This book was an easy ★★★★★ and I am feeling very spoilt with the quality of books I have been reading lately. I love it when a hyped book actually lives up to the hype.
What’s the book about?
This book is so multifaceted, it actually blew my mind. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is all about Evelyn Hugo who was an acclaimed actress in the Hollywood scene of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Everyone she loves has died, and so she has reached out to Monique, a writer for the magazine Vivant. Evelyn was one of those actresses who had the face and the body to achieve all of her dreams in the acting industry, but she is ready to show the world who she is underneath the dyed hair, the one sided articles and the decades she has spent doing everything she can to keep her secrets safe. Throughout this story, Evelyn divulges her entire life story from her first marriage to the death of her final love still alive, and it is a truly breathtaking and heartbreaking tale.
My scattered thoughts
This book exceeded every single one of my expectations. It was written in a way which provided both the action as if it was happening to Evelyn, and also her thoughts and feelings towards her life at the same time. It was such a fascinating way to write this story, and having her narrate her life as well as comment on it after the fact added another level to the story, and to her character which I thought was brilliantly done.
Sometimes reality comes crashing down on you. Other times reality simply waits, patiently, for you to run out of the energy it takes to deny it.
Evelyn Hugo has to be one of the most complicated and multifaceted character I have ever read. Just you began to like her, she would do something that made you want to yell. Every decision she made was thought through in detail, and even then, she made so many decisions which, in hindsight, she now recognises were not the correct ones. She has seven husbands, and from each of them she got something different out of it. This book was a journey, for Evelyn, for Monique and for the reader. This story really resonated with me, because underneath the title of ‘Seven Husbands,’ the story is fundamentally about the way in which women live their lives vs. the way way men do. Every time Evelyn went through a divorce, it was a scandal for her and she was the talk of the gossip columns, but the men got through it unscathed. This book portrays the hardships women went through 50 + years ago, and highlights the ways the world has changed, and all the ways it has not, both for women and lgbtqi+.
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.
Overall, this book stunned me. The style and format of the book was different, and absolutely perfect for telling this story. The inclusions of gossip columns and bulletins added yet another layer into the world and identity of Evelyn Hugo. The way in which Evelyn’s stor progressed, and simultaneously affected Monique in ways she didn't even realise until after the fact was incredibly subtle, yet entirely believable. This book is wonderful, and I would definitely recommend it. If you have read this, please leave your thoughts down below, or come find me on Instagram @kell_read (and I have just started a TikTok @kell_read4 so be sure to check that out!) ✨