The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017)
Laura’s Rating: 4/5 Stars
I had been seeing this book everywhere for a while and heard rave reviews, so I decided to finally check it out for myself. I was intrigued by the setting of Old Hollywood, which author Taylor Jenkins Reid paints in vivid detail.
The Analysis:
Aging Hollywood starlet Evelyn Hugo is ready to share her life story and unexpectedly selects relatively unknown writer Monique Grant to help her do it. Hugo’s accomplished career and spunky personality are interesting enough, but everyone is dying to know, with seven (yes, seven) husbands, who was the love of Evelyn’s life?
I will say this: there is a twist early on that really changes the tone of the whole book. The story was not exactly what I expected but Taylor Jenkins Reid’s talented writing kept me invested in the story. Evelyn Hugo tells Monique the story of her rise to fame and her tumultuous career and love life, dropping many nuggets of wisdom along the way. One quote in particular stood out to me: “No one is all good or all bad.” Monique learns this lesson first hand as she finds herself at times alarmed by Evelyn’s ruthlessness and at others, inspired by Evelyn’s confidence and self-assurance.
Evelyn’s life is interesting enough to keep the reader engaged but I did find the ending to be a bit predictable. Out of the two Taylor Jenkins Reid books I have read, I prefer Daisy Jones & the Six to this one, but there is no doubt that Reid has a talent for storytelling, weaving colorful stories in with rich historical context. I plan to visit more of her writing in the future.
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