But I have never read something about the Old Hollywood. I have only watched movies and tv shows about it. So this was new territory for me.
I will admit, it took me about 150 pages to get fully immersed into the story. Up until that point, the book was a 4 star for me. Which is still amazing, but I didn't quite understand the hype till that point. A little after Evelyn divulges her secret love, and basically everything starts, my wig is totally snatched. I'm into the book 100%, ready to know EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING. The pace was so incredibly fast, there was not a moment I felt my eyes close. The writing was impeccable, some narrations of scenes kept my heart racing. There weren't any redundant descriptions of places or rooms, there were descriptions of faces and clothes which kept me enthralled into to the story. The author did an amazing research, it was obvious that she knew her shit, everything was on point. The story kept me on my toes each time with its smart maneuvers, the schemes, the plans, everything the main characters did, all the choices they made, to dodge unfortunate situations. Everything was just... on point. I have nothing bad to say. This never happens. This book was just too perfect. I want to cry because, if not for the hype, I wouldn't have picked up this book. And I would have lost such an amazing journey, such an important book. Thank you all for loving this book and making me love it too.
Evelyn. Evelyn Hugo is the most flawlessly written character I have ever witnessed. No, wrong. She isn't a character to me. She is a person. With influences from Merilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, the author made Evelyn Hugo her own star. Every time I would read about a scene from one of the movies, I was like "Oh, I will watch that movie next.", and then I remembered that she doesn't actually exist. Which made me sad, because all of the content of this book was so interesting. I felt like I was reading an actual autobiography from a real legendary actress. It was incredible. Evelyn is such a good written character, a good written character, not a good person. She is raw, devious, manipulative, scheming, cold-hearted. She is basically a bitch. But you can't help but to want to know everything about her. You want to slap the shit out of her one moment and then hug her the next. She is sensual, enticing, seductive. She always knows what to say to make you believe in her cause. She uses her greatest assets to her benefit, and she isn't ashamed about it. She doesn't give a fuck. She wants to climb the ladder and she will do anything to achieve her goal. Even marry seven men who will serve her purpose. And she does it. With her scandalous life and her improved acting skills and beneficial movie choices, she climbs to the top. But we also see her sensitive side, her human side. We see her deep friendship with Harry, another remarkable character. We see her love for her child. We see her devotion to Celia. We see her as a human too, with real emotions. And I find that marvelous. I wish all characters in books had so much depth, so much meaning. And not the John Green kind of pretentious deep meaning. The real one.
Monique. An underdeveloped character, in my opinion. I didn't care that much about her, but her story was gripping. To be honest, Evelyn didn't let me care a lot about any other character. She took my attention all to herself. Which is what she did with the entire world. But anyway. An unknown journalist requested to write one of the most popular actresses' biography. A 35 year old woman, who feels like she hasn't achieved much so far in her life. She has a ruined marriage, an under prestigious job, she has been under appreciated all her life, even though she possesses many skills. She is also a POC, and she is mislabeled literally every day. I needed more of her character, I needed to see more of her. But after Evelyn's story started, we didn't get much of her. But I'm so happy that she stood up to herself and her self love grew. That Evelyn showed her the way, and she got out of a meaningless marriage, she made deals regarding her job, her future, she stood on her own two feet. I'm really proud of her.
THE REPRESENTATION. THIS BOOK HAD THE BEST REPRESENTATION I HAVE EVER SEEN. Suck it all of you who keep saying a historian fiction can't entail good representation. IN YOUR FACES. We have two main interracial characters. One bisexual character, one lesbian character and one gay character. And these are just the main character. We also got side representation, from not as important characters in the story. This factor upped the story so much to me. We got to see the struggles that POV and gay people used to face in a time like this. We got to see our main character hide her true lineage to rise at the top of Hollywood. We got to see two lovers hiding their true sexuality, hiding their undying love for each other because the world would never understand. The conversations between the characters about homophobia of that time period were heartbreaking. I saw so much of our own time in them. So many things have changed since then in our world, and so many have not. We can see the comparisons from these types of books. And it's a reminder of how our society is moving forward of backwards. The representation made this book what it is. If every single character was white and straight, I wouldn't have been as awed by this book as I am now. And I am myself, a while straight female. Imagine how important representation is for people who can actually relate to it. I would never understand.
This book had so many layers. Everything was thought of and processed. Nothing was sloppy, nothing was lacking meaning. Every single word had its reason to be written. I feel privileged to have had the honor of reading this book. It will stick to me for a very long time. I also enjoyed the little snippets we got from the newspapers. They made the setting all the much more real. The relationships were everything, the friendships, the love stories. Evelyn's life is so engaging and complicated, you can't get enough of it. We truly see how corrupt the Old Hollywood was. And it makes us think about the New Hollywood. Is it still like this? Is everything we see just a fabricated lie? All the lies the characters came up with, seemed to work. I guess, we can never know what happens between closed doors. But I think the New Hollywood is more sincere. It's more about talent, at the most part. I'd like to hope so.
In conclusion, I could rave about this book for days. I have so much to say, I could write a book myself. But I'm gonna end it here. This book was a present sent to me by God himself. I want to read it again and again and again and absorb its wisdom. This book would be such an amazing source material for a movie adaptation. WE NEED THIS TO HAPPEN. But I'm scared they would ruin it. I'm always scared with book to movie adaptations. We all readers are. Anyway, I couldn't recommend this enough. It doesn't matter if you don't read historical fiction or adult, PICK THIS BOOK UP. You won't regret it one bit. So, till the next one... K BYE!!!
“People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is 'you're safe with me'- that's intimacy.”
This book is phenomenal. This book is spectacular. This book is outstanding. I have nothing negative to say about this book. It's a pure 5 star for me. I'm irrevocably astonished and astounded. I want to hug and kiss this book till I bleed. I couldn't leave it down. I just couldn't. Storytime. It's 12:36am, I have to wake up in 7 hours or so and I'm casually reading this book. I'm on page 233, 50 pages after it got amazingly good for me. And then this line makes its fucking appearance. "I have no idea that in less than a week, Evelyn Hugo will finish her story, and I'll find out what this has all been about, and I will hate her so much that I'll be truly afraid I might kill her." LIKE??? AFTER THIS LINE I HAD TO FINISH THIS BOOK. And I decided I would finish it. I would read more than 150 pages and finish it. So I went to my obligation the next day with 4 hours of sleep but I was happy about it. Because I knew I couldn't survive a whole day without finishing this book. I would die. This is the impact this book has had on me. Now, let's talk specifics.
Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds through the decades—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
Historical fiction is my favorite genre of all time. I love it in every form, books, tv shows, movies. But not this kind of historical fiction, the Outlander and Ross Poldark kind of historical fiction. The older one, you could say. Also, historical fiction about wars and stuff, which is more recent. But I have never read something about the Old Hollywood. I have only watched movies and tv shows about it. So this was new territory for me.
I will admit, it took me about 150 pages to get fully immersed into the story. Up until that point, the book was a 4 star for me. Which is still amazing, but I didn't quite understand the hype till that point. A little after Evelyn divulges her secret love, and basically everything starts, my wig is totally snatched. I'm into the book 100%, ready to know EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING. The pace was so incredibly fast, there was not a moment I felt my eyes close. The writing was impeccable, some narrations of scenes kept my heart racing. There weren't any redundant descriptions of places or rooms, there were descriptions of faces and clothes which kept me enthralled into to the story. The author did an amazing research, it was obvious that she knew her shit, everything was on point. The story kept me on my toes each time with its smart maneuvers, the schemes, the plans, everything the main characters did, all the choices they made, to dodge unfortunate situations. Everything was just... on point. I have nothing bad to say. This never happens. This book was just too perfect. I want to cry because, if not for the hype, I wouldn't have picked up this book. And I would have lost such an amazing journey, such an important book. Thank you all for loving this book and making me love it too.
Evelyn. Evelyn Hugo is the most flawlessly written character I have ever witnessed. No, wrong. She isn't a character to me. She is a person. With influences from Merilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, the author made Evelyn Hugo her own star. Every time I would read about a scene from one of the movies, I was like "Oh, I will watch that movie next.", and then I remembered that she doesn't actually exist. Which made me sad, because all of the content of this book was so interesting. I felt like I was reading an actual autobiography from a real legendary actress. It was incredible. Evelyn is such a good written character, a good written character, not a good person. She is raw, devious, manipulative, scheming, cold-hearted. She is basically a bitch. But you can't help but to want to know everything about her. You want to slap the shit out of her one moment and then hug her the next. She is sensual, enticing, seductive. She always knows what to say to make you believe in her cause. She uses her greatest assets to her benefit, and she isn't ashamed about it. She doesn't give a fuck. She wants to climb the ladder and she will do anything to achieve her goal. Even marry seven men who will serve her purpose. And she does it. With her scandalous life and her improved acting skills and beneficial movie choices, she climbs to the top. But we also see her sensitive side, her human side. We see her deep friendship with Harry, another remarkable character. We see her love for her child. We see her devotion to Celia. We see her as a human too, with real emotions. And I find that marvelous. I wish all characters in books had so much depth, so much meaning. And not the John Green kind of pretentious deep meaning. The real one.
Monique. An underdeveloped character, in my opinion. I didn't care that much about her, but her story was gripping. To be honest, Evelyn didn't let me care a lot about any other character. She took my attention all to herself. Which is what she did with the entire world. But anyway. An unknown journalist requested to write one of the most popular actresses' biography. A 35 year old woman, who feels like she hasn't achieved much so far in her life. She has a ruined marriage, an under prestigious job, she has been under appreciated all her life, even though she possesses many skills. She is also a POC, and she is mislabeled literally every day. I needed more of her character, I needed to see more of her. But after Evelyn's story started, we didn't get much of her. But I'm so happy that she stood up to herself and her self love grew. That Evelyn showed her the way, and she got out of a meaningless marriage, she made deals regarding her job, her future, she stood on her own two feet. I'm really proud of her.
THE REPRESENTATION. THIS BOOK HAD THE BEST REPRESENTATION I HAVE EVER SEEN. Suck it all of you who keep saying a historian fiction can't entail good representation. IN YOUR FACES. We have two main interracial characters. One bisexual character, one lesbian character and one gay character. And these are just the main character. We also got side representation, from not as important characters in the story. This factor upped the story so much to me. We got to see the struggles that POV and gay people used to face in a time like this. We got to see our main character hide her true lineage to rise at the top of Hollywood. We got to see two lovers hiding their true sexuality, hiding their undying love for each other because the world would never understand. The conversations between the characters about homophobia of that time period were heartbreaking. I saw so much of our own time in them. So many things have changed since then in our world, and so many have not. We can see the comparisons from these types of books. And it's a reminder of how our society is moving forward of backwards. The representation made this book what it is. If every single character was white and straight, I wouldn't have been as awed by this book as I am now. And I am myself, a while straight female. Imagine how important representation is for people who can actually relate to it. I would never understand.
This book had so many layers. Everything was thought of and processed. Nothing was sloppy, nothing was lacking meaning. Every single word had its reason to be written. I feel privileged to have had the honor of reading this book. It will stick to me for a very long time. I also enjoyed the little snippets we got from the newspapers. They made the setting all the much more real. The relationships were everything, the friendships, the love stories. Evelyn's life is so engaging and complicated, you can't get enough of it. We truly see how corrupt the Old Hollywood was. And it makes us think about the New Hollywood. Is it still like this? Is everything we see just a fabricated lie? All the lies the characters came up with, seemed to work. I guess, we can never know what happens between closed doors. But I think the New Hollywood is more sincere. It's more about talent, at the most part. I'd like to hope so.
In conclusion, I could rave about this book for days. I have so much to say, I could write a book myself. But I'm gonna end it here. This book was a present sent to me by God himself. I want to read it again and again and again and absorb its wisdom. This book would be such an amazing source material for a movie adaptation. WE NEED THIS TO HAPPEN. But I'm scared they would ruin it. I'm always scared with book to movie adaptations. We all readers are. Anyway, I couldn't recommend this enough. It doesn't matter if you don't read historical fiction or adult, PICK THIS BOOK UP. You won't regret it one bit. So, till the next one... K BYE!!!
April 28, 2019
”Evelyn always leaves you hoping you’ll get just a little bit more. And she always denies you.”
This book was so, so, so GOOD!! I swear I was barely two pages in and already knew that I’d love it with all my heart! <3 There’s just something about that golden Hollywood era that captivated me right from the beginning and once Evelyn entered the scene I was a goner. I just loved the way her story was told!
We didn’t only get the interviews with Monique but also were able to read news articles about her life and this made everything so much more intriguing. I mean “Hollywood Digest”, “Sub Rosa” or the “New York Tribune”, they all wrote about Evelyn’s life and those articles give an authenticity that makes this book feel real. It could have happened, Evelyn could have been a real Hollywood Star and people could have been as fascinated by her as by Marilyn Monroe or Marlene Dietrich.
I think to some degree Taylor Jenkins Reid might have even had Marilyn Monroe in her mind when she wrote Evelyn’s character and knowing how awesome Marilyn was this really doesn’t come as a surprise. XD Another thing I appreciated was that every husband got a part of this book and even though there were seven of them, who all influenced Evelyn and left a mark on her character, none of them actually was her one true love. It’s a very particular approach to a great story and I loved the way it was carried out.
Still, after I read the ending my mind was reeling and my feelings were so mixed that I had a tough time coming to terms with everything that was revealed. There were so many things I felt conflicted about and even now, after more than a week has passed, I still didn’t manage to sort out my feelings and I still don’t know what to do with them. Maybe I’ll have to get used to the idea that to think about Evelyn Hugo and her seven husbands will always make me feel conflicted and that there’s no such thing as making peace with an ending like that.
And maybe, just maybe, that was Taylor Jenkins Reid’s plan all along. ;-)
The characters:
Welcome to my characters section, aka “The spoilery spoiler zone”! If you didn’t read the book yet and still want to be surprised by its revelations you better don’t continue to read my review. I’m worse than any tabloid mentioned in this book and I’ll spoil you relentlessly! If you still want to read my gossip, go ahead, but don’t say I didn’t warn you! ;-P
Evelyn Hugo:
”And I didn’t say I was confessing any sins. To say that what I have to tell is a sin is misleading and hurtful. I don’t feel regret for the things I’ve done – at least, not the things you might expect – despite how hard they may have been or how repugnant they may seem in the cold light of day.”
Oh, Evelyn! Where do I even begin? I loved that woman so damn much, I can’t even! <333 It’s so rare to meet such a complex character in a book but damn Evelyn just had it all! She was neither white nor black, and if anything she was all different shades of grey. I loved that she was so ruthless, that she did what she had to do in order to get what she wanted, that she was unapologetic about her decisions and behaviour and that she never held back and just wanted it all! Celia was right, at times Evelyn could be really awful and egoistic, but damn did her good qualities make up for it. Compassionate, caring and protective of the ones she loved she would have done everything possible to keep them safe and happy. Gosh, WHAT. A. WOMAN! I think I might be in love with her! <333
”Did I want to make as much money as Don? Of course I did. I wanted to get the paycheck and mail a copy of it to him with a photo of my middle finger. But mostly I wanted the freedom to do whatever I wanted.”
”I told her every single day that her life had been the world’s greatest gift to me, that I believed I was put on earth not to make movies or wear emerald-green gowns and wave at crowds but to be her mother.”
”I regret every second I didn’t spend with her. I regret every stupid thing I did that caused her an ounce of pain. I should have chased her down the street the day she left me. I should have begged her to stay. I should have apologized and sent roses and stood on top of the Hollywood sign and shouted, ‘I’m in love with Celia St. James!’ and let them crucify me for it.”
Celia St. James:
”I really like you. I like watching you on-screen. I like how the moment you show up in a scene, I can’t look at anything else. I like the way your skin is too dark for your blond hair, the way the two shouldn’t go together and yet seem so natural on you. And to be honest, I like how calculating and awful you kind of are.”
Now here’s the thing, I know that Celia was the love of Evelyn’s life and I could see that they loved each other deeply, but – and here comes the huge BUT – I had the feeling that I could never truly connect to her. I don’t know what it was that kept me from adoring her the way I adore Evelyn but I think it might have been the sum of thousands of little things that ultimately left a bad taste in my mouth. For instance I hated that Evelyn always seemed to feel like she had done something wrong and that it was her responsibility to set things right again. I mean Celia threw a lot of awful things at her too, but in the end it always seemed to be Evelyn that blamed herself for it. Also I didn’t like that Celia wasn’t only self-righteous but also more than just a little judgemental. You’d think a person who represents the “L” in LGBTQ+ would be more accepting and open-minded when her partner is bi, but nope Celia was almost as bi-phobic as the men in Evelyn’s life and that made me really sad. =(
”That was how it was with Celia. When you denied her what she wanted, when you hurt her, she made sure you hurt, too.”
”So I told myself that the spark between Celia and me was just a quirk we had. Which was convincing as long as it remained quirky.
Sometimes reality comes crashing down on you. Other times reality simply waits, patiently, for you to run out of the energy it takes to deny it.”
Harry Cameron:
”I want to be with someone I love. I want to have a companion. I’d like to bring someone home to my family. I don’t want to live alone anymore. And I want a son or a daughter. We could have that together. I can’t give you everything. I know that. But I want to raise a family, and I’d love to raise one with you.”
Aside from Evelyn, Harry Cameron was truly the best thing about this entire book! <33 I loved this man so much and I think he’s an angel! He was always respectful and supportive and even more important he accepted Evelyn exactly the way she was. I loved that he and Evelyn always tried to solve every problem together and I hated to see him so sad after the death of John. T_T Harry’s grief broke my heart and even though he was drinking way too much he never did anything stupid. I mean he never hurt Evelyn or got frustrated with her, he only tried to compensate his grief without hurting anyone else in the process. Even when it came to this he was considerate and kind. =(( Poor Harry, though. It made me so damn sad that he had to go and I admit it, I actually shed some tears when he died. T_T
Monique Grant:
”Why, until this moment, did I not realize that the issue is my own confidence? That the root of most of my problems is that I need to be secure enough in who I am to tell anyone who doesn’t like it to go fuck themselves? Why have I spent so long settling for less when I know damn well the world expects more?”
To say their relationship was complicated would be putting it more than just mildly! It was really interesting to see Monique’s character arc though. I mean at the beginning she was a shy mouse that didn’t dare to say anything to her boss and by the end of the book she was a young successful woman who stood up for herself and finally had the guts to make decisions she never even dared to consider. I think that to get to know Evelyn and to find out the truth behind her father’s death was necessary to find her happiness and I’m convinced that both of those things were able to give her some closure. I could understand her anger towards Evelyn, her hurt when she found out what she had done and the inability to truly hate her for it. Because she got to know the person behind the movie star and she knew how broken Evelyn was on the inside, how much pain she had suffered, how much loss she had endured. =( Still, that scene when she pondered whether to get on the train or not, the thoughts that crossed her mind, her inner struggle how to deal with the situation at hand. Damn, this was one of the best book moments I ever had the pleasure to read. Well done, Taylor Jenkins Reid, well done! I had goose bumps following that inner conflict. *shudders*
”I’m Evelyn.” She reaches out and takes my hand, shaking it. It strikes me as a unique form of power to say your own name when you know that everyone in the room, everyone in the world, already knows it.”
”I insist that you be ruthless in your negotiating, Monique. Make them pay you what they would pay a white man. And then, once you’ve done that, every penny from it will be yours.”
The relationships & ships:
Evelyn & Celia:
”I wanted to give her a lot of things. I wanted what I had to be hers. I wondered if this was what it felt like to love someone.”
Those two were the death of me, I swear! Their ups and downs, their struggles and fights, their love and dreams, their hopes and shattered realities. ARGH! It was so obvious they loved each other, yet they could never be together. Because the world didn’t let them and wouldn’t have understood, because they didn’t want the same thing, because they weren’t ready to be in a relationship and unable to make arrangements. Because… just BECAUSE! There was always another reason why they couldn’t be happy, another misunderstanding that tore at their foundations, another bump on the road that caused them to drift apart. They loved and lost and loved and lost again. It was so heart-breaking to watch! And Celia, she killed me. With everything she said to Evelyn! I knew she loved her, yet she hurt her so much! >_< I just wished she would have had more sympathy for Evelyn’s outlook and I really wish she would have tried to understand Evelyn’s sexuality. So many of their problems could have been solved, they could have gained so many years if they just would have allowed themselves to be who they are. Their love was so tragic… more tragic than any of the movies they produced over the years. And it really made me sad. T_T
”Evelyn, who was your great love? You can tell me.”
Evelyn looks out the window, breathes in deeply, and then says, “Celia St. James.”
The room is quiet as Evelyn lets herself hear her own words. And then she smiles, a bright, wide, deeply sincere smile. She starts laughing to herself and then refocuses on me. “I feel like I spent my entire life loving her.”
”It’s not wrong,” Celia said. “It shouldn’t be wrong, to love you. How can it be wrong?”
“It’s not wrong, sweetheart. It’s not,” I said. “They’re wrong.”
”If you love someone enough, you should be able to overcome anything,” she said. “And we have always loved each other so much, more than I ever thought I could be loved, more than I ever thought I could love. So why … why couldn’t we overcome it?”
“We did,” I said, turning towards her. “We’re here.”
She shook her head. “But the years,” she said.
”There’s a difference between sexuality and sex. I used sex to get what I wanted. Sex is just an act. Sexuality is a sincere expression of desire and pleasure. That I always kept for Celia.”
Evelyn & Harry:
”You do not know how fast you have been running, how hard you have been working, how truly exhausted you are, until someone stands behind you and says, “It’s OK, you can fall down now. I’ll catch you.”
So I fell down.
And Harry caught me.
Their friendship was everything, absolutely E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.!!! Gosh, I loved their relationship so much, I can’t even!!! They were so perfect together and understood each other better than anyone else. They were so close it sometimes felt like they could read each other’s mind and I think of all the husbands Evelyn married over the years, Harry definitely was the best! <333 (Of course her last hubby was awesome too but if you ask me no one was able to hold a candle to Harry!) I know Harry was gay and had no sexual desire for women and I know that Evelyn loved Celia but damn those two made so much sense! They shared a love that is sometimes even harder to find than the once in a lifetime love we all crave for and they were so much more than just friends. They were business partners, equals, best friends, partners in crime, confidants, soul mates and kindred spirits. And most importantly, they loved each other deeply! <333 It’s so rare to find a friend like that, so rare to have a connection like that, to be loved liked that… ARGH! I just LOVED them!!! This was such a wholesome representation of a deep friendship and I’m incapable to put it into words. *breaks down and sobs*
”I promise I’ll do whatever I can. I promise you we will figure this out.”
“OK,” Harry said, and then he squeezed my hand back and walked out the door. “We will figure this out.”
”I want you to stay, Harry. We need you. Me and Connor.” I grabbed his hand tighter. “But if you have to go, then go. Go if it hurts. Go if it’s time. Just go knowing you were loved, that I will never forget you, that you will live in everything Connor and I do. Go knowing I love you purely, Harry, that you were an amazing father. Go knowing I told you all my secrets. Because you were my best friend.”
The bi rep:
”It really makes you think, doesn’t it? That people were so eager to believe we were swapping spouses but would have been scandalized to know we were monogamous and queer?”
And now we finally come to one of the most important subjects of this book: The bi rep! And let me tell you, it was spot-on! Evelyn is a bi icon and for the rest of my life I’ll never get tired of emphasizing how important this kind of representation is! Throughout the entire book Evelyn is confronted with bi-phobia but she always took it in stride! She accepted herself the way she was and she did an amazing job at trying to explain her sexuality. I know some of you might say that it shouldn’t even be necessary to explain your sexuality to others and I’m inclined to agree, but the bitter truth is that we have to explain it no matter if we want to or not. I can only speak from personal experience here but usually straight people have a hard time understanding how you can love both sexes equally and make no difference, while lesbian or gay people might just try to label you as one of their own. What Celia did?! It happens! It happens way too often and even though her actions and behaviour left a bitter taste in my mouth it still represented one of the many facets of reality. I loved the way Taylor Jenkins Reid gave Evelyn a voice though. Evelyn Hugo didn’t accept those prejudices, nope, she gave us her honest opinion, her point of view and made the other characters acknowledge her for who she was! And this was wholesome and healthy and might help a lot of people to accept themselves! So thank you Taylor Jenkins Reid! Thank you very much! <333
”Being bisexual didn’t make me disloyal,” Evelyn says. “One has nothing to do with the other. Nor did it mean that Celia could only fulfil half my needs.”
”I hated being called a lesbian. Not because I thought there was anything wrong with loving a woman, mind you. No, I’d come to terms with that a long time ago. But Celia only saw things in black and white. She liked women and only women. And I liked her. And so she often denied the rest of me.”
”Wow,” he said. “Incredible. I married a dyke.”
“Stop saying that,” I said.
“Evelyn, if you have sex with women, you are a lesbian. Don’t be a self-hating lesbian. That’s not… that’s not becoming.”
My conclusion:
The more I think about this book, the more I love it! This is such an important read! I know Reid tackled a lot of problematic topics in this book, but she did it in such a positive and sensible way that I’m convinced everyone who reads “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” will learn something good from it! I’m usually not the kind of person who throws a book at you and says you should read it but in all seriousness: Read this one! Live and suffer with Evelyn, enjoy her good moments and cry with her when the world throws her for a loop! Hate her, love her, accept her the way she is. And most importantly, learn from her mistakes and don’t hesitate to show the world your true self. ;-)
I know this review has been already way too long but I still want to thank the ever charming Ashley for this wonderful buddy read! We both didn’t have it easy while reading this book together, but we always managed to find a compromise and were able to continue once our lives started to become a little less hectic. *lol* I’m glad we could read this together and I hope sooner or later we’ll find another book to buddy read again! =)
This book was so, so, so GOOD!! I swear I was barely two pages in and already knew that I’d love it with all my heart! <3 There’s just something about that golden Hollywood era that captivated me right from the beginning and once Evelyn entered the scene I was a goner. I just loved the way her story was told!
We didn’t only get the interviews with Monique but also were able to read news articles about her life and this made everything so much more intriguing. I mean “Hollywood Digest”, “Sub Rosa” or the “New York Tribune”, they all wrote about Evelyn’s life and those articles give an authenticity that makes this book feel real. It could have happened, Evelyn could have been a real Hollywood Star and people could have been as fascinated by her as by Marilyn Monroe or Marlene Dietrich.
I think to some degree Taylor Jenkins Reid might have even had Marilyn Monroe in her mind when she wrote Evelyn’s character and knowing how awesome Marilyn was this really doesn’t come as a surprise. XD Another thing I appreciated was that every husband got a part of this book and even though there were seven of them, who all influenced Evelyn and left a mark on her character, none of them actually was her one true love. It’s a very particular approach to a great story and I loved the way it was carried out.
Still, after I read the ending my mind was reeling and my feelings were so mixed that I had a tough time coming to terms with everything that was revealed. There were so many things I felt conflicted about and even now, after more than a week has passed, I still didn’t manage to sort out my feelings and I still don’t know what to do with them. Maybe I’ll have to get used to the idea that to think about Evelyn Hugo and her seven husbands will always make me feel conflicted and that there’s no such thing as making peace with an ending like that.
And maybe, just maybe, that was Taylor Jenkins Reid’s plan all along. ;-)
The characters:
Welcome to my characters section, aka “The spoilery spoiler zone”! If you didn’t read the book yet and still want to be surprised by its revelations you better don’t continue to read my review. I’m worse than any tabloid mentioned in this book and I’ll spoil you relentlessly! If you still want to read my gossip, go ahead, but don’t say I didn’t warn you! ;-P
Evelyn Hugo:
”And I didn’t say I was confessing any sins. To say that what I have to tell is a sin is misleading and hurtful. I don’t feel regret for the things I’ve done – at least, not the things you might expect – despite how hard they may have been or how repugnant they may seem in the cold light of day.”
Oh, Evelyn! Where do I even begin? I loved that woman so damn much, I can’t even! <333 It’s so rare to meet such a complex character in a book but damn Evelyn just had it all! She was neither white nor black, and if anything she was all different shades of grey. I loved that she was so ruthless, that she did what she had to do in order to get what she wanted, that she was unapologetic about her decisions and behaviour and that she never held back and just wanted it all! Celia was right, at times Evelyn could be really awful and egoistic, but damn did her good qualities make up for it. Compassionate, caring and protective of the ones she loved she would have done everything possible to keep them safe and happy. Gosh, WHAT. A. WOMAN! I think I might be in love with her! <333
”Did I want to make as much money as Don? Of course I did. I wanted to get the paycheck and mail a copy of it to him with a photo of my middle finger. But mostly I wanted the freedom to do whatever I wanted.”
”I told her every single day that her life had been the world’s greatest gift to me, that I believed I was put on earth not to make movies or wear emerald-green gowns and wave at crowds but to be her mother.”
”I regret every second I didn’t spend with her. I regret every stupid thing I did that caused her an ounce of pain. I should have chased her down the street the day she left me. I should have begged her to stay. I should have apologized and sent roses and stood on top of the Hollywood sign and shouted, ‘I’m in love with Celia St. James!’ and let them crucify me for it.”
Celia St. James:
”I really like you. I like watching you on-screen. I like how the moment you show up in a scene, I can’t look at anything else. I like the way your skin is too dark for your blond hair, the way the two shouldn’t go together and yet seem so natural on you. And to be honest, I like how calculating and awful you kind of are.”
Now here’s the thing, I know that Celia was the love of Evelyn’s life and I could see that they loved each other deeply, but – and here comes the huge BUT – I had the feeling that I could never truly connect to her. I don’t know what it was that kept me from adoring her the way I adore Evelyn but I think it might have been the sum of thousands of little things that ultimately left a bad taste in my mouth. For instance I hated that Evelyn always seemed to feel like she had done something wrong and that it was her responsibility to set things right again. I mean Celia threw a lot of awful things at her too, but in the end it always seemed to be Evelyn that blamed herself for it. Also I didn’t like that Celia wasn’t only self-righteous but also more than just a little judgemental. You’d think a person who represents the “L” in LGBTQ+ would be more accepting and open-minded when her partner is bi, but nope Celia was almost as bi-phobic as the men in Evelyn’s life and that made me really sad. =(
”That was how it was with Celia. When you denied her what she wanted, when you hurt her, she made sure you hurt, too.”
”So I told myself that the spark between Celia and me was just a quirk we had. Which was convincing as long as it remained quirky.
Sometimes reality comes crashing down on you. Other times reality simply waits, patiently, for you to run out of the energy it takes to deny it.”
Harry Cameron:
”I want to be with someone I love. I want to have a companion. I’d like to bring someone home to my family. I don’t want to live alone anymore. And I want a son or a daughter. We could have that together. I can’t give you everything. I know that. But I want to raise a family, and I’d love to raise one with you.”
Aside from Evelyn, Harry Cameron was truly the best thing about this entire book! <33 I loved this man so much and I think he’s an angel! He was always respectful and supportive and even more important he accepted Evelyn exactly the way she was. I loved that he and Evelyn always tried to solve every problem together and I hated to see him so sad after the death of John. T_T Harry’s grief broke my heart and even though he was drinking way too much he never did anything stupid. I mean he never hurt Evelyn or got frustrated with her, he only tried to compensate his grief without hurting anyone else in the process. Even when it came to this he was considerate and kind. =(( Poor Harry, though. It made me so damn sad that he had to go and I admit it, I actually shed some tears when he died. T_T
Monique Grant:
”Why, until this moment, did I not realize that the issue is my own confidence? That the root of most of my problems is that I need to be secure enough in who I am to tell anyone who doesn’t like it to go fuck themselves? Why have I spent so long settling for less when I know damn well the world expects more?”
To say their relationship was complicated would be putting it more than just mildly! It was really interesting to see Monique’s character arc though. I mean at the beginning she was a shy mouse that didn’t dare to say anything to her boss and by the end of the book she was a young successful woman who stood up for herself and finally had the guts to make decisions she never even dared to consider. I think that to get to know Evelyn and to find out the truth behind her father’s death was necessary to find her happiness and I’m convinced that both of those things were able to give her some closure. I could understand her anger towards Evelyn, her hurt when she found out what she had done and the inability to truly hate her for it. Because she got to know the person behind the movie star and she knew how broken Evelyn was on the inside, how much pain she had suffered, how much loss she had endured. =( Still, that scene when she pondered whether to get on the train or not, the thoughts that crossed her mind, her inner struggle how to deal with the situation at hand. Damn, this was one of the best book moments I ever had the pleasure to read. Well done, Taylor Jenkins Reid, well done! I had goose bumps following that inner conflict. *shudders*
”I’m Evelyn.” She reaches out and takes my hand, shaking it. It strikes me as a unique form of power to say your own name when you know that everyone in the room, everyone in the world, already knows it.”
”I insist that you be ruthless in your negotiating, Monique. Make them pay you what they would pay a white man. And then, once you’ve done that, every penny from it will be yours.”
The relationships & ships:
Evelyn & Celia:
”I wanted to give her a lot of things. I wanted what I had to be hers. I wondered if this was what it felt like to love someone.”
Those two were the death of me, I swear! Their ups and downs, their struggles and fights, their love and dreams, their hopes and shattered realities. ARGH! It was so obvious they loved each other, yet they could never be together. Because the world didn’t let them and wouldn’t have understood, because they didn’t want the same thing, because they weren’t ready to be in a relationship and unable to make arrangements. Because… just BECAUSE! There was always another reason why they couldn’t be happy, another misunderstanding that tore at their foundations, another bump on the road that caused them to drift apart. They loved and lost and loved and lost again. It was so heart-breaking to watch! And Celia, she killed me. With everything she said to Evelyn! I knew she loved her, yet she hurt her so much! >_< I just wished she would have had more sympathy for Evelyn’s outlook and I really wish she would have tried to understand Evelyn’s sexuality. So many of their problems could have been solved, they could have gained so many years if they just would have allowed themselves to be who they are. Their love was so tragic… more tragic than any of the movies they produced over the years. And it really made me sad. T_T
”Evelyn, who was your great love? You can tell me.”
Evelyn looks out the window, breathes in deeply, and then says, “Celia St. James.”
The room is quiet as Evelyn lets herself hear her own words. And then she smiles, a bright, wide, deeply sincere smile. She starts laughing to herself and then refocuses on me. “I feel like I spent my entire life loving her.”
”It’s not wrong,” Celia said. “It shouldn’t be wrong, to love you. How can it be wrong?”
“It’s not wrong, sweetheart. It’s not,” I said. “They’re wrong.”
”If you love someone enough, you should be able to overcome anything,” she said. “And we have always loved each other so much, more than I ever thought I could be loved, more than I ever thought I could love. So why … why couldn’t we overcome it?”
“We did,” I said, turning towards her. “We’re here.”
She shook her head. “But the years,” she said.
”There’s a difference between sexuality and sex. I used sex to get what I wanted. Sex is just an act. Sexuality is a sincere expression of desire and pleasure. That I always kept for Celia.”
Evelyn & Harry:
”You do not know how fast you have been running, how hard you have been working, how truly exhausted you are, until someone stands behind you and says, “It’s OK, you can fall down now. I’ll catch you.”
So I fell down.
And Harry caught me.
Their friendship was everything, absolutely E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.!!! Gosh, I loved their relationship so much, I can’t even!!! They were so perfect together and understood each other better than anyone else. They were so close it sometimes felt like they could read each other’s mind and I think of all the husbands Evelyn married over the years, Harry definitely was the best! <333 (Of course her last hubby was awesome too but if you ask me no one was able to hold a candle to Harry!) I know Harry was gay and had no sexual desire for women and I know that Evelyn loved Celia but damn those two made so much sense! They shared a love that is sometimes even harder to find than the once in a lifetime love we all crave for and they were so much more than just friends. They were business partners, equals, best friends, partners in crime, confidants, soul mates and kindred spirits. And most importantly, they loved each other deeply! <333 It’s so rare to find a friend like that, so rare to have a connection like that, to be loved liked that… ARGH! I just LOVED them!!! This was such a wholesome representation of a deep friendship and I’m incapable to put it into words. *breaks down and sobs*
”I promise I’ll do whatever I can. I promise you we will figure this out.”
“OK,” Harry said, and then he squeezed my hand back and walked out the door. “We will figure this out.”
”I want you to stay, Harry. We need you. Me and Connor.” I grabbed his hand tighter. “But if you have to go, then go. Go if it hurts. Go if it’s time. Just go knowing you were loved, that I will never forget you, that you will live in everything Connor and I do. Go knowing I love you purely, Harry, that you were an amazing father. Go knowing I told you all my secrets. Because you were my best friend.”
The bi rep:
”It really makes you think, doesn’t it? That people were so eager to believe we were swapping spouses but would have been scandalized to know we were monogamous and queer?”
And now we finally come to one of the most important subjects of this book: The bi rep! And let me tell you, it was spot-on! Evelyn is a bi icon and for the rest of my life I’ll never get tired of emphasizing how important this kind of representation is! Throughout the entire book Evelyn is confronted with bi-phobia but she always took it in stride! She accepted herself the way she was and she did an amazing job at trying to explain her sexuality. I know some of you might say that it shouldn’t even be necessary to explain your sexuality to others and I’m inclined to agree, but the bitter truth is that we have to explain it no matter if we want to or not. I can only speak from personal experience here but usually straight people have a hard time understanding how you can love both sexes equally and make no difference, while lesbian or gay people might just try to label you as one of their own. What Celia did?! It happens! It happens way too often and even though her actions and behaviour left a bitter taste in my mouth it still represented one of the many facets of reality. I loved the way Taylor Jenkins Reid gave Evelyn a voice though. Evelyn Hugo didn’t accept those prejudices, nope, she gave us her honest opinion, her point of view and made the other characters acknowledge her for who she was! And this was wholesome and healthy and might help a lot of people to accept themselves! So thank you Taylor Jenkins Reid! Thank you very much! <333
”Being bisexual didn’t make me disloyal,” Evelyn says. “One has nothing to do with the other. Nor did it mean that Celia could only fulfil half my needs.”
”I hated being called a lesbian. Not because I thought there was anything wrong with loving a woman, mind you. No, I’d come to terms with that a long time ago. But Celia only saw things in black and white. She liked women and only women. And I liked her. And so she often denied the rest of me.”
”Wow,” he said. “Incredible. I married a dyke.”
“Stop saying that,” I said.
“Evelyn, if you have sex with women, you are a lesbian. Don’t be a self-hating lesbian. That’s not… that’s not becoming.”
My conclusion:
The more I think about this book, the more I love it! This is such an important read! I know Reid tackled a lot of problematic topics in this book, but she did it in such a positive and sensible way that I’m convinced everyone who reads “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” will learn something good from it! I’m usually not the kind of person who throws a book at you and says you should read it but in all seriousness: Read this one! Live and suffer with Evelyn, enjoy her good moments and cry with her when the world throws her for a loop! Hate her, love her, accept her the way she is. And most importantly, learn from her mistakes and don’t hesitate to show the world your true self. ;-)
I know this review has been already way too long but I still want to thank the ever charming Ashley for this wonderful buddy read! We both didn’t have it easy while reading this book together, but we always managed to find a compromise and were able to continue once our lives started to become a little less hectic. *lol* I’m glad we could read this together and I hope sooner or later we’ll find another book to buddy read again! =)
April 9, 2024
➸ 4.5 stars
➷ the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid is a captivating novel that delves into the glamorous and tumultuous life of the enigmatic hollywood icon, evelyn hugo. the story is narrated by monique grant, a young journalist who is given the exclusive opportunity to interview evelyn hugo, now in her late seventies, about her legendary career and her seven marriages and tumultuous relationships that shaped her career and personal life. as monique delves deeper into evelyn’s story, she uncovers shocking revelations that force her to confront her own past and identity.
— this book honestly surpassed my expectations. i’m always a bit iffy about reading popular books, but i absolutely loved this story! i honestly did not expect it to make me cry so much, seriously this book had no right ripping my heart out into tiny little pieces. i don’t even think this was supposed to be an emotional read but my heart just broke for these characters and how they weren’t allowed to love whoever they wanted. i grew so attached to these characters and parting ways with them was such a tragedy to me lmaoo. evelyn, celia, harry and john are truly my little family. i should’ve closed the book after the picnic scene and just pretended that they all lived happily ever after 😭💔
tjr’s writing style is just mesmerising. she has this incredible ability for drawing you into her stories with such vivid detail that you feel like you’re right there in the moment, experiencing everything alongside her characters. this story transports us back into old hollywood and it makes me feel like i’m immersed into the glitz and glamour of the ‘50s and ‘60s silver screen.
psa: mick riva needs his own tw. i’m so tired of having to see that deadbeat’s name!! he is a jump scare at this point.
➳ evelyn hugo:
she’s an icon, she’s a legend and she is the moment. she’s so effortlessly glamorous, she’s brilliant and powerful but that doesn’t mean she is a good person — but she’s not an unlikeable character. i understand all the decisions and sacrifices she had to make to get to where she is in life. she done some horrible things, but she would NEVER take them back because she only wanted to protect the people she loved the most. she is a flawed character, she’s ruthless, selfish, manipulative and she is unapologetic about her life choices and wasn’t afraid to use her body to get important roles. evelyn always has to get her own way but that made me love her even more and what gave her so much depth. she lived her life the best way she could. she had a dream she was determined to fulfil and she knew what she had to do to make her dream a reality.
➳ celia st. james:
SCREAMING, CRYING, THROWING UP!! I WILL KEEP SAYING IT, THEY DESERVED MORE TIME TOGETHER!! TJR YOU ARE A SICK WOMAN, YOU WILL BE HEARING FROM MY THERAPIST 😭😭
oh celia, the love of evelyn’s life. she’s another complicated character but i actually loved her, she’s the complete opposite to evelyn. she embodies kindness and compassion in her own right. while evelyn was portrayed as confident and assertive, celia’s demeanour was more reserved and gentle. she could be mean-spirited towards evelyn, i get she always done it out of hurt and jealousy but she had to understand that evelyn went to great lengths to protect their relationship from ever being exposed. but celia loved and cared for evelyn so deeply. tjr perfectly captured celia’s selfishness and her closeted struggles, as well as her complicated feelings with having to share evelyn with others. i would do ANYTHING for celia’s pov especially during the time when they didn’t talk for 5 years 😖
➳ harry cameron:
the friendship between evelyn and harry is truly so special. they are the epitome of ‘platonic soulmates.’ he was present for the majority of evelyn’s life. their friendship is built on a foundation of mutual respect and understanding. they will always have each others back no matter the circumstances. my heart broke with him when he lost john because he ended up losing himself that day too. i loved his relationship with his daughter, she was truly the light of his life and what kept him going. he deserved the world and he deserved so much better. we all deserve a harry cameron in our life <33
➳ monique grant:
as evelyn’s chosen confidante, monique finds herself drawn into a world of glamour and intrigue far removed from her own humble existence. tasked with penning evelyn’s long-awaited memoir, monique is granted unparalleled access to the inner workings of evelyn’s mind and heart, a privilege that comes with its own set of challenges and responsibilities. but i’m going to be straight up and say that her character honestly has no importance to me whatsoever. as a secondary character she was overshadowed by evelyn’s life and her character lacked so much depth. the reveal of the significant plot connection to evelyn later on left me feeling underwhelmed due to the lack of emphasis on monique and her story throughout the book.
꒰ evelyn + celia: ꒱
i am a evelyncelia defender for life!! if they have no fans, i am dead. their love story is absolutely heartbreaking. their connection is electric, their moments together is filled with so much raw emotion and undeniable chemistry. yet as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that they are star-crossed lovers, bound by societal expectations and personal sacrifices. yes it seemed complex but at times their relationship was toxic. the ache for more time together is palpable — i’m so mad bc i wish they had so much more time together, to bask in their love without the constraints of society or circumstance. they were robbed of many precious moments and they lost so many years. every stolen moment between them is filled with longing and passion, it constantly had me yearning for more. yet amidst all the heartache, their love for one another shines so brightly. they are truly the epitome of soulmates. their relationship was so heart wrenching because they truly deserved so much better. they deserved to love each other freely and unabashedly!! ❤️🩹
— overall, this book is a masterful tapestry of love, ambition, and the search for identity set against the dazzling backdrop of old hollywood. tjr’s exquisite prose and nuanced characters invite readers on an unforgettable journey, challenging them to reflect on the true cost of fame and the enduring power of authenticity. with its gripping narrative and rich historical detail, this novel transcends its genre, leaving a lasting impression on all who have the pleasure of delving into evelyn hugo’s captivating world. this story made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me angry but i adored this book and these character with my whole heart. i can’t wait for the netflix adaption, my heart is going to be broken all over again and i’m so ready for it lmaoo.
───♡─────────────
why did this book have me crying like a lil bitch 😭 i am evelyn hugo’s #1 defender until the day i die!! rtc
—
this slump is eating me alive!!! also the fact i still haven’t read this book is criminal. in tjr we trust 😩
➷ the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid is a captivating novel that delves into the glamorous and tumultuous life of the enigmatic hollywood icon, evelyn hugo. the story is narrated by monique grant, a young journalist who is given the exclusive opportunity to interview evelyn hugo, now in her late seventies, about her legendary career and her seven marriages and tumultuous relationships that shaped her career and personal life. as monique delves deeper into evelyn’s story, she uncovers shocking revelations that force her to confront her own past and identity.
— this book honestly surpassed my expectations. i’m always a bit iffy about reading popular books, but i absolutely loved this story! i honestly did not expect it to make me cry so much, seriously this book had no right ripping my heart out into tiny little pieces. i don’t even think this was supposed to be an emotional read but my heart just broke for these characters and how they weren’t allowed to love whoever they wanted. i grew so attached to these characters and parting ways with them was such a tragedy to me lmaoo. evelyn, celia, harry and john are truly my little family. i should’ve closed the book after the picnic scene and just pretended that they all lived happily ever after 😭💔
tjr’s writing style is just mesmerising. she has this incredible ability for drawing you into her stories with such vivid detail that you feel like you’re right there in the moment, experiencing everything alongside her characters. this story transports us back into old hollywood and it makes me feel like i’m immersed into the glitz and glamour of the ‘50s and ‘60s silver screen.
psa: mick riva needs his own tw. i’m so tired of having to see that deadbeat’s name!! he is a jump scare at this point.
➳ evelyn hugo:
“i’m bisexual, don’t ignore half of me so you can fit me into a box.”
she’s an icon, she’s a legend and she is the moment. she’s so effortlessly glamorous, she’s brilliant and powerful but that doesn’t mean she is a good person — but she’s not an unlikeable character. i understand all the decisions and sacrifices she had to make to get to where she is in life. she done some horrible things, but she would NEVER take them back because she only wanted to protect the people she loved the most. she is a flawed character, she’s ruthless, selfish, manipulative and she is unapologetic about her life choices and wasn’t afraid to use her body to get important roles. evelyn always has to get her own way but that made me love her even more and what gave her so much depth. she lived her life the best way she could. she had a dream she was determined to fulfil and she knew what she had to do to make her dream a reality.
➳ celia st. james:
“all i’ve ever wanted was for you to be truly mine. but you’ve never been mine. not really. i’ve always had to settle for one piece of you. while the world gets the other half. i don’t blame you. it doesn’t make me stop loving you. but i can’t do it. i can’t do it, evelyn.”
SCREAMING, CRYING, THROWING UP!! I WILL KEEP SAYING IT, THEY DESERVED MORE TIME TOGETHER!! TJR YOU ARE A SICK WOMAN, YOU WILL BE HEARING FROM MY THERAPIST 😭😭
oh celia, the love of evelyn’s life. she’s another complicated character but i actually loved her, she’s the complete opposite to evelyn. she embodies kindness and compassion in her own right. while evelyn was portrayed as confident and assertive, celia’s demeanour was more reserved and gentle. she could be mean-spirited towards evelyn, i get she always done it out of hurt and jealousy but she had to understand that evelyn went to great lengths to protect their relationship from ever being exposed. but celia loved and cared for evelyn so deeply. tjr perfectly captured celia’s selfishness and her closeted struggles, as well as her complicated feelings with having to share evelyn with others. i would do ANYTHING for celia’s pov especially during the time when they didn’t talk for 5 years 😖
➳ harry cameron:
“it’s ok, you can fall down now. i’ll catch you.” so i fell down. and harry caught me.
the friendship between evelyn and harry is truly so special. they are the epitome of ‘platonic soulmates.’ he was present for the majority of evelyn’s life. their friendship is built on a foundation of mutual respect and understanding. they will always have each others back no matter the circumstances. my heart broke with him when he lost john because he ended up losing himself that day too. i loved his relationship with his daughter, she was truly the light of his life and what kept him going. he deserved the world and he deserved so much better. we all deserve a harry cameron in our life <33
➳ monique grant:
as evelyn’s chosen confidante, monique finds herself drawn into a world of glamour and intrigue far removed from her own humble existence. tasked with penning evelyn’s long-awaited memoir, monique is granted unparalleled access to the inner workings of evelyn’s mind and heart, a privilege that comes with its own set of challenges and responsibilities. but i’m going to be straight up and say that her character honestly has no importance to me whatsoever. as a secondary character she was overshadowed by evelyn’s life and her character lacked so much depth. the reveal of the significant plot connection to evelyn later on left me feeling underwhelmed due to the lack of emphasis on monique and her story throughout the book.
꒰ evelyn + celia: ꒱
“i spent half my time loving her and the other half hiding how much i loved her.”
i am a evelyncelia defender for life!! if they have no fans, i am dead. their love story is absolutely heartbreaking. their connection is electric, their moments together is filled with so much raw emotion and undeniable chemistry. yet as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that they are star-crossed lovers, bound by societal expectations and personal sacrifices. yes it seemed complex but at times their relationship was toxic. the ache for more time together is palpable — i’m so mad bc i wish they had so much more time together, to bask in their love without the constraints of society or circumstance. they were robbed of many precious moments and they lost so many years. every stolen moment between them is filled with longing and passion, it constantly had me yearning for more. yet amidst all the heartache, their love for one another shines so brightly. they are truly the epitome of soulmates. their relationship was so heart wrenching because they truly deserved so much better. they deserved to love each other freely and unabashedly!! ❤️🩹
— overall, this book is a masterful tapestry of love, ambition, and the search for identity set against the dazzling backdrop of old hollywood. tjr’s exquisite prose and nuanced characters invite readers on an unforgettable journey, challenging them to reflect on the true cost of fame and the enduring power of authenticity. with its gripping narrative and rich historical detail, this novel transcends its genre, leaving a lasting impression on all who have the pleasure of delving into evelyn hugo’s captivating world. this story made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me angry but i adored this book and these character with my whole heart. i can’t wait for the netflix adaption, my heart is going to be broken all over again and i’m so ready for it lmaoo.
───♡─────────────
why did this book have me crying like a lil bitch 😭 i am evelyn hugo’s #1 defender until the day i die!! rtc
—
this slump is eating me alive!!! also the fact i still haven’t read this book is criminal. in tjr we trust 😩
July 21, 2023
This review contains a spoiler for a reveal around 100 pages into the novel. I knew this reveal going in and do not believe knowing this reveal hurts the reading experience.
I think a lot about the idea of love as something dangerous, as something that you have to fight for. And it's only recently that I've decided that's something that probably has to do with loving women. I have been very lucky, in growing up in liberal California and in the 2000s. But I received marriage rights in my country four months after realizing I liked girls, and in reading about the past and thinking about the past, I am constantly, daily, reminded how being born ten years earlier would have made everything that much more dangerous, that much more violent, that much more fearful. And there is something so woefully romantic to me about the fact that there were people who braved that climate and loved anyway and paved the path, while doing so, for me and so many others.
So that's all to say that this book made me experience all five stages of grief and simultaneously made me feel every positive emotion in the world and I have no idea how that is possible. but listen, if you only read one book I recommend you this year, I want it to be this one.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is, yeah, about the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Seven husbands who are sometimes awful and sometimes sympathetic and sometimes somewhere in between. Ernie, who she used to get to where she is, Don, who beat her till she barely knew whether to continue, Harry, who she loved more than any of them, Max, who loves the idea of her more than he could ever love her.
But I think, despite its marketing, this book is really about Evelyn. Awful, complicated, completely lovable Evelyn. Evelyn is a flawed, compelling, brave, ambitious woman who got to where she was with teeth and claws and never gave up. She is also, and I’m not even joking, one of the most iconic characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. She is a woman with a lot of ambition but also one who loves and wants to be loved. She is such a good character.
This book is also fiercely and unapologetically socio-political and I love that. Evelyn’s story is one of being a woman in a man’s world. It is one of being a Cuban woman in a white woman’s world. It is one of being a bisexual woman in an era where attraction to women was demonized by the whole culture. It is one of hiding yourself for ambition, one of trying to decide which one takes precedent, one of aging, and one of never knowing whether your choices were right.
Annnnnnnd this book also has the most fucking heartbreaking romantic relationship I have had the displeasure to read about in my entire life. I don’t… I don’t know if romantic relationships should be considered spoilers, but… well, I knew going in who the actual love of Evelyn’s life was and it STILL WORKED FOR ME. So here it is: Evelyn Hugo and Celia St. James are one of my favorite fictional relationships, of all time, ever. These two have a complicated, flawed, at times tumultous relationship, and yet they love each other so much, always.
And perhaps my favorite part was the messaging around the importance of actual love in relationships, rather than just a willingness to try.
I know I’ve talked about a lot of specific things in the book, but I don’t know exactly how to put into words what this book meant to me. You can almost feel how much Taylor Jenkins Reid felt this book. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo left me an emotional mess, but also a happy mess. All I know is I feel ruined for any other book, and I want you to be as well.
Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Youtube
I think a lot about the idea of love as something dangerous, as something that you have to fight for. And it's only recently that I've decided that's something that probably has to do with loving women. I have been very lucky, in growing up in liberal California and in the 2000s. But I received marriage rights in my country four months after realizing I liked girls, and in reading about the past and thinking about the past, I am constantly, daily, reminded how being born ten years earlier would have made everything that much more dangerous, that much more violent, that much more fearful. And there is something so woefully romantic to me about the fact that there were people who braved that climate and loved anyway and paved the path, while doing so, for me and so many others.
So that's all to say that this book made me experience all five stages of grief and simultaneously made me feel every positive emotion in the world and I have no idea how that is possible. but listen, if you only read one book I recommend you this year, I want it to be this one.
“Make them pay you as much as they would a white man.”
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is, yeah, about the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Seven husbands who are sometimes awful and sometimes sympathetic and sometimes somewhere in between. Ernie, who she used to get to where she is, Don, who beat her till she barely knew whether to continue, Harry, who she loved more than any of them, Max, who loves the idea of her more than he could ever love her.
But I think, despite its marketing, this book is really about Evelyn. Awful, complicated, completely lovable Evelyn. Evelyn is a flawed, compelling, brave, ambitious woman who got to where she was with teeth and claws and never gave up. She is also, and I’m not even joking, one of the most iconic characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. She is a woman with a lot of ambition but also one who loves and wants to be loved. She is such a good character.
This book is also fiercely and unapologetically socio-political and I love that. Evelyn’s story is one of being a woman in a man’s world. It is one of being a Cuban woman in a white woman’s world. It is one of being a bisexual woman in an era where attraction to women was demonized by the whole culture. It is one of hiding yourself for ambition, one of trying to decide which one takes precedent, one of aging, and one of never knowing whether your choices were right.
Annnnnnnd this book also has the most fucking heartbreaking romantic relationship I have had the displeasure to read about in my entire life. I don’t… I don’t know if romantic relationships should be considered spoilers, but… well, I knew going in who the actual love of Evelyn’s life was and it STILL WORKED FOR ME. So here it is: Evelyn Hugo and Celia St. James are one of my favorite fictional relationships, of all time, ever. These two have a complicated, flawed, at times tumultous relationship, and yet they love each other so much, always.
“People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is 'you're safe with me'- that's intimacy.”
And perhaps my favorite part was the messaging around the importance of actual love in relationships, rather than just a willingness to try.
“You didn't come here and tell me how much you miss me. Or how hard it has been to live without me. You said you didn't want to give up. And I don't want to give up, either. I don't want to fail at this. But that's not actually a great reason to stay together. We should have reasons why we don't want to give. It shouldn't just be that we don't want to give up. And I don't... have any.
“You have never felt like my other half.”
I know I’ve talked about a lot of specific things in the book, but I don’t know exactly how to put into words what this book meant to me. You can almost feel how much Taylor Jenkins Reid felt this book. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo left me an emotional mess, but also a happy mess. All I know is I feel ruined for any other book, and I want you to be as well.
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December 9, 2020
The Written Review 3.75 stars
CLICK HERE for a Booktube Video about:
Ten Fabulous Book Reviews and One That Will Make You Go - doesn't that belong to Miranda Reads?
Now that you know this one made the list check the video review to see the rest (and find the stolen surprise)!
Evelyn Hugo was the star of the century.
Heartbreak is a loss. Divorce is a piece of paper.
She dominated the big screen for more than four decades. Every man wanted her and every woman wanted to be her.
Perhaps most famously, Evelyn Hugo was married seven times. Each divorce only increased her fame.
Rumors swept through the tabloids like wildfire.
I’m under absolutely no obligation to make sense to you.And now, age 79, Evelyn Hugo decided to auction off her most wildly famous gowns and offered one lucky journalist (Monique) an interview that will last a lifetime.
However, Monique soon learns that this is beyond a two-page spread. Evelyn Hugo is offering a tell-all - a full biography - that promises to be the most scandalous and salacious thing that has ever graced this world.
Monique would be a fool - an absolute fool - to pass this up. But the thought, the 'it's too good to be true' sort of thought, continues to replay in her mind.
Sometimes reality comes crashing down on you. Other times reality simply waits, patiently, for you to run out of the energy it takes to deny it.Overall, this one was good but I was never wowed.
Everyone and their mother was talking up this book and while I agree that it is engaging and scandalous (in a good way)...I don't know. I just expected more from it.
I definitely think it was well-written...just a bit dull in areas.
We start the book with 40 pages of just talking up Evelyn Hugo and it really did drag. There's only so many times I can hear about how wonderful and stunning a person is before it gets boring.
I think if more of the marriages were teased in the beginning - just to give the audience a taste of the mystery surrounding her love life (rather than going on and on about how intriguing it was...without telling us what was intriguing about it) would have helped significantly.
Once we got to her life, the book certainly picked up.
I really loved how Evelyn's sexuality was portrayed in this book. I liked watching her grow as a person - from a teenager using sex to get herself out of a hellhole to falling in love and finding it something to be cherished.
Her love for throughout the years truly made this wildly unbelievable story cinch for me. Honestly,
Their love was expertly done, with all of the fear and paranoia associated with the times, that it truly felt like real life.
Ultimately, this was an enjoyable read, a bit slow paced, but enjoyable nonetheless!
Never let anyone make you feel ordinary.YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
February 5, 2022
WOW I NEVER POSTED THIS. What a pleasant surprise! After dozens of unposted-unwritten reviews, finally an unposted-but-written one. Life is beautiful.
But first off (I can call this first off if I freaking want to!!!) I wanna say: DON’T LET ANYONE TELL YOU THAT HISTORICAL FICTION CAN’T BE DIVERSE. Tell that anthropomorphized tennis ball they’re either uncreative or a secret bigot or a full-on dunce or ALL THREE. Because this book pulls it off with more than a tablespoon of grace, I’ll tell you that.
My guy, there aren’t even that many characters in this book. And we’re following the majority of them starting in the 1950s. Not exactly, y’know, the peak of support for diversity in America. AND STILL WE DON’T LACK FOR REPRESENTATION. Do you get how great that is? I’m ready to punch the whitesplainers of Disney’s Frozen in their boring pale faces. The word “Frozen” is actually a reference to the lack of movement in the creativity centers of their brains. (Follow for more behind the scenes Disney-Pixar facts.)
This book includes three (three!) interracial relationships. Actually, it’s more like ten if you count the fact that our protagonist is Latina. Yes! This may be the bare minimum, but I’m so used to YA wherein one pale as snow teen romances a - gasp - pale as paper teen! Diversity in young adult books = one character is of Western European descent and the other Eastern European. Talk about a vanilla romance. (Buh dum ch.)
This book proves how important it is to provide diversity. The difference in the believability and intricacy of the story is incredible.
I will say we don’t often get a good look at the variance in culture that comes with diversity here. Evelyn Hugo, though the daughter of Cuban immigrants, purposefully represses her heritage in order to fit in with the whitewashed 1950s and ’60s cinema scene. Our narrator, though half-black, expresses a fear that someone will tell her she’s “not black enough.” I wish the ethnic diversity played a little more into the text, but it didn’t feel unrealistic or anything. The reasoning was explained.
But there’s even more diversity. Like, it gets even better. Because, again, despite the time setting, this book contains A SH*T TON of LGBT+ rep. And these are some of the most beautifully portrayed LGBT+ relationships I’ve ever read. If you don’t read this book for anything else, read it for that fine-ass inclusion, boi.
Beyond that, this is the ultimate guilty pleasure book. IT IS SO FUN READING ABOUT OLD HOLLYWOOD AND OLD MOVIES. I wanted to watch the entire Evelyn Hugo canon after this, and then it was like, oh wait, she’s not real.
I don’t have much else to say. This is chick-lit-y historical fiction at its finest. It’s just so fun. Some people say they got bored halfway through, and I get why you could, but I didn’t. I really fell in love with the world of this book, and the depiction of Old Hollywood, and all that jazz.
A lot is revealed over the course of the book, and the best part is just being surprised at each twist and turn, so I don’t want to go to specifics even a little. I’m just going to cut off this review here before I risk, like, accidentally mentioning that Evelyn Hugo’s third husband turned her into a vampire and she was a vampire the whole time and she turns Monique at the end of the book.*
Damn it!
Bottom line: This is very fun and cool and maybe even important. Read it!!!
*This isn’t true, by the way. Duh.
----------------------
rereading updates
was tempted to spend my whole day watching old movies and not reading at all.
compromised by rereading this instead.
this was a very good plan.
----------------------
pre-review
This book? It's really great.
I got a hell of a lot more than I bargained for.
But first off (I can call this first off if I freaking want to!!!) I wanna say: DON’T LET ANYONE TELL YOU THAT HISTORICAL FICTION CAN’T BE DIVERSE. Tell that anthropomorphized tennis ball they’re either uncreative or a secret bigot or a full-on dunce or ALL THREE. Because this book pulls it off with more than a tablespoon of grace, I’ll tell you that.
My guy, there aren’t even that many characters in this book. And we’re following the majority of them starting in the 1950s. Not exactly, y’know, the peak of support for diversity in America. AND STILL WE DON’T LACK FOR REPRESENTATION. Do you get how great that is? I’m ready to punch the whitesplainers of Disney’s Frozen in their boring pale faces. The word “Frozen” is actually a reference to the lack of movement in the creativity centers of their brains. (Follow for more behind the scenes Disney-Pixar facts.)
This book includes three (three!) interracial relationships. Actually, it’s more like ten if you count the fact that our protagonist is Latina. Yes! This may be the bare minimum, but I’m so used to YA wherein one pale as snow teen romances a - gasp - pale as paper teen! Diversity in young adult books = one character is of Western European descent and the other Eastern European. Talk about a vanilla romance. (Buh dum ch.)
This book proves how important it is to provide diversity. The difference in the believability and intricacy of the story is incredible.
I will say we don’t often get a good look at the variance in culture that comes with diversity here. Evelyn Hugo, though the daughter of Cuban immigrants, purposefully represses her heritage in order to fit in with the whitewashed 1950s and ’60s cinema scene. Our narrator, though half-black, expresses a fear that someone will tell her she’s “not black enough.” I wish the ethnic diversity played a little more into the text, but it didn’t feel unrealistic or anything. The reasoning was explained.
But there’s even more diversity. Like, it gets even better. Because, again, despite the time setting, this book contains A SH*T TON of LGBT+ rep. And these are some of the most beautifully portrayed LGBT+ relationships I’ve ever read. If you don’t read this book for anything else, read it for that fine-ass inclusion, boi.
Beyond that, this is the ultimate guilty pleasure book. IT IS SO FUN READING ABOUT OLD HOLLYWOOD AND OLD MOVIES. I wanted to watch the entire Evelyn Hugo canon after this, and then it was like, oh wait, she’s not real.
I don’t have much else to say. This is chick-lit-y historical fiction at its finest. It’s just so fun. Some people say they got bored halfway through, and I get why you could, but I didn’t. I really fell in love with the world of this book, and the depiction of Old Hollywood, and all that jazz.
A lot is revealed over the course of the book, and the best part is just being surprised at each twist and turn, so I don’t want to go to specifics even a little. I’m just going to cut off this review here before I risk, like, accidentally mentioning that Evelyn Hugo’s third husband turned her into a vampire and she was a vampire the whole time and she turns Monique at the end of the book.*
Damn it!
Bottom line: This is very fun and cool and maybe even important. Read it!!!
*This isn’t true, by the way. Duh.
----------------------
rereading updates
was tempted to spend my whole day watching old movies and not reading at all.
compromised by rereading this instead.
this was a very good plan.
----------------------
pre-review
This book? It's really great.
I got a hell of a lot more than I bargained for.
April 30, 2024
This right here. This is why I read. For the joy and privilege of coming across an exquisite story like this and being swept up in its magic.
Could The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo really be fiction, dreamt up entirely in Taylor Jenkins Reid's mind? Every moment felt so real, so tangible. When I reached the end, it was hard to let go, hard to return to a world where this was nothing more than a figment of the imagination.
Evelyn Hugo, revered Hollywood actress and icon, is finally ready to tell the story of her life. But she wants to make sure that whatever comes out is authentic to who she is. So she contacts Monique Grant, a mostly unknown writer, to be her scribe. Everyone is surprised by the choice, no one more so than Monique herself. But to be given the chance to write Evelyn's memoir and to understand the person behind the legend is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one that Monique can't pass up.
When I first started this, I thought I was in for a fluffy, gossipy romance set in the golden Hollywood era. After all, why would anyone need so many husbands unless one was in it for a good time? But this turned out to be so much more. At its heart, it's a stunning and brutally honest portrayal of love in all its different forms. It shows not just the joy of love, but also its sacrifices and heartbreaks.
I was blown away by how complex of a character Evelyn Hugo is. She is the heart and soul of this story, and her character shines so bright, it's hard to look away. She feels real, coming off the pages wholly formed. She's not perfect. In fact, her flaws and numerous questionable actions make her human, and it's easy to relate to her and cheer for her.
The book is written in alternative viewpoints, a little bit from Monique's perspective as she interviews Evelyn and a lot from Evelyn's perspective as she shares the story of her life. When a book has two different viewpoints, there's always a fear that one is more interesting than the other. But not here. I can honestly say that every moment of this book was equally riveting.
I adored Reid's writing style. It's filled with so much charm that it just oozes off the pages. The story obviously tackles serious issues, but the writing never takes itself too seriously. It's witty and funny, drawing me in and making me feel every emotion. It manages to convey so much nuance without ever slowing down the pacing or seeming long-winded. I'm in awe.
You guys know I'm a romantic through and through. And this story is all about finding and holding on to that great love of your life, no matter what it takes. I mean, how could I not be drawn to that? I'm also a realist and I know that love takes so much sacrifice. So this story spoke to my heart and my mind.
I never really had a chance. This book had me good and hooked, right from the first page. It's the sort of story I know I'll come back to again and again, savoring it anew every time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also, my thoughts on:
Carrie Soto Is Back
Daisy Jones & The Six
Malibu Rising
~~~~~~~~~~~~
✧ Connect with me ✧ Instagram ✧
This was a pick for my Book of the Month box. Get your first book for $5 here.
Could The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo really be fiction, dreamt up entirely in Taylor Jenkins Reid's mind? Every moment felt so real, so tangible. When I reached the end, it was hard to let go, hard to return to a world where this was nothing more than a figment of the imagination.
Evelyn Hugo, revered Hollywood actress and icon, is finally ready to tell the story of her life. But she wants to make sure that whatever comes out is authentic to who she is. So she contacts Monique Grant, a mostly unknown writer, to be her scribe. Everyone is surprised by the choice, no one more so than Monique herself. But to be given the chance to write Evelyn's memoir and to understand the person behind the legend is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one that Monique can't pass up.
When I first started this, I thought I was in for a fluffy, gossipy romance set in the golden Hollywood era. After all, why would anyone need so many husbands unless one was in it for a good time? But this turned out to be so much more. At its heart, it's a stunning and brutally honest portrayal of love in all its different forms. It shows not just the joy of love, but also its sacrifices and heartbreaks.
I was blown away by how complex of a character Evelyn Hugo is. She is the heart and soul of this story, and her character shines so bright, it's hard to look away. She feels real, coming off the pages wholly formed. She's not perfect. In fact, her flaws and numerous questionable actions make her human, and it's easy to relate to her and cheer for her.
The book is written in alternative viewpoints, a little bit from Monique's perspective as she interviews Evelyn and a lot from Evelyn's perspective as she shares the story of her life. When a book has two different viewpoints, there's always a fear that one is more interesting than the other. But not here. I can honestly say that every moment of this book was equally riveting.
I adored Reid's writing style. It's filled with so much charm that it just oozes off the pages. The story obviously tackles serious issues, but the writing never takes itself too seriously. It's witty and funny, drawing me in and making me feel every emotion. It manages to convey so much nuance without ever slowing down the pacing or seeming long-winded. I'm in awe.
You guys know I'm a romantic through and through. And this story is all about finding and holding on to that great love of your life, no matter what it takes. I mean, how could I not be drawn to that? I'm also a realist and I know that love takes so much sacrifice. So this story spoke to my heart and my mind.
I never really had a chance. This book had me good and hooked, right from the first page. It's the sort of story I know I'll come back to again and again, savoring it anew every time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also, my thoughts on:
Carrie Soto Is Back
Daisy Jones & The Six
Malibu Rising
~~~~~~~~~~~~
✧ Connect with me ✧ Instagram ✧
This was a pick for my Book of the Month box. Get your first book for $5 here.
January 3, 2019
Is Evelyn Hugo going to tell me just enough to keep me on the edge of my seat but never enough to truly reveal anything?
I can't say for sure what drew me to this book. It's not the kind of thing I usually pick up, and I haven't read anything by Reid before. But something about it intrigued me. So I checked out the kindle sample. Just a couple chapters, I figured, because I probably wouldn't like it anyway. And I was HOOKED.
It's perfect, easy beach read material. It's not particularly deep, it does not take the genre to new levels or make you think about something new, and yet it DID feel different. Evelyn Hugo's story was so delicious and compelling that it stood out, and kept me turning pages in a desperate need to discover the stories behind her seven husbands, and the answer to the one question everyone wants to know: who was her greatest love?
The framing of the story reminded me a lot of The Thirteenth Tale. Like that book, in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, a young woman - this time an ambitious journalist called Monique Grant - goes to interview an elderly woman. Unlike The Thirteenth Tale, this elderly woman happens to be one of the most famous actresses in the world.
Evelyn Hugo has lived a life in the public eye, but she is full of secrets. Only she knows what happened behind the scenes in her long career of scandals and highly-publicized heartbreaks. Just like the fictional world of the book longed to know the truth-- so did I. Reid and Evelyn's habit of giving you just enough to leave you wanting more was incredibly exciting. Throughout, we are encouraged to wonder why someone like Evelyn Hugo would specifically request a relatively-inexperienced journalist like Monique. Why Monique? What is Evelyn hiding?
The more I got to know Evelyn, the more I fell in love with her. She has made a lot of controversial decisions during her career, but she knows it and she also knows she'd probably do it all again. She's played the Hollywood game, dated famous men to further her career, and used her body to get what she wants. She has experienced the full force of the industry's sexism and, in some ways, capitalized on it. She is deeply flawed and aware of it. She has traded important aspects of her identity for more fame, more roles, more money. She was a badass Cuban woman working in an industry that didn't like women to be badass or Cuban. She manipulated and she lied. Despite everything - and because of it - I liked her.
I stayed fully engrossed in the story of Evelyn Hugo - and of Monique Grant - from the opening chapters when Evelyn demanded an interview with only Monique, through decades of Hollywood in all its shimmering ugliness, right until the ending's final reveals. I enjoyed every moment.
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November 11, 2024
Best rereading choice for flashback Saturday is re-devouring my all time favorite TJR book!
Evelyn Hugo a. k. a. Evelyn Elena Herrera is one of the most portrayed characters, a daughter of Cuban immigrants, raised in poverty. She’s not only beautiful, alluring but there’s something different about her: her energy is vivid, radiating. She knows what she wants for her life and she’s competitive and determined enough how she may get it by leaving her life in Hell’s Kitchen and moving to Los Angeles to become one of the movie stars, dying her hair, exposing her slender body, looking directly at the camera with her almond shaped eyes under her long lashes till the director tells her “cut”.
Now she’s 79, married SEVEN TIMES, a Hollywood legend, ready to share her life story and scandalous secret she kept for years. She befriends 35 years old Monique Grant, an unknown reporter works for “Vivant” in Los Angeles. Even the boss of Monique has no clue why this Hollywood legend demanded to work with her: she could choose someone more experienced, popular, known in the industry.
So many question balloons start to fly above our heads:
- Why Evelyn wants to talk only Monique and if she doesn’t, the memoir deal will be off?
- Why Evelyn married seven times. Did she love any of her husbands? Does she have resentments? Does she suffer from heartbreak? Which one of is the love of her life?
-
As soon as their interview starts, Evelyn takes her an adventurous train ride with full of juicy, entertaining, heartbreaking, emotional stories starting from glamorous 60’s of La La Land, the productions of her famous movies, how her path crossed with those men, how she saved them and they saved her, how she got hurt, how she shone, how she burned… and eventually a big secret reveals about her life story which will change everything about true identity of Evelyn and the life choices she’s made!
It’s brilliant! It’s unputdownable, addictive, heartfelt time travel in Hollywood. Author’s genuine approach to LGBTQ was better reflected than Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood limited series on Netflix.
If you haven’t read it, don’t miss out this masterpiece and the best of the best Taylor Jenkins Reid book ( I liked it even more than Daisy Jones and the six)
My favorite quotes:
“Don't ignore half of me so you can fit me into a box. Don’t do that.”
“You do not know how fast you have been running, how hard you have been working, how truly exhausted you are, until somewhat stands behind you and says, “It’s OK, you can fall down now. I’ll catch you.”
“Heartbreak is a loss. Divorce is a piece of paper.”
"Do you understand what I'm telling you? When you're given an opportunity to change your life, be ready to do whatever it takes to make it happen. The world doesn't give things, you take things. If you learn one thing from me, it should probably be that.”
“…do yourself a favor and learn to grab life by the balls, dear. Don’t be so tied up in trying to do the right thing when the smart thing is so painfully clear.”
Evelyn Hugo a. k. a. Evelyn Elena Herrera is one of the most portrayed characters, a daughter of Cuban immigrants, raised in poverty. She’s not only beautiful, alluring but there’s something different about her: her energy is vivid, radiating. She knows what she wants for her life and she’s competitive and determined enough how she may get it by leaving her life in Hell’s Kitchen and moving to Los Angeles to become one of the movie stars, dying her hair, exposing her slender body, looking directly at the camera with her almond shaped eyes under her long lashes till the director tells her “cut”.
Now she’s 79, married SEVEN TIMES, a Hollywood legend, ready to share her life story and scandalous secret she kept for years. She befriends 35 years old Monique Grant, an unknown reporter works for “Vivant” in Los Angeles. Even the boss of Monique has no clue why this Hollywood legend demanded to work with her: she could choose someone more experienced, popular, known in the industry.
So many question balloons start to fly above our heads:
- Why Evelyn wants to talk only Monique and if she doesn’t, the memoir deal will be off?
- Why Evelyn married seven times. Did she love any of her husbands? Does she have resentments? Does she suffer from heartbreak? Which one of is the love of her life?
-
As soon as their interview starts, Evelyn takes her an adventurous train ride with full of juicy, entertaining, heartbreaking, emotional stories starting from glamorous 60’s of La La Land, the productions of her famous movies, how her path crossed with those men, how she saved them and they saved her, how she got hurt, how she shone, how she burned… and eventually a big secret reveals about her life story which will change everything about true identity of Evelyn and the life choices she’s made!
It’s brilliant! It’s unputdownable, addictive, heartfelt time travel in Hollywood. Author’s genuine approach to LGBTQ was better reflected than Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood limited series on Netflix.
If you haven’t read it, don’t miss out this masterpiece and the best of the best Taylor Jenkins Reid book ( I liked it even more than Daisy Jones and the six)
My favorite quotes:
“Don't ignore half of me so you can fit me into a box. Don’t do that.”
“You do not know how fast you have been running, how hard you have been working, how truly exhausted you are, until somewhat stands behind you and says, “It’s OK, you can fall down now. I’ll catch you.”
“Heartbreak is a loss. Divorce is a piece of paper.”
"Do you understand what I'm telling you? When you're given an opportunity to change your life, be ready to do whatever it takes to make it happen. The world doesn't give things, you take things. If you learn one thing from me, it should probably be that.”
“…do yourself a favor and learn to grab life by the balls, dear. Don’t be so tied up in trying to do the right thing when the smart thing is so painfully clear.”
June 15, 2020
this didn't work for me, but i get how it could work for others
there's something so glamorous and sad about the golden age of film. throw in a cuban bisexual main character who has to hide her identities and it's a sure fire way to get people intrigued. and i was, throughout the entirety of the book. this book did not lack in keeping my interest.
but there were too many things i had issue with. and if i hadn't read all but one of TJR's previous works i might have been able to overlook it. but once i notice a pattern it tends to color my judgment of an author's work.
2 big things for me: writing & relationships
first, i knew going into this that TJR's writing does not work for me. it's not hard to digest which is nice. but the writing is so clear and no frills that it's odd when we get these little nuggets of prescriptive morality. she doesn't want the reader to form their own opinions, she's rather just hold your hand to the "point." which happens in almost all of her books. makes for a super quotable book, but for me it felt forced at times.
and then the relationships. that was 99% of my issue with this book. it wasn't that Evelyn was a wholly unlikable character, it was her relationship with Celia that grated on my last nerve. again, this is something that is a recurring theme in TJR's book and honestly i hope to god this is not something she has intimate knowledge of. but it seems like the only way she can write relationship problems is by making the love interest awful. they have to have blow out fights, say things they could never take back/should have never been said, leave each other etc.
and i'm not saying that this doesn't happen in real life. but after the first time this kind of thing happens, i could like to see the characters grow and learn how to cope like adults. because i'm only 24 and even i don't pull those kinds of stunts with my boyfriend. cause i'm not 16 anymore.
and this issue was particularly egregious to me because yes sure the time period was hostile to F/F relationships. but when you have a veritable shit load of money you can cover things up. that wasn't the issue. these two were just too pigheaded to make things work. so. so. irritating.
lastly
there is a plot twist that occurs that the end of the book that i really did not appreciate. the twist itself was not bad but given the main character's identity in relation to a deceased person's identity i was honestly appalled. you would think a POC understands POC struggles and wouldn't frame a fellow POC but what do i know.
it was just a detail that really rubbed me the wrong way.
all that being said
it was really refreshing to see exploration into a time period, culture, and sexuality that is not often explored. i know some people really identify with these characters and i'm glad this book exists. it just did not work for me.
there's something so glamorous and sad about the golden age of film. throw in a cuban bisexual main character who has to hide her identities and it's a sure fire way to get people intrigued. and i was, throughout the entirety of the book. this book did not lack in keeping my interest.
but there were too many things i had issue with. and if i hadn't read all but one of TJR's previous works i might have been able to overlook it. but once i notice a pattern it tends to color my judgment of an author's work.
2 big things for me: writing & relationships
first, i knew going into this that TJR's writing does not work for me. it's not hard to digest which is nice. but the writing is so clear and no frills that it's odd when we get these little nuggets of prescriptive morality. she doesn't want the reader to form their own opinions, she's rather just hold your hand to the "point." which happens in almost all of her books. makes for a super quotable book, but for me it felt forced at times.
and then the relationships. that was 99% of my issue with this book. it wasn't that Evelyn was a wholly unlikable character, it was her relationship with Celia that grated on my last nerve. again, this is something that is a recurring theme in TJR's book and honestly i hope to god this is not something she has intimate knowledge of. but it seems like the only way she can write relationship problems is by making the love interest awful. they have to have blow out fights, say things they could never take back/should have never been said, leave each other etc.
and i'm not saying that this doesn't happen in real life. but after the first time this kind of thing happens, i could like to see the characters grow and learn how to cope like adults. because i'm only 24 and even i don't pull those kinds of stunts with my boyfriend. cause i'm not 16 anymore.
and this issue was particularly egregious to me because yes sure the time period was hostile to F/F relationships. but when you have a veritable shit load of money you can cover things up. that wasn't the issue. these two were just too pigheaded to make things work. so. so. irritating.
lastly
there is a plot twist that occurs that the end of the book that i really did not appreciate. the twist itself was not bad but given the main character's identity in relation to a deceased person's identity i was honestly appalled. you would think a POC understands POC struggles and wouldn't frame a fellow POC but what do i know.
it was just a detail that really rubbed me the wrong way.
all that being said
it was really refreshing to see exploration into a time period, culture, and sexuality that is not often explored. i know some people really identify with these characters and i'm glad this book exists. it just did not work for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2019
This is genuinely one of the most remarkable novels I have ever read. It is a favorite of the year, it will be a favorite of all time. I am wholly enchanted by The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I will never forget how much I adore this book.
CW: domestic abuse, death/grief, homophobia/biphobia, racism
Adult fiction is not typically my cup of tea, especially a combination of historical fiction and contemporary with the amount of long flashbacks (flashbacks: ALSO NOT MY THING). I have no idea how this combination of literary elements I typically do not like consumed my entire being, but it did. Taylor Jenkins Reid is an immensely talented author. Her prose is beautiful, vivid, and descriptive. There isn’t a moment throughout this story where I was bored or underwhelmed. Every second of this book is completely engaging – it was a huge struggle to put the book down.
Evelyn Hugo is one of the greatest literary characters I have ever had the pleasure to read from. The exploration of her Cuban heritage and bisexuality is fascinating, especially given the era and her celebrity status. She is one of those intoxicating characters you will never be able to purge from your mind with her strong will, her independence, her strength, her cunning, and her compassion. Evelyn Hugo is unforgettable in my mind and hearing her story was one of the greatest pleasures I think I have ever experienced as a reader.
Personally, I didn’t LOVE Monique, though I am always happy to see another biracial main character in literature. I appreciated her contribution to the story as I feel the book would lose some of it’s strength if there was not another character for Evelyn to explain her actions and motivations to and it was just her story, but it’s for that reason that I sometimes felt she was more of a plot device than an individual character. Compared to Evelyn, I just did not care for Monique’s individual life and problems. I enjoyed seeing how Evelyn influenced her life, but her storyline was so drab compared to Evelyn. Edit 4/3/2019 - After a second read, I GREATLY appreciate Monique. Her character is so nuanced and necessary to the story. I totally relinquish much of my initial feelings on her.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one of my favorite books OF ALL TIME. I will never forget how in love I am with this story and all the ways it has affected me. I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone who is interested in spectacular fiction novels (which should be all of you.)
CW: domestic abuse, death/grief, homophobia/biphobia, racism
Adult fiction is not typically my cup of tea, especially a combination of historical fiction and contemporary with the amount of long flashbacks (flashbacks: ALSO NOT MY THING). I have no idea how this combination of literary elements I typically do not like consumed my entire being, but it did. Taylor Jenkins Reid is an immensely talented author. Her prose is beautiful, vivid, and descriptive. There isn’t a moment throughout this story where I was bored or underwhelmed. Every second of this book is completely engaging – it was a huge struggle to put the book down.
Evelyn Hugo is one of the greatest literary characters I have ever had the pleasure to read from. The exploration of her Cuban heritage and bisexuality is fascinating, especially given the era and her celebrity status. She is one of those intoxicating characters you will never be able to purge from your mind with her strong will, her independence, her strength, her cunning, and her compassion. Evelyn Hugo is unforgettable in my mind and hearing her story was one of the greatest pleasures I think I have ever experienced as a reader.
Personally, I didn’t LOVE Monique, though I am always happy to see another biracial main character in literature. I appreciated her contribution to the story as I feel the book would lose some of it’s strength if there was not another character for Evelyn to explain her actions and motivations to and it was just her story, but it’s for that reason that I sometimes felt she was more of a plot device than an individual character. Compared to Evelyn, I just did not care for Monique’s individual life and problems. I enjoyed seeing how Evelyn influenced her life, but her storyline was so drab compared to Evelyn. Edit 4/3/2019 - After a second read, I GREATLY appreciate Monique. Her character is so nuanced and necessary to the story. I totally relinquish much of my initial feelings on her.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one of my favorite books OF ALL TIME. I will never forget how in love I am with this story and all the ways it has affected me. I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone who is interested in spectacular fiction novels (which should be all of you.)
August 12, 2024
Wow! This book came in and knocked me off my feet.
Monique is working for Vivant, a media company, when she is requested to interview Evelyn Hugo, a very famous movie actress, who has refused to give interviews for years. Evelyn starts to reveal her story to Monique, that life isn't perfect, that people are more than just one thing, that relationships are complicated, the power of forgiveness and reinvention, the idea of family, loss, and accepting the choices of others.
This book had such depth and tackled so many issues. One of them was the concept of divorce. Growing up in a Baptist church, divorce was viewed as the ultimate sin. As soon as anyone heard that someone was divorced, they had a permanent scarlet letter attached to them. However, as I matured, life isn't nearly as black and white. Do you really know what happened? Did the man beat this woman and then run off with all of the money, just to teach her a lesson? Why does society still think it is OK to stigmatize divorced people?
There were a tremendous amounts of very quotable quotes, and this was one of those rare books that you hope never has to end.
"There are people who see a beautiful flower and rush over to pick it."
This book also tackled some of the issues that women face. "Oh, I know the whole world prefers a woman who doesn't know her power, but I'm sick of all that." "People don't find it very sympathetic or enduring, a woman who puts herself first."
Overall, this is definitely one of the best books that I have ever read.
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
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Monique is working for Vivant, a media company, when she is requested to interview Evelyn Hugo, a very famous movie actress, who has refused to give interviews for years. Evelyn starts to reveal her story to Monique, that life isn't perfect, that people are more than just one thing, that relationships are complicated, the power of forgiveness and reinvention, the idea of family, loss, and accepting the choices of others.
This book had such depth and tackled so many issues. One of them was the concept of divorce. Growing up in a Baptist church, divorce was viewed as the ultimate sin. As soon as anyone heard that someone was divorced, they had a permanent scarlet letter attached to them. However, as I matured, life isn't nearly as black and white. Do you really know what happened? Did the man beat this woman and then run off with all of the money, just to teach her a lesson? Why does society still think it is OK to stigmatize divorced people?
There were a tremendous amounts of very quotable quotes, and this was one of those rare books that you hope never has to end.
"There are people who see a beautiful flower and rush over to pick it."
This book also tackled some of the issues that women face. "Oh, I know the whole world prefers a woman who doesn't know her power, but I'm sick of all that." "People don't find it very sympathetic or enduring, a woman who puts herself first."
Overall, this is definitely one of the best books that I have ever read.
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Insta My Bookstore at Pango
August 2, 2021
At least I know why Evelyn recruited Monique, the worst journalist of the year, to write her biography. I thought asking astute questions was a part of interviewing a famous person. Apparently not.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a quintessential beach read. The prose is very readable, the plot soapy. You borrow the juiciest, gossipiest parts of Elizabeth Taylor's or
Marilyn Monroe's love lives - you get a cracktastick pulp read. It reminded me of the family sagas of the yore, kind of like The Thorn Birds. Only this book needed another 300 pages to dig deeper into the dramas of Evelyn's life and her psyche. I was entertained by the events of Hugo's Hollywood adventures, but ultimately this book lacks depth. Nobody else noticed how superficial everything is in this novel - relationships, emotions, portrayals of race and queerness?
The novel is framed as a biography written by a talented up-and-coming jornalist, but reads as if thrown together by an employee of a gossip rag, who included all of the salacious parts of a famous person's life, but none of that person's interiority.
Totally see why it's a bestseller. It entertains but never challenges.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a quintessential beach read. The prose is very readable, the plot soapy. You borrow the juiciest, gossipiest parts of Elizabeth Taylor's or
Marilyn Monroe's love lives - you get a cracktastick pulp read. It reminded me of the family sagas of the yore, kind of like The Thorn Birds. Only this book needed another 300 pages to dig deeper into the dramas of Evelyn's life and her psyche. I was entertained by the events of Hugo's Hollywood adventures, but ultimately this book lacks depth. Nobody else noticed how superficial everything is in this novel - relationships, emotions, portrayals of race and queerness?
The novel is framed as a biography written by a talented up-and-coming jornalist, but reads as if thrown together by an employee of a gossip rag, who included all of the salacious parts of a famous person's life, but none of that person's interiority.
Totally see why it's a bestseller. It entertains but never challenges.
June 29, 2023
Worst Read of Decade, 2011-2020
Glucose Gluttony
As Abe Lincoln observed: "For those who like this kind of a book, it is just about the kind of a book they would like."
I repeatedly winced and rolled my eyes at soppy, silly prose, such as the implausible:
😵💫🤢
Seven Husbands, a trove of truisms, brims with bromides:
And schmaltzy advice: “You have to find a job that makes your heart feel big instead of one that makes it feel small.”
Seriously. . . .
If you're still on the fence after reading this review, please, by all means, read the book!
Glucose Gluttony
As Abe Lincoln observed: "For those who like this kind of a book, it is just about the kind of a book they would like."
I repeatedly winced and rolled my eyes at soppy, silly prose, such as the implausible:
“I loved you so much, that I thought you were the meaning of my life... I thought that people were put on Earth to find other people, and I was put on Earth to find you. To find you, and touch your skin, and smell your breath, and hear all your thoughts....”
😵💫🤢
Seven Husbands, a trove of truisms, brims with bromides:
Some marriages aren’t really that great. Some loves aren’t all-encompassing. Sometimes you separate because you weren’t that good together to begin with. [🤔 ... really?...]
Sometimes reality comes crashing down on you. 🥺
When you’re given an opportunity to change your life, be ready to do whatever it takes to make it happen.
It felt like water in the desert.
🙄
If I want things to change, I have to change how I do things.
And schmaltzy advice: “You have to find a job that makes your heart feel big instead of one that makes it feel small.”
Seriously. . . .
If you're still on the fence after reading this review, please, by all means, read the book!
November 2, 2017
Well I never thought I'd see the day where I didn't fall in love with a TJR book but here we are. I'm sure I'll be the black sheep on this and I'll never understand why. I hated this book and I say that very, very infrequently. I hated every single character with the exception of maybe one but even he turned out to be a huge disappointment eventually. The plot was both simplistic yet beyond difficult to believe. Contrived and cookie cutter are also words that come to mind and will only make sense if you read it, no spoilers here. One major plot point had me eye rolling so hard I was convinced I would have a stroke. I also really, really, really disliked the main romance. I felt there was a huge double standard in how this relationship was portrayed based on the genders of the characters involved. This "great love" was abusive, emotionally draining, and not what love is in my opinion. While I am all for authors branching out and trying new kinds of books, this book just did not work for me in the least.
June 27, 2018
I'm going to think until I do my wrap up if this will be a 4.5 stars read or 5 star read. BUT WOW. Just know that I loved it.
No puede ser que no hubiera escuchado sobre este libro antes, ¡es una maravilla! Y las miles de reseñas positivas lo respaldan. La historia de Evelyn Hugo te quita el aliento. Es intrigante y muy cautivadora; y es de esas de las que simplemente quieres saber MÁS Y MÁS. Yo no podía creer lo inmersa que estaba en la lectura. Solo quería saber más sobre Evelyn Hugo, sus logros, sus triunfos, sus tropiezos, sus motivaciones y, obviamente, sus siete esposos.
¿Cómo fue que se casó siete veces? Y aún más importante... ¿quién fue realmente su gran amor?
No creo que sea un libro con mucha profundidad, pero sí muy adictivo, hace tiempo que no me la pasaba TAN BIEN y tan picada leyendo una historia. Es que WOW, me sentía dentro del libro, como si Evelyn Hugo fuera un ícono del mundo real y yo fuera su fan y quisiera conocer cada uno de sus secretos.
Me encantó, de verdad.
No puede ser que no hubiera escuchado sobre este libro antes, ¡es una maravilla! Y las miles de reseñas positivas lo respaldan. La historia de Evelyn Hugo te quita el aliento. Es intrigante y muy cautivadora; y es de esas de las que simplemente quieres saber MÁS Y MÁS. Yo no podía creer lo inmersa que estaba en la lectura. Solo quería saber más sobre Evelyn Hugo, sus logros, sus triunfos, sus tropiezos, sus motivaciones y, obviamente, sus siete esposos.
¿Cómo fue que se casó siete veces? Y aún más importante... ¿quién fue realmente su gran amor?
No creo que sea un libro con mucha profundidad, pero sí muy adictivo, hace tiempo que no me la pasaba TAN BIEN y tan picada leyendo una historia. Es que WOW, me sentía dentro del libro, como si Evelyn Hugo fuera un ícono del mundo real y yo fuera su fan y quisiera conocer cada uno de sus secretos.
Me encantó, de verdad.
August 26, 2018
not to be dramatic, but if there ever comes a point in time where the fate of the human civilisation is coming to an end and we need to create a time capsule to immortalise our posterity, this book better be in it. there has never been a more honest and enthralling book in the history of the world, ever.
i really dont even know where to begin. its books like this which confirm my belief that fiction will always be better than nonfiction, because it would be impossible to find a biography that could paint the story of a womans life half as well as this did. this was extraordinary, in every sense of the word. just the depth of this book was spectacular. not to mention the diversity and representation and writing quality and complex characters. everything was just outstanding.
im kind of in that shocked state right now (if you didnt already notice) where im still reeling from what i just read. a more concise and coherent review will come once i calm down from being so hyped about the brilliance of this book and can process everything.
↠ 5 stars
i really dont even know where to begin. its books like this which confirm my belief that fiction will always be better than nonfiction, because it would be impossible to find a biography that could paint the story of a womans life half as well as this did. this was extraordinary, in every sense of the word. just the depth of this book was spectacular. not to mention the diversity and representation and writing quality and complex characters. everything was just outstanding.
im kind of in that shocked state right now (if you didnt already notice) where im still reeling from what i just read. a more concise and coherent review will come once i calm down from being so hyped about the brilliance of this book and can process everything.
↠ 5 stars
October 18, 2018
(4.5) I’ve been struggling with a lot of books lately because I just don’t care about them. I don’t care about the story. I don’t care about the characters. I just don’t care! I thought it was all me, that I must have a cold heart but then this book happened.
I thought this was a literary fiction but it read more like a chick lit. A deep chick lit if that can even be a thing. This book made me realize that it is absolutely not me but them!
I cared deeply for the flawed characters in this book. When reading a book heartless Emily does not cry. Ever. Well, I did while reading this one.
Just pick it up and read it already!
I thought this was a literary fiction but it read more like a chick lit. A deep chick lit if that can even be a thing. This book made me realize that it is absolutely not me but them!
I cared deeply for the flawed characters in this book. When reading a book heartless Emily does not cry. Ever. Well, I did while reading this one.
Just pick it up and read it already!
September 18, 2018
A spectacular book well deserving of 5 stars. All of the characters feel like real people: complex, nuanced, and painfully human. Not only is the story incredibly diverse despite its Old Hollywood setting, it also has the best bi representation I've ever seen. The journey through Evelyn Hugo's life is filled with trials and tribulations, love and loss, mistakes and redemption; all the while, Reid does a great job at making you feel all the emotions along the way. I left this book feeling reflective, melancholic, and touched by how many things can happen in life that are both awful and wonderful. Overall, a compelling read that is beautifully put together as it is emotionally satisfying.
August 14, 2022
I want to be as motivated and focused in university as Evelyn Hugo is in continuing to flourish after all of her seven divorces and getting richer than all of her seven husbands combined.... before spending the rest of her days frolicking in sun-bathed fields of butterflies and dandelion clocks with her beautiful wife by her side.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2021
so unfortunate that i will pass away before i find a book that i love even half as much as this one
April 17, 2018
What an extraordinary and surprising read. Absolutely adored this one.
September 26, 2020
I—
HOW DO I COPE????
HOW DO I COPE????
February 17, 2022
I envy the people who'll be reading this for the first time.
July 21, 2022
celia the entire time: i could be a better boyfriend than him and him and him and him and him and him and him
June 11, 2022
2nd read: june 2022 - physical
★★★★★
loved this even more this reread. this book is pure magic.
1st read: june 2018 - audiobook
★★★★★
worth all the hype 😭💕
★★★★★
loved this even more this reread. this book is pure magic.
1st read: june 2018 - audiobook
★★★★★
worth all the hype 😭💕
August 28, 2022
edit: The first time I read this one I was pretty excited to have a latino rep here (specifically from my country, El Salvador), but then, I realized that latino characters are stereotyped as secondary, and very flat, characters, are not well developed and their only function is to serve the main character. I'm talking about Luisa. The fact that immigrants are threated this way makes me sick. I loved Evelyn Hugo, but please, stop writing latino characters like this, or poc in general.
my blog review
my spotify playlist
my pinterest board
jUST EDITING TO ADD THIS:
1st read:
Note: If you haven't read the book and don't wanna spoil yourself, please don't read any further. My review is full, or partially, of major and minor spoilers. And it seems like I can not restrain myself of that, lmao.
With many playlists on Spotify (wordkey: evelyn hugo), I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo not knowing (very naive of my part tbh) that my heart was gonna be torn apart like a piece of paper. Huh, who would said it? And even the playlists are masterpieces, and have many Taylor's songs, which iS SO GODDAMN PERFECT.
I must warn y'all that I'm still crying.
This book is perfect. The writing, the pacing, the characters, the romance, the trageDY, MY FUCKING HEART IS BROKEN, TJR, PLEASE, WHY DID YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO MY SENSITIVE HEART?
Anyhow.
We have the famous actress and gorgeous woman, Evelyn Hugo, who is known for her many movies back at the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's, and for the scandals of her seven marriages. Evelyn Hugo is announcing that she will auction 12 of her most memorable gowns through Christie’s to raise money for breast cancer research, of which her daughter, Connor, died.
Monique Grant is a reporter for the magazine, Vivant, and is specifically by Evelyn Hugo to write her autobiography, but, why Monique? What does she have for someone like the legend Evelyn Hugo wants her to write a book about her life? That's the interesting part.
So, Monique goes to Evelyn's aparment and listens her story. From how Evelyn lost her mother and how she swored she would get out of Hell's Kitchen, away from her father and poverty, and because her mother dreamt with became someone famous and live in Hollywood one day. She was born Evelyn Elena Herrera, daughter of Cuban parents, but had to change her name by Evelyn Hugo.
She talks about how she made her way to L.A, how much she sacrificed and her husbands, of course.
My 3 favorite husbands are: Rex North (he was one of my 3 favorite marriages) to get more money for the movie their starring: Anna Karenina (the gods know how I much love Anna Karenina, so I'd have given my kidney or soul to see that movie). They both agreed to this plan and they're happy this way... Until Rex's pair, Joy, is pregnant and they want to get married. Celia is also married with John Braverman.
Harry. hE IS MY PRETTY BABY, I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. DKFJDJFGHJFG. I really loved Harry, he and Evelyn are best friends, wich makes their relationship normal and not forced. Evelyn and Celia get back together, and Harry and John are dating, which is cuTE, DON'T TOUCH MY KIDS. Evelyn and Harry have a kid: Connor. And then, everything goes downhill when Evelyn films a movie with her abusive ex-husband, Don Adler, and make a sex scene.
Celia is sick and knows she's gonna die, so they form this plan to move to Spain, Evelyn has to marry Celia's brother, Robert (he's the third), so Celia's things belong to her when she dies. They do it, but then, Harry dies in a car accident, where was another man with him. Evelyn is devastated by the loss of her best friend and let me tell you that I cried so much with this.
When Celia died, a big part of me died with her. It was heartbreaking.
It broke me. I cried until my head hurted.
The pacing was amazing. It grab you from the beginning and lemme tell you tHAT THIS WAS ADDICTIVE. I wanted to know more and more, until I got to the end, until there was nothing but my broken heart and my tears falling on my shirt.
The characters had an incredible an amazing development. You fall for most of them, and wanna kick many of them too. *cough* Don, Mick, Max. *cough*
Evelyn is such a badass woman. A legend. An icon. Not just that. She was a wife, a mother, a lover, a friend. She was not just her talen and her great body.
I fell in love with her and her story, with many of her husbands and her wife.
My heart is broken tbh. But this book is totally worth of it.
I laughed with Evelyn, I cried with and for her, I get angry and sad... I just fell.
And the twist for Monique? Ugh, that ruined me as well.
All the feelings in this book are deep and explores the sexuality and feelings of a woman who didn't know she could feel more for someone else than a man. And I'm glad that she and Celia got married at the end. :')
I didn't know the complexity of this book, and the hype is worth it!!!
ALL I KNOW IS THAT I WANT A CELIA ST. JAMES FOR ME, OK?
____________________
I'm a mess of tears right now
RTC
my blog review
my spotify playlist
my pinterest board
jUST EDITING TO ADD THIS:
"And there we are again, when nobody had to know.
You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath.
Sacred prayer and we'd swear
To remember it all too well."
1st read:
“Never let anyone make you feel ordinary.”
Note: If you haven't read the book and don't wanna spoil yourself, please don't read any further. My review is full, or partially, of major and minor spoilers. And it seems like I can not restrain myself of that, lmao.
With many playlists on Spotify (wordkey: evelyn hugo), I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo not knowing (very naive of my part tbh) that my heart was gonna be torn apart like a piece of paper. Huh, who would said it? And even the playlists are masterpieces, and have many Taylor's songs, which iS SO GODDAMN PERFECT.
I must warn y'all that I'm still crying.
This book is perfect. The writing, the pacing, the characters, the romance, the trageDY, MY FUCKING HEART IS BROKEN, TJR, PLEASE, WHY DID YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO MY SENSITIVE HEART?
Anyhow.
We have the famous actress and gorgeous woman, Evelyn Hugo, who is known for her many movies back at the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's, and for the scandals of her seven marriages. Evelyn Hugo is announcing that she will auction 12 of her most memorable gowns through Christie’s to raise money for breast cancer research, of which her daughter, Connor, died.
Monique Grant is a reporter for the magazine, Vivant, and is specifically by Evelyn Hugo to write her autobiography, but, why Monique? What does she have for someone like the legend Evelyn Hugo wants her to write a book about her life? That's the interesting part.
So, Monique goes to Evelyn's aparment and listens her story. From how Evelyn lost her mother and how she swored she would get out of Hell's Kitchen, away from her father and poverty, and because her mother dreamt with became someone famous and live in Hollywood one day. She was born Evelyn Elena Herrera, daughter of Cuban parents, but had to change her name by Evelyn Hugo.
She talks about how she made her way to L.A, how much she sacrificed and her husbands, of course.
My 3 favorite husbands are: Rex North (he was one of my 3 favorite marriages) to get more money for the movie their starring: Anna Karenina (the gods know how I much love Anna Karenina, so I'd have given my kidney or soul to see that movie). They both agreed to this plan and they're happy this way... Until Rex's pair, Joy, is pregnant and they want to get married. Celia is also married with John Braverman.
Harry. hE IS MY PRETTY BABY, I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. DKFJDJFGHJFG. I really loved Harry, he and Evelyn are best friends, wich makes their relationship normal and not forced. Evelyn and Celia get back together, and Harry and John are dating, which is cuTE, DON'T TOUCH MY KIDS. Evelyn and Harry have a kid: Connor. And then, everything goes downhill when Evelyn films a movie with her abusive ex-husband, Don Adler, and make a sex scene.
Celia is sick and knows she's gonna die, so they form this plan to move to Spain, Evelyn has to marry Celia's brother, Robert (he's the third), so Celia's things belong to her when she dies. They do it, but then, Harry dies in a car accident, where was another man with him. Evelyn is devastated by the loss of her best friend and let me tell you that I cried so much with this.
When Celia died, a big part of me died with her. It was heartbreaking.
"I had lost her. My love. My Celia. My soulmate. The woman whose love I'd spent my life earning.
It broke me. I cried until my head hurted.
The pacing was amazing. It grab you from the beginning and lemme tell you tHAT THIS WAS ADDICTIVE. I wanted to know more and more, until I got to the end, until there was nothing but my broken heart and my tears falling on my shirt.
The characters had an incredible an amazing development. You fall for most of them, and wanna kick many of them too. *cough* Don, Mick, Max. *cough*
Evelyn is such a badass woman. A legend. An icon. Not just that. She was a wife, a mother, a lover, a friend. She was not just her talen and her great body.
I fell in love with her and her story, with many of her husbands and her wife.
My heart is broken tbh. But this book is totally worth of it.
I laughed with Evelyn, I cried with and for her, I get angry and sad... I just fell.
And the twist for Monique? Ugh, that ruined me as well.
All the feelings in this book are deep and explores the sexuality and feelings of a woman who didn't know she could feel more for someone else than a man. And I'm glad that she and Celia got married at the end. :')
I didn't know the complexity of this book, and the hype is worth it!!!
ALL I KNOW IS THAT I WANT A CELIA ST. JAMES FOR ME, OK?
____________________
I'm a mess of tears right now
RTC
August 1, 2023
i’ve found my new favorite book.
heart wrenching, soul crushing, this book ended me
i knew i was going to love this. i just had to push myself to pick it up. if you haven’t read this book yet, what are you doing with your life. start it now, without knowing anything. because that’s what i did and now i’m sitting here in bed thinking i will never find a book that‘ll make me feel this way again.
evelyn‘s story is so interesting & intriguing. i was reading this book all day long, unable to put it down and when i had to, all i thought about was when i could continue reading it. reading about her schemes and deceives.. just incredible. i was so invested, rooting for her and just fell in love with her like every other person in this book.
evelyn‘s & harry‘s friendship is all i need in life. i want that mutual understanding of each other, knowing what the other means by glances only, helping & being there whenever the other needs you. their friendship is so pure and genuine, i just want to hug them.
“it’s me and you.”
“me and you, true blue.”
“it’s ok, you can fall down now. i’ll catch you.”
“i am absolutely positive that i need you more
than i’ve ever needed another living soul.”
tjr makes me feel like i know these characters, as if they were real and this story is true. i think it’s mainly because we read about evelyn’s life story and not just a small part of it. we see and feel it all, which makes this book feel so real. i can’t say much more about the characters without spoilering too much so the next part is going to be full of spoilers. don’t read any further if you haven’t read the book and are still planning to.
spoilers
when i read the line “i did not speak to celia for five years after that” my heart broke and bled for them. i was so shocked, i seriously thought they were gonna make up right after their fight. i mean i already was heartbroken the entire time since they couldn’t be who they wanted to be in front of the world, but them losing contact and being alone all over again? my heart bled
don’t even get me started on the part when john was dying and harry had to live without him and then him finding a new love and then died 😭 harry dying was one of the saddest parts in the book. i knew it was coming up but i didn’t expect it to be in an accident. and then the reveal of why monique was chosen for evelyn‘s biography? tjr, you are a genius. seriously. from that moment on my heart wouldn’t stop bleeding. everything that came after was just as heart shattering as harry‘s death. once celia died, i just felt so sad for evelyn. i wanted to hug her even if she had despised me for that. i felt her loneliness through the lines and my eyes wouldn’t stop tearing up.
i just wanted them to be a big happy family. when celia and evelyn would stop talking to each other through the years, it made me so emotional.. especially when celia was talking to evelyn through her oscar speech 😭
“and to anyone tempted to kiss the tv tonight,
please don’t chip your tooth.”
crying sobbing throwing up banging my head against the table, why can’t they just be happy, let them be happy, please please PLEASE, i need this more than oxygen.
“i can’t live with my heart half-broken all the time.”
“i should have chased her down the street the day she left me. i should have begged her to stay. i should have apologized and sent roses and stood on top of the hollywood sign and shouted, 'i'm in love with celia st. james!' and let them crucify me for it.”
“you could have been a teacher. i could have been a nurse. we could have made it easier on ourselves that way.” i could feel celia shaking her head next to me. “but that’s not who we are, that’s not who we have ever been or could ever be.”
“all i’ve ever wanted was for you to be truly mine. but you’ve never been mine. not really. i’ve always had to settle for one piece of you. but i can’t do it. i can’t do it, evelyn.”
god i’m just so emotional rn, i really need ten business days to recover if i can recover at all. this book will for sure leave a mark.
”we didn’t have enough time.”
heart wrenching, soul crushing, this book ended me
i knew i was going to love this. i just had to push myself to pick it up. if you haven’t read this book yet, what are you doing with your life. start it now, without knowing anything. because that’s what i did and now i’m sitting here in bed thinking i will never find a book that‘ll make me feel this way again.
evelyn‘s story is so interesting & intriguing. i was reading this book all day long, unable to put it down and when i had to, all i thought about was when i could continue reading it. reading about her schemes and deceives.. just incredible. i was so invested, rooting for her and just fell in love with her like every other person in this book.
evelyn‘s & harry‘s friendship is all i need in life. i want that mutual understanding of each other, knowing what the other means by glances only, helping & being there whenever the other needs you. their friendship is so pure and genuine, i just want to hug them.
“it’s me and you.”
“me and you, true blue.”
“it’s ok, you can fall down now. i’ll catch you.”
“i am absolutely positive that i need you more
than i’ve ever needed another living soul.”
tjr makes me feel like i know these characters, as if they were real and this story is true. i think it’s mainly because we read about evelyn’s life story and not just a small part of it. we see and feel it all, which makes this book feel so real. i can’t say much more about the characters without spoilering too much so the next part is going to be full of spoilers. don’t read any further if you haven’t read the book and are still planning to.
spoilers
when i read the line “i did not speak to celia for five years after that” my heart broke and bled for them. i was so shocked, i seriously thought they were gonna make up right after their fight. i mean i already was heartbroken the entire time since they couldn’t be who they wanted to be in front of the world, but them losing contact and being alone all over again? my heart bled
don’t even get me started on the part when john was dying and harry had to live without him and then him finding a new love and then died 😭 harry dying was one of the saddest parts in the book. i knew it was coming up but i didn’t expect it to be in an accident. and then the reveal of why monique was chosen for evelyn‘s biography? tjr, you are a genius. seriously. from that moment on my heart wouldn’t stop bleeding. everything that came after was just as heart shattering as harry‘s death. once celia died, i just felt so sad for evelyn. i wanted to hug her even if she had despised me for that. i felt her loneliness through the lines and my eyes wouldn’t stop tearing up.
i just wanted them to be a big happy family. when celia and evelyn would stop talking to each other through the years, it made me so emotional.. especially when celia was talking to evelyn through her oscar speech 😭
“and to anyone tempted to kiss the tv tonight,
please don’t chip your tooth.”
crying sobbing throwing up banging my head against the table, why can’t they just be happy, let them be happy, please please PLEASE, i need this more than oxygen.
“i can’t live with my heart half-broken all the time.”
“i should have chased her down the street the day she left me. i should have begged her to stay. i should have apologized and sent roses and stood on top of the hollywood sign and shouted, 'i'm in love with celia st. james!' and let them crucify me for it.”
“you could have been a teacher. i could have been a nurse. we could have made it easier on ourselves that way.” i could feel celia shaking her head next to me. “but that’s not who we are, that’s not who we have ever been or could ever be.”
“all i’ve ever wanted was for you to be truly mine. but you’ve never been mine. not really. i’ve always had to settle for one piece of you. but i can’t do it. i can’t do it, evelyn.”
god i’m just so emotional rn, i really need ten business days to recover if i can recover at all. this book will for sure leave a mark.
”we didn’t have enough time.”
August 3, 2022
I just want to preface this review with the fact that this book made me feel things that no other book ever has. I don't think I've ever had as immediate a reaction as I did to reading this book. I feel like my updates have made my distaste for this book pretty evident, but in case it wasn't I'm going to walk through all the things I hated about this book one final time before I try and put as much space between me and this work of fiction as humanly possible.
I knew going into the book that Evelyn Hugo was a Latinx character, it wasn't until I started reading though that I discovered our other narrator, Monique, was also a woman of color. [ Don't call her black though, she's biracial. ] And almost immediately I was uncomfortable with this ide. That said I carried on thinking that I was probably just stretching, reaching for things that weren't there. That said I think that the narrative utterly fails at the nuance necessary to tell the story of a Cuban-American finding success in the 50s. Utterly fails to depict the nuance in the way that someone like Evelyn would have to navigate the world, or how her racial identity would have had an impact on most of the things she experienced in life. It's really only brought up at the beginning when she's initially denied roles and Evelyn immediately pivots into this racially ambiguous/spicy white category that she's happy with becuase it ensures her success. That doesn't stop her from later bing mad that her maid doesn't know she's Cuban even though she's actively tried to supress that side of her for literally decades. I won't even get into how the narrative makes Evelyn retiring to Spain to make tortillas her reconnecting with her Cuban roots or how Monique actively distances heself from blackness while never questioning the impact that being raised by a single white mother following the death of her black father might have any role in that. You really mean to tell me that she has memories of her father but not his family? That the first black person she met was a girl in elementary school? Okay. Sidenote Evelyn just randomly dropping that she supported civil rights and MLK Jr towards the end of the book felt totally out of place and while not a big deal that part of the book felt very disconnected from what else was going on.
I didn't feel attached to any of the characters really, let alone any of the seven husbands. I have ones I thought were more interesting, but that's only because so did TJR and they were the ones given more time on the page. None of the characters that appear in the novel though are nearly as developed as Evelyn Hugo, something that I think makes it easier for a reader to be drawn to. There is literally no one else. No one is given the time or energy, even the major players in her life. I didn't think that the love story between Evelyn and the person that would be the lover her life was all that compelling if anything I thought that that person was actually lowkey terrible and the romance they shared was almost certainly nothing to write home about.
There are a number of deaths in this book, and again, didn't care about any of them.
At the end of the day though I did enjoy the voice of Evelyn Hugo, the character to be clear. Though the most revolutionary thing about her is being a bisexual character in their 70s, there's just something about characters like Evelyn that I will always support and that's no different here. Again though it helps that Evelyn is easily the only character crafted with any kind of depth.
I can't in good faith recommend that anyone read this book. I got very little enjoyment, but also there is nothing to gain? I realize and appreciate that my thoughts are in the minority here and I in no way feel like my opinion will ever be the one most agree with. If you do decide to pick this up I hope that you are able to enjoy it in ways I couldn't.
Also just a warning but this book details incestuous thoughts of child sexual assault, actual child sexual assault/pedophilia, and abuse in general [ definitely physical, emotional up for discussion I'd say ] so just know that if you want to pick this up.
2022 re-read thoughts
I wish that I could say that I liked this more the second time, but that would be a lie...
Or at least, partly a lie. I don't think that I can raise the rating even if I objectively had a better time reading it knowing the full scope of the story I was going to be getting. Maybe the gut punch of the end of the book being so insensitive being taken out of the equation was enough for me to have a better time, I don't know.
I do think that there are elements that work well here. I still think that Evelyn is an interesting character to follow with a very distinctive voice that I would appreciate in the hands of any other author. I feel comfortable saying that because I have enjoyed many a character that share her achetype.
For me the ways that race were handled poorly weren't so glaringly annoying this time as much as Celia being a horrible character. From the microaggressions at the first time she and Evelyn have a meal together to the way that she acts for years toward Evelyn. It never comes across as a 'good for her' moment, her standing up for herself... but as shaming Evelyn for doing things that she herself is not doing? Shaming Evelyn for making choices that are good for both of them. I get that communication is hard... but Celia and Evelyn take this to a whole new level. It was childish. It didn't serve love of her life... It didn't serve the one that got away. I deserved better as a reader quite frankly.
All of that is to say that the book giving 20ish pages to the explanation as to why Monique was chosen for this opportunity... still by far the worst part of the book. Everything about that getting wrapped up is so rushed. While the whole book feels very surface level, that in particular is damn near unforgivable. Monique deserved better as a character, the readers deserves more, and that TJR thought it was acceptable is pure foolishness.
I still think everyone who has wanted to read this has read it at this point... But it really shouldn't be on anyone's tbr. It's definitely not worth the time, even with all the potential this story has.
I knew going into the book that Evelyn Hugo was a Latinx character, it wasn't until I started reading though that I discovered our other narrator, Monique, was also a woman of color. [ Don't call her black though, she's biracial. ] And almost immediately I was uncomfortable with this ide. That said I carried on thinking that I was probably just stretching, reaching for things that weren't there. That said I think that the narrative utterly fails at the nuance necessary to tell the story of a Cuban-American finding success in the 50s. Utterly fails to depict the nuance in the way that someone like Evelyn would have to navigate the world, or how her racial identity would have had an impact on most of the things she experienced in life. It's really only brought up at the beginning when she's initially denied roles and Evelyn immediately pivots into this racially ambiguous/spicy white category that she's happy with becuase it ensures her success. That doesn't stop her from later bing mad that her maid doesn't know she's Cuban even though she's actively tried to supress that side of her for literally decades. I won't even get into how the narrative makes Evelyn retiring to Spain to make tortillas her reconnecting with her Cuban roots or how Monique actively distances heself from blackness while never questioning the impact that being raised by a single white mother following the death of her black father might have any role in that. You really mean to tell me that she has memories of her father but not his family? That the first black person she met was a girl in elementary school? Okay. Sidenote Evelyn just randomly dropping that she supported civil rights and MLK Jr towards the end of the book felt totally out of place and while not a big deal that part of the book felt very disconnected from what else was going on.
I didn't feel attached to any of the characters really, let alone any of the seven husbands. I have ones I thought were more interesting, but that's only because so did TJR and they were the ones given more time on the page. None of the characters that appear in the novel though are nearly as developed as Evelyn Hugo, something that I think makes it easier for a reader to be drawn to. There is literally no one else. No one is given the time or energy, even the major players in her life. I didn't think that the love story between Evelyn and the person that would be the lover her life was all that compelling if anything I thought that that person was actually lowkey terrible and the romance they shared was almost certainly nothing to write home about.
There are a number of deaths in this book, and again, didn't care about any of them.
At the end of the day though I did enjoy the voice of Evelyn Hugo, the character to be clear. Though the most revolutionary thing about her is being a bisexual character in their 70s, there's just something about characters like Evelyn that I will always support and that's no different here. Again though it helps that Evelyn is easily the only character crafted with any kind of depth.
I can't in good faith recommend that anyone read this book. I got very little enjoyment, but also there is nothing to gain? I realize and appreciate that my thoughts are in the minority here and I in no way feel like my opinion will ever be the one most agree with. If you do decide to pick this up I hope that you are able to enjoy it in ways I couldn't.
Also just a warning but this book details incestuous thoughts of child sexual assault, actual child sexual assault/pedophilia, and abuse in general [ definitely physical, emotional up for discussion I'd say ] so just know that if you want to pick this up.
2022 re-read thoughts
I wish that I could say that I liked this more the second time, but that would be a lie...
Or at least, partly a lie. I don't think that I can raise the rating even if I objectively had a better time reading it knowing the full scope of the story I was going to be getting. Maybe the gut punch of the end of the book being so insensitive being taken out of the equation was enough for me to have a better time, I don't know.
I do think that there are elements that work well here. I still think that Evelyn is an interesting character to follow with a very distinctive voice that I would appreciate in the hands of any other author. I feel comfortable saying that because I have enjoyed many a character that share her achetype.
For me the ways that race were handled poorly weren't so glaringly annoying this time as much as Celia being a horrible character. From the microaggressions at the first time she and Evelyn have a meal together to the way that she acts for years toward Evelyn. It never comes across as a 'good for her' moment, her standing up for herself... but as shaming Evelyn for doing things that she herself is not doing? Shaming Evelyn for making choices that are good for both of them. I get that communication is hard... but Celia and Evelyn take this to a whole new level. It was childish. It didn't serve love of her life... It didn't serve the one that got away. I deserved better as a reader quite frankly.
All of that is to say that the book giving 20ish pages to the explanation as to why Monique was chosen for this opportunity... still by far the worst part of the book. Everything about that getting wrapped up is so rushed. While the whole book feels very surface level, that in particular is damn near unforgivable. Monique deserved better as a character, the readers deserves more, and that TJR thought it was acceptable is pure foolishness.
I still think everyone who has wanted to read this has read it at this point... But it really shouldn't be on anyone's tbr. It's definitely not worth the time, even with all the potential this story has.
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