The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Pages: 391
Published: June 13, 2017 by Atria Books
Type: Historical Fiction, Mystery
My Rating: 5 Stars
Like reality TV turned literary. A perfect read for anyone who can't turn off Keeping up with the Kardashians even though you really *hate* it.
Synopsis:
Hollywood legend Evelyn Hugo contacts a magazine for a story after years of silence and demands a specific, low woman on the totem pole Monique. Monique quickly finds out that she is in for more than she bargained for and gets the once in a lifetime opportunity to do a biography on a woman that the public is dying to know about.
We get the life story of Evelyn Hugo and her drama filled life, complete with seven husbands in flashbacks and tabloid news clips all the way to the current day. There is nothing left untold and what a story it is! Monique is having trouble of her own and we learn about her personal life and struggles with a recent divorce.
What we have to keep reading to find out is why the most famous woman in Hollywood chose Monique to write her biography- and its enough of a mystery to draw you right through to the very end.
“You do not know how fast you have been running, how hard you have been working, how truly exhausted you are, until somewhat stands behind you and says, “It’s OK, you can fall down now. I’ll catch you.”
My Thoughts:
I could barely put this down- I was so interested to hear what could possibly happen next. Even after, say, husband number four, I couldn't imagine what was left, but I was consistently and happily surprised. I loved the way the book was told in a series of interviews turned flashback and new clips.
You get three clear perspectives - the one of Evelyn herself through her retelling, the story that was told to the public (often hyped to sell copy and also almost always way off base from reality) and Monique's point of view. This book was wildly imaginative and read like a real biography. Taylor Jenkins Reid has a knack for making fiction feel like really juicy non-fiction and I love it!
My only complaint is having waited so long to read this one.
“It’s always been fascinating to me how things can be simultaneously true and false, how people can be good and bad all in one, how someone can love you in a way that is beautifully selfless while serving themselves ruthlessly.”
Who Would I Recommend this to?
This is for anyone who grew up fascinated by the lives of movie stars (um, everyone) and a great book. I already told my mom to read this, and she is not a big reader, but I think most people would find this an enjoyable escape.
Also amazing and by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which I highly recommend:
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