gildedspines's review
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Death, Death of parent, Sexism, Cursing, Addiction, Alcoholism, Abortion, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Lesbophobia, Outing, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Drug use
jemmaisntcool'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Car accident, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Child death, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Blood, Cursing, and Suicide
Minor: Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Biphobia, Racism, and Toxic friendship
nyreads'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
5.0
Moderate: Abortion, Grief, Alcohol, Child death, Car accident, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Sexual harassment
greeninthenorth'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
Moderate: Suicide, Drug use, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse
lizcheyenne's review
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Death, Pregnancy, Biphobia, Lesbophobia, Body shaming, Cancer, Abandonment, Grief, Homophobia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Alcoholism
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
alanadostal'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
5.0
Minor: Transphobia, Abortion, Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Suicide, Self harm, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Violence, Car accident, Cursing, Grief, and Outing
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
gracieec's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Car accident, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Drug use, Misogyny, Cancer, Death, Grief, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Addiction, Biphobia, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Outing
Minor: Death of parent, Medical content, Abortion, Body shaming, Miscarriage, Racism, and Blood
big_nerd'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Outing, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Cancer, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Violence, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Abortion, Alcohol, Biphobia, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicide