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A review by lillimoore
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4.0
Four stars for bisexual icon Evelyn Hugo's riveting story!
Whew, it's been a little over two months since I've been able to finish a book, let alone write a review (so please excuse this one because I can already tell you it's going to be a bit rusty!). After being disappointed by Daisy Jones but absolutely enthralled by Malibu Rising, I thought I would take another chance on Taylor Jenkins Reid to see if her in-depth characterization (my favorite aspect of any novel) could help pull me out of the reading slump I've been in. And I was right!
Old Hollywood "It Girl" and one of the most beautiful women to have ever graced this planet Evelyn Hugo is in her twilight years when she decides it's finally time to reveal the truth of her life story to the world. She calls upon Monique, a writer at Vivant magazine, to write her biography, much to Monique and everyone else at Vivant's surprise and confusion; Monique is one of the less recognizable names on the magazine's staff and the article is not her traditional subject material. But Evelyn has a reason for seeking out Monique—actually, she has several complicated reasons that reveal themselves over the course of her life story. Through the tales of her rise to fame, her relationship with each of her husbands, and one defining romance in particular, a complex character comes to the surface. Evelyn Hugo, one of the most iconic actresses of the literary universe in which both her story and Malibu Rising are set (and Daisy Jones? Someone let me know! I'm actually thinking of revisiting it to see if I enjoy it more a second time around!), is seemingly giving Monique a chance at a life she couldn't have dreamed of prior to their collaboration, but the reasons she chooses to do so are more complicated than anyone could have expected. Who is Evelyn Hugo at her core? Why has she plucked a journalist from near obscurity to document her life?
I just adored Evelyn. I adored her for her audacity, tenacity, perseverance, and honesty. I thought that out of every TJR book I have read so far, she was the most complex and well-developed character by far (with June from Malibu Rising being a close second) and she was immediately cemented in my heart as a literary icon. The bisexual representation too! Although there continues to be progress in LGBTQIA+ representation, bisexuals continue to be severely underrepresented. Not in this story.
I also loved the character of Harry. His story for me was the most tragic and felt the most real. The love between him and Evelyn for me was the strongest love story in this book. Celia had moments where she was great (her earlier scenes in the novel in particular stick out to me, like her and Evelyn splitting that bottle of wine in the house Evelyn shared with Don) but as the book progressed I just really did not enjoy her character as much as I desperately wanted to. I thought she was whiny and unreasonable without being given redeeming qualities that help to explain her relationships and worldview. I wanted more from her than I think we were given, especially considering the impact of her role in this story. However, toward the end of her time in the book, I do think she was somewhat redeemed.
Monique in this book did not work for me, and she and Celia are what brought the book down to 4 stars from 5 in my opinion. I just didn't like her character all that much. I found myself unable to connect with her, and I can't quite put my finger on why; I guess because we just didn't get enough time or narrative from her, and what we did get from her voice made me feel tired and sad, which is kind of how I would characterize her. I did enjoy it when she made her demands from Vivant and stuck up for herself a few times throughout the narrative, but overall I think she either needed a much bigger role in the story or needed to be eliminated from it altogether. Evelyn's story could have been revealed through a different vehicle, because that's all Monique really served as here—a vehicle for Evelyn, and the big reveal of how the two characters were connected merely served as a showcase for her complexity.
I've complained about this a lot in reviews of other books (I'm looking at you, Kristin Hannah) but this book walks the line between having a realistic balance of traumatic life events and becoming an over-the-top narrative of awful things happening to the central cast of characters. However, I think it remains believable. As our lives progress, we lose more and more people in tragic ways, and that is an honest reflection of a 79-year-old woman's life story. Maybe it could have done without Harry's death and the narrative surrounding that. As I said, I didn't care for Monique or find her connection with Evelyn to be especially compelling, and I think this book could have still been great if Harry had lived and consequently that connection Evelyn and Monique had been severed.
Altogether, for readers who seek out character-driven stories, let me recommend this one to you. Like many reviewers have noted before me, the literary universe that TJR paints in her stories make all the stars within feel so real that you may be tempted to Google them to find out if this is a true story! I will return to Evelyn someday and continue to look forward to work from this author. She truly has a gift for creating unbelievably believable characters, relationships and lives. Can't wait for the next great story from her!
Whew, it's been a little over two months since I've been able to finish a book, let alone write a review (so please excuse this one because I can already tell you it's going to be a bit rusty!). After being disappointed by Daisy Jones but absolutely enthralled by Malibu Rising, I thought I would take another chance on Taylor Jenkins Reid to see if her in-depth characterization (my favorite aspect of any novel) could help pull me out of the reading slump I've been in. And I was right!
Old Hollywood "It Girl" and one of the most beautiful women to have ever graced this planet Evelyn Hugo is in her twilight years when she decides it's finally time to reveal the truth of her life story to the world. She calls upon Monique, a writer at Vivant magazine, to write her biography, much to Monique and everyone else at Vivant's surprise and confusion; Monique is one of the less recognizable names on the magazine's staff and the article is not her traditional subject material. But Evelyn has a reason for seeking out Monique—actually, she has several complicated reasons that reveal themselves over the course of her life story. Through the tales of her rise to fame, her relationship with each of her husbands, and one defining romance in particular, a complex character comes to the surface. Evelyn Hugo, one of the most iconic actresses of the literary universe in which both her story and Malibu Rising are set (and Daisy Jones? Someone let me know! I'm actually thinking of revisiting it to see if I enjoy it more a second time around!), is seemingly giving Monique a chance at a life she couldn't have dreamed of prior to their collaboration, but the reasons she chooses to do so are more complicated than anyone could have expected. Who is Evelyn Hugo at her core? Why has she plucked a journalist from near obscurity to document her life?
I just adored Evelyn. I adored her for her audacity, tenacity, perseverance, and honesty. I thought that out of every TJR book I have read so far, she was the most complex and well-developed character by far (with June from Malibu Rising being a close second) and she was immediately cemented in my heart as a literary icon. The bisexual representation too! Although there continues to be progress in LGBTQIA+ representation, bisexuals continue to be severely underrepresented. Not in this story.
I also loved the character of Harry. His story for me was the most tragic and felt the most real. The love between him and Evelyn for me was the strongest love story in this book. Celia had moments where she was great (her earlier scenes in the novel in particular stick out to me, like her and Evelyn splitting that bottle of wine in the house Evelyn shared with Don) but as the book progressed I just really did not enjoy her character as much as I desperately wanted to. I thought she was whiny and unreasonable without being given redeeming qualities that help to explain her relationships and worldview. I wanted more from her than I think we were given, especially considering the impact of her role in this story. However, toward the end of her time in the book, I do think she was somewhat redeemed.
Monique in this book did not work for me, and she and Celia are what brought the book down to 4 stars from 5 in my opinion. I just didn't like her character all that much. I found myself unable to connect with her, and I can't quite put my finger on why; I guess because we just didn't get enough time or narrative from her, and what we did get from her voice made me feel tired and sad, which is kind of how I would characterize her. I did enjoy it when she made her demands from Vivant and stuck up for herself a few times throughout the narrative, but overall I think she either needed a much bigger role in the story or needed to be eliminated from it altogether. Evelyn's story could have been revealed through a different vehicle, because that's all Monique really served as here—a vehicle for Evelyn, and the big reveal of how the two characters were connected merely served as a showcase for her complexity.
I've complained about this a lot in reviews of other books (I'm looking at you, Kristin Hannah) but this book walks the line between having a realistic balance of traumatic life events and becoming an over-the-top narrative of awful things happening to the central cast of characters. However, I think it remains believable. As our lives progress, we lose more and more people in tragic ways, and that is an honest reflection of a 79-year-old woman's life story. Maybe it could have done without Harry's death and the narrative surrounding that. As I said, I didn't care for Monique or find her connection with Evelyn to be especially compelling, and I think this book could have still been great if Harry had lived and consequently that connection Evelyn and Monique had been severed.
Altogether, for readers who seek out character-driven stories, let me recommend this one to you. Like many reviewers have noted before me, the literary universe that TJR paints in her stories make all the stars within feel so real that you may be tempted to Google them to find out if this is a true story! I will return to Evelyn someday and continue to look forward to work from this author. She truly has a gift for creating unbelievably believable characters, relationships and lives. Can't wait for the next great story from her!