The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It was published by Atria Publishing Group in 2017. The novel tells the story of the fictional Old Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo, who at the age of 79 decides to give a final interview to an unknown journalist, Monique Grant. According to Reid, Evelyn Hugo was loosely based in part on actresses Elizabeth Taylor, who was married eight times to seven different men, and Ava Gardner, who revealed the secrets of her life to a journalist which was eventually published as . Reid also discusses how Rita Hayworth was a big influence on the character Evelyn Hugo. Hayworth, a Spanish woman, had a very similar start to Hugo which can be seen in the beginning of the novel. The novel was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction of 2017. In 2019, Freeform and Fox 21 Television Studios picked up the rights for development. Jennifer Beals and Ilene Chaiken, who worked on The L Word, will be producing the show. Reid will work on the show as a screenwriter.
Plot
Monique Grant is a 35 year old struggling writer living in New York City. Dealing with her professional career going nowhere and her husband leaving her, Monique is at an all time low. Having worked for the prestigious Vivant for less than a year, she had not yet been given many opportunities, thus stalling her writing career. One day, she learns some life-changing news from her editor: actress Evelyn Hugo, a famous actress from the 1960s, has agreed to an interview with Vivant under the condition that Monique is the one to do the interview. Though she is stunned by the request, Monique realizes the opportunity could make her career, that is if she doesn't allow herself to be star struck by one of the most famous actresses in the world. Evelyn Hugo takes Monique on a tempestuous ride as she uncovers the truth of her glamorous life and career. These truths form a connection between Monique and Evelyn until too many truths lead their lives to intersect in a tragic way.
Publication and influences
Pre-release Reid garnered excitement for the novel by releasing the book cover and an excerpt of the book with Entertainment Weekly on December 6, 2016. Inspiration and research In an interview with PopSugar, Reid mentions how Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations was a big inspiration for the novel. In Ava Gardner's book, Gardner hired a ghostwriter to talk about her relationships with Mickey Rooney, Frank Sinatra, Artie Shaw, and Lana Turner. Reid also mentions how Elizabeth Taylor was an inspiration for the novel. Another book, Reid has mentioned in her research for writing the novel was Scandals of Classic Hollywood by Anne Helen Petersen. Tab Hunter's autobiography helped Reid introduce LGBTQ+ themes into the novel, as his autobiography talked about what life was like for the LGBTQ+ community in Hollywood at the time.
Editions
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was released in hardcover on June 1, 2017 by Atria Publishing Group. By June 13, 2017 the novel had been released as a paperback, Audible audio, and Kindle edition. In addition to being printed in English, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was also translated for print in many other languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Lithuanian, Swedish, Croatian, French, Slovak, Hungarian, and Dutch.
Reception
The novel received positive reviews. The Globe and Mail called it "a cinematic tale with hardscrabble roots, staggering highs and sickening lows." The novel was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction of 2017. The novel was a finalist for Book of the Month's Book of the Year award in 2017.
