The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a dazzling blend of Old Hollywood glamour, raw emotional truth, and the haunting complexities of love, ambition, and identity. At its heart is Evelyn Hugo, a reclusive film legend whose glittering career made her a global icon—and whose personal life was just as notorious. Now in her seventies, long retired and living in quiet isolation, Evelyn shocks the world by announcing that she is ready to tell her life story at last. But she chooses not a major publication or famous journalist; instead, she summons Monique Grant, a relatively unknown writer struggling with her own career and personal turmoil. What follows is a sweeping, confessional narrative spanning decades of Hollywood history, told directly from Evelyn to Monique. From her humble beginnings as a poor Cuban-American teenager in 1950s New York, Evelyn reinvents herself, trading her birth name and natural looks for the blonde bombshell persona that would make her a star. Fiercely ambitious and unashamed of the sacrifices required to reach the top, Evelyn maneuvers her way into the heart of the movie industry, using charm, intelligence, and an unyielding determination to escape obscurity. Along the way, she marries seven times—each union for reasons more complicated than the public ever imagined. The novel’s structure is anchored by the recounting of these seven marriages, each revealing a different facet of Evelyn’s character and a new stage of her rise and survival. Some husbands are stepping stones, others brutal obstacles, and a few fleeting attempts at genuine love. Yet the true center of Evelyn’s story is not her husbands, but her secret and lifelong romance with fellow actress Celia St. James. Their love is passionate and transformative, but also fraught with challenges: the pressures of stardom, the stigma of same-sex relationships in a homophobic era, and Evelyn’s own choices in prioritizing fame and security. Their relationship becomes the defining thread of her life, illuminating both her greatest joys and her deepest regrets. As Evelyn unspools her tale, Monique becomes both captivated and unsettled. She begins to see Evelyn not as a headline or legend, but as a deeply flawed, deeply human woman who has manipulated circumstances, lied when necessary, and compromised her morals to protect what she loved most. Monique also begins to sense that Evelyn has a personal motive for choosing her specifically as the recipient of this story—a motive that, once revealed, will forever alter Monique’s understanding of her own life and her connection to Evelyn. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is both a love story and a meditation on the price of ambition. It critiques Hollywood’s obsession with image and the sacrifices demanded of women who seek power in male-dominated systems. Evelyn’s voice—sharp, confessional, unapologetic—forces readers to reckon with uncomfortable truths about morality, survival, and authenticity. Glamorous yet tragic, ruthless yet vulnerable, Evelyn Hugo is rendered as a character who defies easy judgment, embodying the contradictions of a woman who wanted everything and was willing to pay for it. Ultimately, the novel is a sweeping tale of love, loss, and reinvention, reminding us that behind every mythic figure lies a person whose real story is infinitely more complicated—and more human—than the world ever sees.