Table of Contents
1. BOOK DETAILS
2. SYNOPSIS
3. ANALYSIS
4. SUMMARY
5. REVIEW
6. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
7. COMPARISONS
1. BOOK DETAILS
Full Title:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Genre:
Historical Fiction, Romance, Drama
Category:
Novel
Author:
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Point of View:
First-person (Monique’s perspective with flashbacks to Evelyn's past)
Setting:
Primarily Hollywood, spanning from the 1950s to the 1980s
Characters:
Evelyn Hugo: A legendary Hollywood actress with a scandalous past and seven husbands.
Monique Grant: A young journalist who is chosen to write Evelyn’s biography.
Harry Cameron: Evelyn’s close friend and one of her husbands, who is central to her story.
Celia St. James: Evelyn’s great love and a fellow actress, with whom she shares a complicated relationship.
The Seven Husbands: Each husband plays a different role in Evelyn's life, including characters like Don Adler, Max Girard, and Robert Jamison.
Other Hollywood figures: Various friends and rivals from Evelyn’s Hollywood years.
2. SYNOPSIS
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a gripping tale that intertwines glamour, scandal, and love. The novel follows the life of Evelyn Hugo, a reclusive former Hollywood star, as she decides to share the secrets of her life with Monique Grant, a relatively unknown journalist. Evelyn has had seven husbands, each one playing a unique role in her rise to fame, but she has never revealed the truth behind her marriages—until now.
Throughout the book, Evelyn recounts her tumultuous life in Hollywood, from her humble beginnings to her rise to fame, and the complicated relationships she had with her seven husbands. As Monique listens to Evelyn’s story, she uncovers not only the complexity of Evelyn’s personal life but also the incredible sacrifices, heartaches, and compromises Evelyn made in her pursuit of love and success. The story explores Evelyn's deep love for Celia St. James, her complicated marriage with Harry Cameron, and the turbulent nature of her other relationships.
At its core, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a story about identity, the price of fame, and the choices women make to navigate societal expectations and personal desires. It touches on themes of bisexuality, self-empowerment, the complexities of love, and the weight of regret. As the novel unfolds, Evelyn’s final revelations about her past leave Monique—and the reader—with a deep reflection on the sacrifices made for love, ambition, and self-discovery. The book also highlights how Evelyn's story intertwines with Monique’s own journey, revealing an unexpected connection between the two women.
3. Analysis
About the Text: Structure and Style
Structure:The novel is structured as a dual narrative that alternates between Evelyn Hugo’s past and Monique Grant’s present. The story unfolds through interviews between Monique, a young reporter, and Evelyn, an aging Hollywood icon. As Evelyn tells her life story, readers are immersed in the glamorous yet complicated world of Hollywood’s Golden Age, as well as the emotional complexities of Evelyn’s personal life. Each husband Evelyn had represents a significant chapter in her life, and the structure allows for a deep exploration of how these relationships shaped her as a person.
Style:Reid’s writing style is characterized by its rich storytelling and compelling character development. The prose is engaging, with strong emotional depth and a narrative voice that feels intimate and authentic. Through Evelyn’s reflections, Reid masterfully blends glamour and tragedy, capturing the superficial allure of Hollywood while also revealing the personal sacrifices and heartbreaks Evelyn endures. The style effortlessly blends romance, drama, and mystery, keeping the reader invested in both the plot and the characters.
Themes
Love and Sacrifice:The central theme of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is the exploration of love and the sacrifices made for it. Evelyn’s relationships with her husbands reflect different aspects of love—passion, loyalty, power dynamics, and self-discovery. Each marriage holds lessons about what Evelyn is willing to sacrifice to achieve success, love, and happiness. The theme of sacrifice also extends beyond romantic relationships, touching on the sacrifices Evelyn makes for her career and identity.
Identity and Self-Discovery:Evelyn’s journey through the seven marriages is a path toward self-discovery. As the story unfolds, Evelyn reflects on how her public persona as a glamorous movie star contrasts with her private self, and how her relationships shaped the woman she becomes. The theme of identity explores the tension between the image that society projects onto individuals and the authentic self they must often hide to succeed.
The Price of Fame:The novel delves into the cost of fame in the entertainment industry. Evelyn’s rise to stardom is intertwined with a series of personal compromises, as she navigates Hollywood’s pressures, sexism, and objectification. The book highlights the dark side of celebrity, showing that fame comes at the expense of personal relationships, privacy, and self-acceptance.
Secrets and Revelations:Another significant theme is the idea of secrets. Evelyn’s life is full of hidden truths—about her marriages, her sexuality, and her identity—that she keeps buried for decades. The novel explores how these secrets shape her relationships and personal happiness. The revelation of these secrets is central to the novel’s plot, and the tension between keeping and exposing them drives the narrative.
LGBTQ+ Representation:Evelyn’s relationship with Celia St. James, another Hollywood star, is an important aspect of the story and serves as a representation of LGBTQ+ love during a time when such relationships were not publicly acknowledged. Their love story is a central conflict in the book, examining internal and external struggles surrounding identity and love in a repressive society.
Symbols
The Seven Husbands:The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo are symbolic of the different phases of her life and the various roles she plays—wife, lover, starlet, and businesswoman. Each husband represents a pivotal moment in Evelyn’s journey and the choices she makes to climb the ladder of Hollywood success. The husbands themselves also symbolize the different aspects of love and power dynamics Evelyn experiences.
The Mirror:Mirrors are recurring symbols in the novel, reflecting Evelyn’s constant negotiation between her public image and her private self. The mirror represents the tension between how Evelyn is perceived by the public and how she sees herself. It also symbolizes reflection and self-awareness, as Evelyn looks back on her life and attempts to reconcile her actions with her values.
The Red Lipstick:The red lipstick Evelyn wears is a recurring symbol of femininity, power, and confidence. In Hollywood, it is a tool to craft the perfect image of a movie star, but it also symbolizes Evelyn’s ability to shape her identity and influence others. The lipstick is an outward expression of the mask she wears and her control over her persona.
Setting
Hollywood:The novel is primarily set in the glamorous yet cutthroat world of Hollywood’s Golden Age, from the 1950s to the 1980s. The setting is integral to the story, as it reflects the fame and power dynamics that define Evelyn’s life. Hollywood’s glitz and glamour contrast with the personal sacrifices Evelyn makes to maintain her career, revealing the corruption and secrecy that underpin the world of celebrity.
Evelyn’s Apartment:Evelyn’s apartment, where she tells her story to Monique, is a private space where the two women bond and where Evelyn reveals her deepest secrets. The setting of the apartment serves as a confessional space, where the truth about Evelyn’s past is slowly unveiled, contrasting with the public persona Evelyn has maintained throughout her life.
Characters
Evelyn Hugo:Evelyn is the central character of the novel, a complex and flawed woman who navigates the challenges of fame, love, and identity. She is fiercely intelligent, determined, and unapologetic, yet also vulnerable and haunted by the decisions she has made. Evelyn’s character is a portrayal of the sacrifices women often have to make in order to achieve success in male-dominated industries. Her journey is one of self-empowerment and self-acceptance, despite the burdens of her past.
Monique Grant:Monique is the novel’s second protagonist, a young journalist who is chosen to interview Evelyn. She serves as the narrator of the story, and her character provides the lens through which readers learn about Evelyn’s past. Monique’s journey of self-discovery parallels Evelyn’s, and their relationship is integral to the narrative’s emotional depth. Through Monique, the novel explores themes of forgiveness, redemption, and learning from others’ experiences.
Celia St. James:Celia is Evelyn’s true love and the woman who stands at the heart of the novel’s most significant emotional journey. Celia’s love for Evelyn is one of the most powerful and tragic relationships in the book. Their love story challenges the norms of Hollywood and society, and Celia represents a love that is untouched by time, transcending the hardships of Evelyn’s many marriages.
The Seven Husbands:Each of Evelyn’s husbands plays a significant role in her journey. Some are love interests, while others are more strategic, such as Max Girard (her French director husband) or Robert Jamison (a wealthy businessman). Through these men, the novel explores themes of ambition, self-worth, and the nature of love.
Historical Context
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is set during the Golden Age of Hollywood and provides a commentary on the sexism, misogyny, and discrimination that actresses faced in the 1950s and 60s. The novel also touches on issues related to LGBTQ+ identity, particularly in an era when homosexuality was largely taboo and hidden in the public eye. Evelyn’s struggle to maintain her personal identity in the face of Hollywood’s pressures reflects the societal expectations of women at the time, and the story showcases the courage it took for women like Evelyn to break free from the confines of the traditional roles they were given.
4. Summary
"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" is a captivating fictional narrative about the life of Evelyn Hugo, a reclusive, legendary Hollywood actress who is ready to tell her story. She chooses an unknown journalist, Monique Grant, to write her biography. As Monique delves into Evelyn’s past, she uncovers not only the seven marriages Evelyn had but also her struggles with love, fame, identity, and sacrifice. At its heart, the novel is about the complexities of love and the price of fame, shedding light on a woman’s journey through the highs and lows of Hollywood.
Part 1: The First Marriage
Chapter 1: The Choice
Evelyn Hugo, now in her 70s and living in seclusion, contacts Monique Grant, a reporter for a magazine, to write her biography. Evelyn selects Monique despite her own unremarkable career, piquing Monique’s curiosity. As Evelyn begins telling her story, she starts with her first marriage to a man named Ernie Diaz. At this point, Evelyn is still a young starlet trying to make her way in Hollywood.
Chapter 2: The Breakthrough
Evelyn’s career takes off, and she rises to stardom. She soon realizes that the only way for her to succeed in the industry is to become something she is not—someone beautiful, mysterious, and desirable. This brings her to her second marriage to a man named Don Adler, a controlling and violent actor.
Part 2: The Hollywood Years
Chapter 3: The Cost of Fame
As Evelyn’s fame grows, so does her personal turmoil. She is forced to make sacrifices in her personal life to maintain her public persona. Her second marriage to Don Adler is a disaster, but it provides her with the opportunity to further her career. Evelyn learns that in Hollywood, appearances are everything.
Chapter 4: The Third Husband
Evelyn’s third husband, a studio executive named Rex North, brings her stability. They enter into a convenient marriage to protect Evelyn’s career. However, their love is more of a mutual understanding than passion. Evelyn’s life continues to be filled with difficult choices, including hiding her true self from the world.
Chapter 5: The Turning Point
Evelyn meets a woman named Celia St. James, and the two begin a secret romantic relationship. The attraction is immediate and intense, but Evelyn knows that she cannot let the world know about her feelings for Celia. This leads to more heartache, and Evelyn continues to be torn between her career and her personal desires.
Part 3: The Love of a Lifetime
Chapter 6: The Fourth Husband
Evelyn marries her fourth husband, Harry Cameron, a fellow actor, and they form a deep bond of friendship. Though their marriage is not romantic, they genuinely care for one another. Evelyn’s relationship with Harry serves as a respite from the pressures of the Hollywood industry, allowing her to grow emotionally and mentally.
Chapter 7: The Secrets
As Evelyn’s relationship with Celia grows more complex, she struggles with balancing the secrets she must keep with the love she has for Celia. They continue to navigate the pressures of being in a forbidden relationship while also dealing with the demands of the public and their careers.
Chapter 8: The Fifth Husband
Evelyn marries her fifth husband, a successful businessman named Max Girard. This marriage is more about convenience and mutual benefit than love, but it represents another phase of Evelyn’s journey. Her love for Celia, however, never fades, and Evelyn continues to wrestle with the societal constraints placed upon her.
Part 4: The Price of Keeping Secrets
Chapter 9: The Decline
As Evelyn grows older, the public’s interest in her wanes. She continues to reflect on her past and the choices she made, both good and bad. Evelyn begins to see how much her relationships with others have suffered because of her desire for fame and success.
Chapter 10: The Final Revelation
In the final chapters, Evelyn reveals the truth about her love for Celia and how it influenced her decisions throughout her life. Evelyn’s story of love, sacrifice, and the price of fame comes to a poignant conclusion, as Monique discovers that her own life is deeply intertwined with Evelyn’s past in a way she never could have imagined.
5. Review
My Opinion:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a captivating and emotional tale that explores the price of fame, love, and identity through the lens of Hollywood's golden age. The story follows the life of Evelyn Hugo, a legendary film star who, after years of reclusiveness, decides to tell her story to a young journalist named Monique Grant. As Evelyn recounts her seven marriages and the secrets she’s kept hidden, the novel beautifully unfolds the complexities of her character and the choices she made for fame, love, and personal fulfillment. Taylor Jenkins Reid's prose is lush and immersive, drawing readers into Evelyn's world of glitz and glam, while also revealing the heartache and struggles beneath the surface. The emotional depth and unexpected twists make this book an unforgettable experience.
Why It Is Worth Reading:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is worth reading because it offers a complex, multi-layered narrative about love, identity, and sacrifice, set against the backdrop of Hollywood. The novel’s exploration of themes like self-acceptance, the pursuit of happiness, and the personal cost of fame is profound. Reid’s depiction of Evelyn as a strong, flawed, and vulnerable woman makes her character relatable and fascinating. The twists in the story keep the reader engaged and often leave them reflecting on the book long after they've finished reading. The representation of LGBTQ+ relationships and the examination of societal pressures in the 20th century make the novel a rich, thought-provoking read.
For Whom It Is Recommended:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction with an emotional and character-driven plot. Fans of books like Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty or The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald will appreciate the way Reid delves into themes of fame, love, and the human condition. The novel is ideal for readers interested in strong, complex female characters, Hollywood history, and stories about identity and the choices we make. It's also a great choice for readers who enjoy stories with a twist and those who appreciate books that tackle LGBTQ+ themes.
Criticisms:
While The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is widely acclaimed, some readers have found the pacing to be slow at times, especially in the buildup to the larger revelations. Additionally, while Evelyn’s story is compelling, some readers feel that Monique, the secondary protagonist, is not as fully developed, which detracts from the book’s depth. Some also believe the plot can feel somewhat predictable, as the book’s structure hints at certain outcomes. Despite these minor criticisms, the novel’s emotional resonance and its portrayal of a woman’s life lived authentically make it a powerful and memorable read.
6. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Biography
Taylor Jenkins Reid is an American author known for her contemporary fiction. She has written several novels, many of which focus on relationships, love, and identity. Born on December 20, 1983, in Los Angeles, California, Reid initially worked as an assistant to a literary agent before becoming a full-time writer. Her works often deal with complex emotional themes, with a particular focus on personal growth and the intricate dynamics of relationships. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017) was a major success, solidifying Reid's place in the literary world. She is also known for her books Daisy Jones & The Six and Maybe in Another Life.
What Inspired the Author to Write the Book
Reid was inspired by her fascination with classic Hollywood and the lives of famous actresses. She wanted to explore the complexities of fame, especially from the perspective of a woman who is not just a star but a person with desires, struggles, and contradictions. The idea of a woman navigating the entertainment industry's pitfalls and using her intelligence to survive and thrive was central to the creation of Evelyn Hugo's character. The novel also reflects Reid’s desire to explore LGBTQ+ themes, particularly the struggles that queer individuals face when navigating a world that demands conformity.
Influences from the Author’s Life in the Book
Reid’s love for classic Hollywood cinema and the stories of strong women in the entertainment industry influenced much of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Her interest in complex relationships and the emotional depth of characters played a crucial role in developing Evelyn's multifaceted persona. Reid’s own experiences and observations of relationships, fame, and societal expectations inform the novel’s exploration of these themes, creating a compelling, layered narrative.
7. BOOK X MOVIE
The Book:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a captivating novel that tells the story of Evelyn Hugo, a reclusive and glamorous Hollywood star, who is finally ready to share the truth about her life, fame, and seven marriages. The story unfolds through her confessions to a young journalist named Monique Grant, revealing the complexities of love, loss, ambition, and the sacrifices Evelyn made for success in a male-dominated industry. The novel weaves themes of identity, bisexuality, and the price of fame, making it a poignant exploration of human emotion and the intricacies of relationships.
Movie Adaptations:
The film rights for The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo were acquired by Netflix, with an adaptation currently in the works. It is expected to focus on the glamorous but often tragic life of Evelyn Hugo as she recounts her marriages, career, and the personal and professional challenges she faced. While the film will need to condense the book’s intricate narrative, it will likely showcase the richness of Evelyn’s character and the struggles of living under the spotlight. The adaptation will also explore the emotional journey between Evelyn and Monique, adding layers of depth to the overall story.
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