This Stays Between Us

Just between our bookclub... The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

• Riss & Chrys • Season 1 • Episode 21

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We dive into Taylor Jenkins Reid's captivating novel "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," exploring the story of a Hollywood icon who strategically navigates fame, fortune, and forbidden love through seven marriages while hiding her true self.

• Evelyn Hugo requests an unknown journalist to write her biography, revealing the calculated nature of her seven marriages
• Hollywood in the 1950s-60s required actresses to maintain specific public images, forcing Evelyn to hide her true identity
• Evelyn's relationship with actress Celia St. James forms the emotional core of the story as they navigate their forbidden love
• The concept of "bearding" and creating fake relationships plays a crucial role in how the characters protect themselves
• Harry Cameron becomes Evelyn's closest friend, co-parent, and "husband" while hiding his own sexuality
• The novel explores how fame forces people to create elaborate deceptions that ultimately cause deep personal pain
• The shocking connection between Evelyn and journalist Monique ties the story together in an unexpected way
• Reid's writing beautifully captures the glamour of Old Hollywood while exposing its dangerous demands

Check out more of our book discussions and other content on all podcast platforms and YouTube at This Stays Between Us, and follow us on TikTok @TheRealTSBU.


Chrys:

Welcome back to our segment. This Stays in Our Book Club. This is a segment we do here at this Stays Between Us, so welcome to another episode If you want to check out more of our content again. Our main podcast name is this Stays Between Us, and we're going to start off by doing a little week recap. So what did you do this week?

Riss:

Yeah, well, okay, something that I want to share about that was new. This week I tried protein coffee for the first time, oh, and it was actually really good. I was expecting it to have like a little protein taste to it, yeah, but it tasted just like a regular coffee, except that I could tell myself it was slightly healthier yeah did you use the powder in it, or did you use one of the protein shakes added to it, or did you just buy it already?

Chrys:

I just bought it.

Riss:

That's even better, dutch Bros if you've never heard of them, that's gross.

Chrys:

What Dutch Bros. I can't fully hear you.

Riss:

I'm glad they don't pay us.

Chrys:

It's not my fault, it sounds bad. Dutch bros yeah, I need to go there more I. I have one by my house, but I haven't gone too much, yeah yeah, anyway, their their like protein coffee was really good.

Riss:

It didn't even taste like. It's good like yeah, that's awesome.

Chrys:

Yeah, I need to try that. I'm not a coffee person, but I need to. I need to get there.

Riss:

I mean, if you don't like it, you don't like it, but yeah, but I need something to wake me up, you know.

Chrys:

And how many coke zeros. Can I have an idea before? I explode like tmi I get a little gassy. I need to stop with the soda. Or I explode Like I TMI I get a little gassy. I need to stop with the soda. I need something else.

Riss:

Well, coffee's probably not your go-to, for Aren't you lactose intolerant?

Chrys:

Yeah, oh, because you add a bunch of milk and stuff in there.

Riss:

Yeah, Well, I guess you could like. There's always the substitutes, like oat milk or other ones, almond milk one of them.

Chrys:

Yeah, I mean I do have like the lactaid that comes in handy. I just need to remember to take it, which sometimes I forget, like today, and then they suffer the consequences well, there you go um. Okay, well, this week we're talking about um the book seven husbands of evelyn hugo yes, by I don't remember.

Riss:

I don't remember either if we might go the extra mile with our editing and and put her name down here. But but if you don't?

Chrys:

I'm gonna pull it up right now so I can tell you um I feel so grandma with this ipad.

Riss:

Um taylor jenkins read yes that's what I was gonna say.

Chrys:

Yeah, um, anyway, so we just, we read the whole book, and so we said we were gonna do halfway, but then we just, we got too excited yeah, um, so do you want to start summarizing it, or? Totally, um yeah. So let's see, essentially it starts off with this lady. She works for like a. What even is it like?

Riss:

a magazine?

Chrys:

yeah, and they basically get the opportunity to go interview this woman, evelyn hugo, who was like a famous actress and, um, she was supposed to donate these dresses like stravagant dresses from like different oscars and whatever galas and stuff that she's attended throughout her life, and they were hoping to get like an interview with her, maybe like a photo shoot or something, and so they send this one woman she did specifically request this one person who was not monique.

Chrys:

Thank you, I'm so bad with names, so bad. At least evelyn hugo is like in the title, so like he's here to remember.

Riss:

We will say evelyn hugo, every time, every time.

Chrys:

Um, yeah, so she specifically requests this. Um monique girl.

Riss:

Monique girl, even though she's not the most senior journalist she's very new, the whole magazine and the magazine gives like, gives off a vibe of like, um, what's that really famous magazine vogue vogue yeah it gives off like a vogue vibe where it's like very prestigious, very well known big magazine, evelyn hugo isn't no, she's like a very, um, famous artist, not one to give any interviews, and then she set, tells this magazine she's gonna do it and she requests monique. But monique, is this like really new person? I feel like I just repeated everything you just said it's fine.

Chrys:

It's good to remember a recap of the recap in case you guys missed it, um, anyway.

Riss:

So she requests monique. Everybody thinks it's like really weird, the editor lady. She's like do you even know? Do you know Evelyn Hugo? Like is there some sort of connection? And the girl's like no, like I don't know why she would be requesting me. But Evelyn drives a pretty hard bargain and she's like this is it's either her or I'm not doing it. So then Monique goes over to her house and just starts talking to her, is trying to see, like what story she's going to be able to get out of this, and, um, evelyn ends up saying that she wants, she wants monique to write her book her life story.

Chrys:

Yeah, like she's not interested in doing a story with this vogue like magazine or anything to do with them. It's like directly with monique for monique to, um, yeah, write evelyn's story, um, and so she would get like a exclusive of everything. The only like caveat to it is that she needs to publish a book after evelyn hugo is dead, which she's making it sound like it's soon yeah, and monique's like wait, what do you mean?

Chrys:

like, yeah, you need to tell me, like what timeline this is, and neville is always very vague about it yeah, and the problem with that is that if she agrees to it she's putting her job in jeopardy because she's going against, like her employer. But she could be making a lot of money from this book, but then you know she needs to know how soon she would make that money to compensate for losing her job. So she's kind of at a crossroads, trying to figure out what she's going to do.

Riss:

Yeah, and then. So then she ends up deciding to go forward with it because it's like it a this huge opportunity. This extremely famous celebrity, who never gives interviews, wants her to write her whole life story, and she is like a mysterious um the government saying cool thumbs up if you're just listening on the video, there's like these thumbs up that show up we don't know how to turn it off.

Chrys:

It's probably super easy to do that, but we don't know how.

Riss:

So we don't know why it happens, how it happens or how to turn it off.

Chrys:

Yeah, so anyway, cia in our book saying that they approved.

Riss:

Yeah, our fbi guy is listening to us anyway. So she doesn't want to miss the opportunity. So she does start working with evelyn and she starts listening to evelyn, starts telling her like whole life story and and the book is essentially like evelyn talking about her life and how she became who she is yeah, um, like the good and the bad, and like I don't be so real, I don't remember all the husbands, but like the first one I mean, yeah, I know that.

Chrys:

But um, yeah, the first one it was kind of like an opportunity thing. She was like 15 and she knew this guy, that knew someone that worked somewhere where they were making movies and she just kind of like lied about her age, got married, went there, was just like seeking an opportunity. She grew up in poverty, yeah and she was just determined.

Riss:

Like she was beautiful she knew that she could get an opportunity from that her mom always wanted to be famous and she died when evelyn was really young and then her dad was very abusive so she was trying to like both get away from that whole situation and be a big time celebrity, because that's kind of her mom's wish. So, yeah, she finds this guy who she knows is going to Hollywood. She's like 14 at the time, but she lies and says she's 18 and she's extremely beautiful. So she flirts with this guy. He falls in love with her, isn't?

Chrys:

that so funny that you'd marry a guy and he's like like you're so beautiful, like how would he not think that she's 14? I mean, maybe she looked a lot older, but still like, are we not having conversations like was he not like I was?

Riss:

wondering the same thing. While I was listening to that, I was like I feel like it would come up, yeah, like like you get a driver's license renewal or something I don't know, and it's like wait, you're not 18. Or like how did they even this was my big question how did they even get married? Because she's not like how did she get the? She would need her parents to sign off right like if you're a minor, if they're actually married or yeah yeah, anyway, mysteries maybe we missed something.

Chrys:

Let us know we missed something there. Oh oh no, no, she did say that her dad approved oh, he signed off on it, I'm pretty sure I'm pretty sure she says that that he, like when her dad found out, he like didn't even really care and he just signed off on it.

Riss:

Oh, I think it's like implied that he which is another weird thing, like and her dad doesn't say anything to the guy I don't know. Well, yeah, whatever I mean you don't seem like a good dad, so no, but I still like, somehow in my head, like that comes up yeah, no, I mean I agree with you, like on some level, I'm trying to think of like in my own life.

Chrys:

Like I mean we had to like apply for a marriage license and then, I don't know, you have a birthday every year. How many candles does he put on the birthday cake? I don't know. It's like I, yeah, it seems like it would. I mean, with no social media, I guess you got away with way more.

Riss:

You can hide you can hide your age anyway. So, yeah, she ends up going to hollywood with this guy and she's like, basically conning him, like she's not in love with him, she could care less about him. But she knows that he wants something out of her which is for her beauty, right, and he's a very, like, traditional man. Oh, and she's from she's Hispanic, like that's her background, yes, very traditional. He wants the wife and the kids, yada, yada.

Riss:

Anyway, she ends up, uh, going to this one bar or cafe or somewhere that she is always there to see if, like, she'll run into hollywood executives or famous people or whatever anybody like the next, like step up right, and so, um, she ends up getting a job at this place and she ends up meeting people who, um, does she I can't remember does she end up really liking one of them and that's why she divorces no, um, she gets like an opportunity to start like doing something to do with acting and then basically like she's very like assertive and she basically talks them into giving her an opportunity for acting.

Chrys:

But they say that they need her to be like out in the town and like it would really help her case if she's like, if it seems like she's dating these other famous actors. Um, so in order for her to act single, she has to be single.

Riss:

So then she so she divorces that guy and he's heartbroken, she doesn't really care um, and she goes off and she has like she starts this like fake relationship with john adler yeah, I think so. And he's this like he's the biggest celebrity of the time, super famous. He's headed to make to be, to be like a very big name, and it starts off as like kind of a like fake, but they end up actually really loving each other.

Chrys:

Madly, you know, that was like one of the most heartbreaking I can't talk heartbreaking like super heartbreaking, because like they it's like so romantic, right, like they have to pretend to be dating and then they're like kind of faking it and kind of not, and then they cross that line and they're like we actually really like each other.

Chrys:

And then like yeah, and then yeah, they, he asked her to marry him, which like it doesn't really see the timeline, which was kind of interesting. That took me off guard, caught me off guard. But he proposes to have our moment or whatever, and know that you would say yes and mean it. And she says, yes, they're super excited that he goes and does it in front of everyone, it's his thing. And then they officially get married and it's so exciting, they're super happy at first, yeah, and it's great. And then she says like they were married for two months before he like started beating her, which is just I mean, yeah, I guess that's how it happens, right, like abuse doesn't happen from the start, otherwise you wouldn't even like like entertain it, but it's just like it's the story, and then it just like takes you there and it's just so sad so sad yeah so scary to like, yeah, to think that that could happen.

Riss:

You never know, you know anyway. So yeah he men are the worst, he because, oh, and then also. So she has this guy that she also knows, harry, who's very handsome as well. He's a producer in Hollywood right, or he's an executive or some sort of something, and she becomes really good friends with him. She's a little bothered that he has never hit on her and in conversation he discloses to her. He's like, well, you're not really my type, and she's like I'm everybody's type, and he's like well, he's like you're an 80.

Riss:

I'm into Audis. Wait, is that exactly what he said? I was like, how did I miss that? So he tells her that he's gay. Um, and also I don't know if we mentioned this, but the the time of this the story is like it's set in the 50s, 60s, somewhere there. Yeah, um, a time where it's like not very, um, socially acceptable to um have any sort of sexual orientation that's not straight, and so he keeps it very, very hidden that he's not straight and she just shows a lot of acceptance and they decide that they're going to be best friends. So, fast forward now, like she's in this relationship with john adler and he's abusive. Um, one of the first and only people to recognize it is harry and um, anyway, yeah, I don't even know if that's super important but they, I think it is, it builds like a really strong relationship in her life, like a really strong relationship in her life, Like the most consistent, healthy relationship in her life is Harry.

Riss:

Yes, he's like. She describes him as kind of like one of her soulmates. Not necessarily a love interest, but as far as like friends go and as far as love like he is a huge part of her life. He is a huge part of her life um so then she gets a part in the movie to play little women, and there's like six other women also playing different roles.

Chrys:

There's ruby and celia and a few others that I forget their names yeah, I think those are the only ones that are really talk about again yeah, so, and then they describe all these women as having, like, different kinds of beauty, and it's like it was interesting to hear.

Riss:

Just like evelyn is the kind of beauty that men find completely like inaccessible, like she is just the kind of beauty you will never see again. Celia is the kind of more like the girl next door, like you would want to take her home to meet your parents, and she's beautiful in that kind of way. Don't remember the other ones.

Chrys:

Yeah, no, yeah they get very descriptive with it. I thought the writing was really good. The writing, yeah, I thought so too. It was entertaining. For parts of it, I read it like on the kindle or whatever. For other parts, I did the audiobook, which was also really good. The writing yeah, I thought so too. It was entertaining. For parts of it, I read it like on the kindle or whatever. For other parts, I did the audiobook, which was also really good yeah, yeah it was.

Riss:

They did really well with the voices yeah yeah, because, like so in the book, there's like sometimes it's evelyn talking, sometimes it's monique talking and they switch the the person sometimes it's like the gossip website of the time, covering like what's happening yeah, and they switched.

Riss:

Yeah, it is really well done, um, so anyway. So celia is she's one of the actresses in in the in this movie and she is kind of she's newer to hollywood than evelyn is. So she starts like trying to befriend evelyn and learn more and kind of grow. And then evelyn's like hey, like I know what you're doing, like you're you're trying to use me for clout, basically. And then Celia's just like very honest with her and they kind of like they start developing this relationship like a very strong friendship.

Chrys:

Yeah, Celia's more like Celia's the better actress. Yeah, and Evelyn already has the like, notability or whatever she like is already more established, and so they're kind of start off like a friendship with that in mind that they can help each other out yeah, yeah, evelyn knows how to climb the ladder, whereas celia has the actual talent.

Riss:

Um, anyway, and then celia ends up being the next person to find out about her being abused, or does she ever? I can't remember, um that's a good question.

Chrys:

I can't fully, I don't fully remember, honestly. I think I think she is the next one to find out and then yeah, and then they're. It kind of goes on for a while and then eventually they're at a gala or something and someone Ruby Ruby approaches Evelyn and tells her that Like this name you obviously I need it.

Chrys:

Thank you, I feel supported right now. Um, yeah, she tells her like that, uh, celia is gay. And then, um, evelyn is surprised because she's like, oh, we've been hanging out like I didn't know that about her. And yeah, um, and then, around the same time, she, well, at the same time she finds out that her husband is in another room, like getting it on with someone that's not her. And, yeah, she's basically like, do I go find celia? Yeah, go find my husband. And yeah, she wants to go find.

Chrys:

And before she has a chance to even decide, celia finds her and, um, yeah, she kind of finds out that she has a thing for her and they kind of that. To be honest, that part I did the audiobook and my kids were going insane, so it's a little blurry, but I know they get together. Basically they, yeah, they kiss, and but she stays with Adler for a while, right or no? Immediately she goes home, right, yeah, at one point she goes home and she or she goes to him and says that she knew that he was cheating and then I can't remember exactly, or no, he leaves her.

Riss:

Well, yeah, so Harry takes her to his house, and then, when she goes back home, she finds out that john has left her oh, that's right, that's right, yeah, um, and I, yeah, I, yeah, anyway.

Chrys:

So, and then, yeah, there's a whole divorce settlement thing, and then, um, they she ends up like he leaves her the house, but she can't talk about his abuse to her like yeah he's fairly I hate to use the word generous because that man sucks but financially generous just to shut her up, essentially, and keep her from ever disclosing it.

Riss:

Yeah, he gives her like half of his everything. But yeah, she's not allowed to disclose it and she's um, she loses her agent right or like oh, yeah, they drop her, they drop her yeah, I don't know if it's her agent or like the studio, yeah, they also represented the husband, she, she sort of gets blacklisted in hollywood.

Riss:

So then she's struggling to find work and she goes through this period of like kind of having a hard time with that, and celia is very supportive as a friend, though they don't really explore the romance side of things. Yeah, they'll like she'll sleep over right at cilia's but yeah, she's staying at cilia's yeah um, and anyway.

Riss:

So then she finally like goes off to france to find some work and she meets this French director who Max, right, yeah who gives her a role and it's like one of her most iconic movies because where, yeah, the French director wanted her to be like fully nude in a scene. She was like no, how about like make them want it a ton? And then, as soon as I like the, the camera pans up to show my breasts and then it like cuts off, yeah, and it's like just super memorable and and in hollywood, for for that, like yeah, and it puts her back on the map.

Chrys:

Essentially, yeah, even though it was controversial. Yeah.

Riss:

Yeah, so yeah, she starts, she gets back in. Right Now she's back in the scene of Hollywood and, oh wait, at this point, her and Celia Are together. Are together.

Chrys:

I think they started yeah.

Riss:

Yeah, they started dating and they're together and then, but they're very afraid of being found out because again, it's just not a time that it's accepted, and so they keep it very hush-hush and um, so they keep it very hush, hush and then Evelyn is afraid that people might have caught on to them. So then she's like well, I'm gonna, there's, there's a singer, a really famous singer, who expresses interest in her, and so she's like okay, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna get him to love me, get him to want to elope with me, and then get him to leave me. And she basically pulls that off, and so goes to vegas with him.

Chrys:

Yeah, they get really drunk. She gets very like, flirty and things. But whenever things start getting a little bit more heated, she she's like, well, we need to be married. And basically kind of like seduces him and then he's like let's get married, I love you suddenly because I can't have you, I can see my whole life with you. Yeah, and in the morning he's like never mind.

Riss:

I got what I wanted goodbye. That was a silly mistake, yeah, and she knows just how to play into like whatever, yeah, she needs to be. She does really well like to get what she needs from people. Yeah, so, yeah. So then people, so that becomes like the news, right, the story, the big headlines. So then nobody really suspects her of being lesbian or anything. Oh, and in fact, sorry she, she doesn't like the label of being lesbian because she really did love john so she knows that she can love men.

Chrys:

Um, but she also really loves celia, so she's just like she doesn't really know where she falls yeah um I wonder well, I guess it's not based on the true story, but I wonder where, when, like the?

Riss:

well, I guess it's not based on the true story, but I wonder where, when, like the bye thing came out like the idea of it started being discussed yeah, I feel like, yeah, as much as it's like not a true story, I'm sure it's like based off of very true things.

Chrys:

Yeah you know, I I was looking it up and I saw like a huge list of like um women, like celebrities and like the 50s and stuff that it was like based off of, like bits and pieces to build definitely like, which is interesting. Do you remember anybody? I don't remember any names, but I can pull it up. Yeah, there's like a bunch of different ones, some of which I recognize, others I didn't.

Riss:

It's so interesting because I feel like even I'm sure that even happens still today just with, like the idea of typecasting and like, um, you end up being, you get like roles that people can see you being in, right, and so a lot of people need to, and I I feel like this book kind of explains that a lot. Like you have to put up like a, you have to kind of be who you are on screen, like off screen, so people can see you as these characters yeah which I'm sure can get exhausting yeah, kind of living a lie, trying to like fit into what people want from you.

Chrys:

It's exhausting. Um, yeah, there's a few different ones, so, like, like Elizabeth Taylor, she was married seven times, so that was partly inspired by her. Oh, eva Gardner, who revealed secrets to a journalist Interesting, rita Hayworth, who changed her name and appearance to fit Hollywood standards, which is what Evelyn did. She was like she dyed her hair blonde even though she had tanner skin, and it was just a combination that's not naturally out there, but it worked really well and it made her beautiful and it made her send out. Yeah, those are the main ones that they pop up, but yeah, they got bits and pieces from different real people.

Chrys:

That's very cool. Yeah, I feel like we should have gone in depth with that. That would be interesting. I know, yeah, do a deep dive in each one. Yeah, that's cool.

Riss:

We should do that next time but anyway, yeah, so that's the third husband. Yes, that's right. And then her relationship with Celia keeps going on, and then they end up getting in an argument because do you remember?

Chrys:

I think the whole thing was um, she wasn't. Celia didn't like the idea of Evelyn sleeping with other men so it was like she didn't think that she was actually gonna sleep with this guy. She was just gonna marry him, yes, so she's mad that was brought up.

Riss:

Yeah, she got mad at that and she got pregnant, oh yeah that was what it was evelyn got pregnant that's how she found out that they had slept together.

Riss:

Yeah, um, and so celia ends up leaving evelyn. Evelyn doesn't go through with the pregnancy, um, but they mick riva, that was his name, the singer oh, I kind of forgot, like mick jagger, yeah, that's what I was, that's what I was thinking the whole time. Yeah, um, anyway. So yeah, they break up. Uh, doesn't, they don't talk. Evelyn feels like if celia wants to come back, she will and she doesn't. She's not one to really push it.

Riss:

She's kind of a believer of like if it's gone, it's gone you know, um, you don't, like she doesn't really know about like fighting for things, um, and then who's her next?

Chrys:

the next one, it's um rex, but I can't remember exactly who he is rex rex north because I remember the last couple ones, the last few and three. I can't remember. I remember hearing rex, but I can't remember what his, um, his deal was. Let's see, let's find out out. I swear we read it.

Riss:

Well, so her and Celia. While you look that up, her and Celia don't talk at all for a long time, Like several years.

Chrys:

And then, oh, okay, yeah, so he was the one that was in the movie with her and they were trying to promote the movie.

Riss:

Oh right, okay, so yeah, it was completely fake. Yeah, marriage completely loveless, like he didn't love her, she didn't love him. He would sleep around like with other women, but would keep it really like secret. They never. He was a very handsome man but they never slept together or anything. Yeah, and then he, he ends up getting her, he ends up getting another girl pregnant. Yeah, and he loves this other woman and he wants to be with her.

Chrys:

Yeah, they had been together before, but then they broke it off. Yeah, it was like they were having an affair while he was married to evelyn.

Riss:

Yeah and anyway. So then him and evelyn are trying to think of a way that they could divorce where neither one comes off looking bad in the press. So they come up with the idea of her having an affair with Harry.

Chrys:

Um, so so basically both yeah, they were both having affairs at the same time, so no one's the villain. Yeah and yeah, and they get to get out of the marriage, yeah, yeah.

Riss:

And then, um, and then she starts having like for the she's her and harry start having like a love story. But obviously harry is um, he's gay and he's dating at this time. He's dating somebody who he really loves, so it's a good like beard for him, or he doesn't, like nobody's gonna think that he's gay, fake marriage. And then harry is like and then, um, celia and evelyn end up getting back together, yeah, and then yeah, yeah, I was just thinking.

Chrys:

I was trying to explain this to josh while I was reading it and he's like what? So like who was whose beard and I'm like everyone is everyone's beard there's a lot of beards, it's all going to uh I. I told this whole story to jeff too, and he fell asleep it's like this one's a beard, this one's a go, this one's a goatee.

Riss:

He's like I can't follow this. Yeah, anyway, so because her and so Evelyn and Celia get back together. And then there's Harry, and I think it was John. Was it John the other guy's name? Harry and John are together. Was it Don the other one's name? Harry and John are together. Was it Don the other one? Then Evelyn's first husband.

Chrys:

Was it Ernie, Ernie no second husband. Don Don. That's what it was, yeah.

Riss:

I kept calling him John. It was Don. Okay, I mean potato, yeah.

Chrys:

Potato.

Riss:

Same Same diff Anyway. So same same diff anyway. So, um, yeah, evelyn and celia are together, john and harry are together, but for the public's eye it's actually evelyn and harry and celia and don yeah and Don yeah.

Chrys:

John, john, they're just like now.

Riss:

I keep saying Don.

Chrys:

Who cares? Actually, he, yeah, he's important. But yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean to everyone, they're like, just, yeah, like double daters. I guess they're always together and walking around, like. There's even some people that think they might be swingers, but I don't know.

Riss:

But it's like and it's, it's honestly also like a very interesting dynamic because harry and evelyn do want to have a family together. Oh, yeah, um, so they all they have like this like little family dynamic with the four of them. And they eventually get to the point evelyn and harry where they're like this little family dynamic with the four of them. And they eventually get to the point, evelyn and Harry, where they're like, well, we want to have a kid now. Yeah, so their partners are okay with them trying for a kid and they end up getting pregnant and they have a little baby, connor, a little girl, and then Evelyn, and, yeah, they just have like this little family dynamic with the five of them. And then Evelyn has oh, she gets cast for a movie with Dawn, with her ex-husband.

Riss:

The beater, yeah, the trash man man, the one we don't like yeah um, they're in a movie together and they there's a scene that they end up having sex during, and like she's supposed to orgasm in in this scene and like have, it like, be very real fully talking about it.

Chrys:

Thought we were gonna do like glaze over it. Oh yeah, I got ahead of myself I'm just like thinking about it it's all good that that is what happens anyway anyway, you were handling it so professionally and I ruined it you're like matter of fact.

Riss:

Oh my gosh, I hear it anyway they got it on.

Chrys:

And, yeah, she like in the moment she's thinking like this is like super. When the idea is pitched to her, she's like, oh my gosh, this hasn't been done before, like it would be such a good breakthrough for like theater, like so whatever. And so she just does it yeah.

Chrys:

And then she after the fact is like, oh, maybe that was, maybe I should have talked to my partner about it. So she like goes to talk to celia and is deceptive. She tells her like oh, so they pitched this idea. I was thinking about maybe doing it, wanted to know what you think. And celia's like well, actually, like I'm not okay with it, like I wish I was, like it sounds like it would be awesome, but like I think I would be too jealous. You know that's such an intimate, private, private thing With your ex.

Riss:

And with your ex.

Chrys:

Yeah, I think even if it was just with another person, she wouldn't have been okay with it. But I think that made it worse, for sure.

Riss:

Uh-huh, and the fact that they also have the history of Evelyn sleeping with someone else while they were dating.

Chrys:

I can't remember how she found out. Did she just say like well, I did. I can't remember, yeah, how she found out.

Riss:

So yeah, it was just like Celia said she wasn't okay with it, and then Evelyn was like, well, I already did, Like I already did it, which I mean to be fair.

Chrys:

Like I would be pissed too. Like I mean, I could never marry an actor for that reason.

Chrys:

Yeah and I could never be an actress, because I would fully fall in love with everyone. Be like what are we? Okay, but like with your partner watching them do so, like I would. I think I would have a hard time with it too, which I can understand there. But yeah, I think if you like make the decision to be together, you kind of have to accept that that's what they do for a living, yeah, and that's what you signed up for. So it's like tough.

Riss:

Yeah, it's a very hard-lined toy. Yeah, especially with like. Evelyn is a very like. She's somebody who's thinking about the next step in her career. It's also hard to like.

Chrys:

Yeah, and if you're gonna, yeah, do anything to prevent her from moving forward and what she wants to do. I think that I think like either celia would have been upset about her doing that or evelyn would have eventually left because celia prevented her from doing have?

Riss:

yeah, yeah, I think so.

Chrys:

So anyway, celia leaves again and I think this time evelyn tries to chase her right, she tries to call her a bunch of times and whatever, and celia is just not receptive to it.

Riss:

Yeah, so, so then she like divorces john right, and kind of leaves the four, like the little group that they had, family yeah, so then harry and john are still together and they're very much, very in love. And um, the french director from before, he, yeah, and I don't remember how he's reintroduced, but he, he ends up telling celia that he loves her. Yeah, and then and celia actually sorry, not celia evelyn he tells evelyn that he loves her.

Chrys:

And evelyn this is like a few years after celia evelyn like is thinking maybe I can actually fall in love with this man, like there's actual potential here she like kisses her and like there's a spark, and she hasn't felt a spark in a long time since she's been with Celia, so she just wants to give it a shot. Yeah, yeah, but I did think it was aggressive that he was like let's get married, I've loved you and it's like can we just like date?

Riss:

yeah, can't we just like let this marinate figure it out?

Chrys:

yeah yeah, so like no wonder she had seven houses. I'm surprised she only had seven.

Riss:

Yeah, because that means she'll be getting married to everyone too. Yeah, um, anyway. So she, her and harry. Harry is as supportive of a friend, slash, co-parent as possible and he's like, hey, this is like, if this is an opportunity for you to love, like let's get divorced and you like go through with this with Max. So then Harry and evelyn get divorced and she gets married to max and this is her fifth yeah, fifth husband. Uh, six, six, six husband. And they're married for a while. But she quickly, like is aware that he doesn't really love her. He loves the idea of her, yeah, like being with the star. Yeah, the star like the most beautiful woman. Yeah, like he likes to parade her around, but he doesn't, like they had dated, she would have found out like gone on two dates yeah, she got and she had gotten to know him.

Riss:

Yeah, yeah, um, so she's quickly, like uh, disenchanted with the idea of being with him um.

Chrys:

And then, while they're married, her and celia start exchanging letters yeah, they kind of had like some moments, evelyn like won this oscar or something, and then she kind of gives a nod to celia like I can't remember exactly what she says, but it's like to a person like that's really important to me. I just wanted to know influential woman.

Chrys:

She like says woman and she's like referencing yeah and then, um, when they were before, when they were first getting together, celia had gotten an award and evelyn was watching it from home. This was when evelyn had gotten blacklisted and stuff. She was watching. Celia won this award and she like went to kiss the tv and she like chipped a tooth kissing the tv because she was so excited when celia won. So then fast forward to like years later, as they're like apart for so long, evelyn does that nod for celia and then celia wins an award later and she says something along the lines of like if anybody's thinking about kissing their screen tonight, just make sure you don't chip your tooth, or something like gives a nod back to Evelyn and then they end up contacting each other and they're like exchanging these letters and Celia's basically like which I thought was a little annoying. She was like you didn't really come after me and she's like I called and she's like well, not enough.

Riss:

It's like okay, well let's be better about that. Yeah, it was like evelyn really tried and then and yeah, and then evelyn's like well, I even like I made a nod to you at like the ceremony, the, the award show, and she's like, oh, I didn't, like I didn't, I wasn't for sure that was me yeah and also it's like girl do something.

Chrys:

It's also funny because it was like before texting. You would think she would have been like was that for me or something you know, like a drunk something like, yeah, I don't know. Yeah, evelyn really tried, and then for cilia to just be like, yeah, well, I didn't know, you know, and that would imagine how tiring, like it's romantic, but also how tiring to like be exchanging letters and like waiting days for a response and like still being committed to doing that. I would have been like people loved each other more back then.

Chrys:

I was like you know like it's romantic, but like I can't wait that long to hear about it.

Riss:

I'm already like I'm already married to someone else. By the time, letters back.

Chrys:

You would think she's like actually I'm on my ninth husband, but yeah, it's fine, yeah I don't know yeah, it was just too much effort that's tiring and also some of the letters seemed like it was like hi, how are you?

Riss:

and it's like dude, you gotta do more yeah, because it's gonna be a while before you hear anything back.

Chrys:

We can't be like sup, sup and like please, it's like w y d.

Riss:

It's like a post-it note that they're exchanging.

Chrys:

It's like I can't the patience I mean probably.

Riss:

Yeah, good on that you just get a letter lol how do you keep it going?

Chrys:

it's like it's not worth the postage yeah, so anyway, they're exchanging these letters. Uh, max, and ends up finding the letters yeah, well, they um, evelyn and celia make plans to essentially meet up. She's going to wherever she was los angeles or something and they were planning to meet up and she's leaving the house and she has something else to do there too. I think I can't remember exactly. Um, also, I'm like on the edge of a burp. Let it, let it I'm trying.

Chrys:

I mean I can't just look stuck somebody talking weird. Anyway, we're just gonna keep moving and maybe it'll go back in or back or it's gonna go anyway, whatever. She's on her way out of her house and she's thinking like I'm gonna take the letters with me, oh, I'm gonna leave them, oh, I'm gonna, I want to have them with me. And she ends up leaving them and then she goes to get in the car and she's like, oh, I actually want them. She goes back to her room and max has the letters and is like ripping them up and stuff, which is like, of course, yeah.

Chrys:

Also, it made me think like next time I have a thought I'm just gonna go through that, because I do that a lot too like I'm gonna do this, I won't like, or like this is gonna fall, I should move it. This is gonna fall, I'm should move it, this is going to fall, I should move it. And then it falls and I'm like I thought about it and I didn't do anything. Yeah, just go with your first instinct. I think that's good, anyway, whatever.

Chrys:

Side note yeah, so she has a conversation with him and he's like, what are these letters? Like were you going to meet up with her? Like f about you, like you only care about evelyn hugo, like also he seemed like the type that, like this is like crass, but like they're probably like mid-sex and he's probably still calling her evelyn hugo. Like he's not like oh, there's yeah he's like full, like last name, yeah, every time for everything which like like I've met my girlfriend or wife, I guess, evelyn hugo, I know it's like anyway, he kind of pissed me off there.

Chrys:

Um, yeah, I don't know.

Riss:

I just had like a moment where I was like I wonder how that would feel if my boyfriend called me risk like my full name. I'd be like this over. I might like that Alright.

Chrys:

We'll report back. I don't know. I feel like I'd be like all right, this is over, we're done. This gives the vibe of like miss your car, like your full name, like I don't know. I feel like I'm at the dmv or something that's throwing the middle name in there too. No, uh anyway, at least as long as it's the right name they get your name mixed up.

Riss:

That would be bad, that would be messed up, um, so anyway, that ends up leading to their divorce. They, they in their marriage, um, and evelyn gets back with celia, and they want to, they just want to be, they want. They're done with hiding, they're done with, like, all the games and the like playing checker, chess checkers, playing chess, playing games with the press, um, they're just like done with that. So they, they want to just move to spain so that they can be away from all the noise and raise the little girl Connor there and just be happy. Oh, and we forgot to mention also that Harry's partner, john, ends up dying from.

Chrys:

Oh yeah, I think he has a heart attack, yeah, or something. It was like shortly after Celia and evelyn broke up, like he ends up dying and then, um, harry's just not doing well. After that he's like drinking day drinking and like just not well. But then um, towards where we're at right now. He's like it sounds like he met someone that he was really excited about for the first time since the love of his life passed he was very in love.

Riss:

He, yeah, he starts to feel real love for this new man. And, um, evelyn is talking to him trying to convince him to move to spain with that, with like to get the family to move to spain, and harry's just like, no, like I, I love this man, like I want to give it a shot. And evelyn is also very open to it. She's like, well, let's try and find a way that this can work for all of us did you get okay?

Chrys:

maybe I just read it wrong, but I kind of got the vibe that she was like okay, we'll talk about it later, but like let's move to spain. Like it kind of seemed like she was a little dismissive of him.

Chrys:

Yeah like yeah, yeah, like we'll talk about it later, but like, let's, let's discuss this option. It seemed like she was a little bit pushy about it, which I was a little upset about, and maybe this is just how I read it. I get it interpreted, even though, like I understand that she wanted to be free with her partner, which makes sense, right, I think at the same time, they could still be together and just not public and like, allow harry to still be with this guy, like and not disrupt, like, her kid's life. It felt like really selfish, even though, like I understand, like you want to be public with the person you're with, but but like you have a family, like it's not just you, you have your kid and you have your kid's parent. There's a lot more to think about. Yeah, it's like if you were, she was single, like, and like she is single, but I mean like detached from other people. That would be one thing. Like, yeah, go and do it, but I think she was being a little bit selfish in that moment.

Riss:

Well, I feel like that's Evelyn's MO in the whole story is that she is fairly selfish, you know, and she is always putting herself ahead of a lot of people. She's just climbing that ladder and that ends up being one of her biggest lessons yeah, towards the end, which is yeah, I do think that's true.

Chrys:

I I do think, though, too, that like, for to a certain extent, it was like expiring, right, not expiring. Inspiring, yeah, anyway. Inspiring because she's like going after what she wants, right, right, sorry, it's inspiring. I don't know. This book expires in two days. We're a little tired. Inspiring, yeah, like she's going after what she wants. She doesn't take no for an answer. There are good aspects to being that way, but yeah, it does.

Chrys:

I mean she takes it to a very Extreme, extreme level of like she's willing to do anything for I agree that's bad yeah but yeah, I was kind of disappointed in her in that moment because it's like, yeah, and it's also, they made it seem like they waited this long and they had to just move. There was no other option, which was like I don't think that's true. Like you waited this long to be together, you still can, but like you have to be aware of these other lives that you don't have to go all the way to spain.

Riss:

You could go to like they didn't have internet dude go to wyoming you can go to wyoming now there's nothing going on there, like no, for real, off the grid, you could go. Literally you can find a place in california that's like, yeah, far away from la too. Yeah, no, I think so, anyway, so which? Yeah, I just think you're uprooting your child's life. But to be fair, so we didn't mention this connor was also having like. She was 14 at the time.

Riss:

She started getting into drugs and um sex too and like going crazy not yet, not yet, no she this was when she was doing all that you're skipping something uh so she's still a kid, I think.

Chrys:

I don't know, I can't remember how old she is. I think she's like five or something.

Riss:

Right, because she waited a while, they waited a while I, I can't remember it had been like it'd been like 10 years. They're talking.

Chrys:

Let's talk about what we're not talking about, and then let's get there let's go back.

Chrys:

But it's been like 10 years since celia and evelyn broke up that they got back together yes, yes, but then they were in the process of getting back together right, yeah, yeah, so yes, so okay, we are not saying anything and we're saying so many things but not anything. Essentially they're talking about the idea of moving and then they're supposed to like get out of where they are, whatever. Evelyn's supposed to go meet harry at his house or at their place in los angeles to pack their things to go back to their daughter, um, and she pulls into the driveway. I guess she's in like a, not an uber, but like whatever the uber has a driver.

Chrys:

A driver, oh yeah I made it so much more complicated. Her driver um, but it didn't sound, it didn't seem like she knew him no, it was like a no, yeah, it was like a like either a taxi or something. Yeah, uber before, uber taxi I haven't said taxi in a long time. I just realized, um, yeah, so she put people into his house and the car had basically crashed into like a tree is that what it was?

Chrys:

yeah, she's like a bad accident yeah, she gets out of the car, the taxi guy does too, and they realize that harry's was the one driving and he's like in critical condition and the passenger guy is dead, yeah, and so I I get the thought process process, but I also don't understand it. It was also like kind of weird, easy to disprove because, like, wouldn't there be blood on both seats? That, yeah, it was kind of sketchy. Yeah, they basically move the body of the person that's in the passenger seat to the driver's seat and then take harry out of it and then take him to the hospital. Yeah, which is wild, because you're taking him to the hospital, all like that. How do you explain what happened to him?

Riss:

yeah, and how much time are you wasting? And just like that whole like exchange, yeah, and the reason, so what, the thought process behind it is that evelyn is trying to protect harry's image because he was drunk driving yeah, and it seemed like he could survive, so if he did, he would have gone to jail because the passenger died and yeah, she didn't.

Riss:

She didn't even want harry thinking that he was responsible for the passenger's death and she also didn't want harry to be found out because he was driving with a man, which I feel like would be kind of a jump for people to be like, oh, they were in a car together. They must be lovers, although that is like the truth, like yeah, there's other explanations people driving cars together.

Riss:

They could be friends they could be working, yeah, yeah anyway. But that's kind of like her thought process behind this whole thing and so she changes, puts the passenger into the yeah and then she takes harry to the hospital it pays them to not ask questions, which I'm sure it's a real thing, but that's disappointing yeah, so yeah, in the hospital, harry ends up dying and um, yeah, and then that's what sets off um connor, the little girl.

Chrys:

Then that's when she starts doing drugs and yeah, like I think she gets a little bit older, a few years past, but her behavior just starts like escalating. Um, because her dad passed. And then they choose to. Um, or is it? Cecilia choose to move, cecilia, no, celia, whatever her name is uh, choose to move to spain. And celia has this whole plan that evelyn's gonna marry celia's brother and that's gonna be the cover story, and so they can be together. Yeah, so they, they do, they go to spain, they have a quiet little life.

Chrys:

Yeah, connor grows up, eventually moves out, goes to school, whatever, yeah, um, oh, she finds out that also we forgot to mention.

Riss:

When they get back together, celia and evelyn, celia mentions like hey, are you? You have to be very ready to lose me again. Yeah, because she found out she had a disease what was it?

Chrys:

I don't remember something that came from them smoking so much. I just don't think I remember. Oh yeah, I don't remember exactly what it was right, yeah yeah, anyway.

Riss:

So she, she was going to die. They didn't know when, but it'd be like soonish, soonish, like a few years, though.

Riss:

Right, they got a few years together I think they said 10 years yeah, and I think she survived a little bit longer, but not much yeah, so then celia ends up dying and then at that point they decide um, evelyn decides to move back to the us because connor's in the us, and and then connor ends up getting diagnosed with breast cancer and and then Connor ends up passing away as well. Whoa, I'm not crying, although it's sad.

Chrys:

Like. It just sounded like a Don't forget, I'm dead inside.

Riss:

That was a hiccup. Yeah Well, let's not get with the wires crossed here. I have no feelings.

Chrys:

Anyway, and then the husband Celia's brother, that's now Evelyn's husband dies. Seventh husband, seventh husband, yeah, and then he ends up dying.

Chrys:

And that's where she's at and she's been alone for a while. And then she's giving this interview and that's fully the book essentially. But then she says that she needs to tell Monique the journalist that's still interviewing her through this whole story that she needs to tell her something. And she goes to this drawer and pulls something out. It's like this bloody note, and she says the guy when Harry passed, the guy in the passenger seat, had this note on him and I should tell you that he was a black man. And Monique gets the letter and essentially in this moment Monique finds out that that was her dad and that's how he died and she had been told growing up that he had been drunk driving and that that's how he passed and it was not like him to do anything like it, but she kind of resented losing him.

Riss:

Because it was his fault, he but he'd done something stupid and he had never done that ever before. So she gets really mad at evelyn for hiding this and for kind of like making it so that that's her dad's reputation, and then um evelyn.

Chrys:

It is interesting, though, like as soon as evelyn stops telling this story, um, and she just expresses how she's a bad person because of what she did when harry died, um monique in her writing, like in her head, she's saying like it's terrible what she did, but it's also understandable. She was trying to protect someone that she loved, and then, right after she finds out, it was her dad, and it's like it was kind of interesting. It's like every situation is totally different if it's someone you love, yeah, and if you're connected to it.

Riss:

That is really good writing like I didn't even notice that, um, but yeah. So then she has this whole like um, she just doesn't know what to do, because now she kind of hates evelyn but at the same time, like she still has this phenomenal opportunity with the story and evelyn discloses to her that she has cancer, that apparently the breast cancer is, well, it is genetic, um, and then she's like the irony of her daughter getting it before her. Yeah, but that it like, yeah, it's a genetic thing, and so her time is limited and monique doesn't know, like really still, what that means or what she's going to do. But then she ends up, after they end up kind of like making peace and whatever she leaves, and Evelyn ends up taking her own life, kind of in a way of doesn't, she doesn't want anybody, like she's gonna, even with death, like she is gonna make that final call, like she's not gonna let anyone yeah, and I think it's important to mention too.

Chrys:

I don't care remember if we mentioned it, but another thing that evelyn had found out about monique. While she was like like trying to find her, like the daughter of the guy, she saw that Monique had written an article about assisted suicide for people that were sick and how she was pro that, so people could have a choice in their life journey, especially if they're sick and struggling like battling a disease for a long time.

Chrys:

and so I think partially that was also why, um, on top of everything else, why evelyn chose her, because she knew that she would allow her to take her life, even though she knew that that's what she was gonna do yeah, yeah, and she publishes the book and she gets that back.

Riss:

The end, and that's the story of Evelyn Hugo and the seven husbands.

Chrys:

Yeah, thanks for following along. Yeah, that's the summary. I think we've given our opinion throughout. It was really well written and interesting story, and we have not decided what book we're reading next. But do you have any thoughts? Do we have anything in the works?

Riss:

Listen to our next episode to find out what we decide and if you liked this, yeah, give our other stuff a listen. Follow us on TikTok at TheRealTSBU and we're on all podcast platforms and on YouTube. This stays between us. Yeah, give us a follow.

Chrys:

We appreciate the support and we'll see you next time.