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3.5/5
Non-Fiction
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Rating: 5/5
Started: 4 PM Saturday 12 February
Finished: 3:30 AM Sunday 13 February
Summary:
Monique's husband has just left her, a middle age woman who's had very minimal success in the world of journalism. Then Evelyn Hugo, famed mysterious blond bombshell actress, announces that she is agreeing to give her life story to Monique for a biography—but only Monique. And so Monique embarks on the story of Evelyn, who started as a poor Cuban girl in New York City, her incredible career, and her seven husbands.
Thoughts:
This book was incredible. Not in the way that the writing felt like art, but in the way that Evelyn's life itself was art. Reading this book was the first time that I sat down with a book in bed and didn't stop until it was 3:30 in the morning and I had finished. I cried once, only a little, but something about the story felt like magic. Maybe it was that Evelyn wasn't a good person, but she decided what she wanted and took it, regardless of what she had to do for it. Sleep with someone, marry someone, divorce them, lie to the world—it didn't matter, so long as she got what she wanted, and she never regretted it.
Generally, I'm not a fan of the old-woman-telling-her-whole-life-story thing; I often hit a point around 35 or 40 when I feel that life can't really be romanticized anymore, and I get sad. While this did happen a little in Evelyn, it also just felt right. It felt like life advice, it felt exciting, adventurous, daring, sexy. It sounds horribly cliché, but I really did want to know what happened next at every point in the story.
Also, I absolutely love the fact that the title of the book is so heterosexual, but none of the important relationships in the book were hetero. I really do appreciate that.
I'm a little disappointed that this quote about best friends ended up with the best friends in a relationship, but it was still a really lovely idea:
"People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is"You're safe with me"— that's intimacy. And by those standards, that moment with Celia was the most intimate one I'd ever had with anyone. It made me so appreciative, so grateful, that I wanted to wrap my arms around her and never let go. [...] But to love someone. To care for them. To throw your lot in with theirs and think, Whatever happens, it's you and me" (Page 41)
I intend to read Jenkins Reed's other book as soon as I can get my hands on it, because I would really, really like that experience again, but I don't think Evelyn can be read a second time. I think it exists, and is beautiful, and my not re-reading it honors the spirit of the book, which is an idea that I like. Does art mirror life, or does life mirror art?
Words:
Paragon (n) a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality
Umbrage (n) shade or shadow, especially as cast by trees; offense or annoyance
Prig (n) a self-righteously moralistic person who behaves as if superior to others
Commensurate (adj) corresponding in size or degree; in proportion
Acumen (n) the ability to make good judgements and quick decisions, typically in a particular domain
Dilettante (n) a person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge
Ebulliently (adv) cheerful and full of energy
Accolades (n) award or privilege granted as a special honor or as an acknowledgement of merit
Proclivities
Salacious (n) a tendency to do something regularly; an inclination or predisposition toward a particular thing
Sangria (n) a Spanish drink of red wine mixed with lemonade, fruit, and spices
Extemporaneous (adj) spoken or done without preparation
Unilaterally (adv) used to indicate that something is done by only one person, group, or country involved in a situation, without the agreement of the others
Sexpot (n) a sexy person