The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
2017
- biographers
- fiction
- fiction, general
- hollywood (los angeles, calif.), fiction
- nyt:trade-fiction-paperback=2021-01-31
- fiction, romance, contemporary
- women journalists
- motion picture actors and actresses
- motion picture industry
- biography
The story
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. Summoned to Evelyn's luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the '80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn's story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways. Written with Reid's signature talent for creating "complex, likable characters" (Real Simple), this is a mesmerizing journey through the splendor of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means—and what it costs—to face the truth
What it’s like
Glamour with a bruised edge: the book unspools in a confessional voice that feels like sitting in a dim, expensive apartment while an old star pours a drink and talks. Its imagery leans on the Hollywood of the 1950s through 1980s, studio lots and gowns, champagne-colored lamplight, cigarette smoke over city nights, and then shifts to a quieter, more contemporary haze of unpolished rooms and late-night phone glow. The prose is brisk and conversational, with short chapters that keep turning pages, so it reads quickly and pulls you forward. Vibe-wise it is glossy yet tender, a mix of nostalgic romance and melancholy, the kind of book that suits a rainy Sunday, a long flight, or a comfort reread with a glass of wine. Intensity is moderate: there is sexual content, some frank depictions of 1950s and 60s discrimination, and emotional grief, but little graphic violence. Its people are complicated and self-protective, and the arc is one of two women slowly admitting what they have hidden. It suits readers who want old-Hollywood sparkle with real emotional stakes and an intimate, character-driven story.
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