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daisyjay 's review for:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Harry, I’m cynical and I’m bossy, and most people would consider me vaguely immoral.”
I read this book in one day and to put it into words, it felt like a whirlwind.
Evelyn Hugo is two people: a Hollywood caricature of a starlet, simultaneously both chaste and “whore”, a walking contradiction constructed by society’s impossible standards to be both adored and despised. But she is also a queer, Cuban woman, a girl brought up in Hell’s Kitchen to an abusive Father who how the world expected her to act and used it to her advantage, carving her own way. In the end, however, it was not Evelyn’s career that brought her joy, nor her image as a ‘sex symbol’, nor her Oscar and her other various accolades. It was the friends she made and the loves she lost that she looks back upon in her final moments, that make our part-narrator, Monique, realise that she herself has to live her own life differently. Evelyn has that ability as a character, as a person: she makes you want to take action.
I read this book in one day and to put it into words, it felt like a whirlwind.
Evelyn Hugo is two people: a Hollywood caricature of a starlet, simultaneously both chaste and “whore”, a walking contradiction constructed by society’s impossible standards to be both adored and despised. But she is also a queer, Cuban woman, a girl brought up in Hell’s Kitchen to an abusive Father who how the world expected her to act and used it to her advantage, carving her own way. In the end, however, it was not Evelyn’s career that brought her joy, nor her image as a ‘sex symbol’, nor her Oscar and her other various accolades. It was the friends she made and the loves she lost that she looks back upon in her final moments, that make our part-narrator, Monique, realise that she herself has to live her own life differently. Evelyn has that ability as a character, as a person: she makes you want to take action.
I can’t explain the impact this novel had on me, because I’m still processing it myself. All I can say is that I enjoyed every moment of it (including the moments I cried hysterically or gaped at my Kindle). It’s one of those books that I’ve heard a lot about and hence expected the worst - I hoped I would enjoy it but I still set my standards low. It’s safe to say they were exceeded with merit. This is my first Jenkins-Reid read (see what I did there 😉), and it definitely won’t be my last. Thank you to everyone who recommended this to me, and I’m sorry I didn’t listen sooner!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Lesbophobia
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Minor: Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Suicide, Abortion