The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

A Novel

By: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Narrated by: Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan, Robin Miles

Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's Summary

2018 Audie Award Finalist for Multi-Voiced Performance

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' 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 jump-start 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. 

©2017 Rabbit Reid, Inc. All rights reserved. (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

I’m not crying, you’re crying

Completely unexpected but also touchingly beautiful. Manages to touch on a number of very difficult subjects while still staying a light read. Bravo.

I couldn't get through this

I gave up soon after the second marriage because the narrator for Evelyn is dreadful and the story is unimaginative and dull. I admire anyone who can tough it out and read this whole book.

Such a shallow dull book

What a basic book. Unbelievable and silly; I couldn’t recommend this book to a single soul.

Five Out of Seven Ain't Bad

Evelyn Hugo was a bombshell movie star in the 1950s and 60s whose career as a celebrity carried on past her prime as an actress. An amalgam of real-life stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, and bits of pieces of others, Evelyn Hugo used her physical attributes and street smarts to get to the top, stay on top (mostly), and get back on top when she fell into decline.

A master manipulator who made no bones about it, she knew how to use everyone around her to get her way -- producers, directors, fellow actors, Hollywood media, even neighbors, and most especially her husbands. And to keep her secrets. Even in her last days, in the present day, when she has recused herself from the limelight, Evelyn manipulates the media to reveal her most closely held secrets.

This is without question a fun book. If you like movies, especially the glamorous era in which Evelyn Hugo rose to stardom, this is manna from heaven. You'll be guessing throughout the proceedings as to who Evelyn represents in real life, who the people around her might have been in real life. And you'll even get some thematic depth on a couple of currently relevant topics in addition to the potboiler of a plot.

For me personally, the story faltered slightly in two ways. After a flawless first two-thirds, the last third grew repetitive, as Evelyn started making the same mistakes again. The first four or five husbands were (collectively) a great story, the last couple-three husbands were kind of a shrug. The final reveal perks things up again, but by then the book is just about over.

The other problem is the very thematic depth that makes the book more than just a mindless beach read. In the two main areas of interest (not going to give them away), I was nagged by how Evelyn dealt with them -- one by hiding her her in the sand to protect her career, the other by taking advantage of a situation that many would find heinous to further her fortunes. In addition, there were prominent issues of the era, within the film business and in the world at large, that are virtually ignored.

But that's probably just me -- if you like this kind of thing, you'll love this.

Wonderful Read!!

Very complicated character with many faults & bad traits yet you can't help but love & feel sorry for her at the same time.
Shed a few tears during the course of the story.....
First time I've read this author but not the last!

Ugh!

I am in the minority, unless this author has tons of friends, but this book is about a young woman who can't stop apologizing for herself -- and that line is repeated throughout! Maybe it is for tweens?

Glucose Gluttony

Paraphrasing a quote attributed to Abe Lincoln: 'For those who like this kind of a book, it is just about the kind of a book they would like.'

This was a significant failure in my vetting process, plain and simple.

While reading this novel, over and over I winced or rolled my eyes at the soppy prose that brought to mind the picture of one being force-fed a huge jar of crystallized honey (left in the pantry for the past year plus). I love honey, but crystallized...no, no way. E.g.,

'I loved you so much, that I thought you were the meaning of my life... I thought that people were put on Earth to find other people, and I was put on Earth to find you. To find you, and touch your skin, and smell your breath, and hear all your thoughts....'

The book is also a sugary trove of cliched gems, such as:

'Sometimes reality comes crashing down on you.'

'When you’re given an opportunity to change your life, be ready to do whatever it takes to make it happen. '

'It felt like water in the desert.'


And schmaltzy advice like, 'You have to find a job that makes your heart feel big instead of one that makes it feel small.'


You shouldn't need any advice if you read the quotes above.

Supreme storyline

The only thing about this book that didn't ring true was the fact it was fiction. It was very interesting from beginning to end. It has a real kicker at the end. You'll never see it coming. It's worth more than one listen.

Save your credit!

Omg - trite and zero depth. I don’t know why I kept listening. Such a ridiculous story.

Taken to Hollywood and never wanted to return!

There aren't words enough to describe how much I loved this audiobook. It hasn't been this difficult for me to put one down in forever, and even as I wasn't listening, I was still thinking of the story and its characters, wondering where it was all leading and what would come next. Alma Cuervo's voice fit perfectly as Evelyn, and as she told the tales of her life, I was enthralled. This book has been the highlight of my reading summer, and I would recommend it to anyone fascinated by Old Hollywood.

Great story and superb narration

I was unsure about this book as the title and cover just did not inspire. However this is where audibles members ratings and reviews come into play and I took a chance.

I am so pleased I went ahead and made the purchased, this is an outstanding book.

No spoilers.... Monique a not well known journalist working on a popular US magazine is requested to write a piece about a charity dress auction of the fictious Hollywood legend Evelyn Hugo.
What happens during the meetings of the two is Evelyns untold story is gently revealed, like the peeling of an onion. The layers are carefully unfolded to show the true Evelyn Hugo, who is the character her adoring fans know, but also so much mor than they imagined. There are many touching moments in the book of Moniques and Evelyns life that will fill you with emotion.

I highly recommend this marvelous book.

Chick Lit

I don't know what I was expecting going into this but it wasn't this. Possibly the most over-hyped and cliched book I've ever read. Lost track (and interest) in husbands after husband 3 or 4. All characters have no redeeming qualities, except from Harry. The meandering timeline means we only get occasional plot-driven insight into Evelyn's relationship with Celia, so they seem to fight a lot. I couldn't root for them.

Monique was an extremely unlikeable character, and her surprise link with Evelyn was not much of a surprise. On top of this, the author was keen to include a lot of identity politics in this book, which was detrimental; Evelyn's experience of being biracial was a non-story when it could have been so much more, whilst the mentions of bisexual-erasure were over the top for a story in this setting.
I would recommend this book for your mother to read on the beach, or if you like soap operas and chick-lit.
I would not recommend this book to anyone who is interested in literary fiction or gay/lesbian fiction.

OMG

This book is incredible and made me cry. A million stars. I will be buying the paperback of this book just so I can read the gorgeous words that Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote. Thank you for creating this book Taylor.

I’m in love

I’m in love with this book...
I didn’t realise it was an LGBTQ+ novel before I purchased it, I’m Bisexual myself so identified with a number of points in this book on that topic. I am always in the lookout for more stories which are about more then sex for LGBTQ+ women,so this was a spectacular find. It’s in my top 5 book right now... I really am in love... Thank you, Thank you, to Taylor Jenkins Reid for writing this!!

Engrossing story, but some performances distracted

Alma Cuervo does fantastic taking over the narration of Evelyn's story.

Unfortunately the chapters where Robin Miles takes the lead are difficult to listen to. This is the second book I've listened to with her narration. Often her voice sounds clipped or rushed, as if it's over edited but that may be her natural cadence. It does not sound natural to listen to.
Some may like this but I don't : she hams it up to convey extra emotion. I feel her performance lacks nuance and every affected feeling is dialled up to 11.

Love the story, love Alma Cuervo's narration but I'm going to be careful about choosing books including Miles in the future.

very emotional

I really enjoyed this - the reading was excellent and the story engaging.
I can't say much more without spoliers, but a great listen overall.

I was so hooked, I had my earphones at all times

Although 2019 has only started, I can safely pronounce this book will be one of my favourites of the year - because it is already one of the best books I've read in years. It is incredibly engrossing and beautifully written (and narrated). I've gone into this book expecting a lot, having seen it absolutely everywhere since it came out and followed only by great reviews. And I was not let down. Evelyn Hugo is an Old Hollywood movie icon, she's gorgeous, she's a sex symbol (and she knows how to use it), she's ambitious, manipulative, so much smarter than she'll ever let you know, ruthless and unappologetic, and she will do everything to get what she wants. And now, at the end of her life she is telling the story of her scandalous life, all dirty detail included. Apart from Evelyn's point of view, the story is also told through the eyes of Monique Grant, a journalist Evelyn picked to write her biography. Monique herself is a biracial woman, recently separated and in front of an impending divorce, trying to climb her way up in the magazine she's working for. She is supposed to be objective, impersonal, but she finds herself learning from Evelyn, judging her, admiring her and hating her. The story deals with content that is not always easy to deal with, it talks about prostitution (in a form), alcoholism, domestic abuse, cheating, lgbtq+ rights and homophobia, racism, betrayal, but also love, friendship, the glamour of old Hollywood... and so much more. It is one of the most diverse and best minority-represented novels I have ever read. I dont even want to say too much because I dont have the words except READ THIS BOOK.

Brilliantly written and performed

I loved this from beginning to end. Evelyn and Monique are brilliant, very real characters. The book is extremely entertaining while exploring all the complexities involved with being a woman. Highly recommend!

Excellent

Loved listening to this every night and hearing stories of old hollywood. Loved the Evelyn's narrator but found the reporter's narrator a bit boring. Great story. Might read again.

Wonderful

This was one of the best books I’ve read in such a long long time!!!!!! It feels so retro and so ahead of it’s time all in one! I sobbed, I laughed and I absolutely loved it.