Reviews tagging 'Cultural appropriation'

Los siete maridos de Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

22 reviews

kedalrymple's review against another edition

I was very excited to read this book as it seemed to tick a lot of the categories of what I like. Even the start seemed to be more engaging than a lot of books. However, it didn’t take long for the language to start to feel uncomfortable, specifically when discussing race and body image. Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that this is an author who is writing popular fiction with the goal of it being picked up by Hollywood. It seems odd that the author would choose to develop main characters of different races, gender identities, and body types than her own, and do so little work to actually research what it is like for people who identify with those traits. Sadly it came across as stereotypical, heteronormative, and  sexist. Clearly this author is trying to fill her books with the types of characters that Hollywood is desperately seeking to  “include” but is skipping the hard work necessary to check her own priorities and privileges beforehand even attempting to write about a character from a different culture than her own. How disappointing. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Fatphobia, Cultural appropriation, Body shaming, Misogyny, and Lesbophobia

lyeve's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read this book very quickly, it definitely got me out of a slump. At first, I liked the fast paced complicated life of a girl striving to be a Hollywood star, no matter the cost. Then I stayed for the hard hitting, realistic love. The ugly, heartbreaking, but also beautiful, friendly, comfortable love.  Absolutely loved this book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Car accident, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Cancer, Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Misogyny

Minor: Addiction, Cultural appropriation, and Death of parent

fieldofhats's review against another edition

“This is something that everyone should know about stars. We like to be told we are adored. And we want you to repeat yourself.”

I got 3.5 hours into the 12 hour audiobook and couldn’t force myself to go any further. It pains me to DNF a Taylor Jenkins Reid book, but it pains me even more to give it one star. In all fairness, my true rating might be more like 1.5 stars, but it didn’t think it really deserved to be rounded up.

Let’s start with the good, if only because there’s so little of it. The story is split into two very distinct plot lines: Monique and Evelyn. We see much more of Evelyn, but Monique is the main character, or at least the one we see the modern world through. Her story is much more interesting. She has hardships and problems, and because she’s a normal person living in the normal world, they feel much more genuine. I was much more invested in her story than in Evelyn’s, and in a book that’s titled “The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo”, I feel like that’s an issue.

The drama is good. The troubles and hardships that Evelyn endured and eventually got through are universal and painful, but also particularly feminine issues, which makes this an undeniably feminist piece — the problem is, she’s a rich, powerful, Hollywood star. I have a much, much harder time relating to and sympathizing with a rich star than a common person. All of the things that Evelyn goes through, lower class people (like Monique, for example) also go through. Having the main character be a rich star just dampens and cheapens the story. Celebrity feminism is antithetical to feminism.

Furthermore, Evelyn is not a good person. Because she’s spent most of her life in Hollywood, she has this heightened sense of entitlement that I just have no respect for. She’s also manipulative; she guilts and practically bribes Monique into taking the biography job and admits that she’s okay with (and does) use people when it’s advantageous for her. She will also do absolutely anything to save her image. And maybe I could get behind that if she wasn’t either rich or a Hollywood star, but she is. Even if her image is destroyed, she’ll be absolutely fine, so I don’t have much sympathy for her. To properly enjoy a novel I have to like the main character on some level, and so this was a huge blow for me.

Yes, she is a powerful woman, and that image can hold a lot of weight regardless of anything. But when we sacrifice integrity and decency for power, we’re left with an awful character. I wish we could portray powerful women without them being rich and manipulative.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Classism, Cultural appropriation, and Misogyny

giulianalb99's review

challenging reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Este libro no fue para mi. Es entretenido pero sin más. Debido al bombazo que ha tenido y sigue teniendo me lo esperaba mejor pero alomejor es porque no me gusta leer romance🤷🏻‍♀️. De todas formas, para pasar el rato no está mal.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual harassment, Cancer, Car accident, Death of parent, Racism, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Infidelity, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cultural appropriation, Death, Sexism, Biphobia, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, Grief, and Sexual content

sirenricobooks's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Biphobia, Cancer, Chronic illness, Classism, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Death, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Alcohol, Body shaming, Abortion, Addiction, Cultural appropriation, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, and Child death

ellafranks's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Homophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Physical abuse

jmkendall0218's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Biphobia

Moderate: Death, Car accident, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Alcohol, Cancer, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

bookswithlauren's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

"When you're given an opportunity to change your life, be ready to do whatever it takes to make it happen. The world doesn't give things, you take things"

Reading 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' is one of my favourite reading experiences to date. It made me, laugh, it made me smile with complete joy, it made me cry, it made me angry and it completely consumed me from start to finish. I adore Evelyn Hugo and her life, I want to have known Evelyn Hugo, I want to have been a part of her life. I want to read more and more about her. The exploration of fame and Hollywood, sexuality, self acceptance, race, religion, sexism, friendship, family, abusive relationships and so much more is nothing short of perfection.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has such an interesting structure to her writing and I very much enjoy it. Both of her books that I have read so far have been an interview structure with dual timelines. It is such an interesting, clever way to write, I find it to immerse the reader in such a profound way. I cannot wait to read more of her work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Body shaming, Car accident, Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Hate crime, Sexism, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Biphobia, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Child death, and Cultural appropriation

piaschj's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Biphobia, Body shaming, Death, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Car accident, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

jakespeare's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

This book is incredibly eay to read, I was in a reading slump and this Y/A novel was just what I needed to get back on my feet. The story has lovable (and asshole) characters which readers can quickly grow attatched to. This book was wonderful, but not amazing; the addition of lgbtq+ did add a lot of depth to the story a characters, though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Chronic illness and Car accident

It's a good read