Book Review: “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Jul 29

Håfa adai! Welcome to my review of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo; a story about secrets, manipulation, and the unimaginable things one might do for love.

This book review consists of two parts: a spoiler-free plot summary and my thoughts on the story. In the second part, I give my personal rating and break down the setting and worldbuilding, storytelling, cast of characters, and themes. There may be some lightweight spoilers—such as how characters interact with each other and the world around them—but I will not give away any major plot twists or endings. I want to share my opinions of the book and maybe encourage you to purchase a copy of your own.

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Spoiler-Free Plot Summary

Monique Grant is a little-known writer for the well-known magazine Vivant. Evelyn Hugo is a Hollywood legend with over fifty years of films and speculation tied to her name. Evelyn is very private when it comes to what she shares with the media, keeping a tight lip on the inner workings of her private life. She has made incredible contributions to support equality for LGBTQIA+ communities as well as for breast cancer research. Yet all anyone wants to know the details of are Evelyn's seven husbands: the ride out of Hell’s Kitchen that was Ernie Diaz, the nepo baby Don Adler, her 24-hour marriage to Mick Riva, lady’s man Rex North, her best friend Harry Cameron, French film director Max Girard, and Robert Jamison, the brother of a former co-star. She has never spoken to any press about them or who the real love of her life was, until now.

Evelyn Hugo has reached out to Monique Grant to offer her the opportunity to write an authorized biography of her life, including all the details of her seven marriages. She does not want to give the story to Vivant. She wants Monique, and Monique alone, to write and publish her multimillion dollar tell-all. But why? Monique has published a well-received piece on physician-assisted suicide—so she is a good writer in her own right—but she is virtually unknown. Doing this could look like Monique went behind Vivant's back and cheated them out of an amazing opportunity. It could cost Monique her career. Yet Evelyn insists. Either Monique takes Evelyn's story or it dies with her. Evelyn assures Monique there is a reason that it must be her. But Evelyn will not reveal that reason until she is ready.

My Thoughts on The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: 4.75 stars

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo takes place across two timelines: the modern-day interview sessions between Evelyn Hugo and Monique Grant in Evelyn's Manhattan apartment; and a chronological retelling of events of Evelyn's life across New York, California, France, Spain, and elsewhere. The pacing of the past timeline takes the reader through a roller coaster of anticipation and heartbreak. Taylor Jenkins Reid gives the reader a glimpse at what life would have been like for a young and beautiful Cuban girl to make her way from an impoverished neighborhood in Hell’s Kitchen to become one of Hollywood’s wealthiest and most sought-after sex symbols of the 1950s and 1960s.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is told from three perspectives: the modern-day events are told by Monique Grant, the events of Evelyn Hugo's life are told by Evelyn, and the public perception of Evelyn Hugo's life presented through magazines and internet posts. The voice you hear first is Monique's. The voice you hear the most is Evelyn's. In between interviews, the reader gets glimpses into Monique's personal life, including the end of her less-than-one-year-old marriage. In Evelyn recounting the events of her life, we see the things Evelyn went through and what she did to others to obtain and maintain the life she wanted. And Evelyn makes it clear to Monique that she would do it all again—and worse—if she had to do it.

Taylor Jenkins Reid brilliantly weaves a story filled with lies, manipulation, secrets, heartbreak, and love in its different forms. The reader both empathizes with and judges the decisions Evelyn Hugo makes throughout her life, to a degree. The reader cheers on Evelyn’s willingness to do whatever it takes to be with the ones she loves in some parts and scolds her for what she did to protect them (or at least their image) in other parts. The suspense in waiting to learn why Evelyn Hugo hand-picked Monique Grant to be the sole recipient of her tell-all is paid off in a way that both breaks the reader’s heart and reinforces their complex feelings towards the aging star. By that point, the reader both understands why—from Evelyn Hugo’s perspective—she believes this to be the best course of action for Monique Grant as well as why—from Monique’s perspective—this is devastating.

There is a large cast of characters in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo! Going into great detail of every character will give away too much of the story. For this review, I will look at how Monique Grant and Evelyn Hugo relate to the characters associated with their sides of the story.

Through Monique, the reader encounters her ex-husband (David), her mother, and her father. Of course, Monique feels heartbreak and disappointment regarding the dissolution of her marriage with David. He chose a job in San Francisco over a life with her in Manhattan. But through her interviews with Evelyn Hugo, she realizes that her feelings are not because she believed David was the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, but because divorce on its own feels like failure, even if you did not love that person the way you once believed you did. Monique’s mom is honest, loving, and supportive of her. She let Monique know that she felt David was not a good fit for her daughter when they first started dating but was supportive when they announced their engagement, and gave further support after Monique and David’s divorce. Monique’s dad died when she was only 8 years old. Because her memories of her father are limited, she holds on to the words of wisdom he shared with her with fervent regard. When Monique meets Evelyn, she is understandably skeptical of Evelyn’s intentions.

Through Evelyn Hugo, the reader encounters her parents, seven husbands (Ernie Diaz, Don Adler, Mick Riva, Rex North, Harry Cameron, Max Girard, and Robert Jamison), fellow co-star Celia St. James, and her daughter Connor Cameron. Evelyn Hugo is an assertive go-getter. She has the ability to see the opportunity and the confidence to take it. And in that confidence is the capability to commit incredible acts of manipulation. It is through this that I developed very mixed feelings for Evelyn Hugo. She harmed others for the sake of securing the life she wanted. She harmed others to protect the ones in her closest circle. But she did not harm others for the sake of harming others.

Taylor Jenkins Reid presents a story of a woman whose decisions are simultaneously selfish and self-sacrificing; of a life witness to both conviction and (sometimes) remorse. It is difficult to imagine that Evelyn Hugo did not, in some instances, feel like she was losing some part of her self.

Several theses came to mind as I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo:

What are you willing to do to achieve your dreams?
What would you present to a biased and bigoted world so that you can live as your authentic self behind closed doors?
How far would you go to be with and protect the ones you love?

For Evelyn Hugo, the answer to each question seems to be the same: unimaginable things, without hesitation. To get herself out of Hell’s Kitchen, she presented a false version of her self. To “look the part” and become one of the highest paid actresses of 1950s/1960s Hollywood, she presented a false version of her self. To distract the public eye from her personal life, she presented a false version of her self. To love and support those who were closest to her, she presented her most authentic self. To protect the ones she loved, she presented her fiercest self.

The overall rating I give to Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is 4.75 out of 5 stars. After finishing the audiobook version, I purchased a physical copy so that I can see it on my bookshelf. This is a story I can see myself revisiting again in the future. I recommend buying a copy of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Red.

Dångkulo' na' saina ma'åse'! Thank you so much for reading my review of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Rating Cheat Sheet

4.75 - 5.00 stars: Everyone should read this book! (If you’re into that sort of thing.)
4.00 - 4.50 stars: I appreciated many aspects of this book. I recommend it!
3.00 - 3.75 stars: I liked some aspects of this book. I won’t revisit it, but someone else might really like it.
2.00 - 2.75 stars: There were some things I appreciated about this book, but I do not recommend it.
0.25 - 1.75 stars: I do not recommend this book. I did not enjoy or appreciate the experience of it.

Post Date: 5 August 2024