Genre: Historical / Contemporary / Romance
Book Type: Audio
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Narrator: Julia Whelan, Alma Cuervo and Robin Miles
Pages / Length: 400 pages / 12 hours and 10 minutes
Publisher: Washington Square Press (May 29, 2018) / Simon & Schuster Audio
Book Description:
From the author of Daisy Jones & The Six -- an entrancing novel "that speaks to the Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor in us all" (Kirkus Reviews), in which a legendary film actress reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine.
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 is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn's luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the '80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn's story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways.
"Heartbreaking, yet beautiful" (Jamie Blynn, Us Weekly), The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is "Tinseltown drama at its finest" (Redbook): a mesmerizing journey through the splendor of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means -- and what it costs -- to face the truth.
Thoughts: Another wonderful TJR novel. This one is for the ages and I love how it touches on so many issues: what it takes to be a successful woman, love, sacrifice, heartbreak, family, identity, acceptance - all while exploring the life of Evelyn Hugo. I would love to sit down with her myself, as she was incredibly captivating. I love the way TJR has the ability to tell so many unique stories in a variety of ways, while making you feel emotionally connected to the characters, and continue to open your eyes in a truly profound way.
Taylor Jenkins Reid has very quickly become a favorite author, and while this was done on audio, it was a beautiful listen, but didn't take away from the book at all. Whether this was done audio or physically read, this was another phenomenal book that I highly recommend. Her ability to write scenes in a way that make you pause is one of the best.
Favorite Quotes:
🎬 Evelyn shrugs. This conversation is very low-stakes for her. "You're young, and your entire generation is casual with words that bear great meaning."
"I see."
"And I didn't say I was confessing any sins. To say that what I have to tell is a sin is misleading and hurtful. I don't feel regret for the things I've done - at least, not the things you might expect - despite how hard they may have been or how repugnant they may seem in the cold light of day."
"Je ne regrette rien," I say, lifting my glass of water and sipping it.
"That's the spirit," Evelyn says. "Although that song is more about not regretting because you don't live in the past. What I mean is that I'd still make a lot of the same decisions today. To be clear, there are things I regret. It's just... it's not really the sordid things. I don't regret many of the lies I told or the people I hurt. I'm OK with the fact that sometimes doing the right thing gets ugly. And also, I have compassion for myself. I trust myself. Take, for instance, when I snapped at you earlier, back at the apartment, when you said what you did about my confessing sins. It wasn't a nice thing to do, and I'm not sure you deserved it. But I don't regret it. Because I know I had my reasons, and I did the best I could with every thought and feeling that led up to it."
"You take umbrage with the word sin because it implies that you feel sorry."
[...]
"You can be sorry about something and not regret it," Evelyn says.
"Absolutely," I say. "I see that. I hope that you can give me the benefit of the doubt, going forward, that we're on the same page. Even if there are multiple ways to interpret exactly what we're talking about." (pages 24-26)
🎬 Evelyn looks at me with purpose. "Do you understand what I'm telling you? When you're given an opportunity to change your life, be ready to do whatever it takes to make it happen. The world doesn't give things, you take things. If you learn one thing from me, it should probably be that." (page 35)
🎬 Evelyn nods. "Everyone I loved is dead now. There's no one left to protect. No one left to lie for me. People have so closely followed the most intricate details of the fake story of my life. But it's not... I don't... I want them to know the real story. The real me. " (page 38)
🎬 [...] I never felt I had much choice in the matter. Being wanted meant having to satisfy. At least, that was my view of it back then. (page 44)
🎬 If the definition of enjoying sex means that it is pleasurable, then I've had a lot of sex that I didn't enjoy. But if we're defining it as being happy to have made the trade, then, well, I haven't had much I hated. (page 50)
🎬 He told me he wanted to do work that invigorated him. He said "You have to do that, too, Monique. When you're older. You have to find a job that makes your heart feel big instead of one that makes it feel small. OK You promise me that?" ...
[...] But it wasn't until I was assigned to write a profile piece on one of my classmates in m composition class freshman year at USC that I felt anything close to a swelling in my chest. I liked writing about real people. I liked finding evocative ways of interpreting the real world. I liked the idea of connecting people by sharing their stories. (page 90)
🎬 People think that intimacy is about sex.
But intimacy is about truth.
When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is "You're safe with me" - that's intimacy. (page 113)
🎬 "If you are heartbroken right now, then I feel for you deeply," Evelyn says. "That I have the utmost respect for. That's the sort of thing that can split a person in two. But I wasn't heartbroken when [...] left me. I simply felt like my marriage had failed. And those are very different things."
When Evelyn says this, I stop my pen in place. I look up at her. And I wonder why I needed Evelyn to tell me that.
I wonder why that sort of distinction has never crossed my mind before. (page 142)
🎬 But as I looked around my house, seeing no pictures of my family, not a single Latin-American book, stray blond hairs in my hairbrush, not even a jar of cumin in my spice rack, I realized Luisa hadn't done that to me. I had done it to me. I'd made the choice to be different from my true self. (page 199)
🎬 Everyone sort of assumes that when faced with life-and-death situations, you will panic. But almost everyone who's actually experienced something like that will tell you that panic is a luxury you cannot afford.
In the moment, you act without thinking, doing all you can with the information you have.
It's when it's over that you scream. And cry. And wonder how you got through it. Because most likely, in the case of real trauma, your brain isn't great at making memories. It's almost as if the camera is on but no one's recording. So afterward, you go to review the tape, and it's all but blank. (page 330)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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