Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo Is A Refreshing Story Of Identity

Dazzled, that is what I was when I finished this book.

I prize myself as being a bibliophile, I love reading books. Books are stories, they are ways you can be transported into different eras and live the lives of different characters. My definition of a good book or a favourite book is a book which brings out major changes in what I think life is.

I have always been attracted to strong female characters, characters who defy norms, who stand for what they believe in, who are not afraid to live a life they want.

Romance is I feel the most beautiful way in which stories of love are expressed. We also see that stories centred on love, be it romantic or familial, makes a story worthwhile.

I still remember when I read Zoya by Danielle Steel which showcased the journey of a girl whose life destabilizes when Bolshevik Revolution happens in Russia and how she struggles and survives to live a life in America. Danielle Steel books are labelled as romance, but what people don’t realize is that by putting labels they are depriving themselves of these inspiring stories.

These stories filled with love give us characters that are both inspiring and admirable. They make us feel if these people survived, then so can we.

I love films because they are also mediums of storytelling. As much as I love the films, I love the stories of actors and how they got the fame and films they did.

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A random Google search on Hollywood actress Ava Gardner introduced me to Hairpin website, which had a column called Scandals of Classic Hollywood by Anne Helen Peterson.

About the life of these talented people

The Scandals are not necessarily about scandals, well they do have the mirch-masala tabloid inputs, but they are life stories of these beautiful actors and actresses on how they lived to become stars and what all went into becoming a star.

It also makes you learn about the society of that time and the things people did to achieve that golden standard of becoming the most sought after film icon.

It makes you realize these stars whom you place on pedestals are human too who made mistakes and sacrificed to be who they were.

Thankfully, things have become more open with movie stars currently opening about their struggles to cope with fame or their addictions and mental health, but that was not the case with actresses like Judy Garland developing eating disorders to the awful treatment the studios did to make a movie become a box office smash.

Sometimes, the hype ruins a good story

I have an aversion for things that are too famous like if a film gets too many good reviews then I don’t watch it because I feel I have too many expectations, and it leads to disappointment. But as is with everything in life, there are exceptions.

Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is the hottest contemporary book, with whole tiktoks dedicated to it. I was talking to my sister about the Scandals of Classic Hollywood, and she told me to check out Evelyn Hugo. As per usual, I was skeptical since this book was very popular.

I did what I usually do, I didn’t read the book until a few days earlier when I was talking to a friend of mine, and she told me she was reading Evelyn Hugo. I think time had made me more amenable that I decided to give the book a try, and thank god I did.

A biography in making

Evelyn Hugo is everything you want it to be and even more. A story set as a conversation between this ultra famous Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo and relatively unknown writer Monique Grant regarding Evelyn’s authorized Biography.

Evelyn tells us her life story about how she became a star and how she sustained her fame. It is not a simple story of struggle and then becoming famous, instead it feels real.

It shows us the complexities of life and there is so much of grey while people make decisions and choices which alter their journey. Furthermore, it also funnily shows us that what might be portrayed in the media about someone is not necessarily true.

A truth that must be told

What makes Evelyn Hugo more fresh is the beautiful way in which Evelyn says that she is not a hero and the biography is not a redemption story, but rather a truth Evelyn wants to finally tell to the world.

It is naturally about love and relationships, as you can decipher from the title Seven Husbands, but when you read the book you realize how seven husbands is more of a milestone in the life story of this wonderfully complex strong woman.

As you read the story you get glimpses of real stories of Elizabeth Taylor who had seven husbands or Rita Hayworth who changed herself to fit into the Hollywood mould thereby foregoing her ethnicity or Ava Gardner who in her last years gave a telltale to a journalist regarding her life.

But it is much more, it’s an amalgamation of reality, but it is fresh which makes it more fascinating. It shows how far a woman can go to make a name for herself in a male dominated world, but also shows how far she goes to protect those she loves.

By the end of the book, you will admire Evelyn

It is fresh and fun and deals with issues of identity, abuse, struggles, silent sufferings, barriers to success, resilience and love. You’ll smile, you’ll be shocked, you’ll feel this is cute, but you’ll definitely admire this amazing woman called Evelyn Hugo.

Do check out this book which is reports are to be believed is being adapted by Netflix as well. It’s very interesting, and it makes you feel inspired to be resilient in face of challenges and prioritize love.

It also leads you to see how these beloved stars are more than what is written about them in the media. The only thing I regret is not reading this book earlier.

Image source: Dezinian photos and Goodreads, edited on CanvaPro

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