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Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid is the hottest topic of book readers. The book is a conversation between this ultra famous Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo and relatively unknown writer Monique Grant regarding Evelyn’s authorized Biography.
Dazzled, that is what I was when I finished this book.
I prize myself as being a bibliophile, I love reading books. Books are stories, they are ways you can be transported into different eras and live the lives of different characters. My definition of a good book or a favourite book is a book which brings out major changes in what I think life is.
I have always been attracted to strong female characters, characters who defy norms, who stand for what they believe in, who are not afraid to live a life they want.
People always assume romance novels are very chick flick where a girl falls in love with a guy and lives happily ever after. They assume love is fairytale, some fantasy and very girly. What people don’t realize is what is life without love. Love acts as a catalyst for everything.
Romance is I feel the most beautiful way in which stories of love are expressed. We also see that stories centred on love, be it romantic or familial, makes a story worthwhile.
I still remember when I read Zoya by Danielle Steel which showcased the journey of a girl whose life destabilizes when Bolshevik Revolution happens in Russia and how she struggles and survives to live a life in America. Danielle Steel books are labelled as romance, but what people don’t realize is that by putting labels they are depriving themselves of these inspiring stories.
These stories filled with love give us characters that are both inspiring and admirable. They make us feel if these people survived, then so can we.
I love films because they are also mediums of storytelling. As much as I love the films, I love the stories of actors and how they got the fame and films they did.
A random Google search on Hollywood actress Ava Gardner introduced me to Hairpin website, which had a column called Scandals of Classic Hollywood by Anne Helen Peterson.
The Scandals are not necessarily about scandals, well they do have the mirch-masala tabloid inputs, but they are life stories of these beautiful actors and actresses on how they lived to become stars and what all went into becoming a star.
It also makes you learn about the society of that time and the things people did to achieve that golden standard of becoming the most sought after film icon.
It makes you realize these stars whom you place on pedestals are human too who made mistakes and sacrificed to be who they were.
Thankfully, things have become more open with movie stars currently opening about their struggles to cope with fame or their addictions and mental health, but that was not the case with actresses like Judy Garland developing eating disorders to the awful treatment the studios did to make a movie become a box office smash.
I have an aversion for things that are too famous like if a film gets too many good reviews then I don’t watch it because I feel I have too many expectations, and it leads to disappointment. But as is with everything in life, there are exceptions.
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is the hottest contemporary book, with whole tiktoks dedicated to it. I was talking to my sister about the Scandals of Classic Hollywood, and she told me to check out Evelyn Hugo. As per usual, I was skeptical since this book was very popular.
I did what I usually do, I didn’t read the book until a few days earlier when I was talking to a friend of mine, and she told me she was reading Evelyn Hugo. I think time had made me more amenable that I decided to give the book a try, and thank god I did.
Evelyn Hugo is everything you want it to be and even more. A story set as a conversation between this ultra famous Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo and relatively unknown writer Monique Grant regarding Evelyn’s authorized Biography.
Evelyn tells us her life story about how she became a star and how she sustained her fame. It is not a simple story of struggle and then becoming famous, instead it feels real.
It shows us the complexities of life and there is so much of grey while people make decisions and choices which alter their journey. Furthermore, it also funnily shows us that what might be portrayed in the media about someone is not necessarily true.
What makes Evelyn Hugo more fresh is the beautiful way in which Evelyn says that she is not a hero and the biography is not a redemption story, but rather a truth Evelyn wants to finally tell to the world.
It is naturally about love and relationships, as you can decipher from the title Seven Husbands, but when you read the book you realize how seven husbands is more of a milestone in the life story of this wonderfully complex strong woman.
As you read the story you get glimpses of real stories of Elizabeth Taylor who had seven husbands or Rita Hayworth who changed herself to fit into the Hollywood mould thereby foregoing her ethnicity or Ava Gardner who in her last years gave a telltale to a journalist regarding her life.
But it is much more, it’s an amalgamation of reality, but it is fresh which makes it more fascinating. It shows how far a woman can go to make a name for herself in a male dominated world, but also shows how far she goes to protect those she loves.
It is fresh and fun and deals with issues of identity, abuse, struggles, silent sufferings, barriers to success, resilience and love. You’ll smile, you’ll be shocked, you’ll feel this is cute, but you’ll definitely admire this amazing woman called Evelyn Hugo.
Do check out this book which is reports are to be believed is being adapted by Netflix as well. It’s very interesting, and it makes you feel inspired to be resilient in face of challenges and prioritize love.
It also leads you to see how these beloved stars are more than what is written about them in the media. The only thing I regret is not reading this book earlier.
Image source: Dezinian photos and Goodreads, edited on CanvaPro
Pouring my thoughts through words on women mental health, social issues, lifestyle and pop culture. I stand on the sacrifices of so many women and I hope to make them proud! read more...
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What I loved was how there is so much in the movie of the SRK we have known, and also a totally new star. The gestures, the smile, the wit and the charisma are all too familiar, but you also witness a rawness, an edginess.
When a movie that got the entire nation in a twist – for the right and wrong reasons – hits the theatres, there is bound to be noise. From ‘I am going to watch it – first day first show’ to ‘Boycott the movie and make it a flop’, social media has been a furore of posts.
Let me get one thing straight here – I did not watch Pathaan to make a statement or to simply rebel as people would put it. I went to watch it for the sheer pleasure of witnessing my favourite superstar in all his glory being what he is best at being – his magnificent self. Because when it comes to screen presence, he burns it, melts it and then resurrects it as well like no other. Because when it comes to style and passion, he owns it like a boss. Because SRK is, in a way, my last connecting point to the girl that I once was. Though I have evolved into so many more things over the years, I don’t think I am ready to let go of that girl fully yet.
There is no elephant in the room really here because it’s a fact that Bollywood has a lot of cleaning up to do. Calling out on all the problematic aspects of the industry is important and in doing that, maintaining objectivity is also equally imperative. I went for Pathaan for entertainment and got more than I had hoped for. It is a clever, slick, witty, brilliantly packaged action movie that delivers what it promises to. Logic definitely goes flying out of the window at times and some scenes will make you go ‘kuch bhi’ , but the screenplay clearly reminds you that you knew all along what you were in for. The action sequences are lavish and someone like me who is not exactly a fan of this genre was also mind blown.
Recent footage of her coming out of an airport had comments preaching karma and its cruel ways, that Samantha "deserved her illness" because she filed for divorce.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu fell from being the public’s sweetheart to a villain overnight because she filed for divorce. The actress was struck with myositis post divorce, much to the joy of certain groups (read sexist) in our society.
A troll responded to Samantha’s tweet, “Women Rising!!” by adding to it “just to fall”. She replied, “Getting back up makes it all the more sweeter, my friend.”
Here’s another insensitive tweet by BuzZ Basket showing fake concern for her autoimmune disease. “Feeling sad for Samantha, she lost all her charm and glow. When everyone thought she came out of divorce strongly and her professional life was seeing heights, myositis hit her badly, making her weak again.” Samantha responded, “I pray you never have to go through months of treatment and medication like I did. And here’s some love from me to add to your glow.”
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