The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: The Greatest Book I've Ever Read?

-

Like the rest of the book world, I decided to pick up The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo after the rave reviews it has been getting. The hype behind this book is so great. And is deserved? Hell yes!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid just might be the GREATEST novel that I have ever read. It is hands-down my favorite book of the year so far, and I cannot recommend it enough.

The synopsis of this book does not do it justice; we follow a relatively unknown reporter named Monique, who has been asked by Evelyn Hugo, one of Hollywood's biggest starlets from back in the day (think Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn), to write her biography. Evelyn is famously reclusive and private, but Evelyn is telling Monique her life's story unfiltered, a story that included her seven husbands and the great love of her life.

This sounds like a chick lit novel, right? Nope. This book is full of diversity; Monique is biracial and Evelyn is Cuban and bisexual. The novel also deals with a variety of complex issues that are handled with grace and intelligence: women's rights, feminism, sexuality, sexual awakening, LGBTQ+ rights, domestic violence, ageism, and death with dignity. These things are what made the novel great, as does the format. We jump back and forth between Evelyn in the past, and her speaking with Monique in the present. The book is also divided into seven sections, such as "Poor Ernie Diaz" and "Gullible Mick Riva". Another great thing about this book is that Evelyn Hugo is not a saint. She might not even be a good person. She is perfectly imperfect, and that's what makes her such a formidable protagonist. I think that every woman who reads this book, no matter her race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, will be able to identify with at least one part of Evelyn Hugo or Monique, and that's what makes this book so special.

When you read this book, be sure to have a bunch of sticky tabs on hand, because you are going to want to mark up so many passages. Here are a few of my favorites:

"Don't ignore half of me so you can put me in a box."

"Why have I spent to so long settling for less when I know damn well the world expects more?"

"Never let anyone make you feel ordinary."

"Forgiveness is different from absolution."

"My mother raised me to be polite, to be demure. I have long operated under the idea that civility is subservience. But it hasn't gotten me very far, that type of kindness. The world respects people who think they should be running it."

If you haven't read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, what are you waiting for?!

Rating: 5/5 Stars

XOXO,

Isabella

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

People Kill People by Ellen Hopkins: The Book I Am Most Conflicted About

-
Image
TW:  child abuse, racism, domestic violence, sexual assault... I'm probably not even remembering all the trigger warnings because there are so many of them. Just know that this is not a book for the faint of heart.   Oh boy. I don't know what to say about this one. Actually, I do, I just don't know how to articulate it in writing. So. This book follows 6 teens in Tuscon, Arizona. It is told through a mix of verse and prose, though mainly prose. We are told at the beginning of the book that one of the characters, and all of them have motive to do so, acquires as gun. And one of them shoots and someone dies. The 6 teens are very different: we have 2 teen parents; 2 white nationalists; a disabled, fat, LGBTQ character; and a latino character. An interesting this about this book is that it is told from the perspective of Violence, somewhat similar to how The Book Thief is narrated by Death. At times I even forgot that the book was from a character perspective becau...
Read more

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult: The Most Timely Book

-
Image
Wow. There could not be a more timely time to read this book than now. A Spark of Light is definitely one of my favorite books of the year- I couldn't tell you if this book or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is my favorite book of the year. This book is centered around the abortion debate in America, and it follows a large cast of characters with conflicting view points on the issue. Essentially, the novel takes place in Mississippi at a women's health clinic. A man walks into the clinic and opens fire, taking hostages. A man named Hugh, a police hostage negotiator, is called to the scene, wherein he receives a message from his teenage daughter, Wren, saying that she is inside the clinic. Wren is not alone, and she and Hugh are not the only perspectives we hear from in this novel: a nurse who takes charge to save a wounded woman, a woman who has come to the clinic to have her pregnancy terminated, a pro-life protester disguised as a patient, the doctor who performs a...
Read more

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

-
Image
First, I just want to say that this cover is GORGEOUS. I'm not going to lie about the fact that I may have bought the book itself solely because of the cover. But the book itself is amazing, and I highly recommend it! We follow our two main characters, Penny and Sam. Penny is a college freshman who hoped to become a writer, and Sam is a struggling aspiring filmmaker. The two have a somewhat awkward first encounter, but exchange numbers nonetheless. The keep in constant contact through text without the awkwardness of actually having to see each other. Like I said, I really, really liked this book. It deals with a variety of tough subjects, and I really appreciated the authentic realness of the novel. The pop culture references were really fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed the parts of the story where Penny is crafting her own novel, and the excerpts that are included. I'll link an article about Mary H.K. Choi and Emergency Contact here , as I think it's really worth ...
Read more