“The epic adventures Evelyn creates over the course of a lifetime will leave every reader mesmerized. This wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet and her tumultuous Tinseltown journey comes with unexpected twists and the most satisfying of drama.”

NO MAJOR SPOILERS

This is a book that I liked for the way it is written, though I did not really like the characters in it.

Evelyn Hugo probably typifies what it takes to succeed as much as she does in the cut throat world of movies. She takes what she wants, no matter what the cost and to whom. At no point does she consider anyone else because once she gets what she wants, it is all about keeping it. Through years of superstardom and a glamorous life, Evelyn marries 7 times for different reasons, all the while yearning for the one she cannot have. Somehow she doesn’t come across as having anything to redeem her, to be honest. She receives from others mostly what she does to them, making choices that serve her interests at all times.

Monique Grant is the journalist chosen by Evelyn to write her tell all biography. While excited about this out of the blue opportunity, she can’t help but wonder why she is the one chosen. Monique is possible even less likeable than Evelyn! Ready to grab her chance at making it big, she justifies it to herself as something she deserves, the reason for which is never quite clear. She makes life decisions on the basis of self realizations that make absolutely no sense and are in fact very hypocritical. And her reaction to a life changing truth is bizarre and disappointing to say the least. For me, she came across as a real opportunist!

The fact that I hated these two characters so much hints at how well they were written. The story was gripping in the sense that I wanted to know what happened next. That element of suspense was always maintained.

 

Reviewed by:

Priya Prakash

Added 30th August 2020

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Priya Prakash