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I was really lucky to be part of the Tandem Collective listening to ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ as part of the PR around the new audiobook! I actually read this book back in 2020 when all I did was enjoy the furlough life by sitting in the sun, reading. So I was interested to re-read this book because re-reading isn’t something I usually do and I was wanted to see if my thoughts about the book had changed at all…
SYNOPSIS: Ageing 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 jump start 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.
REVIEW: I think the main thing that resonated this time around whilst reading this book was I had forgotten how raw the character of Evelyn is. She makes some pretty bad decisions and she is complicated to love sometimes, which is true to how the characters in the book feel about her too.
I also forgot how sexist the industry was too - no matter what her husbands and men in the industry did to her, she always came out worse. She was the one who had to make sacrifices.
I think during the second time reading this book, I appreciated the character of Harry Cameron more. Harry was Evelyn’s fifth husband and he really was such a great friend to Evelyn and protected her all he could and when she needed it the most.
I also admired Evelyn’s drive and ambition but I also loved how her drive also took her down the wrong paths sometimes and made her make wrong decisions. It hurt me that there were so many characters in this book that couldn’t properly love the people they loved, that they couldn’t be with the people they wanted to be with.
Re-reading Evelyn Hugo and especially listening to the audiobook was such a special experience for me. Evelyn’s voice was spot on and it was like listening to someone’s life story, with all the raw emotions and detail thrown in. Evelyn Hugo is an absolute masterpiece and solidifies my love for Taylor Jenkins Reid even more.
LISTEN TO/READ THIS IF:
💍 You’re a Taylor Jenkins Reid fan
💍 You enjoy books with strong female characters
💍 You like fiction books that are written in memoir style
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