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A review by jupiterlee
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is the total package when it comes to a book that keeps you engaged and guessing. It has glitz and glam, exhilaration and emotional heartbreaks, pleasure and pain and that's its not just the characters that go through these emotions.
Evelyn Hugo, I think, is a woman that every woman wishes they could be just a little bit like. She was physically beautiful, intellectual, unashamedly sexual, straight to the point and not afraid to use who every she needed to get what she wanted. She was a woman to be reckoned with, and she is a woman that I would not have minded knowing.
Taylor Jenkins Reid has a beautiful writing style that it was easy to find yourself lost in Evelyn's story. Reid's exploration of fame and old Hollywood, societal norms, misogyny, race, sexuality, women's rights, LGBTQIA+ struggles, historical moments, bi-phobia, family, friendship and abuse is nothing short of amazingly done. Reid is able to perfectly capture what all these factors meant in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s etc and how each of them played a role in how Evelyn acted, or had to act. I honestly loved the way she portrayed Evelyn in that she was a grey character and sometimes you did want to hate her or shake her, but like Monique in the end, I don't think anyone could bring themselves to truly hate Evelyn Hugo.
Having the extracts of the tabloids at certain points, hammers home the point of you never know what is truly going on behind a picture, and they to me they added an authenticity to the story, to the point that it honestly does feel like you are reading an autobiography of a real Hollywood Legend.
Each character in the novel, truly was an extension of Evelyn.
I loved the change in Monique's character after she met Evelyn, and I think that is testament to what kind of a woman Evelyn was, in that she was able to bring that out in her after not knowing her that long. But Monique seeing that a woman can be demanding for what they want was the best thing that could happen to her. I also loved, that Monique was a character that respected Evelyn to the very end, despite everything that she learned and despite the fact that letting someone kill themselves, someone that she spent so much of her time with, she understood what this meant to Evelyn and why she was doing it.
I will admit that Celia St.James, at times felt like nothing but a petulant school child. I wanted to shake her and make her realise that it is not so easy to be out in the time that they were in, and I felt that she could have been a little bit more understanding to Evelyn's dream and what she had worked for. However, I did understand Celia and her desire to love the woman of her dreams unconditionally without some fraction of deceit or fakeness hanging over them.
Harry Cameron. I loved this man. He truly was Evelyn's platonic soul mate and best friend. I loved him and Evelyn together and honestly, I think they made an amazing couple (queer or not). Harry's grief and death broke my heart, as all I wanted was for him and Evelyn to be an old queer couple sipping champagne and living their life together, but that is not what fate (Reid) had in store.
Overall, this book cannot be just put into the category of romance as it has so much more to give to the world than that. It truly makes you sympathise with individuals of those times who did have to hide who they love, and some of that is still relevant to the culture of today. It also makes you realise how powerful a woman can be if she truly wants to be. Evelyn Hugo should be an icon for everyone.
Evelyn Hugo, I think, is a woman that every woman wishes they could be just a little bit like. She was physically beautiful, intellectual, unashamedly sexual, straight to the point and not afraid to use who every she needed to get what she wanted. She was a woman to be reckoned with, and she is a woman that I would not have minded knowing.
Taylor Jenkins Reid has a beautiful writing style that it was easy to find yourself lost in Evelyn's story. Reid's exploration of fame and old Hollywood, societal norms, misogyny, race, sexuality, women's rights, LGBTQIA+ struggles, historical moments, bi-phobia, family, friendship and abuse is nothing short of amazingly done. Reid is able to perfectly capture what all these factors meant in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s etc and how each of them played a role in how Evelyn acted, or had to act. I honestly loved the way she portrayed Evelyn in that she was a grey character and sometimes you did want to hate her or shake her, but like Monique in the end, I don't think anyone could bring themselves to truly hate Evelyn Hugo.
Having the extracts of the tabloids at certain points, hammers home the point of you never know what is truly going on behind a picture, and they to me they added an authenticity to the story, to the point that it honestly does feel like you are reading an autobiography of a real Hollywood Legend.
Each character in the novel, truly was an extension of Evelyn.
I loved the change in Monique's character after she met Evelyn, and I think that is testament to what kind of a woman Evelyn was, in that she was able to bring that out in her after not knowing her that long. But Monique seeing that a woman can be demanding for what they want was the best thing that could happen to her. I also loved, that Monique was a character that respected Evelyn to the very end, despite everything that she learned and despite the fact that letting someone kill themselves, someone that she spent so much of her time with, she understood what this meant to Evelyn and why she was doing it.
I will admit that Celia St.James, at times felt like nothing but a petulant school child. I wanted to shake her and make her realise that it is not so easy to be out in the time that they were in, and I felt that she could have been a little bit more understanding to Evelyn's dream and what she had worked for. However, I did understand Celia and her desire to love the woman of her dreams unconditionally without some fraction of deceit or fakeness hanging over them.
Harry Cameron. I loved this man. He truly was Evelyn's platonic soul mate and best friend. I loved him and Evelyn together and honestly, I think they made an amazing couple (queer or not). Harry's grief and death broke my heart, as all I wanted was for him and Evelyn to be an old queer couple sipping champagne and living their life together, but that is not what fate (Reid) had in store.
Overall, this book cannot be just put into the category of romance as it has so much more to give to the world than that. It truly makes you sympathise with individuals of those times who did have to hide who they love, and some of that is still relevant to the culture of today. It also makes you realise how powerful a woman can be if she truly wants to be. Evelyn Hugo should be an icon for everyone.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia
Minor: Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Grief, Car accident, Cancer, and Abortion