The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo ©2017 by Taylor Jenkins Reid is perhaps the most depraved book I have read. Several reviews and ads present it as being saturated with the glitz and glamour of old Hollywood. That glitz and glamour to me was overshadowed by the deceit and manipulation Evelyn Hugo practiced in her interactions with her acting world peers as well as the deceit and manipulation she deployed on her fan base via careful orchestrated publicity articles.
There is a heavy sexual tone throughout the book. That is the reputation one would expect from the cliché Hollywood land of wealth and promiscuity. But this novel took a different bent. The story takes place in the 1950s through 1990s when homosexuality was frowned upon and being a lesbian, or worse yet bisexual, was to be hidden at all costs. The vehicle for telling the story is Evelyn Hugo, in her late years, telling the story of her life to Monique, a young biracial entry-level writer for a magazine. There is indeed a twist near the end of the book but so near the end I almost gave up waiting for it. Then it was kind of lame and contrived.
So why did I keep reading? The wait list for this book at my library was very long. It was apparently very popular. My curiosity was aroused. Amazon gave it a high rating 4.6 out of 5. Not surprisingly, upon completion, I agreed most with the reasoning of the one-star ratings.
Well, my curiosity is now satisfied and I learned a new vocabulary word – sapphic – so those are some positives, I guess. (I learned sapphic from some reviews, not from the book.) I am also pleased to see that the gay movement of present day has made some progress in acceptance, at least in the media world – Rachel Maddow and Anderson Cooper as examples. Still I rate this book only one star.
★☆☆☆☆ Awful but I read most or maybe even all of it
Although I didn't love this book when I read it in January 2021, I rated it three stars, which, for me, means that it was entertaining - not awful, but not great (average). I think I gave it a so-so rating due to the writing, not so much the story. I've read two books lately that I do think you would like - What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon (four starts - interesting story, but average writing) and The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See (five stars - VERY well written).
ReplyDeleteI have heard good things about The Island of Sea Women from several different folks so I am definitely adding it to my reading list. I will also check into What the Wind Knows. Thanks for your comment and suggestions.
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