Hollywood legend Evelyn Hugo has refused to give interviews for years. But now, in her late 70s, she has decided to give an exclusive interview to glamorous magazine Vivant but only on condition that junior journalist Monique Grant will do the job. But Evelyn wants Monique not to write an article but her authorised biography in which she will reveal everything, from her seven marriages to the real love of her life, from the sacrifices she had to make to become a great actress to the secrets she had to keep, including one that relates to Monique.
The author creates such an amazing and genuine character in Evelyn that despite her flaws and mistakes, I couldn’t help liking her. This is the first novel I read by Taylor Jenkins Reid (I need to catch up!) and I found her writing captivating and intense. The book focuses on Evelyn as she narrates her story from a young girl, daughter of Cuban immigrants, raised in Hell’s Kitchen to the bright lights of Hollywood and her story is so engaging and fascinating that I couldn’t wait to get over the few interruptions created by Monique’s personal story. It’s one of these books that you can’t put down, emotional and unforgettable, a woman’s journey through love, friendship and loss. (NP)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid, is about a film actress' rise to the top. The summary says: "Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn's Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn's life unfolds - revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love - Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn's story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways." The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is out in June 2017.