Hollywood Sign
About a woman who said yes to the sign and many husbands
389 pages
English language
Published Dec. 16, 2018
4 stars
(68 reviews)
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 …
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
Review of 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
I hate Evelyn, but I think I like her very much.
I did not expect to give this book 5 stars. I was looking for a casual read. I wanted a break from my other books. What I received was an incredibly touching, beautiful and sad love story.
I judged The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo incorrectly. Much the same way Monique peels back the layers of Evelyn's life and understands motives and heartache, so did I. This story was extremely well written and it threw several emotional curveballs I hadn't experienced in other books from Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Being wanted meant having to satisfy. At least, that was my view of it back then.
"You loved having a movie star on your arm. You loved getting to be the one who slept in my bed. That's not love. That's possession."
"I have no idea what you're talking about", he …
I hate Evelyn, but I think I like her very much.
I did not expect to give this book 5 stars. I was looking for a casual read. I wanted a break from my other books. What I received was an incredibly touching, beautiful and sad love story.
I judged The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo incorrectly. Much the same way Monique peels back the layers of Evelyn's life and understands motives and heartache, so did I. This story was extremely well written and it threw several emotional curveballs I hadn't experienced in other books from Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Being wanted meant having to satisfy. At least, that was my view of it back then.
"You loved having a movie star on your arm. You loved getting to be the one who slept in my bed. That's not love. That's possession."
"I have no idea what you're talking about", he said.
"Of course you don't", I said. "Because you don't know the difference between the two."
This book explores sexuality and sex, passion and love, the obsession of celebrity culture, journalistic integrity, understanding who your genuine self is and the challenges in being able to truly be that person. Yeah, there's a lot in here and Taylor Jenkins Reid executed all of these threads wonderfully.
The quickie Vegas elopement with singer Mick Riva.
Again, insert the "Leo pointing at the TV" meme because now that I'm aware of the universe Taylor Jenkins Reid has created it's very rewarding to see characters and events casually show up in one book and be explained in another.
I almost didn't finish this book, but I was pleasantly surprised.
4 stars
The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid was a roller coaster. I almost didn’t finish it shortly after I started reading it. The book mentions support for medically assisted suicide, feminism, and a few other controversial themes in a favorable light. Granted, I don’t have an issue with any of these things in theory, but the reality of what they have become, how they have been inverted and used to further corrupt political agendas is why mentions of these topics in a favorable light had me sitting a bit uncomfortable. A lot of things seem okay in theory, until you’ve gone down a few rabbit holes and see some ugly truths.
Despite my mixed feelings on these topics, I pushed through and managed to finish the book, and actually found myself pleasantly surprised!
Read my full review here: thecozy.cat/blog/the-seven-husbands-of-evelyn-hugo/
Review of 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This book is relentless, it just kept dragging me back in. There are a couple components that I can poke holes in/disagree with, but generally speaking this is a great book and I'm glad I read it.
Fun read.
4 stars
It's a fun, breezy read, even if it does bog down a tetch toward the end as it ties up some loose ends, but there's clearly a Blanchett ot a Streep or a Julianne Moore or someone who's gonna win an Oscar for playing the title role in the movie adaptation.
Review of 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Reid knows how to write a gripping, entertaining novel! I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this one, and was pulled in again by the twist ending. Just didn't love it as much as Daisy Jones - I found the dialogue in this one to be super cheesy and tended to scan through several pages after the third marriage ... worth a read just for the ending though.
Review of 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
finished The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I will never be the same.
this fucking book just kept hurting everyday & amazing page turner. I'm sad I finished it bc I know there never will be another like it. it's sosososo good. one of the best reads of my life.
I don't like to read romance novels because I never relate to them, ever. but the way taylor jenkin reid created Evelyn & her undying love for Ceila made me cry & understand and relate to her.
she portrayed Evelyn's the bad, the good & the ugly sides perfectly.
also the perfect portation of found family & platonic love between Evelyn and Harry & his boyfriends??? Reid absolutely nailed it with them!
and the plot twist at the end?????? PERFFFFECT! I never screamed so loudly. the tension of that moment alone was so great.
as I said, one of …
finished The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I will never be the same.
this fucking book just kept hurting everyday & amazing page turner. I'm sad I finished it bc I know there never will be another like it. it's sosososo good. one of the best reads of my life.
I don't like to read romance novels because I never relate to them, ever. but the way taylor jenkin reid created Evelyn & her undying love for Ceila made me cry & understand and relate to her.
she portrayed Evelyn's the bad, the good & the ugly sides perfectly.
also the perfect portation of found family & platonic love between Evelyn and Harry & his boyfriends??? Reid absolutely nailed it with them!
and the plot twist at the end?????? PERFFFFECT! I never screamed so loudly. the tension of that moment alone was so great.
as I said, one of the best books of all time.
Review of 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Reid performs a fun balancing act of switching viewpoint characters, as well as sprinkling in ephemera from the history of the fictional protagonist. It's a very smooth and easy read, a real page-turner. While there are surprises and twists, they all feel very well-earned. It's a story of love, a story of devotion, a story of ruthlessness and of generosity.
By the end of the book, I really wished that Evelyn Hugo had been a real person, such is Reid's ability to create real characters. Monique and Harry and Celia all feel fully-realized as well, and even the characters who barely get any "screen time" act like people. The dialog is snappy and I'd love to have a snarky conversation with Evelyn.
Recommended to anyone who likes books about people and social norms.
Review of 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
This is a (kind of) good book but it's not great. There is no depth of character even though you are given Evelyn Hugo's whole life story within the pages. Evelyn was a cardboard cutout (and unlikable) and all you really know about her can be summed up in a few sentences. Just somewhat above ok-ish truthfully.
I liked the old Hollywood setting though. I liked the period of time it brought back to life-when America worshipped movie stars, bought magazines to catch up on the latest gossip, went to theaters to watch their favorite stars perform. It really was a big deal back in the 40s to about the mid 70s. Movie studios controlled the artists' lives back in the earlier days and would manipulate and curate the artists' persona, love life, artistic choices, fashion. Cover up messes and hide scandals, too. I grew up at the tail end …
This is a (kind of) good book but it's not great. There is no depth of character even though you are given Evelyn Hugo's whole life story within the pages. Evelyn was a cardboard cutout (and unlikable) and all you really know about her can be summed up in a few sentences. Just somewhat above ok-ish truthfully.
I liked the old Hollywood setting though. I liked the period of time it brought back to life-when America worshipped movie stars, bought magazines to catch up on the latest gossip, went to theaters to watch their favorite stars perform. It really was a big deal back in the 40s to about the mid 70s. Movie studios controlled the artists' lives back in the earlier days and would manipulate and curate the artists' persona, love life, artistic choices, fashion. Cover up messes and hide scandals, too. I grew up at the tail end of that era and can somewhat remember what it was like to go see a movie like The Way We Were with Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford. Or Ali McGraw and Ryan O'Neal in Love Story. I recently watched Love Story again on tv after not even thinking about it for at least 45 years or so and thought "Oh, how hokey 'Love means never having to say you're sorry', yeah right, give me a break." And then crying at the melodramatic ending anyway, lol.
The great love affair of Evelyn with fellow actress Celia St. James was not belivable in the slightest and so bland and passionless and blah. And as the whole of the story pivots around that "great love" and it's not even interesting... it makes the rest of the story lackluster as well.
Easy enough reading if you want a sort of mindless book to read at the beach or beside the pool where you don't have to concentrate too hard to keep the plot straight but still be entertained enough until something better and more entertaining happens to pull your attention away. It'll be easy enough to pick up where you left off... blah blah blah Evelyn gets married AGAIN...
The reveal at the end was WEAK SAUCE and kind of ruined the book in my opinion. It was NOT needed.
Review of 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Ich fands nur ok. Bin aber auf die Verfilmung gespannt!
Review of 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
HOW can a book be THIS good? I just finished it and already want to read it again. I will be thinking about all of the seemingly small parts of the book that added up to a greater story for days because there were so many. It is everything I want in a book—a deep dive into a character’s thoughts and emotions and desires, a “holy shit???” moment at the end, beautifully descriptive yet not overwhelming writing. And best of all, it offered an extremely complex character who I both loved and felt empathy for but still respected despite some questionable choices. The author did an amazing job at making this character so human. I could incoherently gush forever, but this book just Did It for me and has earned a place in my all-time faves.
tali reviewed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Review of 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Not a bad break from hard sci fi
Review of 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Really wanted to like this more but it just didn't grab me. Loved the bi representation but didn't really connect with either of the main characters. Wasn't terrible but wasn't great either.
Review of 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
I loved that all Evelyn's secrets were laid bare, yet the ending still managed to be messy and complicated. A fascinating story full of ups, downs, and nuances to tell the life story of a vivid and morally grey fictional woman.
Review of 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Total beach book. If you're looking for serious literature, you'll scratch your head at my four-star rating. But if you go in looking for something light that's a fun summer read and nice alternative to the psychological thrillers with untrustworthy protagonists that seem to be all the rage, you'll leave satisfied.
