I wish I could go back in time so I could read The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo for the first time again. What I thought was going to be an easy holiday read turned out to be much deeper and complex than anticipated, however its still a page turner! Just when you thought you knew what was going on, there’s another surprise waiting.
Magazine reporter, Monique, is contacted by Evelyn Hugo, the most beautiful and famous actress in the world. Now in her eighties, Evelyn is ready to tell the whole and truthful story of her life, something she has never spoken about to a reporter before. As she and Monique sit down to write Evelyn’s biography it is revealed that the two are connected and Evelyn has asked Monique to write her story for a very specific reason.
The book is marked by each of Evelyn’s seven husbands, telling the story behind the marriage and eventual demise of each one. Starting in Hell’s Kitchen, New York, we follow her journey to LA and experience her rise to fame as a movie star. Evelyn is the first to tell her she uses her looks to get what she wants (as I read, I imagined Marilyn Monroe with a Latin background) and is a master manipulator. As trust builds between the two women, she reveals to Monique the answer to everyone’s questions: who the true love of Evelyn Hugo’s life is.
Among all the glitz and glamour of Hollywood this book touches on some important themes. It discusses the price of fame, and what Evelyn has had to sacrifice to achieve it. The sexualisation of women, how that comes with certain powers, good and bad. Forbidden love, and ambition. At times it is raw, and Evelyn shows an honesty about herself that is so rare in protagonists like her.
This book is so charming. If you take nothing else away from it, it is just a lovely read that explores Hollywood from the studio era of the 50’s to the 80’s, and what its like to be a young, ambitious woman both then and now. The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo is my top read of 2020, and I highly recommend it!
Lauren M
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