“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo:” A Review

By Noa Chamberlin, Contributing Writer

Set in old Hollywood, “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” is a historical fiction novel written by Taylor Jenkins Reid that instantly grabs the attention of its readers with the descriptive writing and outstanding, unique plot. If you’re anything like me, it’ll be hard not to fall in love with the confidence exemplified by Reid’s main character, Evelyn Hugo, who embodies her flaws while recognizing her accomplishments and worth at the same time.

Reid herself is an American novelist who has been a New York Times bestselling author and a finalist of the Book Of The Year Award in 2017 by the Book Of The Month media company, for recognition of “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.” The novel was also on the New York Times bestseller list for 30 weeks consecutively in early October. “t's juicy and fun with big twists. But it's also the most personal and political thing I've ever written,” (Reid, 2017).

The story begins from the perspective of Monique Grant, a recently divorced journalist at Viviant Magazine as she works to earn an executive position at the company. Almost immediately, readers are introduced to Evelyn Hugo, who gained fame from her movie star career and notorious seven husbands.

For an unknown reason, Evelyn, at the age of 79, specifically requests Monique to write an article about her, leaving Monique suspicious yet intrigued. Readers are thrown into the glorious rollercoaster that is the life of Evelyn Hugo, beginning in old Hollywood and making its way to the present.

As Evelyn shares her story, Reid changes the point of view from Monique’s to Evelyn’s and in doing so, embeds readers into Evelyn’s journey as if we are Monique hearing it directly from Evelyn’s own mouth, getting an insider look at the celebrity scandal and deep secrets of Evelyn Hugo’s mystery life. Suddenly, we shift from present-day to the 1950s, as Evelyn recounts her life.

When I was reading the novel, I had trouble putting it down because I became so emotionally invested in the enigmatic life of Evelyn Hugo. One of the reasons “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” is so successful in investing its readers is the deep descriptive characterization of each new character we meet on this adventure of a novel.

Not only does Reid take you on an expedition with her writing, but she also illustrates various different voices who were deeply underrepresented in the 1950s. The LGBT+ community, women in Hollywood and Black and mixed-race individuals are all impactfully represented throughout the novel. Reid specifically addresses the perspective of biracial women in America in both Evelyn and Monique’s characters. Both women are living in two different time periods as young individuals, grappling with a distorted sense of belonging despite coming from different decades.

It’s no wonder Reid’s novel has been a fan favorite, as it never fails to invest its readers in the lives of each character written with such clarity and relatability. The suspenseful aspect creates an undeniable page-turner; in one moment you are reading about the freedom of being in love and feeling on top of the world when suddenly the narrative shifts, leaving you no choice but to continue reading.

I love that this novel was written from the perspective of two women; although they are very different and in polar opposite stages of their lives, they are able to learn and grow from each other. Reid establishes a full-circle effect by providing a perspective from someone who is in the process of self-discovery and someone who is reaching the end of her life and passing down her wisdom. “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” has been one of my favorite reads because of its enticing description of characters, brilliance in highlighting issues that need to be known in society and its overall heartbreaking and heartwarming story. “My hope is that people love Evelyn Hugo as much as I do. I believe in her with every ounce of my heart,” (Reid, 2017).

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