“People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is ‘You’re safe with me’—that’s intimacy.”
Chapter 1-5: Monique Grant, an unknown journalist, is shocked when legendary Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo requests her specifically to write her biography. Evelyn, now reclusive, reveals she’s ready to expose the truth about her scandalous life, including her seven marriages. Monique, grappling with personal struggles, agrees, unaware of how deeply their lives will intertwine.
Chapter 6-10: Evelyn recounts her early years in Hell’s Kitchen, her abusive father, and her escape to Hollywood at 17. She marries her first husband, Ernie Diaz, for career opportunities, but their union is loveless. Evelyn’s ambition drives her to manipulate situations, including seducing film executive Don Adler (husband #2) to secure roles.
Chapter 11-15: Evelyn’s marriage to Don turns abusive, but she divorces him after gaining fame. She marries Mick Riva (husband #3), a famous singer, for publicity, but their relationship is hollow. Meanwhile, Evelyn secretly falls in love with her co-star, Celia St. James, though societal pressures force them to hide their romance.
Chapter 16-20: To protect her image, Evelyn marries actor Rex North (husband #4) as a beard, while continuing her affair with Celia. Rex dies in a car accident, leaving Evelyn devastated. She then weds film producer Harry Cameron (husband #5), her closest friend, in a platonic marriage to raise his daughter.
Chapter 21-25: Evelyn and Celia reunite, but their relationship is tumultuous. Evelyn marries Max Girard (husband #6), a director, to deflect rumors about Celia, but their marriage crumbles. Meanwhile, Harry, secretly in love with Evelyn’s assistant, dies of AIDS, leaving Evelyn heartbroken.
Chapter 26-30: Evelyn’s final marriage, to politician Robert Jamison (husband #7), is purely strategic to secure her legacy. She retires from Hollywood after his death. In the present, Monique uncovers a shocking truth: Evelyn chose her because Monique’s late father was the only man Evelyn ever loved—but couldn’t have.
Chapter 31-Epilogue: Evelyn reveals she’s terminally ill and wants Monique to publish her story posthumously. Monique, though hurt by the revelation about her father, agrees. The book ends with Evelyn’s death and Monique’s decision to embrace her own truth, inspired by Evelyn’s fearless life.
Key Ideas
- The cost of fame and the sacrifices made for success.
- The complexity of love, identity, and societal expectations.
- The blurred lines between truth and illusion in Hollywood.
- The power of storytelling to reclaim one’s narrative.
- Female ambition in a male-dominated industry.
Who should read this book?
- Fans of historical fiction and Old Hollywood glamour.
- Readers interested in LGBTQ+ narratives and complex female protagonists.
- Those who enjoy multi-layered stories about love, ambition, and reinvention.