fanboyriot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“Doesn’t it bother you? That your husbands have become such a headline story, so often mentioned, that they have nearly eclipsed your work and yourself? That all anyone talks about when they talk about you are the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo?”
And her answer was quintessential Evelyn.
“No,” she told me. “Because they are just husbands. I am Evelyn Hugo. And anyway, I think once people know the truth, they will be much more interested in my wife.”
Graphic: Sexual assault, Cursing, Mental illness, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Death, Suicide, Classism, Emotional abuse, Biphobia, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Violence, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Child death, Misogyny, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Car accident, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Terminal illness, Addiction, Blood, Death of parent, Outing, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Body shaming, Toxic friendship, Murder, Cancer, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, and Drug abuse
Minor: Vomit, Abortion, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, Self harm, Xenophobia, and Fatphobia
rat_girly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Infidelity, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Rape, and Blood
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Xenophobia, and Outing
Minor: Abortion, Suicide, Infertility, Incest, and Drug use
laneelizabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Outing, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Biphobia, Bullying, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Drug use, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, Infertility, and Pedophilia
Minor: Rape, Child abuse, Blood, Abortion, and Miscarriage
kaynic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Car accident, Bullying, Biphobia, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Abortion, Misogyny, Child abuse, Alcohol, Bullying, Miscarriage, and Addiction
gretchenrojas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Abortion, Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Alcohol, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Rape, Addiction, and Mental illness
Get ready to crydragon_s_hoard's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Unfortunately, I can’t quite rate it 5 stars because Monique’s narration drove me crazy. She was a good character, but why did she have to narrate. Every. Single. Action?
Moderate: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicide, Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Cancer, Car accident, Classism, Grief, Infidelity, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
buildingtaste's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I won't star rate it, because I didn't actually read the frame narrative chapters once I saw that they were going to be in first person present tense. Maybe that side of the story earns the unusually high ranking this has?
Positives:
- very quick read.
- the section in Spain was lovely.
Spoiler
Read Evelyn Hugo, they said. It's about Hollywood and lesbians, you'll love it, they said. And... sure, it's ostensibly set in Hollywood, the characters are supposed to be actors in the tail end of the studio era into the new wave and new Hollywood period. But the author doesn't really seem to care about the setting much at all, except as a source of some emotional hurdles for the love story. If she had completely excised real history, relying on a sort of roman a clef version of renamed studios and figures, I could have rolled with it. But instead there were these rare nods to real figures and awards that sent me over-thinking. Evelyn compares herself to Celia and Ruby, but never thinks how her performance might stack up against Katharine Hepburn's turn as Jo March, or Garbo's as Anna Karenina. Her fictional film wins Best Picture in 1982, erasing Gandhi. The real history, where it comes in, is flippant rather than immersive. This Hollywood doesn't feel like it has a history, which is strange for a book that covers so much time, in a place that is so self-aggrandizing and nostalgic for itself. And the lesbians (ok, lesbian and bisexual woman, technically)... I had more time for. The rocky relationship with Celia came to a very poignant, bittersweet conclusion, and I loved their "marriage" in Spain before Celia's death. But the development before that was underwhelming, with their extremely short lead-up and the years they just spent avoiding each other. I wanted a lot more from all Evelyn's relationships than what I got. As it is, the book just seems like a series of quickly-sketched episodes, where despite her claims at being confessional, we get very little understanding of the central character.Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Car accident, Child abuse, Classism, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, Blood, Outing, Sexual content, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, Abortion, Alcohol, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual assault
elmira's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism
Minor: Drug use and Child abuse
thatbookbitch's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Grief, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Alcohol, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Outing, Lesbophobia, and Sexism
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Suicide, Blood, Sexual content, Child abuse, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Vomit, Gaslighting, Abortion, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Pregnancy
disneyfan_1711's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Car accident, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, Cancer, Death, Classism, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Alcohol, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, Outing, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Toxic relationship