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ninetalevixen 's review for:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
"Heartbreak is a loss. Divorce is a piece of paper."
I somehow managed to avoid enough of the hype to know only that this book was well-received, but none of the specifics. Which definitely helped me to just enjoy the story for what it was, rather than what I hoped or anticipated it would be.
Of course relationships are a huge part — one might even say the heart — of the story. Not just the marriages, but secret romances, friendships, family ties, even working partnerships play a pivotal role in shaping the narrative. (Seven degrees of Evelyn Hugo?) I always love when characters come to life in their interactions with each other, and we certainly get that with this book. At the same time, there's enough suspense and even some intrigue to balance it out.
I adored the titular protagonist, Evelyn Hugo: her unapologetic ambition, her fierce loyalty, her insights on society and Hollywood. She made choices that hurt people (though per her own explanation, they weren't mistakes — she knew exactly what she was doing, and she would do it again); she also owned up to them and did what she could to make amends. She took advantage of her privileges while remaining conscious of their existence, and even leveraged them to help others. Although her part of the narrative is historical fiction, she's a fantastic role model for the present day.
To be quite honest, though, I wasn't quite as invested in Monique or the contemporary narrative. I sympathized with her struggles — building a career as a biracial woman, dealing with the end of her marriage, etc — and she was overall probably a more relatable character than Evelyn. But it all just couldn't compare to the glamor and excitement of the other storyline.
And the ending kind of fizzled, weak in comparison to the beginning and middle. Possibly it's just that the destination is always a letdown when the journey was such an adventure, but it bothers me that we don't get a more vibrant final image of Evelyn Hugo. Though I guess that could be the point: she's only human, despite her fortune and fame.
content warnings:loss of loved ones (adult daughter, parents, best friend, father, partner), slut-shaming, pedophilia, power-imbalanced relationships, domestic abuse, homophobic slurs, bi erasure (challenged in-text), abortion, infidelity, grief, alcohol as coping mechanism, chronic/terminal illness (breast cancer, COPD), car crash, major character deaths, implied suicide
rep:Cuban-American bi MC, biracial (Black/Caucasian) MC, Black minor character, Asian-American minor character, gay secondary & minor characters, lesbian secondary character/love interest, Salvadorean minor character, secondary & minor M/M relationships
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CONVERSION: 12.7 / 15 = 4.5 stars
Prose: 8 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 10 / 10
Emotional Impact: 9 / 10
Development / Flow: 7 / 10
Setting: 7 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 5 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 5 / 5
Rereadability: 4 / 5
Memorability: 4 / 5
I somehow managed to avoid enough of the hype to know only that this book was well-received, but none of the specifics. Which definitely helped me to just enjoy the story for what it was, rather than what I hoped or anticipated it would be.
Of course relationships are a huge part — one might even say the heart — of the story. Not just the marriages, but secret romances, friendships, family ties, even working partnerships play a pivotal role in shaping the narrative. (Seven degrees of Evelyn Hugo?) I always love when characters come to life in their interactions with each other, and we certainly get that with this book. At the same time, there's enough suspense and even some intrigue to balance it out.
I adored the titular protagonist, Evelyn Hugo: her unapologetic ambition, her fierce loyalty, her insights on society and Hollywood. She made choices that hurt people (though per her own explanation, they weren't mistakes — she knew exactly what she was doing, and she would do it again); she also owned up to them and did what she could to make amends. She took advantage of her privileges while remaining conscious of their existence, and even leveraged them to help others. Although her part of the narrative is historical fiction, she's a fantastic role model for the present day.
To be quite honest, though, I wasn't quite as invested in Monique or the contemporary narrative. I sympathized with her struggles — building a career as a biracial woman, dealing with the end of her marriage, etc — and she was overall probably a more relatable character than Evelyn. But it all just couldn't compare to the glamor and excitement of the other storyline.
And the ending kind of fizzled, weak in comparison to the beginning and middle. Possibly it's just that the destination is always a letdown when the journey was such an adventure, but it bothers me that we don't get a more vibrant final image of Evelyn Hugo. Though I guess that could be the point: she's only human, despite her fortune and fame.
content warnings:
rep:
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CONVERSION: 12.7 / 15 = 4.5 stars
Prose: 8 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 10 / 10
Emotional Impact: 9 / 10
Development / Flow: 7 / 10
Setting: 7 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 5 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 5 / 5
Rereadability: 4 / 5
Memorability: 4 / 5