The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
A Hollywood legend finally tells the truth. Reid makes it impossible to stop reading and the ending lands like a fist.
The Truth About Evelyn
Taylor Jenkins Reid's 2017 novel is narrated by Monique Grant, a journalist who is unexpectedly summoned by the legendary Evelyn Hugo, a reclusive Cuban-American actress from Hollywood's golden age, to be the sole subject of her authorised biography. Evelyn tells her story through seven marriages, each one strategic, some tender, and one the great love of her life. The novel is a glamorous, knowing deconstruction of fame, identity, and what people hide to survive. It spent years building a devoted readership through word of mouth before exploding into a cultural phenomenon in 2022.
Reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Revelation
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Husband
"It's not who you love. It's how you love. That's what lasts.
"Taylor Jenkins Reid
Reid has said she was inspired by old Hollywood actresses who were forced to hide personal aspects of their lives by studio systems that controlled their image. Evelyn Hugo is entirely fictional but feels deeply real.
The novel sold steadily for years before suddenly exploding on TikTok's BookTok community in 2021 and 2022. It became one of the best-selling books of those years and introduced Reid to millions of new readers.