Nevermore: The Lost Boy, Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Ordeal by Hunger

 

Reported by Rita

Nevermore 8-5-25

The Lost Boy by Thomas Wolfe
A captivating and poignant retelling of an episode from Wolfe's childhood. The story of Wolfe's brother Grover and his trip to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair is told from four perspectives, each articulating the sentiments of a different family member.

A real page-turner. This immersive novella puts the reader inside the story. - PP 4 stars

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

I enjoyed this book. It was interesting and enjoyable. - NH 5 stars


Ordeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party by George R. Stewart
The tragedy of the Donner Party constitutes one of the most amazing stories of the American West. In 1846, eighty-seven people — men, women, and children — set out for California, persuaded to attempt a new overland route. After struggling across the desert, losing many oxen, and nearly dying of thirst, they reached the very summit of the Sierras, only to be trapped by blinding snow and bitter storms. Many perished; some survived by resorting to cannibalism; all were subjected to unbearable suffering. Incorporating the diaries of the survivors and other contemporary documents, George R. Stewart wrote the definitive history of that ill-fated band of pioneers. Ordeal by The Story of the Donner Party is an astonishing account of what human beings may endure and achieve in the final press of circumstance.

It is a very matter-of-fact telling of the Donner Party. I liked it. - FE 5 stars



Other Books Mentioned

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly
Cats in Art: From Prehistoric to Neo-Pop Masterpieces by Alix Paré
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst
The Grandes Dames by Stephen Birmingham
The Swiss Family Robinson / Robinson Crusoe by Johann David Wyss
Chasing the Dime (Harry Bosch Universe, #12) by Michael Connelly
Abandoned Southern Virginia: The South Begins by Liz Roll
The Women by Kristin Hannah
In the Distance by Hernan Diaz
The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell
The Pirate's Wife: The Remarkable True Story of Sarah Kidd by Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos
Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser
Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia



New Books:

The Book Censor's Library by Bothayna Al-Essa
The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Cults: Inside the World's Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them by Max Cutler
The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage that Made an American Icon by Laurie Gwen Shapiro
Nature of the Appalachian Trail: Your Guide to Wildlife, Plants, and Geology by Leonard M. Adkins
Absolution (Southern Reach, #4) by Jeff VanderMeer
House of Frost and Feathers by Lauren Wiesebron
The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Reviewed by Christy

            Evelyn Hugo, born Evelyn Herrera, is a star of the highest order. Coming of age in the 1950s and shining the brightest in the 60s and 70s; she is A list Hollywood royalty. She fought ruthlessly for that position, and she had to make seemingly unbearable sacrifices. But in her later years, she has become a bit of a recluse. Holed up in her glamorous New York City apartment, she lives a quiet life of philanthropy. It isn’t until her daughter dies of breast cancer that Evelyn makes the news again: she is auctioning off some of her most notable gowns with all the proceeds going to breast cancer research. She also wants Monique Grant to do a feature on her for Vivant magazine. No one is more surprised than Monique that anyone, let alone an Old Hollywood idol, would specifically request her to do an interview. Monique is a talented writer but still low man on the totem pole.

            When Monique arrives to interview Evelyn, she discovers that this is no ordinary interview. Evelyn isn’t just going to talk about the upcoming auction. She is going to tell Monique everything about her life, her loves, and her secrets. Everything. And she wants Monique to turn it into a bestselling tell-all. Flabbergasted, Monique can’t make sense of this proposition. It would completely transform her life and give her the career she’s always wanted. But why her?

            I absolutely loved this novel. When Evelyn tells her story, it is completely immersive.  Although Evelyn is a fictional character (though loosely inspired by Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner), it was easy to forget that I wasn’t reading about real people. Many behind-the-scenes stories of Hollywood then, and now, have shown what kind of situations actors learn to navigate – whether it be lascivious producers or the iron fist control of the studios. Evelyn does things that are unpleasant to witness, and she does them without shame or regret.

            The story is divided into sections, by husband. And while Evelyn did love a few of her husbands, her marriages were mostly business deals. Her true love was someone she could not love publicly. It was heartbreaking to see Evelyn forced to hide her love (and suppress her Cuban heritage) but she simply saw it as a matter of fact. I wasn’t as interested in Monique’s side of the story or why Evelyn chose her but those parts are relatively small in comparison.

I picked up this book after seeing a lot of hype for it by book reviewers on YouTube, otherwise I’m not sure I would’ve bothered. I have to say, I think it lives up to the hype. Evelyn isn’t always likeable. She does some truly heinous things to get power and then to keep it. But she is captivating, and I loved every second of her story.