The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

I loved how it immersed me in a time and place.

Simply the most original and compelling book I've read this year. Taylor Jenkins Reid creates a time machine that toggles back and forth from the present day to old Hollywood. Because of all the vivid characters and details, I honestly kept forgetting that this is a work of fiction. Although I was rooting for the narrator, I fell in love with Evelyn, which I think is the whole point of the book. Everyone falls in love with her. I especially enjoyed the tabloid healdines/articles that are peppered throughout the book. But beyond that I was struck by how Jenkins Reid… show more.

This book made me think about what it would be like to be a famous actress—the scandals, the romance, and the idea of constantly being watched. Taylor paints an impressive image of what a woman such as Evelyn Hugo would go through to make it in such a cutthroat world.

One wrong move could cause you to lose everything you worked so hard to achieve. The story had me hooked from the beginning, and I greatly enjoyed the little mystery she tossed in with Evelyn and why she chose Monique as her reporter. Scandal and mystery are always a tasty… show more.

I love the way the book's two timelines run parallel until the two narratives kiss at the end. The intertwined plots move at a breakneck speed, which means that I didn’t have time to get ahead of the narrative.

Yes, the book has a big twist at the end, but I was invested in the characters long before I got there, which is so important for me to feel truly satisfied by the book.

The title alone had me intrigued. Who is Evelyn Hugo, and seriously…seven husbands?! We are transported back into the life of this legendary Hollywood actress as she decides, after living a reclusive life, to give a rare interview.

I don't want to give any spoilers, but I will say this: there are secrets and struggles that provide the reader with a poignant look into what real forbidden love looks like and at what cost. 

I love the way this novel brought us behind the scenes in Hollywood. Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life, and the story falls into the lap of reporter Monique.

I read this book during a time of all sorts of revelations about Hollywood’s casting couch. The novel perfectly encapsulates the glamour of film and the tragedy of life, and I also felt a strong woman’s will to keep going.

Interestingly, it moved across two timelines, Evelyn's and Monique’s, but this did not slow the book… show more.

I was speechless after finishing this book. It took me completely out of my own life and brought me to its world in a way I hadn't been in a long time.

No spoilies, but your heart will break into a thousand pieces, get put back together, and then break all over again. The world of old Hollywood glamour will draw you in, and the story of Evelyn and her husbands will keep you there. I promise.

Treat yourself to the audiobook, as well. The narrators (Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan, and Robin Miles) are marvelous.

I’m a big fan of Old Hollywood, and I previously published a biography of the iconoclastic and classic film actress Jean Arthur. So, I naturally gravitated to this novel about a 79-year-old Hollywood star looking back over her colorful and controversial life and career. I found more substance and character development in this fictional tale than you’ll find in most “true” movie star memoirs.

The book is narrated alternatively through the eyes of the book’s subject, Evelyn Hugo, and her youthful journalist-interviewer. Neither of them shies from exposing Evelyn’s flaws and miscues over many decades (and seven husbands), yet in… show more.

It was a creative, dishy, scandalous, and moving tour through Old Hollywood.

It felt like we, as readers, got to witness some of the most glamorous and sensationally secretive moments of the world’s most beloved and iconic movie star as she navigated her career in film, her many fractious relationships, and her tumultuous journey to find love—with others and, ultimately, with herself.

I don't care about Hollywood, or the stars. I haven't ever watched the Oscars. But the story was so deep, so complex, and captured the personality of this one unique woman - and so, all women.

Beautifully written, I feel like I lived the story. Read it in two days and didn’t want it to end.