389 pages
English language
Published Dec. 16, 2018 by Washington Square Press.
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 …
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.
Written with Reid's signature talent for creating "complex, likable characters" (Real Simple), this is a mesmerizing 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 costs—to face the truth
I enjoyed reading this book about a fictional celebrity who wishes to tell her story. The magazines made headlines for her seven marriages and then divorces. But what was hidden behind them ? Fame and money don't bring happiness. Who still doubts it ? Not Evelyn Hugo.
Good story and pleasant read, but I wasn't really taken by the writing.
It's a fun, breezy read, even if it does bog down a tetch toward the end as it ties up some loose ends, but there's clearly a Blanchett ot a Streep or a Julianne Moore or someone who's gonna win an Oscar for playing the title role in the movie adaptation.
Would have been 4.5 but that stupid twist brought it down.
As someone who has gone down the rabbit hole of LGBT people in old Hollywood, this book definitely scratched an itch. TJR is an excellent writer who creates fictional stories that feel like they could be real and I was very immersed throughout.
Except for the interview aspect. If this was /just/ the fake memoir without the journalist, the twist, all the extra drama, then I think it would have been more cohesive and more enjoyable. I enjoyed this enough to be able to recommend it to others, but I can't say it's a personal new favourite.
Also warning: emotional! nearly cried walking down the street when listening to the audiobook on my daily walk
Los siete maridos de Evelyn Hugo es un libro del que esperaba algo más, aunque no sé muy bien qué. Es una lectura amena, no me fue difícil entrar en la historia y enganchar capítulo tras capítulo para ver qué pasaba, pero me faltaba algo. Quizás era conectar más con lo que me contaba y con los personajes, lo que solo conseguí en momentos muy concretos de la historia. Puede que a mí en general me cueste empatizar con la gente rica (la mayoría de personajes lo son), pero el estilo además no ha ayudado en absoluto, la manera de contar las cosas lo volvía todo superficial: lo que sentían los personajes, cómo se relacionaban, la experiencia de tener una sexualidad no normativa o ser racializada… Quizás se trate de eso, de la superficialidad de Hollywood, del dinero y la fama, pero no me parece que fuese eso lo que …
Los siete maridos de Evelyn Hugo es un libro del que esperaba algo más, aunque no sé muy bien qué. Es una lectura amena, no me fue difícil entrar en la historia y enganchar capítulo tras capítulo para ver qué pasaba, pero me faltaba algo. Quizás era conectar más con lo que me contaba y con los personajes, lo que solo conseguí en momentos muy concretos de la historia. Puede que a mí en general me cueste empatizar con la gente rica (la mayoría de personajes lo son), pero el estilo además no ha ayudado en absoluto, la manera de contar las cosas lo volvía todo superficial: lo que sentían los personajes, cómo se relacionaban, la experiencia de tener una sexualidad no normativa o ser racializada… Quizás se trate de eso, de la superficialidad de Hollywood, del dinero y la fama, pero no me parece que fuese eso lo que la escritora quería contar ni lo que la mayoría de lectores se lleva.
Había oído hablar mucho y muy bien de esta novela, así que esperaba algo mejor. Es el típico problema de las altas expectativas a la hora de leer un libro. Me pregunto si lo hubiera disfrutado más si no hubiera esperado gran cosa de él, pero si no hubiese escuchado esas alabanzas probablemente ni hubiera sabido que existía y no hubiera habido lectura.
Reid performs a fun balancing act of switching viewpoint characters, as well as sprinkling in ephemera from the history of the fictional protagonist. It's a very smooth and easy read, a real page-turner. While there are surprises and twists, they all feel very well-earned. It's a story of love, a story of devotion, a story of ruthlessness and of generosity.
By the end of the book, I really wished that Evelyn Hugo had been a real person, such is Reid's ability to create real characters. Monique and Harry and Celia all feel fully-realized as well, and even the characters who barely get any "screen time" act like people. The dialog is snappy and I'd love to have a snarky conversation with Evelyn.
Recommended to anyone who likes books about people and social norms.
