Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Los siete maridos de Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

80 reviews

vinyadoggeroo's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Loved this book, couldn't put it down. Want to reread it again after the reveal at the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia and Alcohol

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Acephobia/Arophobia, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Body shaming, Death, Abortion, and Death of parent

Ok I got tired of classifying which trigger warnings are minor or major so put almost all of them as moderate. Based on the trigger list the book might seem intimidating

earth_to_mars's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

3.25

My thoughts on Evelyn Hugo are conflicted, so I wanted to start on the technical aspects of Reid's writing. She is a good writer, great even. From descriptions to dialogue, there's not much I can complain about. Her descriptions are vivid but not flowery and the dialogue feels as real as it can, each character has enough of a personality and unique voice that I could probably tell you who said what without tags.

I like her additions of the articles, both old and new as it adds to the believability of this being a biography of an Old Hollywood movie star. 

The pacing is good, slow enough to digest everything that Ms. Hugo is telling us, but not slow enough to feel like a drag when trying to read through each marriage. All in all, her technical skills are the reason I rated this book higher than I wanted to.

My issues lie within the representation within the book. And while yes, I understand this is historical fiction, there's a way to write bigotry without incorporating homophobic and biphobic tropes in a way that almost seems positive. She incorporates Harry as The Gay Best Friend and Celia as The Bitchy Lesbian both of which are not enjoyable in the slightest. She incorporates the downright biphobic trope - The Cheating Bisexual - twice. Once with Evelyn Hugo herself and possibly again with

Monique's father at the end of the book, and I say possibly because Reid does not confirm his sexuality

. I, after listening to POC talk about this book, realize the racial representation is not the best either. While barely incorporating how Evelyn's race effected her career and social status in an era that was incredibly racist to having the only other two Latine characters being a maid and abusive father, the descriptions of "how Evelyn's blonde hair doesn't match her bronze skin" and Monique's fixations on being mixed race, it comes off as ignorant/insensitive at best and bigoted at worst.

It definitely feels as though Reid did not have any sensitivity readers or did any sort of research on marginalized groups or even listen to marginalized voices, which has soured the book for me and why I feel I can only give it a 3.25.

In the end, it's a solid book and the characters and their complexities and flaws are what make the book as good as it is with moments that made my eyes water. But, Reid is in desperate need of making sure her biases/ignorance don't bleed into her writing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Xenophobia, Car accident, Abortion, and Injury/Injury detail

mcath_hartmann's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.5

Based on how others have reviewed this book, I really was looking forward to reading it.  I was disappointed, however, by how cliche (is that the right word?) the story was.  Maybe "mainstream" is a better description.  Basically, I can see how it could hold popular appeal, based on its themes of female empowerment and an intriguing mystery.  But, it was mostly the style of prose that turned me off from the book.  Call me a book snob if you like, but -- to me, at least, -- the author's prose and word usage were kind of low-brow.   

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Xenophobia

dizzyizzyy's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Outing, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infertility, Xenophobia, Stalking, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic

tessvosper's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Blood

aceatratus's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Homophobia, Xenophobia, and Car accident

carefulfearanddeaddevotion's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.75

4.9999999/5 bc apparently Ms Jenkins Reid was going for a

bury your gays world record. damn. not one of those bitches made it out alive

the story was captivating, the characters were well-rounded and complicated, and the dual timelines were well-executed. she managed to make me care for Monique even though we spent significantly less time in the present. i liked the way the husbands were split up into their own little segments and the little qualifiers before each of their names. 

i really really really liked it until the last maybe 100 pages—

bury your gays pops up to say hello

—when i started liking it marginally less. so if i’m being really really honest with myself it might be more like 4.5 or maybe even 4 stars. but the story and characters were so well-crafted that i feel compelled to give it a 5. i’ll def pick up another TJR book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Abortion, Lesbophobia, Outing, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Xenophobia

pershie13's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

AN INSTANT FIVE STARS!! This was one of the best books I've read in a long time and truly had me captivated from start to finish. When Monique Grant is handpicked by film star Evelyn Hugo to write a piece for a magazine, she has no idea why she would be wanted for a piece like this or why this celebrity that she doesn't know would pick her rather than a more seasoned writer. Then she finds out that Evelyn wants her to write her biography. Evelyn was famously married to seven different husbands, and it is a common question for people to wonder which one she loved the most. This book uncovers the answer to that question while revealing a different Evelyn than anyone had ever known. This book dove head-on into the themes of identity, love, truth, and authenticity, and hearing about how Evelyn grew and changed through each of her marriages was enlightening while showing her complexity as a person. The constant revelations throughout her life as an actress helped build her character well, and the plot twist at the end was one of the most shocking that I have ever read in a book. I found myself falling in love with some of the characters while despising others, and I found this book to deeply affect me emotionally, especially toward the end. This was wonderfully written and an incredible introduction to Taylor Jenkins Reid. I will be raving about this book for a long time!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Car accident, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Outing

creationwing's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.25

A fun book I finished in a little over 3 sittings. I'm not sure it needed 3 narrators, and I echo the thoughts of the other reviews when I say the Monique portion of our story could be dropped without affecting the main allure of this book. She wasn't fleshed out enough to have the Devil Wears Prada learning from your mentor win moment. We had a lot of insight into what was going on in her life, sure, but the character of Evelyn is so full-bodied that our understanding on Monique in turn feels more like the author is telling us who she is and telling us to root for her only because we're told she is an underdog with talent. Her career is summarized in a few paragraphs when we get Evelyn's through the whole book.

The twists both with her father and Evelyn's ultimate decision were far too predictable. The main character having written an article on euthanasia was a little too neat and on the nose.

Overall, however, the author did a very good job establishing a voice for Evelyn and making me care about her character even if I wouldn't have liked her as a real person.
I love the

found

family in the story, and realized how much I had grown to enjoy the book when I felt I cared for the characters in it. I also really enjoyed the depiction of queerplatonic relationships, but I agree with other reviews that the story lacks any platonic relationships that matter.

I would recommend this book, with the caveat that you'll probably find yourself skimming past the parts about Monique.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Blood, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug use, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Outing, Sexual harassment, and Classism

I've put minor mentions of eating disorder above, but more accurately it's portrayals of dieting culture/actors restricting their weight for roles.

james1star's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

With over one and a half million 5⭐️ reviews and an average rating of 4.44 on Goodreads, thousands of BookTokers, BookTubers and Bookstagramers singing it’s praises… what are my thoughts? 

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. 

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Content Warnings

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