Monique Grant is a journalist of little renown until the glamorous movie star Evelyn Hugo summons her to write a biography. Monique is flattered yet nervous about recording the details of Evelyn’s seven husbands and the ups and downs of her illustrious career. Evelyn is the daughter of Cuban immigrants, grew up poor, and had to sell herself and her soul multiple times to succeed in Hollywood.
Monique is a relatable character who sits with Evelyn for hours and records her story. She becomes emotionally involved and intrigued. Monique and readers learn so much about the expectations of superstars and how difficult it has been for people, especially women, to be themselves when they are living on the world’s stage.
Taylor Jenkins Reid includes themes of domestic abuse, death/grief, homophobia/biphobia, racism, abortion, suicide, friendship, abandonment, marriage annulment, divorce, and so much more. The sentiments and heartaches of the many characters are palpable as one reads, and the human connectedness develops as one expects from this author. The writing is quite engaging. Evelyn is probably a composite of several famous Hollywood women who have wrestled with their identity while incurring the costs of fame.
