I recently read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid and I think it may now be one of my favorite books. This novel has a rags-to-riches type of plotline. A young woman named Evelyn Hugo is living in New York when she decides to take a chance and moves to LA in an attempt to become an actor. She is not successful immediately, but she soon gains popularity by using her looks to her advantage. The main thing that helped her become one of the world's most well-known actresses was marrying multiple men in her lifetime. She marries these men not because she loves them or has a connection to them but instead for the sole purpose of gain. She at first marries to climb higher on the social ladder, but later in her life, she marries men to protect her image. When she discovers that she is in love with a woman, she must marry a man she has no attraction to, because being in a relationship with someone of the same gender in the 1960s was highly frowned upon and dangerous. She is forced to keep her relationship a secret, which is extremely difficult because of her popularity in Hollywood and the constant stream of press that follow her wherever she goes. The story follows her life from when she was a young woman to when she is in her 70s.
The plot of this book is unlike anything I’ve read before. It gave me insight into the difference between what the media says and what is happening in real life. There were several occurrences in the book where Evelyn would be seen with a man in public and the next day the news would be full of inaccurate stories suggesting that they were having romantic relations. What I liked the most about this book was that I never knew what would happen next. I could tell when reading that this book was well thought out because everything that happened aligned with the plot and made sense, but I would have never guessed that was what would happen. I think it’s very refreshing to read about a woman in the 1960s who isn’t portrayed as lacking intelligence. I’m not sure about her academic intelligence, but she was able to get herself out of almost any situation looking completely innocent which was a difficult task, especially considering her career.
I had no criticisms of this book and I would really recommend it. I liked that it kept me constantly asking what would happen next and it also had a plot unlike any other book I’ve read.
This was a good book review, I found it to be interesting how you did not find any flaws in this book.
ReplyDeleteHi Lena, good book review! It was interesting how there were 2 perspectives, one from the narrator's point of view and the one from the news reporters. Also, yay for representation for queer people in the mid to late 1900's.
ReplyDeleteI think this book follows the concept of fame has a price. I feel like she would have to sacrifice a lot to maintain her relationship with the person she loves because of her fame. Also, its kind of sad to see not having a personal life because of fame.
ReplyDeleteNice review Lena! The plot seems really interesting and out of the blue. I think the author sets a great setting by making it in the 1960s. The fact that she could achieve success by using men seems like a unique plot and something that I haven’t seen very often. By reading your summary, I can see how the cover is related to the book and I think it suits the story well.
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