The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017)
Reviewed by: Dawn Bechtel, avid Andover reader (listener)
About the Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid began her career in film production. She worked as a casting assistant for three years after she graduated from college before trying other jobs. Reid started writing part-time while working at a high school until she got a book deal.
Her first novel, Forever, Interrupted was published in 2013. Her 2019 novel, Daisy Jones & The Six is being developed into a web-based miniseries produced by Reese Witherspoon, also called Daisy Jones & The Six. She co-wrote the Hulu television show, Resident Advisors.
Reid grew up in Acton, Massachusetts. She is married to Alex Jenkins Reid, and they live in Los Angeles with their daughter.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a historical fiction novel. According to the author, Evelyn Hugo was loosely based on actresses Elizabeth Taylor, who was married eight times to seven different men, and Ava Gardner, who revealed the secrets of her life to a journalist which was eventually published as Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations. Reid also discusses how Rita Hayworth was a big influence on the character Evelyn Hugo. Hayworth, a Spanish woman, had a very similar start to Hugo which can be seen at the beginning of the novel.
The story: Monique Grant is a 35-year-old struggling writer living in New York City. Dealing with her dead-end professional career and her impending divorce, Monique is at an all-time low. She has been working for the prestigious Vivant magazine for less than a year and has not yet been given many opportunities.
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. Now at age 79, the famous actress of the ’60s will give a final interview only to an unknown journalist, Monique Grant.
Though she is stunned by the request, Monique realizes the opportunity could make her career. But why her? Why now? Evelyn Hugo tells Monique the truth of her glamorous life and career. As Evelyn’s life unfolds—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the actress.
But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
Book Quote: “People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth when you can show yourself to them when you stand in front of them bare and their response is ‘you’re safe with me’- that’s intimacy.”
My review: This book is so much more than a chronicle of husbands. It gives insights to the rise of stardom and what some people will do to get what they want in life. The story also gives a look into different kinds of marriages and the reasons people may get married. The book is also about intimacy and true love. What you might do to protect the ones you love. The author weaves so much emotion in her storytelling, it has many layers that draw you in. I really liked this author, this book, one of the best I have read.
Dawn Bechtel enjoys reading and listening to books available through the library’s online catalog. She is an active member of the Friends of the Andover Public Library and also loves to work outside in her garden.