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4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book has a lot of good, that I think is unfortunately clouded by a lot of bad.
The good stuff: I find the story of Evelyn Hugo herself very compelling, though in truth Evelyn feels like a biographical mishmash of the lives of Rita Hayworth, Elizabeth Taylor, and Joan Crawford more than a real and vibrant character in her own right. But the portrayal of LGBTQ people in the golden era of Hollywood is honestly very interesting.
The bad stuff: The narrative framing of Evelyn's story through a tell-all interview felt clunky and unnecessary. Monique is both bland and annoyingly wide-eyed and naive (I was shocked when its revealed that she's actually 35; her internal monologue sounds like that of an early twenty-something, taking on the world for the first time). Also, the twist of fate that connects these two characters (the fact that Monique's dad was killed in a drunk driving accident by his lover/Evelyn's ex-husband, Harry, and that Evelyn covered it up ) is revealed so late in the book that Monique is given almost no time to explore or come to terms with her feelings. It honestly feels like the twist was thrown in just to make the plot feel shocking, not because it has real repercussions for the story. At the end of it all, no one is changed by this revelation: not Evelyn, not Monique or her family. It serves no purpose, other than giving the audience a probable reason for why a no-name journalist would be writing the biography of one of the most famous movie stars of all time.
All in all, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a fast and fun read, but it thinks it's a lot more clever than it is.
The good stuff: I find the story of Evelyn Hugo herself very compelling, though in truth Evelyn feels like a biographical mishmash of the lives of Rita Hayworth, Elizabeth Taylor, and Joan Crawford more than a real and vibrant character in her own right. But the portrayal of LGBTQ people in the golden era of Hollywood is honestly very interesting.
The bad stuff: The narrative framing of Evelyn's story through a tell-all interview felt clunky and unnecessary. Monique is both bland and annoyingly wide-eyed and naive (I was shocked when its revealed that she's actually 35; her internal monologue sounds like that of an early twenty-something, taking on the world for the first time). Also, the twist of fate that connects these two characters (
All in all, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a fast and fun read, but it thinks it's a lot more clever than it is.
reread!!! yes i did cry again!!! fav book in the entire world!!!
i was such a precious book, it made me cry for being so bootiful
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
More like 4.5⭐
WHAT DID I JUST READ??
Such an amazing book!!
Let's talk about the it in detail... (What I really liked)
# Evelyn-
I really liked her boldness and willingness to do something. As a character, really tough and considerate, wanting to do anything to protect her loved ones and ready to sacrifice. But as a person wanting to reach greater heights, GREEDY!
Not a bad quality but you cannot really hate her not like her when she is unfolding her life in front of you.
There are going to be instincts you'll fall in love with her but at the same time you are going to hate her.
# Her relationship with Harry-
This was the most beautiful topic in the whole book to discuss.
“
WHAT DID I JUST READ??
Such an amazing book!!
Let's talk about the it in detail... (What I really liked)
# Evelyn-
I really liked her boldness and willingness to do something. As a character, really tough and considerate, wanting to do anything to protect her loved ones and ready to sacrifice. But as a person wanting to reach greater heights, GREEDY!
Not a bad quality but you cannot really hate her not like her when she is unfolding her life in front of you.
There are going to be instincts you'll fall in love with her but at the same time you are going to hate her.
# Her relationship with Harry-
This was the most beautiful topic in the whole book to discuss.
“
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
I had no idea what to expect when I began reading this book, and I started out enjoying the concept. However, as I continued to read, I realized how pointless the book felt to me. Reading about famous people was not the least bit interesting, but learning about a woman like Evelyn was almost annoying. She tells Monique she doesn't regret a thing from her life, but then, when rekindling her romance with Celia (multiple times), she expresses regret. I think that as she told her story, she would have more regret for missing out on years with the love of her life.
Monique was very useless to the story as well. Yes, she wrote Evelyn's book, and that was important (I guess) that she get her story out to the world, but other than that, what was the point of having Monique be the main character? Yes, her father was connected to Evelyn, but it could have been done differently. She didn't contribute anything to how the story unfolded, and I found myself not caring how she was connected because it wasn't something the author hinted at, except for at the very beginning of the book.
Storyline aside, all the characters were very boring and predictable. I didn't find myself connecting with any of them and I found myself annoyed with Evelyn and her actions.
Monique was very useless to the story as well. Yes, she wrote Evelyn's book, and that was important (I guess) that she get her story out to the world, but other than that, what was the point of having Monique be the main character? Yes, her father was connected to Evelyn, but it could have been done differently. She didn't contribute anything to how the story unfolded, and I found myself not caring how she was connected because it wasn't something the author hinted at, except for at the very beginning of the book.
Storyline aside, all the characters were very boring and predictable. I didn't find myself connecting with any of them and I found myself annoyed with Evelyn and her actions.
adventurous
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes