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james1star's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I was a bit hesitant to start Evelyn Hugo because of how well loved it is and had built it up as a book I was bound to adore. But I am glad I have finally gotten around to it. It’s a great read and, like nearly everyone else who’s read it too, would certainly recommend it. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t cry - despite being close a few times - but it was a very emotive read.
A quick plot summary: we start with the unknown reporter Monique Grant being requested to talk with the now seventy-year-old (I think) Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo. When there, her true intentions come known and she wants Grant to tell her life’s story to the world, everything on show, and in doing so we’re transported back to 1950s America. Hugo details her escape from poverty and a harsh life into that of Hollywood where beauty is everything. She uses her wits and, in many ways, callousness to get the parts she wants, make the necessary connections and throughout her life; seven husbands. At her side throughout is her best friend Harry, and they’re there for each other along the way with Hugo ending her story in the present. As the biography unfolds to its conclusion, a tragic connection between the two women becomes known.
What I really appreciated in this book is that Reid doesn’t wait till the end for one of the two main ‘plot twists’ to come out. Sorry to spoil anything but after the first third (or there about), the true love of Evelyn’s life becomes known… and they’re a woman. This was great because as the reader we get to experience what it’s like to be a queer person from the 50s to the present. It’s a really heartbreaking portrayal at times, knowing that even with all that fame and money she wasn’t able to be her true self (the same to the other queer characters we come across, especially Harry and Celia who had me). But then there’s some really lovely moments too and throughout you’re wishing and hoping things will go one way but mostly they don’t. I also loved how Hugo grapples with exploring her bi identity, it’s really natural and internally she’s unapologetic but sadly due to the time she’s living in has to hide this part of herself. The characters are very well realised with Hugo being extremely complex. She’s not perfect (none are) by any means but she’s undoubtedly a icon, you really root for her despite the methods she applies to get what she wants but at the end of the day, she did what she did to survive and was only acting in accordance with a male-dominated, misogynistic society that places beauty and whiteness with too high a regard. Despite a later negative, I would say she’s certainly well-written and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
Personally I wasn’t the most keen on the domestic abuse storyline in the book. It was mostly done well but some parts did irk me. I also found the writing to be a little basic, not being the masterpiece I was promised in all honesty. A final note of meh was a certain thing that happens but I won’t expand ~ it’s to do with Harry if you’ve read it.
This book wasn’t the epitome of great literature with there being some parts to be desired but overall it was a very decent read and one I’d be happy to recommend. I also think I’d be giving this a re-read in the future as there’s more to be uncovered and generally it’s an entertaining, fast-paced novel that is deserving of the hype… but there are better books in my opinion.
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Cancer, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Xenophobia, Car accident, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
kedalrymple's review against another edition
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting
caitlyn_drago_1226's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide
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: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Terminal illness, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, Abortion, and Abandonment
emily_zylstra02's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Classism
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.
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
jamieruwen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
All in all this doesn't really provide the complexity and/or poetics I'm usually interested in when reading but it was a pretty lighthearted break from my previous read with was an absolute avalanche of pain (Nightcrawling - 4.5 stars). Some of the topics in this - domestic abuse, being lgbt in the 50s-80s, womanhood as an actress in the studio system - are really heavy, but they don't really get treated with the careful approach you might expect.
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Biphobia and Fatphobia
idontread'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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
anneschreurs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Car accident
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Addiction, Biphobia, Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia
tinysierra's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
“People think intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can stand in front of them bare and their response is “You’re safe with me” - that’s intimacy.”
Evelyn Hugo’s story was compelling and it’s easy to see that she is a very flawed and complex person.
I can see why so many people were enthralled by this book. I love the newspaper articles sprinkled into the story, as well as some of Monique’s story being interwoven into the narrative so that it wasn’t so heavily focused on Evelyn.
I loved the sapphic moments between Celia and Evelyn. I loved the family that they built with Celia, Harry, John, Conner and Evelyn. I loved the emphasis on platonic bonds and partnerships.
“Please never forget that the sun rises and sets with your smile. At least to me it does. You are the only thing on this planet worth worshipping.”
The way race is talked about is kind of odd…
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Homophobia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Car accident, Death of parent, Outing, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide, Abortion, and Pandemic/Epidemic