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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Book Cover The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Fiction
Simon and Schuster
June 13, 2017
Hardcover
400
Publisher via BookExpo

“The epic adventures Evelyn creates over the course of a lifetime will leave every reader mesmerized. This wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet and her tumultuous Tinseltown journey comes with unexpected twists and the most satisfying of drama.” —PopSugar From Taylor Jenkins Reid, “a genius when it comes to stories about life and love” (Redbook), comes an unforgettable and sweeping novel about one classic film actress’s relentless rise to the top—the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine. 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 in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, 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 fascinating 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 takes—to face the truth.

My review:

I feel like most of those people who are in the blog community (unless you are living under a rock!) have read, or at least know of, this book. But for those of my friends and family (and those rock dwellers :)) who read my blog, I have to tell you about the fabulousness (not a word, but I'm using it for her anyway) of Taylor Jenkins Reid, and specifically of this book! I've read all of Ms. Reid's prior novels, and really enjoyed them all, but I think she has hit it out of the park with this one! I don't want to give too much away, because I just want you to read it, but Evelyn Hugo is one of those written characters that just comes to life and jumps off the page. For me, the most interesting part about her, is that she's not particularly the most likeable person, yet I could not get enough of her and her life story! The premise of the book is that Evelyn, an aging star of the screen in old Hollywood, has decided that she wants to tell her life story, to get the facts out there. She brings in a young, unknown magazine journalist to take down her story. How did she end up with seven husbands? How did she rise to fame and fortune? Who was her one true love? As a side story, we see glimpses of the journalist's life as she spends more and more time penning Evelyn's story. The paths of their two lives do collide in a most surprising way toward the end of the book.

This is a fascinating glimpse into the glitz and glamour of the times, and a woman who made a name for herself, but at what costs? Trust me on this when I say, just read it!

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