I am incredibly biased in writing about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid because I just loved it so much. I don’t think I’m alone in this as I am yet to come across much criticism of the book, although of course there must be some out there. I’m sharing here the five things I loved most about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. But, for a book that is one of my top favourite reads ever, there is one part I can’t overlook that was very…….average.

Here we go!

The five things I loved:

1. The ‘older woman telling the story of her life in flashbacks’ trope

This storyline is frequently a brilliant backdrop for a great story and it is done especially well in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Meeting Evelyn as a woman in her later years – and in mysterious circumstances – invites so many questions and creates intrigue from the beginning. Why hasn’t she been seen in so many years? Why did she have seven husbands? Where are they now? We are teased with so many questions that we can’t wait for Evelyn to start spilling all her secrets and hear her story. In a culture that finds older women invisible, I love that the spotlight is on a woman in her 80s and that her life story is fascinating.

2. The majorly flawed character

Evelyn is unapologetic in telling reporter Monique, “I don’t regret many of the lies I told or the people I hurt”. She says she knows she has done terrible things and deceived people throughout her life, and yet, she’d do it all again without question. What a complex and unlikeable protagonist!! However, as the story slowly unfolds, this statement begins to make some sense and truthfully, is likely how most people experience life. Characters who do things that are questionable often make for the most interesting stories.

3. The LGBTQI+ themes

The same sex relationships are weaved into the story in a way that doesn’t put sexuality at the core of the plot, but paradoxically, this is what steers the choices characters make and the consequences they must face. The portrayal of same sex relationships shifts through the story depending on the era, reflecting the devastating impact of discrimination and hate on people’s lives.

4. The descriptions of Hollywood and the movies made in the 1930s and 40s

The glamour, the magic and the possibility movies brought to this era are so well portrayed through the story. This must have been such an exciting time for movie viewers and I don’t think we can appreciate the movie experience in the same way nowadays. I loved being given a window into this world as the backdrop of the book.

5. The epic love story(ies)

So many deep, life changing, and wonderful relationships are shared through this story. The romantic love stories feel so real and poignant, with their highs and lows, but ultimately are just beautiful. The kind of love we would all hope to find at some point in our lives. However, the friendships in the story are equally as touching and heart warming to read and rounded out the plot perfectly.

So there we have it, the five things I truly loved about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. However. There is one part that I found lacklustre and disappointing and possibly even irrelevent for the rest of the story – Monique’s story.

To be clear, I loved the older woman telling her story to the younger woman set up. It was the perfect way to hear the story alongside a journalist who asks the questions I was pondering, as well as discovering Evelyn’s secrets as Monique heard them too. I love this shared experience as a reader. However, Monique’s story was so dull and uninteresting, I was bewildered as to why this was even included. The connection between Evelyn and Monique is worked into the story in a slightly flimsy but just plausible way and ties it together, but I could have done without the descriptions of Monique’s failures and disappointing life events. I don’t think it diminished the book exactly, as this aspect was separate from Evelyn’s story, but I found myself rushing through these parts to get to the good stuff.

That is it, the one part I truly did not like in a book that I absolutely adored. I am very curious to know what appealed to other readers who enjoyed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and whether others loved it this much. Or, did anyone not love it at all?! If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of reading it, I am so jealous that you have the experience ahead of you of reading this truly epic tale.