Author : Taylor Jenkins Reed
This month’s book club read , The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one of the most raved about books and has been dominating the best seller list for few years now . There was a waitlist of over 100 people in the library for this book , so needless to say we wanted to know what the hype is all about .
Loosely based on the life of Elizabeth Taylor , this novel tells the story of an ageing and reclusive movie icon Evelyn Hugo , who makes an intriguing decision to open up about her scandalous life to an unknown journalist , Monique Grant . Ruthless and ambitious ,Evelyn makes it to the pinnacle playing all her cards , however outrageous her moves might seem. Bestowed with good looks and a sharp acumen, She is out in this world to grab her share of fame , playing with people’s lives .
Born to a poor family , loosing her mother at a tender age and raised by an abusive father , Evelyn develops a natural instinct to play the world to her advantage . Her ticket to Hollywood comes through her first marriage and there is no stopping her after that . She hops from one relationship to another , leaving one celebrity for another , to turn her films into block busters and become a stellar actress . There are movies , scandals , link ups , marriages and break ups . The gossip columns are abuzz with tales of Evelyn Hugo’s flings .
Atleast that is what the book appeared to be when we started reading it . But , on the contrary , the author takes us through an intense emotional journey , a forbidden love story well camouflaged under the show blitz. Evelyn Hugo keeps doing what she is good at , using people to her advantage until one fine day she realizes what lies at stake in her pursuit of success . By the time she acknowledges her true love and is willing to sacrifice anything for it , she begins to understand the heavy price which has to be paid , and she falters .
It is a well written book , fast paced yet intense at the same time . The book addresses many sensitive issues like domestic abuse , feminism , LGBT and racial discrimination. There is a lot of suffering but the pace is such that there is no time to reflect upon it . Once we pick up the book, we will not put it down till it ends , we are eager to know who the next husband is , and why she left the current husband . There is also the impending mystery about the relationship between Evelyn Hugo and Monique Grant , and why she decided to open up about her life to an unknown journalist .
The author is very clear on the message she intends to convey to her readers , she succeeds in bringing out the portrayal of the complex protagonist and the impact it will have on the readers very well.
To summarize , we did get our answer on why this book is so immensely popular . But we were not prepared for the twist , and had to adjust our sails midway to match the direction of the wind . So , do your due diligence before you pick it up . If the topic interests you , it is a good read .
Rating : 👍👍👍👍
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