User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
”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! =)
Rating: really liked it
“I spent half my time loving her and the other half hiding how much I loved her.”
This is one of the best books I’ve ever had the privilege to read. It is probably in the top five for best books I’ve ever read in my entire life. I have been looking for a book like this my entire life, and no combination of words I’m about to type, and you’re about to read, is going to do this masterpiece justice. But I will say that Gabby, Joce, and Elyse were all right, and I’m so happy I listened to them, because this book is worth every single ounce of hype.
And when I say that this book is lifechanging, I truly mean it. This book is sold as a historical romance, where you learn about a fictional, famous, old Hollywood actress and all her marriages. What you get is a book that stars a bisexual, Cuban woman who was never allowed to talk about the love of her life; her wife. And when I say I cried during this book, I truly mean that I probably need to buy a new copy because I was the biggest mess you’ve ever seen.
“And it will be the tragedy of my life that I cannot love you enough to make you mine. That you cannot be loved enough to be anyone’s.”
On top of this being a powerful book about race, sexuality, misogyny, and having to conform to societies norms, the true meaning I took from this book is that life is short, so damn short, and we shouldn’t spend it pretending to be something we aren’t. And we shouldn’t spend it doing anything less than loving the people who are worthy and deserving of our love.
“I didn’t need boys in order to feel good. And that realization gave me great power.”
We follow Evelyn from the very start; losing her mother very young, her body developing very quickly, noticing others noticing her developing body, marrying a man so she can leave the dead-end city she grew up in, so she can become something more. Evelyn is unapologetic with her actions, and it is one of the most empowering things I’ve ever read. She plays so many more parts than the roles she is cast in. And Evelyn learns really quickly how to play each and every man she is forced to interact with, and she quickly learns what she can gain from each and every one of them, too.
This story is told from two different timelines and two different points of view. One from Monique Grant, who is a biracial (white and African-American) woman who is going through a fresh divorce and trying to make something of herself in the journalism field. And her life changes the day her editor tells her how Evelyn Hugo is demanding her, and only her, to write something for her.
“Heartbreak is loss. Divorce is a piece of paper.”
The other timeline(s) are all the different times in Evelyn’s life, and the different seven husbands that she had, while she is recounting the events that lead her to be telling Monique this story. Evelyn has lived a very full life, and is in her late seventies now, and is finally ready to talk about her life. But the entire book we are guessing why she has chosen only Monique for this job.
“Make them pay you what they would pay a white man.”
If you guys have been following my reviews, you’ll probably know that I talk about found family and how important it is to me a lot, but
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is the epitome of how beautiful a found family can be. Evelyn and Harry’s friendship in this was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read in my entire reading life.
“When you write the ending, Monique, make sure the reader understands that all I was ever really looking for was family. Make sure it’s clear that I found it. Make sure they know that I am heartbroken without it.”
And the romance? The true romance in this book is the most romantic thing I have ever read in my entire life. And you guys know I’ve read a ton of romances, but they are all lesser to this. Every single one of them can’t compare with the romance in this book. I feel like every time I’ve used the word “perfect” to describe something that wasn’t the romance in this book, then I used the word wrong.
“Please never forget that the sun rises and sets with your smile. At least to me it does. You’re the only thing on this planet worth worshipping.”
How many Evelyn and Celias are there in the world? How many are still playing the role that Evelyn was forced to play? I cry for every single person who must hide who they are, and who they want to love. And this book talks about many big things in queer history; from the Stonewall riots to the disgusting Reagan administration, but life still isn't anywhere close to equal in 2018. The prejudices, the discrimination, the virus/syndrome blaming, the looks I’ve experienced holding a girl’s hand while walking into a restaurant? Those are still in 2018, in the United States, but people act like none of those things exists because marriage is legalized, begrudgingly. I’m not writing this review to get on my soapbox, but I promise, we have a lot more work to do. And this book, this book lit a fire under me.
I personally identify as pansexual, but I felt like the bisexual rep in this was a tier above anything my eyes have ever seen. Seeing Evelyn love all the parts of her, and all the different parts of her love, was something so awe-inspiring. I am still so overwhelmed with feelings, but if you identify as bi or pan, this is a love letter to you, I promise.
“I was a lesbian when she loved me and a straight woman when she hated me.”
This book also focuses a huge importance on motherhood throughout the entirety of this book, and then I read the acknowledgement and started weeping all over again. Taylor Jenkins Reid was able to evoke the strongest emotions from me, and I just pray that things will be different for the generation of kids being raised right now.
This was the first thing I’ve read by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but I will buy every single new thing she produces. The writing was so lyrical and addicting. I mean, I have a quote between almost every paragraph. This whole book deserves to be highlighted. The characters, well, my mind has now forever imagined that these are real people now, so there is that. The topics, themes, and discussions are beyond important. This book just makes me feel so passionately. This book is one of the most empowering pieces of literature I’ve ever consumed. And I am not the same person I was before this book.
“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.”
If you guys ever take a recommendation from me; please have it be The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Please, I’m actually begging you. I promise, this book is lifechanging, and I equally promise you that this book changed mine. There is magic between these four-hundred-pages. Pure magic. This story is addicting, enthralling, and so important. And if you’re an Evelyn, in 2018, I see you, but I hope it doesn’t take you as long as it took her to be happy. This will forever be one of the best books of my life, and I’ll cherish it forever.
“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.”
Trigger/Content Warnings: death of a loved one, death of a child, talk of suicide, unhealthy dieting, underage sex with an adult, abortion, talk of miscarriage, a lot of physical abuse, cheating, dunk driving, and homophobic slurs.
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Buddy read with May & Alexis! ❤
UPDATE: I got to meet Taylor, see her interview Casey McQuiston, have her sign my book, and she is a confirmed angel! My Vlog ❤
Rating: really liked it
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.
“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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Rating: really liked it
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The Written Review 3.75 stars
Heartbreak is a loss. Divorce is a piece of paper.
Evelyn Hugo was the star of the century. 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 (view spoiler)
[ Celia (hide spoiler)] throughout the years truly made this
wildly unbelievable story cinch for me. Honestly, (view spoiler)
[ her relationship with Celia (hide spoiler)]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.
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Rating: really liked it
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.Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube
Rating: really liked it
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:Daisy Jones & The Six
Malibu Rising
After I Do
~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was a pick for my Book of the Month box. Get your first book for $5 here.
Rating: really liked it
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.”
Rating: really liked it
this didn't work for me, but i get how it could work for othersthere'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.
lastlythere 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 saidit 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.
Rating: really liked it
[abortion & suicide (hide spoiler)]
Rating: really liked it
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.
Rating: really liked it
Worst Read of Decade, 2011-2020Glucose GluttonyAs 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 such soppy, silly prose as implausible as:
“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. [hmmm, 🤔 ... you don't say...]
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.” 🫶🏼
If you're still on the fence after reading this review, by all means, read the book!
Rating: really liked it
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
Rating: really liked it
(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!
Rating: really liked it
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.
Rating: really liked it
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.
