The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Author:

I was surprised to find that there isn’t too much information about Taylor Jenkins Reid online and she even announced her departure from Instagram as of mid October. That being said, she was born in Maryland and spent most of her upbringing on the east coast. After graduating college, she moved to Los Angeles and worked in film. She published her first novel in 2013 and has been steadily adding to her portfolio since then. She currently lives in LA with her husband and daughter.

Learn More about Taylor Jenkins Reid

Three words to describe this read:

Biographical- I realize the story is based on the biography of a fictional character, but it was so believable. I feel that Evelyn Hugo could have been a real life Hollywood star from the 60s and 70s.

Complex- The story has its moments of glitz and glamour, but it also covers some more serious topics about mortality, sexuality, and the cost of fame.

Bingeable- Despite my best efforts, I’m usually a pretty slow reader and it takes dedication to finish a book, but this one had me struggling to put it down. I just kept wondering about Evelyn’s next husband.

Quote:

“‘I’ve spent a very long time learning how to…spin the truth,’ she says. ‘It’s hard to undo that wiring. I’ve gotten too good at it, I think. Just now, I wasn’t exactly sure how to tell the truth. I don't have very much practice in it. It feels antithetical to my very survival. But I’ll get there.’”

I wouldn’t call myself a liar, but I am naturally non confrontational and in the hospitality industry, we are trained to tell people what they want to hear. While it can be a useful skill on the job, it isn't always helpful when it seeps over into my personal life and I find myself artfully beating around the bush of the main topic I want to address with someone important to me. It’s something I’ve noticed and started working on, so I felt that I related pretty heavily to this quote.