*NOTE: This blog post contains minor spoilers. Read at your own leisure.*
I looked at her lovely tan skin in that emerald green dress and longed to see her face. I wanted to be able to google her and see every movie she starred in, to see the people she surrounded herself with in photos and interviews. I wished to see how beautiful she looked in her last interview photos before her death. But then, I remember that she's not real. How can an author make a host of characters seem so real, make you feel like you’ve known them your whole life?
I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in two days, my world record. I started it with so many questions: Who is Evelyn Hugo? Why do we want to know about her life? What’s so important about her getting married seven times? But the most important question I had as the story went on was what did she want with Monique? What was so special about Elizabeth Monique Grant that made Evelyn want her to tell her story to the world?
We learn in the beginning that Monique is a reporter for an esteemed Vivant magazine, and is brought into a private meeting to be asked to tell an important story: Evelyn Hugo's story. She's confused as to why it's her that's been asked to take on this task, but she learns that it's either her or no one will have the opportunity. She then meets Evelyn, and she's everything she imagined and more. Her striking beauty, her elegance, the way she walks and talks. She's a living legend.
Living legend. Oh, how I wish she was. We got glimpses of her prolific acting, hearing of her accolades. But somehow, we got to take a rather large peak into her private life. The word for decades surrounding Evelyn were talks of not just her movies, but her extensive love life. We got to learn how each of her partners, romantically, platonically, even for the benefit of concealing her secrets, made a lasting impact on her. But what was so fascinating to me about her is that she didn't let any of her loves define who she was. She was always going to be a headstrong, hardworking and dedicated actress regardless of who she had in her bed. Celia might be her only exception.
Celia, my dear Celia. Their love for each other is indescribable, enticing and so heartbreaking. Celia and Evelyn had to hide parts of themselves from a world that was not as accepting as it is today. I wished so badly that things could've ended differently for the two of them, but you cannot change the cards you've been dealt.
As much as I wish Evelyn was real, she didn't need to be for me to feel the impact of her life. I think it takes a special type of talent to come up with a character and go into such heavy detail on their life to make it feel like we're reading a biography. I thank Taylor Jenkins Reid for the work they did to bring this story to life. Evelyn lives on forever in my mind, and that's enough for me.
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