Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Released: 2017
Publisher: Atria Books
This book was my chosen read on my latest holiday and I have to say it was an excellent choice!
Taylor Jenkins Reid well and truly nailed it again, this book follows the life story of Hollywood royalty Evelyn Hugo (loosely based on Elizabeth Taylor). The book has two first person POV’s. Monique Grant; a quiet and somewhat shy author who is commissioned by Hugo to write her life memoirs – a job that many people would pay millions to do. The second is Evelyn Hugo herself, as she talks about her life and the troubles she faced navigating her career, love life and eventually becoming a mother.
As previously stated, I think this book is incredible. I couldn’t put it down. When Evelyn is telling the story of her life it is fascinating! In university I studied celebrity culture where we learned all about how Hollywood worked and the trouble stars faced. Reid captured this perfectly and explained it brilliantly even more so from a stars point of view.
The book doesn’t shy away from big topics, it follows LGBTQ+ in Hollywood and in the past, the dangers the community faced and just how isolating it could be. They also discuss being a women in Hollywood and how Evelyn had to be smart and have her wits about her. As well as the politics of Hollywood back then and how carefully it needed to be navigated.
We are also shown how Evelyn influences the people around her with Monique. She starts the story, shy, unsure, dealing with the breakdown of her marriage. By the end she knows what she wants, who she is and has a brand new sense of self.
As you can tell I am a very big fan of this book and would highly recommend!
Cinema & Chapters by Peggy 