The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – 4/5 ✩
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo recounts the story of Evelyn Hugo and her rise to fame in the 1950s and beyond. The story is told in alternating perspectives from the present to the past and Evelyn’s story is slowly revealed as she tells Monique, a journalist, her story.
I loved this book and I think the way that it was told played a huge role in why I loved it. I was fascinated by the shifts in perspective – having the present day in Monique’s point of view and the past in Evelyn’s – and I think telling the story through narratives and interviews was very interesting.
We learn that Evelyn has handpicked Monique to tell her story, but until the very end of the novel, we’re unsure why this is the case. I was shocked when I learned her reasoning, but I think it was a phenomenal way to tie the story together. Evelyn and Monique do, in fact, have a connection, and it was one I definitely did not see coming.
Throughout the novel, right until the very end, Evelyn has an air of mystery about her and she’s a character that I feel like you could examine and examine and still find there a new things to learn about her. She is clever and crafty and calculated and loving and her world was a joy to be a part of. I was flooded with empathy for her as I learned of all the hardships she faced, especially how mistreated she was by so many people around her and the way she never felt she could truly be herself.
My one piece of criticism with the book is Celia’s attitude. Celia is an actress whom Evelyn meets very early on in her story and she is Evelyn’s greatest love.
I loved Celia and Evelyn’s relationship – I was rooting for them from the very moment we met Celia on the film set – but that is not to say that they were a perfect couple.
I understand that Evelyn wasn’t ready to come out and there were times when she did not treat Celia fairly and it seemed she would rather play games in Hollywood than come out as who she really is. I also, though, did understand why Evelyn would play those games.
My biggest problem with their relationship overall is the way that Celia treated Evelyn. The worst moment for me was when Celia left Evelyn (for the second time I believe, and as a result she also left Harry, John, and Connor too) because Evelyn filmed a sex scene with Don. I understand times were different then and sex scenes weren’t as prevalent in media as they are today, but both Evelyn and Celia were ACTRESSES and I feel like Celia should’ve understood that and been able to compartmentalize that. She, as well as anyone, should know that you may have to be pretend to be intimate with others as a working actor or actress. I found Celia’s behavior at multiple points throughout the novel to be a little childish and immature, this being the worst of her behavior in my eyes.
But overall, I did enjoy the book and would recommend reading it. I think it is a fantastic piece of literature and I love the irony of the title of the book and Evelyn’s greatest love not being one of her seven husbands, but instead, a woman.
Anchored Musings 