Tyne Klammer
Staff Reporter
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a widely-beloved book written by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Reid is a New York Times bestselling author who has received several Audie Awards as well as a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction in 2017, 2019, and 2021.
The book follows Evelyn Hugo throughout the entirety of her adult life; it is a true rags-to-riches story that covers a Hollywood star’s most intimate life events. The story jumps between the perspective of Monique Grant, a struggling journalist in her mid-30s and Evelyn Hugo, the wealthy Hollywood star who the novel is based around.
Evelyn Hugo is world-renowned for her bombshell reputation and roles that eventually earned her an Oscar. Her personal life is also of large public interest, with publications consistently released throughout her life regarding possible scandals and her love life.
The attention to detail regarding the historical context of the time is exceptional. The author left no crumbs when it came to anything from the political climate to the clothing preferences of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. One will feel immersed in the Hollywood scene of the time, learning more about this time period throughout the book.
The character development of this book was impeccable; This book portrayed Evelyn in a truly personal way that left me loving her despite her flaws and shortcomings.
An important highlight is the LGBTQ+ presence in the book that brings light to the perception of these individuals as well as personal struggles and experiences of queer folks at the time. The author does a great job of humanizing the experiences of these characters that distinguished this novel from other books highlighting this topic.
Although there are not many criticisms regarding this book, it would be interesting for the author to write from the perspective of other characters in the book. At times, seeing this story solely from the storytelling of Evelyn Hugo blinds the reader from the experiences of those who were involved with and/or impacted by her.
People from a variety of backgrounds will enjoy this book despite gender, genre preferences, or reading experience. The novel is great not only for the beautiful writing by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but characters that will leave the reader feeling more human than when they began reading.
