The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo 4
What story elements (character, plot, mood, conflict, theme, etc.) are present in this book to make it "young adult"? What intrigued you the most about this book? What will you remember most about this book?
A Silent Voice 2
Do you believe in 100 years, this novel will be considered a "classic"? Will it stand the test of time and be something that students will be reading in an English class of the future? Why or why not?
It would be with the character Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. The novel follows Monique, a journalist struggling to make a name for herself, she receives an offer to interview the mysterious and reclusive 1960s Hollywood starlet Evelyn Hugo about fame, scandal, and love. The themes of loyalty, betrayal, friendship and love into a soaring, fast-paced and gripping performance, It teaches you to never let anyone make you feel ordinary. From a small neighborhood in the US, Evelyn made her way to Hollywood, not by sheer luck, but by her relentless attitude. She carved her way out of abuse and worked hard towards building a life of her own terms, though Evelyn's story might seem like a rag to riches, being a woman she had to fight not only the rich and powerful, she also had to fight the various racists and sexists who humiliated her and tried bringing Evelyn's career down. The media and the internet lead us into believing that whatever we see is real, without trying to learn the back story, with this book people just started to believe without even hearing the side of the story from Evelyn and just believed the newspaper clippings, the blogs, or the media. I think I will remember that Evelyn didn't care what they have said she just lived her life and didn't let the media or the people bother her, because she what was false and what wasn't.
ReplyDeleteI would agree that this book teaches you to never let anyone make you feel ordinary because that is what Evelyn did.
DeleteSpeaking of the newspaper clippings I will definitely remember those for the most part they were a great filler for the book, and we got to truly see how the media portrayed her always. Then hearing what she thought of the newspaper reports of her was fairly interesting. I also liked when Evelyn would use the headlines to her advantage like when she called in a favor to a friend to have cameras show up when her and Harry were hooking up. These made the story Different from other books I've read in the past.
DeleteWhat I think makes this book a young adult book is Evelyn's willingness to never give up time after time she was beaten down trying to make her way in Hollywood. Evelyn is forced to make her own space in the world for her family because of how intolerant everyone was. I feel like I will remember that money does not always bring happiness, Evelyn was an extraordinarily talented actress who made tons of money but this did not satisfy her she keep reaching for what she had truly needed, family. she had realized that she had gotten everything that she wanted but now she was alone in the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree that money does not always bring happiness because although she could have every item she wanted, the only thing she really needed was family.
DeleteI agree that it is incredible how Evelyn never gave up to get where she wanted to be, which was on top. After she left her old life, she new she never wanted to go back, and she made sure that it wouldn't happen, so she always sacrificed whatever it was to stay on top.
DeleteI agree that the idea of material items is something many people strive after because they think it will make them happy. This book shows through Evelyn that happiness comes from you and the people around you, not what you own.
DeleteI agree I thought that Evelyn taught a very important lesson that no matter what odds are against you that you can do anything as long as you put your mind to it. I think you have to work for yourself and do what you have to do to get your desired outcome.
DeleteThe main element that allows this book to be known as young adult would be the character because it follows her through her journey and struggles of finding her passion and who she really is. What intrigued me most about this book was how well Evelyn planned out almost every choice she made in her lifetime all the way up to the very last day. The thing I will remember most about this book is that in order to get what you want; you need to fight for it.
ReplyDeleteI think how Evelyn planned out her life was also very intriguing, but I also think a lot of the events in her life came out as unplanned, such as Celia. I do believe that Evelyn did try to plan out what went on in her life, so that is could be as perfect as it needed to be, like having a husband to hide the fact that she loved Celia.
DeleteFor me too I was intrigued by the fact she was in control for almost every moment. But she also didn't have control most of the time she lost her roles in Hollywood, Harry, Conner, and Celia I think the author did a great job of portraying that powers struggle throughout the book. I also think the author did a good job of portraying Evelyn's emotion when she did lose her power.
DeleteI agree with this. She was unapologetically herself and controlled her own narrative, something those other actresses didn't do. Though she was pushed by producers and the men of Hollywood she always tried to stay true to who she was.
DeleteI would say that characters and conflict is what made this book contemporary young adult. It follows the character Evelyn Hugo through her life and how she came to be the person she was. She struggled through a lot of her life and made sacrifices just as people do today. I think the conflict between Evelyn and everyone in her life had impacted her life for better or for worse. She said she never regretted anything that she said, but I feel like if she had the chance to go back and fight for Celia more after their fights, she definitely would. What intrigued me most about this book, it how much lies Evelyn had in her life. I think about people today lying about little things, and then think of Evelyn and how she lied about her husbands, and basically who she was just to make sure she got what she wanted, and was the person everyone wanted her to be.
ReplyDeleteI would have to disagree that the characters and conflict make it young adult, because none of those aspects are relatable to a young adult audience. All of the main characters are older than young adults and their conflict is something not relatable to youth (marriage, divorce, career struggles).
DeleteThere are a lot of elements that make this book contemporary adult most important being the gay storyline and all the scandals including love in Evelyn's life. I don't know about other people but as much as I hate reading about tragic love, I enjoy it at the same time. Firstly, hearing about the Don Adler section with the young love, abuse and divorced Intrigued me. I wanted to see how Evelyn this bold and brazen person but soft deep deep down handled that situation. That part makes it young adult cause when you move away from home and find a new love, teens in high school, leaving high school, or starting a new life could really identify with that storyline and relate to it.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the Don Adler section also really intrigued me. But it made me mad she didnt tell the world what he was doing to her, and what made me even more mad is that she was the one who got bashed for it when it was entirely Don's fault.
Deletewhat makes this book young adult? the fact that the story line is a gay story line and the "ROMANCE" part of the book make it young adult because it just weird stuff in my opinion mainly because it dont like romance that why i think its weird. what intrigued me in this book nothing really i didnt like this book as much as No Exit and book like that but the book was readable. what will i remember most about the book probably nothing.
ReplyDeleteI think the LGBTQ inclusion in this books definitely helps it be more approachable for teen readers as that becomes more normalized in our society. It shows many different experiences in the world, like abuse and poverty, and how you can grow out of that and make a name for yourself (though the way Evelyn did it is definitely flawed). I liked hearing about the glamourous and not so glamourous parts of Evelyn. It allowed me to get a different idea of certain idols today who I think are very easy to put on a pedestal of perfection. I also liked the three changes in viewpoint between Monique, Evelyn, and the new paper reports. It allowed me to look at every side of every action and get a deeper understanding of how Evelyn's actions affected others.
ReplyDeleteI agree I think that the younger generations are more willing to look at or read about LGBTQ+ books or at least more so then some people in the older generations. I think that Evelyn also had something that a lot of people could relate to at some point in the book due to all the challenges she faced in herr life time.
DeleteI also enjoyed the changes in viewpoint. I thought it made the storyline go into deeper detail and opinions about her life.
DeleteThe focus on LGBT+ characters is most likely this books strongest young-adult aspect. There are four primary characters that are LGBT+ and the story focuses on their struggles with hiding themselves and their desire to live their true lives. I will remember how the book painted LGBT+ struggles in the mid-1900's, showing how people could lose their entire livelihoods simply by expressing their true selves, the hostility that was shown towards LGBT+ people at the time, and that the book doesn't shy away from the use of slurs (similar to people from said time period).
ReplyDeleteI agree; I think if it weren't for that aspect, this book would mostly be fit for an adult audience. I was not expecting this book to feature a homosexual relationship; I thought that if that were true, it would be included in the summary and promo of the book. However, because it was a surprise, and because the story focused mostly on their love rather than the fact that they're homosexual, I think this book did justice to LGBTQ representation. Often, some stories shove representation in the viewers face and ignore the actual place a gay relationship would have in the story, however, this story does it right, and I respect that.
DeleteI think that the topics that are covered in this book make it young adult. I also think that the story starting with Evelyn being so yound and even when Celia being 18 when she is entered into the book. What intruged me most about this book was the true story behind everything and all the scandles. I thought it was intruging that everyone thought they knew her but no one had any idea what she was keeping private or any of the things happening behinnd closed doors. I will remeber the lesson from this book the most. You shoulld never be afraid to be who you are or stand up for whata you believe in.
ReplyDeleteI also thought it was intriguing that everyone thought they knew all about Evelyn when really no one knew what she lived like and who she was.
DeleteThe book had a lot of big and scandalous story elements. Evelyn starts out at a very young age becoming a star and she has a lot of conflicts with a lot of different people. What intrigued me the most about the book is every time something would go wrong, or a rumor was started Evelyn would come up with a story to "clear up" the rumor. It was cool being able to see what the world thought and what Evelyn thought. What I'll remember most about this book is the love story between her and Celia, and the seven husbands she had.
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, the book doesn't exclusively cater to young adult audiences. The main characters are full adults who have been through situations that many young adults can't relate to i.e. marriage, divorce, career struggles. However, it doesn't exactly belong to an older audience because there are themes that resonate mostly with a younger generation i.e. homosexual relationships and celebrity scandal.
ReplyDeleteI will remember the romance the most. I will remember how most of Evelyn's marriages were just cover-ups for her relationship with Celia St. James. I think that part is intriguing because I never expected it.
I think many things made this book young adult. Everything Evelyn goes through with finding where she belongs and what she wants to be in Hollywood along with the relationships she encountered. She struggled through abuse and the pressure of the fame all while trying to hide who she really loved. I will remember most about this book is that I always felt as if ii was reading a true story. I think a part that was intriguing to me was that most of her marriages were cover-ups so she could be with Celia, the one she truly always loved.
ReplyDeletethe lgbtq content and the challenges evelyn faces about coming out makes this book young adult because people that are gay can relate to that. this book did not intrigue me because i didnt understand really what was happening till the middle of the book. i problably wont remember this book at all.
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