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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan, Robin Miles
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: LGBTQ2S+, Romance
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Publisher's Summary
2018 Audie Award Finalist for Multi-Voiced Performance
From Taylor Jenkins Reid, "a genius when it comes to stories about life and love" (Redbook), comes an unforgettable and sweeping novel about one classic film actress' relentless rise to the top - the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine.
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jump-start her career.
Summoned to Evelyn's Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late '80s and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn's life unfolds - revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love - Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn's story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways.
Written with Reid's signature talent for "creating complex, likable characters" (Real Simple), this is a fascinating journey through the splendor of Old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means - and what it takes - to face the truth.
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What listeners say about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- BDC
- 2018-11-21
Enjoyed!
Really enjoyed the pace and narrative of this book. I felt like I really knew the characters by books end and I was sad it was over.
9 people found this helpful
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- Karen W. Lam
- 2019-09-23
Perfectly Good But It’s No Daisy Jones
After I gushed about Daisy Jones and the Six (and the incredible audiobook performances), many friends suggested this one and I think my expectations were too high. The wraparound feels a little forced and the performances are a little overacted. I might have enjoyed it more but for the high standards set by Daisy Jones.
6 people found this helpful
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- Gigi
- 2021-12-03
Brilliant Voice Acting, Not So Great Storytelling
I really enjoyed the way this presented, the use of gossip mags and this gave off a lot of Marilyn Monroe vibes. But as a biracial latine/white woman who is also bisexual, I had a lot of issues with how these things were handled in the story. The woman on woman love scenes felt like they were fetishizing the physical and romantic angles rather than feeling genuine and the relationship also felt insincere. I never understood why Evelyn cared about the great love of her life. She also wasn't written well, I felt like she had no personality. The only characters that did were Evelyn, Don and Harry. And the biracial stuff... Man, it was like a checkmark. It was dealt with so poorly and mostly left out of a lot of the conversation. It was like a buzzword for plot. And it was really upsetting.
After I found out the writer was a white, cisgender, hetero woman I just shook my head like yea, okay, that tracks. She should never have written about this because she does not have the experience to understand the nuances of these very real, difficult and complex lived experiences. This did not come off as representation and I don't think this book deserves as much credit as it gets. Read some actual BIPOC authors, the story will be much better and the feelings of things like struggling with a biracial identity and bi-erasure? Handled way better.
I would never recommend this book to anyone.
4 people found this helpful
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- Kelsey
- 2019-03-09
Wow!
Just wow! This audiobook is definitely one of my favs. The narration was incredible and I found myself loving the flawed characters. This was my first TJR book and certainly not my last. I just bought the rest of her audiobooks!
4 people found this helpful
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- emily mcclary
- 2018-09-19
Great Book
This was the first Taylor Jenkins Reid book I read and I’m excited to read more! The narrators were great as well which only added to the story.
#Audible1
3 people found this helpful
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- Vee
- 2019-01-15
good story
interesting story. loved the flawed characters.
a fan of Robin Miles narrations.
I definitely recommend!
2 people found this helpful
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- parsnip
- 2022-01-17
TEDIOUS!
I bought this book on the strength of all the positive reviews but this just shows you how people differ in their tastes and opinions. I could not finish this book as I found the characters annoying, frustrating and unlikely. If it had been a print rather than an audiobook I would have skimmed through it but listening to it was just too much. The narration of the Evelyn character also grated for some reason. It just seemed like way too much tedious dialogue. Points were hammered home in five sentences rather than one or two and I just wanted to scream "yes okay we get it -- enough already!" This was evident right from the start when Monique received her assignment from Evelyn and kept questioning it - so boring. The sex scenes were painful and drawn out. I suppose it is not fair to write a review on only part of a book (I bailed at the second breakup of Evelyne and Celia after Evelyn predictably did not disclose things in a timely way, as usual) but that was literally all I could bear. I remain intrigued against my better judgment as to why Monique was chosen by Evelyn as she had mentioned that the reason was very upsetting, so if I come across a print version I might do a skimming exercise just to find this out. But as for the rest of Evelyn's husbands - don't care - life is too short to accommodate the reading of this pedestrian book.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Anonymous User
- 2022-01-14
very much enjoyed this one
really enjoyed this novel. love the historical perspective. hearing about the glits and glam Hollywood in the 50's was spectacular.
1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2022-01-14
really enjoyed
I really enjoyed this audio book and found it engaging. the narration was easy to listen to.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- kitkat nan
- 2018-09-20
OUT OF THIS WORLD
I keep on listening and listening to this book! Very in love with it!
#Audible1
3 people found this helpful
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- bridget
- 2018-07-16
I’m not crying, you’re crying
Completely unexpected but also touchingly beautiful. Manages to touch on a number of very difficult subjects while still staying a light read. Bravo.
90 people found this helpful
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- Brittany Forese
- 2021-07-06
Such a shallow dull book
What a basic book. Unbelievable and silly; I couldn’t recommend this book to a single soul.
60 people found this helpful
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- Delaney Faulk
- 2018-10-02
Ugh!
I am in the minority, unless this author has tons of friends, but this book is about a young woman who can't stop apologizing for herself -- and that line is repeated throughout! Maybe it is for tweens?
39 people found this helpful
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- Lauren
- 2021-07-13
Save your credit!
Omg - trite and zero depth. I don’t know why I kept listening. Such a ridiculous story.
25 people found this helpful
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- Dubi
- 2017-12-31
Five Out of Seven Ain't Bad
Evelyn Hugo was a bombshell movie star in the 1950s and 60s whose career as a celebrity carried on past her prime as an actress. An amalgam of real-life stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, and bits of pieces of others, Evelyn Hugo used her physical attributes and street smarts to get to the top, stay on top (mostly), and get back on top when she fell into decline.
A master manipulator who made no bones about it, she knew how to use everyone around her to get her way -- producers, directors, fellow actors, Hollywood media, even neighbors, and most especially her husbands. And to keep her secrets. Even in her last days, in the present day, when she has recused herself from the limelight, Evelyn manipulates the media to reveal her most closely held secrets.
This is without question a fun book. If you like movies, especially the glamorous era in which Evelyn Hugo rose to stardom, this is manna from heaven. You'll be guessing throughout the proceedings as to who Evelyn represents in real life, who the people around her might have been in real life. And you'll even get some thematic depth on a couple of currently relevant topics in addition to the potboiler of a plot.
For me personally, the story faltered slightly in two ways. After a flawless first two-thirds, the last third grew repetitive, as Evelyn started making the same mistakes again. The first four or five husbands were (collectively) a great story, the last couple-three husbands were kind of a shrug. The final reveal perks things up again, but by then the book is just about over.
The other problem is the very thematic depth that makes the book more than just a mindless beach read. In the two main areas of interest (not going to give them away), I was nagged by how Evelyn dealt with them -- one by hiding her her in the sand to protect her career, the other by taking advantage of a situation that many would find heinous to further her fortunes. In addition, there were prominent issues of the era, within the film business and in the world at large, that are virtually ignored.
But that's probably just me -- if you like this kind of thing, you'll love this.
154 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Jeanne
- 2020-12-30
Awful
There was a lot of hype about this book, none of which was deserved in my view. The writing was average, the plot was too contrived and the big mystery revealed at the end wasn't worth the trip. It read like a teenage girl's fantasy. I do not recommend.
22 people found this helpful
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- Linda Skowronski
- 2017-07-29
Wonderful Read!!
Very complicated character with many faults & bad traits yet you can't help but love & feel sorry for her at the same time.
Shed a few tears during the course of the story.....
First time I've read this author but not the last!
61 people found this helpful
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- W Perry Hall
- 2018-03-17
Glucose Gluttony
Paraphrasing a quote attributed to Abe Lincoln: 'For those who like this kind of a book, it is just about the kind of a book they would like.'
This was a significant failure in my vetting process, plain and simple.
While reading this novel, over and over I winced or rolled my eyes at the soppy prose that brought to mind the picture of one being force-fed a huge jar of crystallized honey (left in the pantry for the past year plus). I love honey, but crystallized...no, no way. E.g.,
'I loved you so much, that I thought you were the meaning of my life... I thought that people were put on Earth to find other people, and I was put on Earth to find you. To find you, and touch your skin, and smell your breath, and hear all your thoughts....'
The book is also a sugary trove of cliched gems, such as:
'Sometimes reality comes crashing down on you.'
'When you’re given an opportunity to change your life, be ready to do whatever it takes to make it happen. '
'It felt like water in the desert.'
And schmaltzy advice like, 'You have to find a job that makes your heart feel big instead of one that makes it feel small.'
You shouldn't need any advice if you read the quotes above.
186 people found this helpful
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- Armchair critic
- 2017-07-10
Supreme storyline
The only thing about this book that didn't ring true was the fact it was fiction. It was very interesting from beginning to end. It has a real kicker at the end. You'll never see it coming. It's worth more than one listen.
46 people found this helpful
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- Di
- 2021-03-21
Predictable
Cliche at times. I wrestled with the narration. Almost gave up, but eventually listened to the entire book.
13 people found this helpful
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- Júlia Vasques Zacour
- 2020-07-22
Stunning
The story is absolutely incredible. The way it pictures the characters and their nuances is so close to reality. You end the book loving the people in the book for their flaws as much as their qualities.
Heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. The performances are amazing, and even though I didn't read the written copy, I suspect audiobook is the best way to enjoy this story.
And what an enjoyment it is!
1 person found this helpful
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- Client d'Amazon
- 2022-07-31
Hooked from the start
I knew I would love this story right from the start. It's beautifully written and interpreted. I enjoyed every second of it. Evelyn is such a complex character. I loved it!
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- Polina
- 2022-05-27
Great story
Very captivating book, takes a few chapters to kick in, but impossible to put down after that ;)
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- Mylène B.
- 2022-04-11
Une merveille
Je me suis lancée dans cette écoute après avoir vu le livre conseillé partout. J'ai tout simplement adoré. Très bien écrit et raconté.
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- Utilisateur anonyme
- 2022-01-07
GÉNIAL
Les audio books des livres de Taylor Jenkins Reid are just perfect. And this one doesn’t failed. I was immersed form beginning to end
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- Bzh
- 2021-08-09
nicely narrated.
nice story, entertaining. very well narrated. gives a feeling for life in old Hollywood. I recommend it.
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- Client d'Amazon
- 2021-06-02
It was such a ride
A really really great book. The love story was so good, the characters so interesting. I loved it !
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- Andréa Veiga
- 2020-05-15
Stunning
Absolutely stunning story of ambition, betrayal, devotion, loss and above all, a brilliant story of love. I highly recommend this memorable novel to anyone who believes that there are no absolutes in human nature.