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

This was magnificent. From the very beginning it captivated me. The story was alluring and the character of Evelyn was compelling. I absolutely loved seeing all aspects of her life. The author did a fantastic job of making Evelyn complex and we see that in the decisions she made throughout her life.

The story was paced excellently and the writing style was simple and had some very profound moments. Knowing very little about the story going into it, I was surprised at where it went.

Overall this was excellent. Amazingly written and deeply emotional. I cried. I will forever cry over this story.

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gologel's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

I liked the over-spanning discussion of the ambiguity of character and actions, Evelyn's portrayal, her work ethics and un-ethics, her sexuality, probably the most. The writing style was easy to follow and could perfectly capture the essence of whatever was presented.

I did not dislike the plot twist at the end, but it didn't really add anything to the main story for me. It felt like an attempt to find something to connect both main characters in a meaningful way and therefore didn't really catch me.

Overall I really enjoyed the book and find that it has many important scenes.

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pinkshark's review against another edition

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medium-paced

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

4.0

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classical_learner's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

2.75

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.

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hayleyw's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

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barbaracanadian's review against another edition

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0.25

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savvyrosereads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

May 2024 Reread:

I’m sobbing in my bed at 2am as I write this, and I adore this book so much.

Original review (May 2022):

Rating: 5/5 stars

Lowly staff writer Monique Grant is stunned and confused when she is personally requested by aging Hollywood superstar Evelyn Hugo to write an article for Monique’s magazine—and she’s even more confused when Evelyn reveals that what she really wants is for Monique to tell her life (and love) story to the world.

Before picking this one up, I regularly felt like the last person on earth who hadn’t read it, so there’s not much I can say here that hasn’t already been said elsewhere, and you almost certainly don’t need me to convince you to read this one. That said, I’m adding my voice to the chorus to say I absolutely loved this book and all the glowing reviews and rave tributes are 100% correct. It’s a thing of stunning beauty, hilarious wit, and breathtaking heart, and if you haven’t read it yet, you should.

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: historical fiction; LGBTQ+ stories; Hollywood glamour vibes.

CW: Homophobia; misogyny; death (including death of child and death of parent); terminal illness; suicide.

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