The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in Crazy Challenge Connection

Apr 26, 2021 fleurette rated it really liked it

Shelves: biography, historical-fiction, womens-fiction

If you had asked me a month ago if I liked historical fiction books or biographies, I would quite honestly say no. In fact, even now I would say that I don't like books in these genres. And yet this book delighted me, I could not stop reading it.

The biography of the fictional actress fascinated me more than the life of any real celebrity. Taylor Jenkins Reid can create a wonderful story and characters that come to life on the pages of this book. Because the magic of this story is that Evelyn see If you had asked me a month ago if I liked historical fiction books or biographies, I would quite honestly say no. In fact, even now I would say that I don't like books in these genres. And yet this book delighted me, I could not stop reading it.

The biography of the fictional actress fascinated me more than the life of any real celebrity. Taylor Jenkins Reid can create a wonderful story and characters that come to life on the pages of this book. Because the magic of this story is that Evelyn seems to be a flesh-and-blood woman. As real as the stars we know from the headlines. And her complicated and difficult life brings together events that may have happened to each of these famous people. Evelyn's story is not only fascinating, but also very believable.

In the end Evelyn says people reading her biography won't look at her solely through the prism of her seven husbands. And it is true. Although the book is divided into sections named after her numerous husbands, Evelyn's life cannot be parted into phases based on time spent in another relationship with a man. In fact, her husbands received very little attention in this story. Often only the circumstances in which the marriage took place are described, a few sentences about living together and a sentence or two about divorce. In this way, the author managed to emphasize how little men meant in Evelyn's life. Aside from Harry, none of them seem to be fully formed character, they are merely shadows in Evelyn's life. She is quite often able to summarize life with them in a single scene.

Evelyn's story about her life is intertwined in an interesting way with the decisions Monique makes under the influence of this story. And although at times I forgot about Monique and that it is all just Evelyn's telling about herself, this thread is also very exciting and in my opinion it interestingly highlights the influence that the story of Evelyn, a woman with a very strong personality, has on the life of Monique, who writes down her words.

Overall, I am surprised by how much I liked this book, because it is not a genre that I choose for myself. But after all, it's just a great story that's really worth reading. ...more

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Jan 04, 2022 Elle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star-reads

Magnificent! I waited far too long to finally read this one, but it certainly was a good choice for my first audiobook of 2022. Taylor Jenkins Reid is amazing.

This fictional biography not only feels real, but the fictional starlet feels real as well. Though there is a story woven around it, the core of the novel is the life story of Evelyn Hugo. Had the pieces of this novel with Evelyn telling her story been picked out and stitched together, I'm sure some readers could easily be convinced that t ...more

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Jun 08, 2021 Iris rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2021

"It just goes to show that money can’t buy happiness, folks."

One thing is for sure: If I were an actress in Hollywood, I wouldn't last ten minutes.

Legendary movie star Evelyn Hugo has requested Monique Grant for an interview. For Monique this is a big opportunity, as she thinks this will give her a push into a better position at her job. There is one catch: Evelyn doesn't want to do an interview, she wants Monique to write her tell all autobiography and sell it to the highest bidder. Moniqu "It just goes to show that money can’t buy happiness, folks."

One thing is for sure: If I were an actress in Hollywood, I wouldn't last ten minutes.

Legendary movie star Evelyn Hugo has requested Monique Grant for an interview. For Monique this is a big opportunity, as she thinks this will give her a push into a better position at her job. There is one catch: Evelyn doesn't want to do an interview, she wants Monique to write her tell all autobiography and sell it to the highest bidder. Monique doesn't understand why Evelyn chose her, but decides to do it anyway.

I liked Evelyn a lot. She is determined to get where she wants, doing whatever it feels necessary. She was strong headed, smart and vulnerable. I enjoyed her spirit, reading her story all through her marriages and in the present, when she spoke with Monique. She was very cunning, she did a lot of things in order to become famous that were questionable and I don't think she exactly understood how her actions affected other people (view spoiler).

I also liked Monique very much. She seemed very keen and innocent, but also ambitious. She wanted to do right for Evelyn, for her job and for herself. She was very interesting and a great POV.

I have to say some things where quite predictable, specially in regards to Evelyn's (view spoiler).

Towards the end, the book just kept getting more depressing (view spoiler)

I very much enjoyed this book and Taylor Jenkins Reid's writting. It was very easy to follow and engaging.

Moral of the story: all that glitters in not gold. ...more

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