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Amazon.com: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel (Audible Audio Edition): Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan, Robin Miles, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Simon & Schuster Audio: Books
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2018 Audie Award Finalist for Multi-Voiced Performance
From Taylor Jenkins Reid, “a genius when it comes to stories about life and love” (Redbook), comes an unforgettable and sweeping novel about one classic film actress’ relentless rise to the top – the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine.
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 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 jump-start 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 – 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.
Written with Reid’s signature talent for “creating complex, likable characters” (Real Simple), 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.
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Amazon.com: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel (Audible Audio Edition): Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan, Robin Miles, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Simon & Schuster Audio: Books
AE –
Great read, well written and captivating!
J-Phi –
I do think this is a really good book BUT in spite of that I was torn between giving it 3 or 4 stars. I went with 4 in the end just because of how fantastic (in both literal and colloquial senses) Evelyn Hugo’s life story is. I read this in one sitting, literally taking it to the bathroom and to dinner as well. I think it has really important themes about women’s bodies as commodities and commoditizing yourself and personal branding and owning failures and mistakes and identifying regret, or most of all the different forms of love and how fragile they are. This novel also does a lot to expose the impact of the suppression and discrimination on LGBT experiences and I think it was handled in a very sensitive, empathetic way that even non-allies would find accessible and understand (not that that’s the author’s goal, I’m sure, but rather a side effect of her excellent writing).
Because of the diversity of sexuality expressed in this book, one could say this is a book that celebrates diversity. However, where this book fell flat for me was in dealing with race. You can imagine that within the first few pages upon discovering a biracial (black and white) character with a black boss, I got excited by the opportunity for diversity to be presented. But in the end, minus some throw away comments, Monique (the biracial character who is the vehicle for Evelyn’s story) could have as well been a white woman. There were definite opportunities where her racial experience could have been discussed but all these opportunities were missed. By including ethnic characters in the story like Monique, her boss Frankie, Evelyn’s first housekeeper Luisa from El Salvador, and her subsequent housekeeper, Grace, who is Asian, we are teased with the idea of diversity. All these characters play a role around Evelyn and in fact, there are opportunities for depth and identity to be explored but it’s like they are throwaways.
I felt particularly let down by Monique as a character. I found her pretty insipid, uninteresting and unnecessary. Especially after the twist is revealed at the end, I felt like it would have been more useful to have learned more about her and added a few extra pages to make her a stronger character that the reader can care about. All the opportunities to make her a better character are in my opinion, ununtilized, in favour of throwaway phone conversations with her mother and a weak divorce plot. Monique’s failing/failed marriage is kind of dealt with with a carelessness that didn’t match or fit the attention to detail and careful writing of the rest of the book. I kept thinking there were bits of the book missing that must have been edited out. Or conversely, that the main Evelyn story was written and then Monique was added later because of the shocking twist at the end. What I’m saying is that the two sides of the book didn’t match in quality, standard or interest. Fortunately, this novel is about 80% Evelyn and 20% Monique.
With my ambivalence for Monique and the treatment of racial diversity as a theme in this novel, it may be surprising that I ended up giving this a 3. But the storytelling about Evelyn’s life story is impeccably executed. It’s empathetic, emotional, sensitive, dramatic, annoying. This is not a book you will be able to read without emotion. I’m glad I took it on on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
Yagmur tas –
Mükemmeldi
paulina –
Me encantó!!! Muy fácil de leer. Te va
envolviendo cada vez más!!! Creo que tiene muy buena trama. Fácil lo considero una de mis novelas favoritas.
Chelscey –
Starting at the young age of fourteen and ending when she’s seventy-nine (when we first meet Evelyn), Evelyn Hugo has gone from bombshell, to sexpot, to Oscar winner, to civil rights supporter. Evelyn knew what she wanted from an early age—to get out of Hell’s Kitchen and away from her abusive father, and to be the biggest star anyone has ever heard of. And she accomplished that! Partially because of her talent, partially because she knows her worth and is unafraid to get dirty in order to achieve her goals, and partially because there is no one better at using the press and scandals to serve their own interests. Evelyn is both a force to be reckoned with, but also a deeply flawed and lonely. Shown through the perspective of Evelyn as she dictates her memoir to Monique, the reader is taken back to the early days of Hollywood to watch Evelyn’s rise, and her stumbles, to and through stardom. For a story about a Hollywood starlet, this book is LAYERED, and I don’t think I was expecting the level of depth it had, even though many reviews warned me to expect the unexpected with this story.
In order to become Evelyn Hugo, Hollywood’s biggest star, Evelyn had to let go of who she was; erasing her identity to be what Hollywood wanted her to be. She knew and accepted this, always, but it does break your heart a little to watch her identity get stripped away so that she could be the blonde bombshell the screen so loved. The things Evelyn hid or changed, often denying the realest parts of herself in the process, really hit me in the feels, and there were parts at the end of the book that had me welling up with tears if that tells you anything. I won’t say more because the way the story unfolds is really lovely with getting to know all 7 of Evelyn’s husbands and the roles they played in her life, but I will say that I LOVED the inclusion of the fake articles to show the juxtaposition between what was Evelyn’s reality versus what the public got to see, and how the press portrayed her in return.
Honestly, there was very little I did not like about this book, or its story. It flowed beautifully and, while not necessarily one of those books you couldn’t put down (I had no issues stopping in reading for the night) it was never dull. It had a smooth, and highly enjoyable writing style. However, my only issues were that sometimes, with the book being told in 1st person, Monique didn’t always feel that distinct to me from Evelyn. Which may be mostly because we don’t really get to know Monique at the same level at which we get to know Evelyn, though I did enjoy their relationship and how they were able to help each other, even when that got . . . tricky, to say the least. But I also didn’t like Celia for a majority of the book, either. I found her to be so frustrating at times, that I often wondered why Evelyn even bothered having her around. Thankfully that changed toward the end, but still.
But, all in all, I LOVED this book and this story. It was so empowering, watching Evelyn be so unashamed to own her beauty, her sex appeal, her confidence, and to be the ball-buster she was, so unafraid of telling people what she wants, what she deserves—all because she knows her worth. I didn’t know how much I needed a story, to see a woman like that, until I read this book. But I also loved that the author didn’t shy away from Evelyn’s flaws, or the fact that, for a lot of Evelyn’s life, she was deeply lonely. Evelyn wasn’t perfect, but she didn’t let that be an excuse for anyone to treat her poorly. I will say there are some instances of spousal abuse in this book though, so just be forewarned if that kind of trauma is sensitive for you. I thought the author handled those topics amazingly well, but I’ve also never experienced such things for myself, either. Because this book brought tears to my eyes with that whole last third of the story, it easily gets 5 stars from me! This is such a satisfying, and empowering book!
simone –
Diferente dos livros que leio normalmente mas amei a leitura. Com certeza vou ler outros livros da autora no futuro
Alejandra Garza –
The book is beautifully written, it really is a page turner. I love it, it will make you fall in love with each of the character you encounter but keeping you in your toes to understand the complicated mind and life of Evelyn Hugo. I cried with this book, the ending is just heart breaking.
Anne Martin –
I thought this book was well written, a page turner and a great read for relaxing. It does not ask anything from you and entertains. I enjoyed it very much.