I think by now, it is safe to declare that Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my absolute favourite authors. I've only read two books but I don't think she'll ever disappoint me in the future. Fingers crossed!
Anyway, this is one of the extremely hyped books of hers. I have to admit I held back diving into this book for a long time just because of the hype.
So, is it worth it?
The Story
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo tells the story of...well, the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo. However, even if the book is outlined based on her seven husbands, I think the story goes a lot more deeper than that. Beyond all the marriages is the story of a woman's quest for a great career and her one true love.
Evelyn was not very fortunate when she was younger but she knew what she wanted to be. At a young age, when she got the chance to go to Hollywood, she committed to herself to a marriage of convenience and got out of it as soon as she was on the right track. Expectedly, the road to stardom and staying on it was not a very easy one.
Evelyn Hugo's life was far from perfect but how she evolved, fell and picked herself back up is a story worth telling.
What I Think...
There were a lot of times that I had to pinch and tell myself that this is a "memoir" of a fictional character. It just seemed so real. Maybe because there were scenarios that reflect the real lives of young Hollywood actresses during the old Hollywood era. Or I believe it's really just because of how amazing TJR is as a storyteller.
I read that when TJR pitched this idea to her publisher, her publisher didn't think the story of a woman married seven times would be very convincing. Quiet frankly, before reading the book, I didn't know how that would work. However, TJR just really nailed it. She made something out of a very strange concept. Just pure talent.
Enough fangirling.
Let's get to other aspects.
There are two POVs in the story. One is a third person view of Monique Grant, a writer interviewing the present-day aged Evelyn Hugo and another is a first person view of Evelyn Hugo in the past as she tells the story of her seven husbands. Monique Grant was not a high profile writer but Evelyn chose her specifically and wouldn't do the interview otherwise. From then on, I knew the very reason why was going to be a plot twist but when it was revealed, I was already too wrapped up in Evelyn's story that I didn't really have an emotional response to it.
Another thing that is worth noting that there are some girl to girl action here. I know there are people who (even though they're not homophobic) are not very comfortable with that. I personally don't mind it and in this case, it is quite important to the overall story. If you're to skip through it you might not enjoy or appreciate this book to its full extent.
The best part of this book for me is just like Monique, I was given so many reasons to hate on Evelyn. However, my heart just didn't and just couldn't. It was not pity nor was I charmed. I also was not apathetic towards her. As a matter of fact, I did like Evelyn Hugo. I think despite everything that she was and everything that she's been through, she's still an amazing woman who deserved the good that she got in life.
This is a book worth reading and certainly a very memorable one.
☆☆☆☆☆ | Adults | Newbie-Friendly: Yes | Fast Read: Yes
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