CULTURE EDITION Book Club From office comedies to stirring political fiction, our resident bookworm rounds up the top reads to see you through summer Words CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS
THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO
TAYLOR JENKINS REID
Confession time: I thought I’d read this, and would always nod happily whenever it came up in book-related chats. It was only after actually picking up a copy of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel and reading the back that I realised what I’d always mistaken it for was The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (also brilliant and worth your time). I had completely missed out on this smash hit by a writer whose name on the cover guarantees a superb read. If you’ve also not yet encountered this novel – for whatever reason – then summer is the perfect time to get involved, particularly with a rumoured Netflix film adaptation of the book on its way soon. It is New York in 2017: Monique Grant, a relatively unknown staff writer at Vivant magazine, has been given an unexpected assignment: 79-year- old reclusive Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo is about to auction off her most famous dresses for charity and in advance of the event, has agreed to an extremely rare, ultra-exclusive interview. But, only if Monique is the one to write it, confusing her editor and the more-experienced senior journalists on the team. Monique jumps at the opportunity to prove herself and in her first meeting with Evelyn, the true challenge is revealed. The ageing starlet wants to gift Monique the chance to write a tell-all biography, including the truth of her seven husbands and the all-important detail: just who was the real love of Evelyn’s life? The book then opens up to tell Hugo’s entire life story from childhood to present day, experiencing her entirely believable
career as a young starlet in the golden age of filmmaking. This is a page-turning, unputdownable read that’s a lesson in the power and pervasiveness of celebrity gossip, and the true cost of fame – perfect for fans of old Hollywood glamour. I had completely missed out on this smash hit by a writer whose name on the cover guarantees a superb read
22 JULY 2024 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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