Next up on my “Pajiba recommendations for sure shot books until I pay my library fines” list – in case anyone is wondering, my fines are paid and I’m now a fully operational library patron again and forevermore – The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Basic premise – Evelyn is an aging, reclusive old Hollywood star giving the scoop of a lifetime to a reporter for a Vogue-surrogate magazine. Evelyn is brash, confident, and chilly. Monique, the reporter, is floating along letting her life happen to her when this opportunity lands in her lap. There are lessons to be learned.
The criticisms, first: I never for one single paragraph gave even a tiny fraction of a shit about Monique or any of her drama. She was boring, annoying, and a distraction from the meat of the book. There was also a major character who I won’t give away but whose name begins with C, and I didn’t like that person as much as I feel like I was supposed to. I truly cared for and related to Evelyn, but C seemed bratty, idealistic, self-absorbed, and frequently cruel, and only became more so as the book went on. I cared about C because Evelyn cared about C, but I would’ve been that much more invested if she’d been a little more sympathetic.
The good parts: I absolutely could not put this book down. I was reading it with a flashlight while I put my kids to bed when I’d usually just be scrolling social media. I adored Evelyn. She was deeply flawed, but such a real person, and I was in it for her throughout. I also loved Harry. I saw the twister-oo coming fairly early but it was still pretty decent, although not absolutely necessary. All in all I loved it, it left an impression, and I’d absolutely love to see it as a movie.
