Welcome! This year, I will be shifting my focus from tips and tricks to beat the college admissions game to pieces of media that influenced the way I think and perceive the world, with my primary sources of media being books and TV shows.

Today’s piece of media is one of my favorite books, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkin Reid. In 2017, this book was nominated for two “book of the year” awards, but much of its more recent popularity can be credited to social media, primarily TikTok and Instagram. In recent months, many young adult readers found Reid’s 79 year old protagonist, Evelyn Hugo, to be fascinating, yet oddly relatable, leading the book to become the #3 most read novel among Goodreads reviewers in 2021.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo tells the story of a fictional world-famous actress, Evelyn Hugo. Although part of the story focuses on the glamorous life Evelyn created for herself in Los Angeles and New York, much of the novel focuses on the sacrifices made and obstacles faced to achieve her success. In her youth, Evelyn is viewed as beautiful, alluring, provocative, and sharp-tongued by most characters in the novel. However, Reid ensures that her readers understand that these depictions of Evelyn are nothing but perceptions. As readers, we are given information about Evelyn’s real life, including how she got the name Evelyn, why she is viewed as provocative, and how she became so famous. The only other character in the novel who is privy to the same information as the reader is Monique Grant, a journalist who longs for more appreciation and responsibility within the company she works at. Through a tell-all interview between Evelyn and Monique, the reader understands the immense pain, overwhelming joy, and sheer heartbreak that Evelyn (and many real Hollywood celebrities) experience when trying to “make it big” in the industry.

One of the best parts of the book (in my opinion) is the way Evelyn pities those who view her as racy and immodest. Instead of feeling ashamed at the public’s perception of her, she takes pride in her appearance, which propels her toward even more success. She says, “I was gorgeous, even at fourteen. Oh, I know the whole world prefers a woman who doesn’t know her power, but I’m sick of all that,” (Reid, 35.) Evelyn expresses that in an industry as shallow as film, often times, people’s success truly is based on conventional physical appearance, which she uses to her advantage in order to go from an economically lower-class girl who didn’t finish high school to a world-famous celebrity with more money than she knew what to do with.

Evelyn also says that “when you’re given an opportunity to change your life, be ready to do whatever is takes to make it happen. The world doesn’t give you things, you take things” (35.) Although some readers may not agree with Evelyn’s arguably aggressive outlook on life, her mentality resonated with many of Reid’s readers and encouraged people (especially women) to be assertive in a world that often times seems to function on a first come first serve basis.

I could write for years about the countless inspirational quotes in this novel, but I probably shouldn’t do that, so instead I’ll end with just one more quote: “Never let anyone make you feel ordinary,” (208.) As mentioned earlier, Evelyn started off as a lower-middle class girl living with her abusive father in a small, one bedroom apartment. She changed her life with determination and diligence (and probably some luck too.) Although her life isn’t real, the lessons from it very much are, which is why I loved reading this book. Maybe I’ll read it again this weekend, now that I think about it. See you next week, folks!

Links:

https://www.supersummary.com/the-seven-husbands-of-evelyn-hugo/important-quotes/

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/46885151-the-seven-husbands-of-evelyn-hugo#:~:text=The%20world%20doesn’t%20give%20things%2C%20you%20take%20things.%E2%80%9D&text=%E2%80%9CI%20spent%20half%20my%20time,how%20much%20I%20loved%20her.%E2%80%9D&text=%E2%80%9CYou%20can%20be%20sorry%20about,it%2C%E2%80%9D%20Evelyn%20says.%E2%80%9D&text=%E2%80%9CBe%20wary%20of%20men%20with%20something%20to%20prove.%E2%80%9D

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-seven-husbands-of-evelyn-hugo-taylor-jenkins-reid/1124863869

https://www.google.com/search?q=hollywood+sign&rlz=1C1ONGR_enUS1032US1032&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiesLTq6ub8AhUlKFkFHfgQD-MQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1280&bih=512&dpr=1.5#imgrc=ONMj8Q8p6bz8tM