Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Published: June 13, 2017

Publisher: Atria Books

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

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 in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds through the decades—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

Filled with emotional insight and written with Reid’s signature talent, this is a fascinating journey through the splendor of Old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means—and what it takes—to face the truth.

My Thoughts

Another winner from Taylor Jenkins Reid! What can I say I love everything she has written but this one, while a little different from her previous novels is simply perfection! In The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo we see Evelyn’s life is she tells it to an up & comer in the publishing world. Monique is hand picked by Evelyn to write her biography which sets up the secondary story as to who is Monique when it comes to Evelyn. Why would Evelyn pick and trust an unknown with her life story? As the story plays out we do eventually find out and I was shocked which I loved since I’m hardly surprised nowadays.

The real gem is the life that Evelyn has lead and it is told to us through each of her seven marriages and all the hard work and hardships that she went through. We see how she was determined to make something of herself even if it meant doing things she never wanted to do. We relive the heyday of 50’s Hollywood glam and Evelyn using everything she has to get want she wants. While she was married seven times she was never able to marry her one true love, and that was Evelyn’s one regret in life, that she wasn’t able to live and love as freely as she wanted. We learn some surprising secrets, ones that wouldn’t be such a big deal these days but back then it would’ve ended her career and maybe even her life.

I got swept up with this amazing tale of a woman who only wanted to love her true love and continue to do what she was meant to do. I loved that Evelyn was a strong hard headed woman who at the time when men ruled the entertainment world knew how she wanted her life and career to go and made it happened. The juxtapose between Evelyn and Monique plays out as the book goes on showing us they are more alike that we know, and how they both give each other what the other one's needs.

This is one helluva book that is Reid’s most ambitious book to date. She nailed the old Hollywood glam era and of course, she always delivers when it comes to relationships and that wonderful thing called love. I love that she never makes love simple or uncomplicated, it's always hard and ugly which is part is real…that is how love is. She writes of a love that one longs for…true real love and she nails it here. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a novel that I highly recommend!