Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

1159 reviews

fierygecko's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

I think this is the kind of book that deserves to -and should- be read twice. It is written uniquely; its incredible how different enough Monique and Evelyn’s storytelling styles are that you can tell who is the narrator of each chapter without ever being told. Each character is diverse, complex, and so fleshed out. Evelyn is a fantastic protagonist, partly because she has had a wild and morally gray life but also because she’s an unfiltered, brutally honest 79-year-old lady. As the reader you are never told to love or hate her; that is up for you to decide. I think that given the message of the story, you would decide on both. Monique is a lens for Evelyn’s story, almost. She processes Evelyn’s life through her own, and vice versa. She learns from Evelyn, and it’s so satisfying to witness. This book is about love, loss, and learning from your ex-Hollywood elders with a chip on their shoulder. I look forward to reading it a second time in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Misogyny, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, and Biphobia

Minor: Pregnancy and Grief

lulusreads's review against another edition

emotional inspiring 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Car accident

Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Homophobia, Outing, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Pregnancy, and Biphobia

astrangewind's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo tells an incredibly queer story from what seems like an incredibly heterosexual premise, which is something I can totally get behind. In fact, I was quite surprised by how gay this book turned out to be. Despite that, though, it was sad, and I couldn't stop reading once the pace picked up. Each husband had a unique flair and purpose in Evelyn's scandalous life, and the sections are executed well.

Despite liking the plot, I liked neither Monique nor Evelyn. I think Evelyn isn't meant to be a likable character; she herself even claims she's a bad person to Monique's face. That's the whole point of the book. She's beautiful, and cruel, and generous, and loving. All of these things at once. However, Monique was probably meant to be likable, but I found her mostly annoying, and her own story much less compelling than Evelyn's.

I am happy that this book is queer, and I'm happy that it's not just about being queer during puberty, as a lot of books with queer characters are. It's about being queer in Hollywood in the late 20th century, dodging the media and dealing with the AIDS crisis. That said, it bugs me that the only characters who treat Evelyn with any kind of respect are queer.

When Evelyn first meets Harry, she makes a note of it that he doesn't stare at her breasts, like all the other men do. It seems unfair for the one man to treat her like a human instead of an object only does so because he doesn't like women. Similarly, it feels unfair that the only woman who treats her with respect happens to be in love with her. Queer people can have platonic friendships with non-queer people.

Also, every mention of

Evelyn's

bisexuality reads like two people talking back and forth on a Tumblr post; it's over-explained and stilted, like Reid is afraid to offend bisexuals. It's fine, Taylor, I promise, to not repeatedly explain that bisexuality is liking men and women (Gasp!). Truth be told, though, that's my main gripe with Seven Husbands, and it's not that bad. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Pedophilia

Minor: Drug use, Car accident, and Suicide

moltedmilk's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

Beautiful story, I read this really fast and I am usually a slow reader. I loved how complex Evelyn’s character is. Such a good book 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Abortion, Cancer, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, and Alcohol

sarasaurus_rex's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The last 50 or so pages makes the book worth it and will make you shed some tears if you resonate with the characters! The complexity of the characters in the context of real life are presented in very digestible and accessible ways: even if you can't quite relate to someone's identity or sexuality, you can still understand the universal feelings and experiences they have as people. Evelyn's immigrant heritage, her relationship with Harry and her daughter, and

her eventual death

especially resonated with me and were well reflected in Reid's writing. 

The occassional contextualization of Evelyn's biography paired with Monique's own life was a nice touch that hepled wrap up loose ends effectively. As a result, would argue that Monique and the "contemporary" cast of 2017 were more plot devices than characters, but it didn't necessarily hurt the story. This novel definitely holds up to the hype it received and deserves a read.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death of parent, Grief, Alcoholism, Addiction, Car accident, Cancer, and Homophobia

pianokeys's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Cursing, Miscarriage, Rape, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Addiction, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Car accident, Sexual assault, Death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Bullying, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Physical abuse, Outing, Death of parent, Mental illness, Abortion, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

badbadwolf's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Outing, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Homophobia, Suicide, Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Cancer, Drug use, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Sexual content

evelynnnn33333's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Cancer, Grief, and Death of parent

amandaacat's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is one of the best books that I’ve read in a long time. I actually listened to the audio book and couldn’t put it down. Taylor Jenkins Reid has written something so timeless and in a way that keeps you entertained throughout. The characters are so real and Evelyn’s story is so heartbreaking and magical. I’ll be thinking of this book for awhile.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Toxic friendship, Grief, Child death, Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Sexism

jess_always_reading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense 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

5.0

Big breath, okay. 

I'm writing this after just finishing this incredible novel and there are still tears drying on my face because THAT ENDING. 

If I could rate higher than 5 stars I would, this story is beautiful. Jenkins Reid has crafted a suite of characters that are so completely human, complex and evolving, lovable and flawed. A story of love in all its forms, of survival and the way the wounds of our childhood stay with us. Of the pain of living in hiding and in fear. Of a life filled with love, struggle, and loss. 

Evelyn Hugo is a bisexual icon and my heart hurts for her and the many real people who lived and continue to live now in hiding. As a bi+ queer myself, this was so powerful that it left me teary. Don't we all want to find our Harry and Celia?

Lastly, I love the way Jenkins Reid writes Evelyn telling her story. It reads like someone sharing their truths and, in its telling, reveals even more about Evelyn's incredible character. 

100/10 would recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Blood, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Cancer, and Sexism