This weeks first review is a book that I have been binge reading.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
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I realise that I am very late to the party with this book, but I finally decided to give it a shot and…wow…I am so glad I did.
Evelyn Hugo is a phenomenon; she is the kind of character that pulls all of your attention. She is deeply flawed but utterly captivating despite that. The kind of person that you love, despite getting what she wants by any means necessary, even if that means making some questionable choices, and her story is so fascinating that I was reading this book every spare moment that I had.
I feel like I can’t say much about the story without giving something integral away, and this is a story that you want to experience without knowing too much beforehand. All I will say is that you will go through a range of emotions when reading this book. Evelyn is unflinching in her account of her life, and that brutal honesty really makes you think.
Evelyn is obviously the draw of the story, but it is her relationships with the other characters that give it heart, most notably with Harry and Celia, the two constants in her life. They make Evelyn her most vulnerable, as they know the most truthful version of her. I liked that even though she was defined for having seven husbands, they were, for the most part, just a footnote in her life.
The structure was brilliant; it is narrated by Monique, the writer Evelyn tasks with writing her story, and Evelyn, who tells her story in her own words, and is also interspersed with news articles of the time. I love how Evelyn played the media to her advantage, always crafting a story that suited her purpose. However, it also showed how trapped she was in her situation, as all eyes were always on her.
I listened to this as an audiobook, and I would highly recommend it because the narration was wonderful. It was performed by three narrators, Alma Cuervo, Robin Miles, and Julia Whelan, and they were all amazing and brought the story to life beautifully.
This is an exceptional book and one that everyone should definitely read because it is fabulous.
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