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
jamieruwen's review
- 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: Fatphobia and Biphobia
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: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Biphobia, Cancer, Car accident, Death, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Addiction, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Chronic illness, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Classism, Child death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Car accident, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Biphobia, Cancer, Grief, Incest, Outing, Bullying, Drug use, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
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: Car accident, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Body shaming, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Abortion, Body shaming, Cancer, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Addiction, Domestic abuse, and Fatphobia
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: Cancer, Death of parent, Car accident, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Outing, Alcoholism, Death, and Fatphobia
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, and Abortion
madzie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Despite this, Reid's bold writing is commendable. In the end, Reid experiments with writing, themes, and characters in reflective and admirable ways, and despite aiming so hard for the bullseye, she never hits it dead-on in truly groundbreaking or reflective ways.
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Car accident, Biphobia, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Acephobia/Arophobia, Body shaming, Cancer, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Minor: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Abortion, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Fatphobia
kappafrog'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
3.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Blood, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Child abuse, Cursing, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Car accident, Classism, Body shaming, and Homophobia
Moderate: Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Racism, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Outing, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Addiction, Alcoholism, Abortion, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, and Miscarriage
Minor: Sexual violence, Hate crime, Incest, and Rape
talonsontypewriters'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: Lesbophobia, Car accident, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Sexism, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Biphobia, Classism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Cancer, Outing, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Suicide, Alcohol, Infidelity, Racism, Violence, Medical content, and Sexual content
Minor: Miscarriage, Abortion, Fatphobia, Child abuse, Drug use, Pregnancy, and Transphobia
emmaloho's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Medical content, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Car accident
Minor: Lesbophobia, Drug abuse, Biphobia, Terminal illness, Suicide, Abortion, Racism, Pregnancy, Outing, Fatphobia, Drug use, Cancer, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Death
michela_ognibeni's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Fatphobia