Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

I was unsure exactly what to rate this book. Still am.
This book is a prime example of why to read literature about ideas you disagree with. The basic storyline follows the ascension of a fictitious actress to Hollywood fame and, basically, how she pursues all the wrong things.

Spoiler alert: the title is written as such because EH is actually bisexual and the key character is her "wife," not most of the men.

There were several genius plot twists, but unfortunately, I guessed the final big one within the first few chapters. The writing of this book was very well-executed, but, ironically, good writing is sometimes the least important part of a book. What was worthwhile was watching someone realize that fame is not all it is cracked up to be and that people, in fact, are not all that great at heart.
The valuable part of fiction like this is learning from a character who chooses the wrong things instead of the right. The dangerous part of fiction like this is an author misidentifying the wrong things as the right.
What the author aspires to do is depict how genuine love can exist in many imperfect forms--haphazard, familial, friendly, romantic, etc. In a sense, this is true, of course--this world is messy, and good relationships are rarely uncomplicated. But its debilitating pitfall is that it categorizes lust, same-sex friendships, opposite-sex coworker affairs, and protecting one's child all equally as "love." This is a horrible problem on so many levels, but most of all, leaves the book self-contradictory in its exhortation to shirk some types of "love" for another "love." Moreover, marriage is viewed as entirely transactional and temporary (think "marriage is in the eye of the beholder"). Unsurprisingly, this results in an empty-feeling view of life--don't take my word for it! The book itself praises so-called "Medical Assistance In Dying," aka, doctor-enabled suicide.
I picked this book up due to noticing its persistent popularity and desiring to know what made people like it and whether there even was anything worthwhile in it--to the former, it simply accurately reports on the present unbiblical cultural worldview; to the latter, see above.
This book is so quintessentially representative of depressing postmodern society that I would even consider reading it in a discussion group, had I the time.

Thus, a majority of what raises this book's rating is how well it represents things I drastically disagree with.

Taylor Jenkins Reid--go read The Four Loves.

Note: there were some startling descriptions of classically Hollywood sexual encounters, but these were easy enough to skip.

Content Warnings

carlytenille's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

etherealisnt's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Oh my god, this is one hell of a story! I heard so much good about this book, and I finally got to read it myself. I'm not crazy over it, but I recognize it's a remarkable piece of literature, as word on the street said it was.

Don't ignore half of me so you can fit me into a box. Don't do that.

Evelyn Hugo is perhaps one of the more complex characters that I've had the pleasure of meeting in recent history. It's been absolutely lovely to get to know her story and the complexities of her life. I love that she doesn't fit in a box in more ways than one; she's a surprise. She is not necessarily "good" or "bad", but rather simply a human with her own motivations and reasons. We got to learn a lot about Hollywood, moral and emotional issues, and sexuality.

It’s always been fascinating to me how things can be simultaneously true and false, how people can be good and bad all in one, how someone can love you in a way that is beautifully selfless while serving themselves ruthlessly.

I quite enjoyed the sectionalization: how the 'smaller' chapters were paced and the 'bigger' sections had Evelyn's husbands as the titles. That was a smart way to do it, plus it gives you a chance to be more intimate with the other characters. I got to love Harry till the bittersweet end, he had me in his corner pretty early on.

But let's not forget Monique and her story! Even though she was mostly out of the picture, the times she did show up were well-fitted into the story. She didn't get lost or overshadowed by Evelyn (maybe a little, but come on, she's a star). It had a great unbalanced balance, if that makes sense. Most of the characters had a chance to shine in their moments. Nevertheless, strangely, the star of it all shone the most and the least - we got to know Evelyn like no one else, but she's still a total mystery. And that's intricate storytelling for you.