·S19 E6

"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Episode Transcript

And I was like starting to get like mad and bored.

I was like, it should be called like seven losers that I'm gonna read about for no reason.

[laughs] I want you to give up our careers and live somewhere else and have an emity and be gay with me.

You have to find a job that makes your heart feel big instead of one that makes it feel small.

Is it worse for your dad to be having in a fair with a man or be a drunk driver?

To imagine having these big nannies up top by that, you know, you turn around, there's nothing there.

All of the fat went to the breast, incredible, the perfect figure.

If you sleep upside down.

[laughs] Does that work?

Hello, everyone and welcome back to Mean Book Club.

This week we read the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

Whoa!

Wow!

And who is that?

Yeah, well let's work it up for a doubt.

I didn't say who was by because I didn't put it in the title.

I didn't put it in the title, that was enough for me.

Taylor Jenkins' read.

Yes, that's it.

That's it.

Taylor Jenkins' read is the author.

As always, we are your host, I'm Sarah Burton.

Hello, I'm Clara Morris.

And I'm your host, Johnna Screybass.

And we are Mean Book Club.

[laughs] Kind of the warm-up post, warm-up post, and then you got your main egg.

Okay, oh my god.

So she's kind of in the game, hostile.

[laughs] Oh yeah.

All right, so as you can tell from just the tone and also probably the text that you read when you selected to listen to this, we are Mean Book Club.

And we read books that, you know, maybe your book club had to read and you were like, "Lugh, what's this?

This is stinky." But we must read New York Times bestsellers.

And I will admit, sometimes we like them, so that's that.

Now you know the deal.

Let's talk about why we're reading the Seven Husbands, Johnna.

What brought us this book?

What brought us here?

So we got a recommendation from Stephanie.

And this is the captivating recommendation we got.

Would love if you all did the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

I have checked.

It was New York Times bestseller.

I liked the book.

Would love to hear some start on it.

Great podcast, no period, nothing.

[laughs] You know, obviously like, whoa, I read that and I was like, "Hold the show, we gotta read this." If you all recall, Sarah chose the season to say what wasn't about that captivating review that you were just like, "Oh." We got to say yes to this 12 hour and 10 minute audio book.

Stephanie, I read between the lines and what happened was, you submitted a book that I've been wanting to read.

[laughs] So I didn't even try.

I just...

It's almost like, it's the laziness of Stephanie's review.

Like was a challenge to you.

Like she negged us and was like, "I liked it." It's usually, no, we're going for Stephanie.

But yeah, usually people give us ammo too, but she was just like, "I liked it a lot." And she was like, "Here you go, here's some drivel pigs.

Why don't you, why don't, why don't piggies read the book in this drop in Sarah?" It was like, "Take your challenge, steam is showing a little bit there, John." [laughs] It's just like, we get like, like a five paragraph email from someone that's like, "So captivatingly written and like funny and it tells us why to read the book." And somehow that didn't make the list, but this one did.

The 12 hour 10 minute audio.

I was the tiny, I was the...

I'm extreme.

I was straight up.

This is just a book I'd been wanting to read and I saw a way.

Can you hear about it?

How do you know?

Yeah, I know.

I was the eitgeist.

As soon as I was like, "My life is like this." I don't know, like I've seen people reading it.

I honestly, the cover looked good.

It was enough for me.

I wanted to read it.

I had heard it was enjoyable.

And once I knew somebody thought it could be good for them.

And then, I read it.

Did I write it?

Did you type the title into the search bar in the center?

No, no.

Oh, I...

I...

I don't think so.

But I do think I have brought this book up in previous...

Before in seasons before we were actually always getting them from guest wrecks, I think I have pitched this.

And it was rejected.

So that also, you know, sticking it to us a bit.

Also, 12 hour 10 minutes.

Isn't that bad?

I don't know.

Well, it's kind of long.

We did a 20 hour one once, do you remember?

Oh, it's long gone.

I don't remember.

That was like last season.

It was that the one with...

Unicorn flying horses flying unicorns, they ride dragons.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I missed you.

Fourth wing.

How I...

Fourth wing, yeah.

Fourth wing.

Yeah, that was ridiculous.

Okay, all right, all right.

But how'd you guys read this?

How'd you read it?

I had to do an audible audiobook.

I'm simple, is that?

So I...

Did you also do the audiobook, Johnna?

Oh, no, I have a story.

Oh, you have a story, all right.

Well, I'll just say that I heard the audiobook was bad.

That like...

In some...

When I was reading reviews, some people did not like the various...

The way it was read or like the tones were all different because there were different readers or something doing different sections.

Does this...

No, I think it was the same person.

Oh, okay, well maybe...

It seemed fine.

It seemed...

Maybe they re-did it.

I don't know.

But anyway, I found a free download of it and I read it on the plane and crushed it.

Crushed it.

Cool.

So I'll tell you what, there is a free audiobook that is floating around out there unonable.

And that's...

Not unonable, on Spotify.

And that is what I found and it took me to a special kind of hell.

The audio book.

Wait, maybe this is the...

Was this bad?

Was that...

There's no way this is the official audio book.

I just need to play you the first like 30 seconds of this recording because it has made this the absolute worst book I've ever read in my life.

And I don't think the book...

I think this might be a good book.

And...

I...

Here was the worst part.

The pronunciation and the reading are so poor that you can't even read it on two or three times speed.

You have to like, listen at the best I could do was 1.3 times speed.

Oh my God.

So that I could understand this person.

This person says that they did this for their girlfriend.

It says it's for my girlfriend, my girlfriend only.

But then it's like publicly available on Spotify.

I can only imagine...

Can you feel like a lawyer?

Yeah.

Maybe.

This is someone who, you know, English is a second language definitely good for them for trying something.

But the only way this is okay for me is if this is like the first time this person ever tried speaking English and they did made it for their girlfriend because they were like, see I did learn your language.

Are you proud of that?

Oh no.

Was there any point where you were like, I give up?

I'm going to pay for it.

Why would you keep going with this?

Once I was like 30 minutes in, I felt that it was a sunk cost situation where I was like, I've already listened to 30 minutes.

So little.

I can't pay for you now.

You should have been.

I doubt you should have.

You were wrong.

I doubt you should have.

You were wrong.

The audio is really quiet.

So the only way I could listen to it was on the like, the speaker of my home so it had to be playing a loud.

Oh God.

Chana.

Not worth the sound.

Not worth it.

This is not worth it.

But I got it for free.

Isn't that great?

Oh no.

Everyone, we need to send in more money to John.

I think it's the good page.

The good page on it.

Yeah, please go to our page.

You're going to become a patron.

So we don't do things like this, please.

I hope you can hear this.

This is how my audio book started.

Okay.

Hi.

This is going to be your Christmas present, but also something everyone think to do for a very long time.

Yeah.

Johnny, this is private.

I'm making you an audio book of the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

So I hope you enjoyed it.

Sit back.

Relax.

Yeah.

Of course.

Why didn't he just buy her the audio book to auction off gowns March 2nd, 2017.

Six days eight girl Eve Evelyn Hugo has just announced that she will auction off 12 of her most memorable gowns.

Donna, this is insane.

Here's the thing.

This is all listened to it is insane.

You're the insane one.

You're the insane one right now.

Sometimes he stops to cough.

Sometimes he struggles over a word for like 30 seconds.

Okay.

So this was unedited.

So he did this in one take.

It was completely unedited.

So I assume he was like high on cocaine.

At a certain point it turns into a robot voice and I don't know why.

I need a break.

One of my favorite.

Here are just a couple of moments from it.

I just want to that I remember specifically.

Okay.

Her laugh was so big.

It was more like a crackle.

Okay.

I think the word was probably cackle.

Smiling like the cheese, cheese, cheese, sherry cat.

I'm not going to make fun of a non-native English speaker.

I'm going to make fun of you.

I'm not for non-stopping.

Fully, fully, fully.

People think that I am black but I'm actually a rackeel.

So we're so rascal.

By racial.

Oh.

Yeah.

John.

You're not going to laugh at so much.

Who doesn't know to pronounce words in their second line.

John, all we know is that it's going to let me you.

Pristine king of that.

Something you can do.

It's not like they were putting this out as an audiobook to make fun of.

They literally said it's an audiobook.

They literally said it's for a Christmas present and you were like you heard that you thought you didn't think let me stop and let me get the actual audiobook.

You thought I'm going to keep.

Oh, it was free.

You must have known that this was going to come down on you hard.

I did it.

Oh, my God.

You're not going to make fun of someone who just know how to pronounce words.

All right.

It's not on them.

Guess what?

We don't have the summary for the book then.

Oh, no.

Is it all based on my whole bit was just him.

I'm not going to make the summary.

Do it all the coughs and little mispronunciations.

All right.

You know what?

I'm John.

You're going to do that.

You're.

You have to do it though.

You still have to do it.

No, I can't.

You have to.

You've educated me.

It's not funny that he can't speak English right.

It's very funny.

I'm wrong.

I'm racist.

Nobody says your face.

I don't even know what kind of European he is.

Okay.

Could be anything.

No one thinks your face.

So just think you're insane.

This wasn't.

All right.

He's not making fun of me.

I'll jump on point.

To make fun of this private record.

It's not private.

He made it public.

And you know what?

Everybody's messages are like, you guys seem like such a cute couple.

Oh, thanks.

Good.

Listen.

Okay.

It is shocking.

It is shocking to me.

People actually did listen to it.

Also, you know, he seems like he should be able to get sued for this.

I see the summary has been erased.

Did you just erase it?

I was about to say let's do the summary.

But John, what?

How are you going to sum it up now?

We're going to go to, you know what?

I'm sorry, John.

I have a way, a different way.

Here's a church.

He's a church.

Here you go.

So here's the summary.

The Seven Houses of Evelyn, Hugo by Taylor Jenkins, Reed.

Tells the story of Old Hollywood star Evelyn, Hugo.

Now in her late 70s Evelyn agrees to give an exclusive interview to an unknown magazine.

Monique Grant.

As Evelyn recounts her scandalous and glamorous life, structured around her seven marriages, she reveals the truth behind her rise to fame, her sacrifices, and her greatest love.

The novel spans decades, from Evelyn's early days as a Cuban-American teenager in Hell's Kitchen, to her calculated transformation into a blonde bombshell and movie icon.

Each husband represents a different chapter in her life.

There are fairs, betrayals, and heartbreak.

Monique initially is unsure why Evelyn chose her to tell this story, but in the end Evelyn reveals a shocking personal connection between them.

Monique's father died in an accident that Evelyn indirectly caused.

That's not true.

Evelyn just indirectly caused.

Indirectly caused the accident.

The revelation forces Monique to grapple with questions of forgiveness, legacy, and identity.

Okay.

Understand why a Chad G.P.T.

thinks that based on what's her name's reaction?

Monique's reaction?

But...

Yeah.

Not what we got.

All right.

Thanks, Johnna/JetDubes.

Johnna, sorry to come after you, but so hard.

No, no.

I think you saved me from maybe further embarrassing myself.

No, I wanted to hear it.

I wanted to hear what you wrote so bad about him.

No, you didn't.

Yeah, and the way that a cat plays with its food before he said.

You were supposed to get her a read that somewhere.

I got it.

No, no, no, no.

No, it's funny.

It's the most funny thing is the fact that you just kept going with it, because it was so insane.

It sounds insane.

It was really bad.

But you have to admit it was like...

I sometimes you just like...

When you hit into the microphone?

No, the part of you was like...

I'm sacrificing myself for the comedy of the cast.

Yeah, I did it down.

I did know a little bit that it would be fun to tell.

I didn't expect to be like jumped on quite so.

Yeah, that's clear.

Because I feel like you guys saw me fall by with my little bad leg.

You really pounced.

Yeah, it's just one of those things that you're like, "Oh, who is the person who made it crazy or is the person who sat and listened to it crazy?" And you kind of have to be like, "They're both crazy." And that's just where we came in.

Sure, that's where you came in.

Yeah, I'm one of them is acting like she's not crazy at all.

What are they trying to make fun of?

They're the other crazy one.

We think is a hero for putting himself out there.

That's so cool.

I mean, he did that.

I'd like to see you read something in another language, Johnna.

You know what I could.

And I wouldn't stumble over every goddamn word.

Okay, go ahead, ask me.

I'll record any one of our books in another language.

She does have her master's in Spanish literature.

And Portuguese.

Because of a fraudulent test that I bullshed it my way through.

Congratulations.

Don't take my degree away from me.

A graduate center.

All right, all right.

Let's go.

Let's you ready to go into the book.

All right.

Okay.

So I also just like physically declined the second we started recording.

I feel like I'm having an allergy attack.

Okay.

Published in 2017.

Yep, we already heard this part.

Old Hollywood film legend, Evelyn Hugo.

According to read, Evelyn is loosely based on actresses Elizabeth Taylor, who was married eight times to seven different men.

And on Ava Gardner, who revealed the secrets of her life to a journalist, who published them in Ava Gardner, the secret conversations, which I'd love to check if that's a New York Times bestseller, because I would read the shit out of that.

Yeah.

Read also said that read a hayworth was an influence on Evelyn.

Hayworth's father was a spaniard and had a very similar, and she had a very similar start to Evelyn's career with multiple relationships.

I imagine most women of that era had a similar start to their careers, which was like find a man who's powerful in this industry.

And fuck them.

Fuck them.

Make them love you.

You get cast.

Yeah.

Not to diminish those women.

Like literally, I think they, that is what they had to do.

Literally, I think that's what you had to do.

And we did, you did find when, when was, did it, was it an immediate New York Times bestseller or, oh, I just took Stephanie's word.

All right.

I don't think we want to go down that rabbit hole again.

No, I, let's just trust, let's trust Stephanie.

I've been, I, I'm pretty confident about this one.

I'm confident enough about this one to say I'm not going to let me go.

So now we don't even shit.

All right.

Fuck it.

Keep going.

He's going.

I'm just, I'm just saying, I'm just saying, we can't live in this fear of failure.

Yeah.

But I mean, I'm, my confidence is at an all time low.

Like I, you know, I see that.

I'm not sure I mean, where I go.

Before we even, before we even attacked you, you were referring to us.

But mainly, you know, it was clearly your self esteem as pigs, pigs who would just lap up anything you put the drop in front of us.

Yeah.

All right.

This is good news.

I'm going to get the paperback bestsellers list in 2023.

We got seven husbands in heaven and Hugo.

It's been there for 115 weeks.

This is a real bestseller.

Real real real real real.

What we're talking about.

That's real.

This is not 40 copies were delivered to 40 different parts of nobles across the city.

Yes, exactly.

Okay.

So it makes sense.

I mean, it does it makes sense.

I'm kind of on a spoil things, but it wasn't so bad.

No wonder.

I experienced this different.

Okay.

In 2019, freeform and Fox 21 television studios picked up the rights for development.

And Reed was going to work on the shows as screenwriter, but then in 2021, she Reed confirmed that the rights were no longer owned by freeform.

She felt really good about the direction it was going in.

Rotro.

Where?

Having heard anything in the four years since then March 2022.

It was announced that Netflix will be adapting the novel into a feature film, but again, haven't heard anything on that front.

Been a bit of a beat there on it.

Like after they announced and they have like writers and executive producers and directors that have been attached, I feel like, you know, hopefully you have a little more momentum, but yeah, I think they should still do it.

I do feel like the twist or whatever might be harder to do.

You could take that out, I think.

Sure, sure, but yes, that's also that, but it was like because it hinges on her just not telling it.

It was a black man, but like if you're doing the flashback, it's going to be whatever.

Whatever.

We'll get there.

There are a few twists at the end of this.

So a little bit about the author.

Her name is Taylor Jenkins-Reed.

She has several novels that have been really successful.

This probably being the top of them, but a novel right now carries Soto's back is also on the rise and slated for a bunch of different development deals.

She went to Emerson College and studied media studies.

And she actually began her career in film production.

She moved to LA and was a casting assistant.

And she also worked in a high school before she got a book deal.

And she got her first literary agent at 24.

So she has a bit of a- Wow.

You know, I don't like that.

It's a bond.

Yes, I knew you wouldn't like it.

But there is no hiding it.

Okay.

I had a chance to work in a high school, which probably sucks.

She probably worked in, you know, like, you know, an after school program for a bit.

I guess I'm six months.

And then she got to be like, "I really put in my time for I became a success." She does give interviews about her books, but she is pretty, I'd say, reserved publicly.

So, like, I wanted to find out more about her.

And so I went to her Instagram page and it is literally all it is our different promos of her books.

Not even pictures of her or any sort of interesting promo.

It's like the cover of the book.

Oh.

And then where you can buy an interesting-- So business.

How to scroll all the way down to May 2023 to find anything that wasn't just a picture of a book.

And it's like an open letter to her fans, which I thought was kind of funny.

And it's-- so if we ever come across each other on the street, I need you to know these five things.

Number one, I am happy to see you.

A lot of fun.

Yes, I am.

Number two, if you get me on a day where I'm wearing mascara or pants with a waistband, wow, play the lottery.

Number three, and this one's a bit long.

But most of the time, I'm dressed like a slob.

My hair is not done.

I am not wearing makeup.

I have stains on my clothes.

I'm probably coming from or going to a McDonald's.

If I'm with my kid, I'm teaching her about how to live in this world.

And she may or may not be annoyed at me.

My husband and I are either making each other laugh uncontrollably, or one of us is annoyed at the other.

I am a fundamentally impatient person who is raised to never be rude.

So if I appear to be in mental anguish, that's what you're seeing.

Number four, I have IBS.

Whoa, this is-- She's way more than I know.

And if you see her, she's probably rushing to her from a bathroom.

No, okay, she's doing it.

And this is just, okay, is this her trying to be like, please don't talk to me and probably-- I think so, that's why I read it.

I think it's her trying to be like, look, I'm so accessible and nice, I'm normal, I'm just like you.

But if you see me and you want to write about the bad interaction we had, take a look at how I was coming from McDonald's.

But it's also very valid, like I do feel like, you know, if you see a celebrity in their out with their kid, like, do not talk to that person, leave that person alone.

I don't know, maybe they want to impress their kid.

Or take a weird photo of them, like I do.

From afar, yeah, from their back, you know.

You have them.

Literally.

Oh, with their kid, that's so funny.

But no, I mean, it's just funny.

It's like, this is clearly someone who is truly, like this is probably how I would feel like if I were famous, which is like, oh, I always look disgusting, unless I have like, I have plans specifically to be seen with someone.

Yeah.

If I think that I'm just like, taking my kid to school or, like, I'm going to the grocery store, look, I'm not your friend, so, okay.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

So this was very relatable, but at the same time, I was like, I think this is probably telling of who this person is, which is just like, probably a little bit of a curmudgeon if you see her.

Yeah.

Understandable.

Because she has, I've also, there's no pictures of her how we even supposed to know what she looks like.

Yeah, I also had the same thought.

I mean, obviously she has much best health, but I wouldn't, I have no idea what she looks like.

Yeah.

You don't often know what the author looks like, right?

Sort of ruins a book.

It's funny because I feel like for a lot of female authors, the main character is like a sort of dolled up glamorized version of them where you're like, okay, I could see if you were an elf and you were 35 years younger and you were starving.

You might look like the main character you've described.

Like it's like, I don't know, it's like at the same hair color or something where you're kind of like, uh-huh, uh-huh.

It's totally not you.

Yeah, not your dream version of you.

Speaking of Evelyn Hugo in the book describes herself as, I looked into them here and in no uncertain terms, I'm beautiful.

She's like, honestly, even the most beautiful person you know, does anyone honestly think like that about themselves?

Is Sabrina?

Oh, yeah.

It's hard because I get, you know, beyond Sabrina, it is like her, because the whole character is just like, I'm fucking hot and I'm gonna use it.

And it's like, good for her, but also like, how, how did you exist in this world and that was something, but maybe, I don't know, maybe she, I just, it's an unrelatable experience, certainly, but so is, you know what I'm like in the middle of Sabrina's life.

You know what I liked about it isn't a lot of times when we have books where the main characters that hot and that attractive, they everyone wants to rape them and does.

That's happened in several books.

Yes, yes, yes.

It's not the case here.

This one she just gets abused the regular way.

Yeah, we all look fashion way.

Right, right.

She does, she has a lot of agency in the sexual realm and she seems even when she's losing her virginity or whatever, she's like, I'm gonna get something out of it.

I'm doing this to get something out of it, which is like, just something I don't, you don't see out of what 14 year olds, how would she would that happen?

Yeah, but I guess we should also just the way that I just want to go over quickly before we dive into Evelyn, because most of this book is about Evelyn, that's who we would be talking about, but it is framed in like the current time where Evelyn Hugo is a star who got her start in the 50s, but now she's much older.

She's reached out to this magazine where Monique Grant is working and she's gonna give her an exclusive interview, which is a big deal.

She never talks to people.

Everyone's like, why her or everyone makes such a big deal?

Why, why, why?

Was it because you wrote that article about people die, people kill themselves?

Assisted suicide.

Hint one, hit number one.

I have major hints, I'm like, I probably know where this novel is going.

And then, yeah, then we find out that Evelyn has actually learned her there under false pretenses because she actually wants Monique to write her autobiography.

Whoa, whoa, and it's still not sure.

We're still not sure why Monique, because that really isn't revealed till later, but what other thing to know about Monique is that her dad worked obviously around this sometime around the same time as Evelyn Hugo.

Because he's dead, he died when she was young, because she has her mom sent her a bunch of photos from dad's old time when he worked in Hollywood.

So you're like, okay, that's another thing that's gonna come back, which it does.

Although, when that first happened, I did write down, oh, because Evelyn Hugo had been made this all this, she's like, oh, I have one great love.

She said that you're like, oh, seven happens, which one is it?

And I, at first I was like, oh, it was her dad.

I thought it was her dad at first.

Yeah, but then it was like immediately, no, Evelyn Hugo is bisexual and her great love was another famous actress.

Name Celia St.

James.

Yeah, I thought maybe it would be revealed that Evelyn was married seven times, but the love was like you're saying the father of Monique.

And it was someone that was never written about in any paper.

And it was that, but it was Celia.

And it's pretty interesting because the timing, she like rose to prominence in the fifties.

And it seems like this was a pretty common thing at the time, potentially for like a gay film star to marry a woman who might be a lesbian and have what was called a lavender marriage, which is like neither of them, they had a marriage of convenience and a marriage of like a beard situation.

So that neither was ever questioned about their sexuality.

And then would secretly have lovers, same sex lovers, or maybe not even secretly have them just, you know, be in this sort of arranged marriage and not have that other part of their lives.

Be fulfilled, but I think that's a really cool idea for a novel to like, explore that.

Although it was, there was the point because basically Evelyn's her best friend, Harry Cameron, who's this producer, he's gay and then like he's in love with a John Braverman, a football quarterback who Mary Celia, so that they're those are the lavender marriages and they actually like swap, but pretend they married each other, but the same sex partner is their actual partner.

They, they live near each other and they like basically have these, you know, they live really nice life together.

Yeah, they live in LA, except for when it's more convenient for them to live in New York because historically we need them to be.

Oh my goodness, the stone wall, I aid them to be at stone wall, but they're not, but it's just like they're not there there, but they don't go down, which is just like funny to me.

I was like, they could have, they did not need to move them to New York just to have to be there when stone wall happened, but not participate because they were public figure.

Yeah, yeah, but be texting other people who were there.

Maybe not texting, but you're right there texting.

And my average get nice things before the rest of us.

I wouldn't be that surprised.

But yeah, but I don't know that that was like the one part where I was like, okay, come on.

And then it's a lot of like, we're not out and we don't do anything or I don't, you know, I'm Evelyn Hugo and I don't consider, I don't care at all for lesbian rights or whatever, but then I decided I would give them some money.

And it's like, okay, I guess that's something you seem like a bad, I don't know like lesbian, a bad lesbian, which is bisexual, which is also a funny part of like a lot of the issues between Evelyn and a Celia, like Celia is a lesbian, Evelyn's bisexual.

I think maybe I don't even actually know if that was the issue.

I believe that is the issue.

And then like, yeah, I feel like Celia kept using her body sexuality and her body to conceal love for Cecilia.

Yeah, like she, yeah, tricked a guy into marrying her in Las Vegas for one night and slept with him for one night so that like, because so that the heat could be off of Celia in her, because I guess it had made it to the papers or something.

And yeah, so she tricked a fan who was like obsessed with her and then to like this night of drunk and revelry and they get married in Vegas and then it's actually one of the more interesting chapters.

She's like, and then I proceeded to be the worst lay of his life.

She's like, I let him play with my breasts for hours so long that there was absolutely no mystery or secrecy left.

He had seen all of them and got bored.

Then finally, like he began to like, I laid back like a stiff board.

It was very funny.

It was a very little campaign for buddy sexy.

No, she just kept being like, oh, I only have sex when I married and all that.

But anyway, but but then Celia was pissed because when she found out, well she finds out because Evelyn needs to get an abortion but Celia's pissed because she was like, you actually had sex?

And I just thought that was that was like one of the first big breakups and I thought that was so stupid.

I just was like, what did you think she was doing?

I don't know.

It just seemed like Celia was serious, not great is my opinion.

She's a bit of a drama queen.

She is a drama queen.

And it's like, what do you want her to do?

Evelyn, yeah, give up everything.

Yeah, career and ever come out to be with it wasn't like Celia was trying to come out and she was like, I just want to tell the world an Evelyn was stopping her.

That wasn't the situation.

It was more like she was just mad Evelyn was doing all the heavy lifting.

Yeah, I want you to give up our careers and live it somewhere else and and an emity and be gay with me.

And to later to be fair, someone who is described as quote, a very slim figure without standing big breasts like, I'm sorry, but that person needs to be shared with the world.

Although I did find interesting, they also kept saying that she had no butt and I was like, wow, I like the honesty there.

She's not trying to pretend that she is curvy in that way.

She's like, but I didn't need it because I got them tits.

True, but I feel like perhaps she was kind of coming up in the butt free era.

Yeah, where butts were less of a thing.

I think you're right.

Yeah, I think they said it as a positive.

To imagine having these big natties up top, you know, you turn around.

There's nothing there.

All of the fat went to the breast.

Oh, yeah, perfect figure.

If you sleep upside down.

Is that worse?

Oh, try it.

I'm sending too much time standing.

That's the problem.

Yeah, gravity, fucking gravity.

Yeah, so but Evelyn, you go, I guess, was fun, the fun character, you know, because she was like, you know, one of those like, yeah, I fucking do it.

Yeah, I'll fucking take it to the next level.

I'll use my sexuality and you're like, oh, what's she going to get into next?

Oh, yeah.

It wasn't, it wasn't like super predictable like the, I'm going to trick him into marrying me.

I'm in total control that I'm going to be the worst life of his life.

That wasn't totally predictable, which was cool.

And that's over.

That's third husband, too.

We already, we skipped over the first kind of the second.

The first one was to get her to LA basically slept with Mary to boy, so that he could take her to Hollywood and then pretty much the next was like a first famous person she could get with.

And then God, she was done.

It was Don Adler.

And but then he was abusive.

And that's when she met Celia when filming little women and realized like as that was kind of falling apart.

And then she was like, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know.

I don't know, I don't know.

I don't know.

Because of you.

It wasn't interesting.

I guess it was kind of like she thought like she had achieved her dream.

I guess was what was interesting about it.

And it was shitty.

Right.

I think it was like, I think it was, I think it was a good thing to do.

It was, I think it was a good thing to do.

I think it was a good thing to do.

And then she was like, I think it was a good thing to do.

I think it was a good thing to do.

And then she was like, I think it was a good thing to do.

And then she was like, I don't know.

And like, not ruin everything.

Right, right, right.

Yeah.

So as you can see, this is a better book than we used to read.

Yeah.

We're changing on it.

Terrible.

Yeah.

I mean, the story of, I think the story of Evelyn Hugo, her life was well written.

It was fun.

It was like, I guess it could be me, Andrea, at times.

I feel like maybe the biggest critique is like the Monique Grant was like, I think it was really slowed stuff down, I think.

Like, yeah, I don't know why.

And it's like, Evelyn tells you this like eloquent thing.

And she's just talking to the journalist.

This isn't the book.

And then we can be the book.

Yeah.

I don't know why it had to be in the format of talking to a journalist.

We don't care about it.

So we can have her go and be like, oh, Evelyn said it wasn't a big deal to get a divorce.

So it's, I realized that I don't know.

The journalist is going through something.

Yeah, I guess she did.

I don't care.

No, I don't care.

But also Monique, sorry, because Monique's character, her husband, of a year, has like left to go to San Francisco and she wouldn't move with him.

And so they're separated right now.

But it's like funny because all you hear is her, her is talking about a coffee table.

Like she's not like, I miss him.

I miss the touch of his skin.

I miss any, she's just like, that coffee table.

She keeps coming back.

Oh, there's no coffee table there.

Because he took the coffee table.

So it's like pretty obvious that you're like, yeah, I don't think these two are meant to be.

There was nothing, there wasn't like even for a second.

You were like these two or she really misses him and she's going to realize she doesn't.

It was like, no, it's pretty clear from the top that that wasn't real.

Well, you didn't get that the coffee table was symbolism for sex with her husband.

Oh, wow.

Well, it was a big, Fuck me.

Wood.

Oh, wood, hard wood.

Oh, my God.

Yeah, the hard wood.

That's what she missed.

I agree with the part with Monique being slow.

And I also like, until this Cecilia moment popped up, I honestly was like, is this book going to pass the Bechtel test?

Which is the like, the thing in movies where, like movies used to exist where a woman couldn't be on screen with another woman at the same time, unless they were talking about like, their romantic lives or like talking about a man.

Yeah.

And I, like, maybe the world has changed a little bit and it's less of a problem now, but it did feel like at the beginning of this, I was like, this is very funny.

It's a book called, like, "Avalid Hugo is in the title." And I'm following these two women and yet like, so far all I have heard about are these men.

And I was like, starting to get like mad and bored.

I was like, it should be called like seven, like, losers that I'm gonna read about for no reason.

It is, but I will say, I guess, or the love life was interesting, but there were points where I kept thinking, like even like the brief moment of the Stonewall riots, I was like, are we gonna get anything else from her?

Like, because it doesn't seem like we know of any other interest she has or stuff that she does or like, she has a kid and the kid, I'm like, I guess just as, I think as we all are, mothers of young kids, it's like, how much of my life is that and how it's like little of it was hers?

Even the fact that she was like, I had, and she went right back to work and there, and there wasn't any like discussion of, oh, nobody did that at the time.

There wasn't really anything at all, I guess, about like the difficulties in raising a kid.

I mean, I don't know, maybe nobody, maybe she was right to keep all that out, but I just kept thinking like, okay, what about these parts of your life?

What are you just going to do?

Right, if I get it silly all the time, you gotta be doing other things.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think the kid thing could have been really interesting, especially because she had the kid with her beard.

Yeah.

And like, then by default, the beard-- They didn't even talk about them having sex, did they?

I don't remember it if they did.

No, they didn't.

They did not.

But yeah, she and the beard were became the parents of the kid, but it was sort of like Cecilia and Evelyn's child.

Yeah, even though Cecilia said she didn't really want a kid, didn't she say that?

Right, right.

Yeah, and then the beard really did want a kid, but it's like, you live in a different house than it.

Yeah.

And I was just all working, but it was all fine.

Yeah, and the daughter never said anything.

It was like, you would think maybe the daughter would say, "Send it to school," and we'd get around, but like, no.

She was just perfect.

The daughter didn't even get it?

You didn't even know about stealing or perceiving?

It seemed like-- I guess it ended when she was really young, right?

They broke up for a little while.

And kids are stupid, I guess you just tell them whatever anything you said about that.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I just like, cool, that's the world as I accept it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

But anyway, mine's not stupid, but I've heard bad things about other ones.

Yeah, of course, of course, Tom-O-Dohr.

So the second time Celia throws a Hissy fit in Lee's Evelyn, it's even dumber because Evelyn has just had a baby, and she's like, I was offered this role, but you've got to take it because it's like a sexy, sexy, sexy, French.

Yeah.

Oh, sure.

You got to do this, and so she pushes Evelyn to do it, and then Evelyn does it, and yes, it ends up being with Evelyn's ex-husband, but I didn't even-- But what-- she gets pissed off?

Yeah, so Celia is totally wrong in this.

Yeah.

She pushes her to do the movie, and then-- She pushes her to do the movie because Evelyn figures this out.

She just wanted Evelyn to not be seen, and she didn't want to see her as a mother.

Yeah.

She wanted to still see her girlfriend or her wife as a sex pot.

Yeah.

And that's manipulative.

Yes.

And weird and super wrong, Celia.

Like if a man was doing this, we would be like, oh, let her enjoy postpartum or whatever, but anyway.

Right, right.

Evelyn does it, and then like has a sexy scene within the movie, and then I guess Celia gets mad about it.

I didn't even understand.

Yeah.

So Celia is like-- so she-- basically what's her name?

Evelyn orgasms in the movie, and it's fake.

It's a movie.

And so Celia is like, I can't take it.

But please, I can't take it.

I can't take it.

It's private between us.

Sex is private between us.

She's an actor.

And like-- I don't know if you think you may or do.

Yeah.

And Evelyn's all upset because she already did it and then pretended she was asking for permission, but it was already done.

And it's like, even if-- Cecilia said, no.

Like, how does she bring that to the director and be like, we're not going to do your idea because my partner-- I mean, I guess that was her husband.

But I-- it's still like-- Because my husband doesn't want to, like, I don't know, that seems shitty.

It is shitty.

Because it's her job.

It's shitty.

It's a-- It's a-- And you pushed her to do it.

Yeah.

So then they break up.

One thing, Cecilia says.

And yes, and then-- Yeah.

Just so you get another sense of, like, the Cecilia character and how she's totally mentally well.

This is something she says to Evelyn.

I loved you so much that I thought you were the meaning of my life.

I thought that people were put on earth to find other people.

And I was put on earth to find you.

To find you, to touch your skin and smell your breath and hear all your thoughts.

So it sounds like Cecilia-- Maybe even had a pair of social relationship with Evelyn.

Yeah.

Bit of a fan first, bit of a star fucker.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

And a little bit creepy.

I was put on this earth to touch your skin.

I'd wear it if I could.

Yeah, it is a step away.

It's a step away.

So that happens and then-- Cecilia-- But a divorce-- She really-- But it's like as though she was handing the divorce papers to her ex- And a divorce away, too, yeah.

And it's like, well, Evelyn, maybe that's-- Maybe find yourself another nice girl because this one isn't so nice.

Yeah.

Yeah, this one's broke, okay?

But Evelyn, never-- No.

She's the kind of bisexual that is-- is a one woman bisexual.

She's never with another woman.

It's only a bunch of dud dudes.

I don't think Cecilia-- What-- Her Celia was her love of her life.

I don't know who was, but Cecilia sucks.

Yeah.

It's a bummer that the end of the novel, like the lesson is that-- Like this was it.

Wow, what a great love story.

You know, the one never told.

But like you guys said, if Cecilia had been a man that was like-- Go do a sex scene.

A fucking hate you for doing that.

But actually, the message would have been like-- Cecilia was the worst of them all.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

The only one she really loved was Harry, her beard.

Like, they had a marriage of intellect and companionship that was better than all the rest, you know?

Yeah.

It was-- Yeah, like in the way she used the sexist transaction a lot, so, you know, why are we pretending to be nomenodical?

Kind of her deal.

Yeah.

Another big lesson from the book that I wanted to just mention was like-- It's like bouncing your career and doing things that are-- that fulfill your soul.

And this is a direct quote from the book, so, you know, hopefully we can all learn something.

You have to find a job that makes your heart feel big instead of one that makes it feel small.

Oh my god.

Taylor Jenkins read.

Wow.

That's really cool.

And it's like, you know, yeah, like cleaning toilets doesn't make my heart feel big.

But watching TV does.

And that's my job now.

Please pay me.

But it needs to be my job.

It makes my heart feel really big to watch too.

It's just funny yet.

Not everybody can have a job in the arts.

Not everybody gets to do-- I don't know.

It's just-- Yeah.

And now even less with AI, we're all going to be servants.

Yes.

We're all about soon, so I don't think we're going to find a whole lot of jobs that make our hearts big and less there as, you know, animal test subjects for the robots.

Yeah.

And they're really-- We can only-- We can only have-- Fingers crossed.

I'll be a test-soh human test subject.

Something.

Oh, wait.

The big heart kind.

I hope I get it in the big heart kind.

Not the small heart kind.

Not the one where you shoot me up with TB and see how long it takes me to die.

I'll do it.

You could just make up on me.

Like, ones that are like really close to the finish line.

We're pretty sure it's going to work.

Like, we've done the animal test and already now we're going to shoot the human test.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, sorry.

I just realized we didn't mention that she was half Cuban.

What was her-- We need to talk about this.

This is a bit of a criticism.

She is part Cuban, and she has darker skin, so that's all that she dies her.

She gets rid of Diaz and changes her last name and dies her hair blonde.

That does the trick.

And that does the trick, which I love about you said.

I've loved and tan.

Wow.

You look happy.

The tone-packing.

Thank you.

One thing you to look wider and you did it.

Thank you so much.

But one thing she says is like she has like a Spanish main.

She won't speak Spanish, or like she's totally made her own.

She kind of does an OJ, you know?

She's just like, you know, or is there a past kind of thing?

I guess until the very end when she moves her Spain.

When you say does an OJ, I think a lot of people might go to murderous wife.

There is a plot point we have not gone to yet, so.

Okay, true.

Oh yeah, well, just on the race thing.

And also the author talks a lot about...

or not the author.

The person who's writing Eveline's book Monique has a black father and white mother.

And she talks about that a lot.

Yeah.

So, you know, there is a school of thought that is like "Wide a Taylor, Jenkins Read who Biola counts as white" like kind of pursue these two main characters who are both not white and, you know, maybe didn't really like, chose to make both characters biracial but then didn't dig into that at all in the book.

Big Boll, like, were like that they both were very simple.

It's very superficial.

Because the Monique says something like "I buried a white guy because they wouldn't be make me question whether I was black enough" which just also, which was like I think an interesting perspective but also was like "Also, that way I don't ask the writer." Yeah.

But, um, Tielsa says when she meets her mom at New York City at the train station and hugged her, she's like "People were staring because even in New York they're not used to seeing the mother like this" and a "Kid like this" that's not true.

That's not true.

And I don't think I'm on biracial and a different color than my mother and I've never felt like "Why is this a one of those two women hugging?" Yeah.

There's also a very kind of very egregious moment at the end where Evelyn goes, moves to Spain and she is like reconnecting with like the Cuban part of her by going to Spain.

I was like "That's a different culture, that's not the same." You just picked a Spanish-speaking country but it's like not even close.

It's just like a really cracked re-op like "Yes, there you're doing it now.

You're doing your true self in Europe." You remembered some Spanish, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

Oh yes, tortilla, yeah.

Yeah, so there's like some criticism around that.

I think the Cuban American experience is like a particularly interesting one, particularly in the 50s.

So it's like especially to choose that heritage and not comment it on it at all during the whole experience was that you could simply, it's just not a part of it.

I'm surprised that Taylor Jenkins-Reeh didn't be like "I went on a quick vacation to Cuba, but then there was a missile crisis, so I had to turn the bear police on." That's her.

So she was like "And I realized I could put that part of my identity away.

I didn't have to be a white woman that visited Cuba.

I could just put that in the box and not deal with it at this time." All right, so I guess we should get to like, so in the story we find out that at one point Harry Cameron, they are now divorced I think at this point, but they're still very close.

He was, he's the beard, they were in the lavender marriage.

Yeah, she divorced him so she could marry a man.

She's like that, but then that barely that also wasn't anything.

She really marries people too fast.

Yeah.

It's unnecessarily so.

You could have just had an affair with him for a long time.

Yeah, like if anything, like, photograph, you know- Because- Nothing's been working out maybe just like, yeah, test it out for a little bit, you know?

I don't know.

To dating or get the divorce and then date.

I don't know why.

It was always like, yeah, right into the next one.

But Evelyn, oh, he has, there's a bunch of things where like Evelyn wants to move with their daughter, but he wants to stay local to LA because he is, Perry has now fallen in love with a new guy who for some reason Evelyn hasn't met until she finds them dead in a car because they crashed a car.

Yes?

Yeah.

And we know- One of them is found dead and then- Okay, yes.

Her dad dies later in the hospital.

But- Yes, so Harry is alive.

He was driving drunk, obviously.

The other guy is dead.

So she pays her driver to help her switch to take the boyfriend, put him in the driving seat.

So it looks like he got crashed his car and then take Harry to the hospital.

And I do think the element of her dad is still being alive and she's trying to spare him the drunk driving charge.

That's her thought, not just like they both died and now my dad's memories- Oh, yeah.

Because he heard her beard.

Or a beard, sorry, her beard.

Yeah.

Trying to prevent him from going to jail, which, you know, bad decision for a million different reasons, but that's so logic.

It's guess it's like- Yeah, and it's the father of her kids.

Right, right.

She's like, my kid isn't gonna fucking have a dad.

It goes to normal.

And this is a woman who's- Yeah, she's done a lot of stuff that is morally- She was no compass left.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

So this isn't crazy out-expected, but okay, so that happens this story- But it wasn't because then people will know I'm gay.

It wasn't like- That wasn't the one that was the funnier who cares.

Right, right, it wasn't.

She made them look really straight though after the crash.

Yeah, they were like, just bumping, like, those are what she set up their hands.

So, you know, that way there would be no suspicious.

Anyway, so the big twit- So remember before we were like, oh, clearly the dad, uh, Monique, the writers, dad was gonna come into play.

Well, this is where he comes into play, because at the very end when they're all done, she's like, you're gonna hate me.

Evelyn keeps saying you're gonna hate me and my own ex's like, okay, she's like, hey, you didn't do anything that bad.

Yeah, and then it's the big reveal that- That man who she moved the dead body to the driver's seat was actually Monique's dad.

Da, da, da, da, da.

Which was- It was a big reveal.

It was a big reveal.

I do- I didn't find it to be unexpected, but I don't think that- Like it wasn't like a twist, but this is not like a, um, that kind of book- Really?

It's not a thriller, so I didn't expect to be- No, it's more of a romance historical- Yeah, but I think it was- It was interesting then like what happened after that, because then she used to deal with like, okay, this is something you did to my dad, but then also like finding out her dad was actually gay, like, and she didn't know that.

And her mother doesn't know that, and then like, do you tell the mom?

Do you tarnish the memory?

Does she- Does she want to try to admit- Reput this in the book and try to redeem her dad in some way, but then it's like exposing that he was having an affair.

And then it's- Um, I thought- The reaction was very childish.

[laughs] It was like- What are- what are you mad about that she took so long to tell you?

Like, I think that it's like, it's good.

Like your dad wasn't a drunk driver, which, I don't know, he- I don't know- I guess, I think she's- I feel like finding out that your dad was having a affair and was gay would be shocking or would be like- Yeah, but why does she hate Evelyn?

What?

I think because- Because she framed him- Because she framed him for killing someone with a drunk driving accident is pretty heavy.

Kill only himself, only himself, right?

No, they both died.

The- Harry died in the hospital.

Yeah, they both died.

Oh, I forgot.

So, like, she basically framed her dad as like, drive-drove drunk, killed himself, killed his passenger.

Like, it kind of like tore her family apart.

It was definitely a- Okay, forget about that.

I would be- It was just himself.

Okay, little loud.

Yeah, but it's- It- It- But yeah, it's- It's a funny way to tell someone that it's a very funny way to- To tell you- I'm just like, A whole life story for a- Yeah.

It'd be like doing a podcast with someone for like, seven years, you know what I mean, are like, ten years, and like- Oh, no, I'll- What do you- Oh, now- What do you- What do you- What do you do- Oh, you're about to tell us something- I'm just like- Just if someone does something like that, nothing.

No, it's not a big deal.

Nothing.

This isn't about my uncle- No, Marco, is that- Marco?

I don't know.

This is- Is your Cuban uncle?

I just don't think so.

Your Cuban uncle.

No, no, no.

Sorry.

Um, I am gonna try to think of something to reveal to you all someday.

Okay, okay, okay, okay.

Some alterated detail of it.

Five, so I'm out doing this podcast led to that moment.

I feel like you're gonna have to like, commit murder, just fulfill this.

Oh, I guess I haven't brought it up yet, but I did think, you know, the- The make-out or sexy- Not- because we're not like talking- They weren't talking about like the Cisarean specific.

They weren't- we weren't- These were not sex scenes like they were giving us P and V orgasm, but like when it was with Celia, when it was with someone who she cared about, I thought it was the well-written, like horny, but not too horny, I guess.

It gave me an- I thought it might not be horny enough for you.

I think given the context of this historical thing, it was- 'Cause it wasn't like- It was, yeah, it was the right kind of horny.

'Cause if- I would have liked a- Will they won't they type thing with Celia, but that's not what it was.

And so- In your mind, Sarah was- Because it was like sex in the 1950s, and your mind was just like a bit more demure than the kind of sex we have.

Was it more- Oh, yeah, a lot more clothing.

Or alligant.

Yeah, certainly, a lot more clothing.

Lacey Teddy's, and more serves and madams.

Yeah, yeah, definitely the women.

They definitely.

I don't know, I guess I'll have to think about this now.

I'm actually sad- I mean, we haven't mentioned yet, but Sabrina's not here, 'cause I would have loved to hear her take since some of that, but- Do you have any good one for this particular- Alas, Alas, Alas, beautiful bisexual woman.

Five great success in life.

We're gonna have to tell her about this.

Fake blonde, no, she wouldn't like that.

She's not a fake blonde Sabrina's never- Never say that again, Sarah, never- Fucking.

But, yeah, okay, so anyway, that's- And so then, I guess it's like, "Oh, will she take these millions of dollars "and have one's handing her "and giving her the biography?" Or, "Will she not forgive?" Is this kind of maybe what you were talking about?

Because it was like- Obviously she's gonna do it.

Like, I don't know.

It was like, even if you were pissed at her, you were like, "That sucks that you've moved my dad "and framed him as the drunk driver." It's so like, Also, I'd be like, "Maybe I didn't want to know that he was having an affair.

"Maybe I was happy to not have that complication on my life.

"He's been dead a while." Like, but- How did they explain them being in the car together?

They weren't- I thought they kept Harry's like cause of death.

Secret.

I think they did.

You're right, you're right, you're right.

I think so.

You're right, you're right.

They just thought Harry, they just, or Monique just thought her dad died in a drunk driving accident.

It wasn't that he killed someone else.

And I'd get it, he'd be mad at him, but then you find out he's not.

It wasn't the case, it'd be like, "That's good that my dad wasn't drunk driving." Yeah, but I guess- I'm not mad at that.

I guess the drunk driving is so- Yeah, I don't know why she's like, they were like, "He never drinks." It's not like he was a drunk and he was drunk driving.

It's like, I don't know.

I mean, it would tarnish my memory of my father, I think, if he died in a drunk driving accident, I would have like, I would have to unpack years of anger and shame and grief, like that I- Sure, but don't you think it would, or I'm guessing, I'm also thinking like, they're, you're going through, you went through that, but then like to find out, "Oh no, it was actually he had been having an affair." Yeah, now I'm like- I like, like, that's like another thing to have a different way.

Yeah, yeah.

A lot of people.

But to know the truth, yeah, I wanna know the truth, but I would have liked to have known the truth, like 40 years ago or whatever.

Sure, sure, sure, sure.

My mother was still alive.

Yeah, I think it's kind of sweet she didn't tell her mom.

Her mom still, yeah, her mom is still alive.

Yeah, she did not tell her mom.

One thing I was very surprised didn't happen that once she puts two and two together and was like, "Oh, everyone's killing herself." I was expecting her to go back, 'cause they're like, "Oh, should I go and stop her?" I was like, "Obviously she's not gonna stop her." But I thought that she would come back to Evelyn and be like, "I'll hold your hand as you die." Yes, yes, yes, it's right there.

It's right there, she's right there.

And then that never fucking happened.

I think Evelyn really earned it.

Yeah, the whole drug driving switcher here.

I don't think that was them, Ben.

The prank that she pulls up there.

It was a prank.

Does imagine if she hadn't done that, then your dad would have been outage, your mom.

You just started eating them.

Right, he would have been in a dump.

Your mom would have found out.

It might have been worse.

You know, I clear that's a good point and maybe it would have been worse for the time.

Maybe now she's more accepted because it's later.

I don't fucking know.

But it was heavy.

Heavy, it was good.

Well, we didn't even mention too.

I just don't even want to get into it.

There's multiple different people that die of cancer in the book for going to these.

Oh my god, yeah, you're right.

Oh, there is a period when they're getting older.

Where she's just, Taylor J.

can use is just killing them off, left and right.

And yeah, like horrible.

Oh, the daughter dies.

Like sure, let's have a guy.

Pretty young, a breast cancer.

Right, and it's just like, down of that needs to be in there at all.

It doesn't.

Yeah.

She's really, really close with her parents.

Yeah, make it more obvious that Evelyn's going to kill herself.

Because she's all alone.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's just awful.

And like, and like she watched her daughter at all that chemo and stuff and talked about it, you know.

It's just, it's just so unnecessary.

Like the book does.

It's unnecessary.

Yeah, it was.

It was a lot of things.

You're in it.

Yeah, I, it's not my favorite.

I, it, because, and also just it happened repeatedly, just it feels like they want to try to pull my heart strings or something in a way that I'm like, no, fuck you.

I'm not going to fall for this.

Yeah.

Exactly.

Yeah, you're like, you've brought up something awful to make me feel bad things.

And I don't even feel bad.

And I don't even need Evelyn killing herself at the end.

No, I don't need Ellie Care.

It's not interesting.

It doesn't add anything.

Other than coming.

It's the right.

It's, yeah, it's so obvious.

If I think about it, it's irritating because it is so obvious.

And anyone looking at the, like, anyone reading about it would be like, it was obvious that she killed herself because she hired some journey.

No one in journalism was to tell her story finished and then died the next day.

Yeah, I think you could just leave it at that.

Yeah.

I also just like, yeah, because why couldn't she release it while Evelyn was alive?

It didn't, like, it would have just said all the stuff about her being a lesbian.

But it's like 20 or I being one did this book, 27.

It would have been fine, you know what I mean?

Like people would have been like, yeah, say it would have been like, everyone's into her again.

She's beloved again.

Yeah, I don't know.

What have been fun?

Yeah, so she, like, basically, doesn't ever come out in her lifetime and then tricks this woman into doing this biography of her life and is like, so yeah, if you want some money, basically you can publish this.

But it's like, I almost feel like you owe her your this wealthy, successful movie star.

Like, you wronged this woman and her family.

Like, you know, you could give her some money.

I was already given some money.

I love how they're like, actually she's a hero.

We have such a good day.

I was already dead.

It's not like, it really gets so sad.

I guess what were they were ultimately arguing about is, is it worse for your dad to be having in a fair with a man or be a drunk driver?

That is kind of the crux of the argument.

And in the year, like, 1975, was that it?

Yeah, I guess that's fair to add.

But information doesn't really get present day.

That's funny.

I guess I'm a team drunk driver.

And team, they barely wore seat belts back then.

I feel like.

Well, that's that's true too.

Yeah, I feel like driving wasn't as shameful back then also.

This was before the mothers all got together against it, you know?

We were more woke about driving at that time.

All right, okay.

Bad, it's bad, it's bad.

It's bad.

Clearly.

I haven't answered as the author if you guys want to do it.

Yes, let's do it.

Okay, it's a quickie.

Taylor Jenkins re- Yes.

What message do you hope the reader takes away from this book?

I hope that they have a message of, you know, just being yourself, no matter what that is.

Like be gay, but you don't have to be like a good gay.

You can be a bad gay.

You know what I mean?

You can be a deeply evil gay if you want.

And that's my message.

Just don't be a gay passenger in a drunk driver's car.

Well, yeah, that's true.

She's in the mirror now.

I'm talking about that.

Well, actually, actually that does fit in with my message because that character had to die because he was high, he was in the closet.

Okay, Taylor, what message do you hope the reader takes away from this book?

Men are pigs.

Women are not even if they act like pigs.

Okay, men are pigs, but women are not pigs even if they are a pig.

They can snort around in the small bowl of gay.

And I will say, that's a love of my life.

Okay, the real answer was, ladies, go on, get yours.

So, honestly, it was close for you.

Both of you were like correct.

Just she was a little bit different about it.

Differently correct.

And it's true no matter what I do, I'm not a pig, John.

And yet I always am no matter where I go, what I do.

It's me.

We got to get some, some, personal code.

I feel, personal coaching though.

The one who takes the longest to get into anyone's heart.

We got in there.

Easily correct.

All right, you guys want to do some good reads reviews?

Yeah, I found two.

Yes.

Okay, Jessica writes, not to be dramatic, but if there ever comes a point in time where the fate of the human civilization is coming to an end and we need to create a time capsule to immortalize our posterity, this book better be in it.

There has never been a more honest and enthralling book in the history of the world ever.

What?

Jessica.

It's weird.

Jessica, go get yours, girl.

Go get yours.

Jessica, that is dramatic.

Melanie's review.

Five stars.

But then all she wrote was, "Trigger, content warnings." Death of a loved one.

Death of a child.

Talk of suicide and healthy dieting.

Andreage checks with an adult abortion.

Talk of miscarriage.

A lot of physical abuse, cheating, drunk driving and homophobic slur.

Yes, sold me on that one, Melanie.

All right.

Five stars.

And that's all she wrote.

So obviously we knew after that we were going to read this book.

Yeah, no doubt.

That's actually, that probably is what our, that's what Stephanie should have put.

And then Stephanie Melanie.

Complicates.

Together.

But Stephanie didn't have to put that, did she?

She should have put almost nothing.

Thank you again for the review and the rec Stephanie.

I'm really glad you like the cast.

Yeah, I don't know that we should come down so hard on her.

She had a, I mean, it was super New York Times best.

Oh, yeah.

Which we needed this season.

We need a plan.

We have been without.

No, I generally think it was a great rec.

It was just very funny to me that of all of them, Sarah was like, this one spoke to me.

No, you called me out.

You called me out.

You got me out.

Stephanie is perfect.

Sarah, that's the problem.

Fully, it was fully me.

But I will say like this book, I enjoyed it.

I feel like I would never reread this book.

I don't know.

No, God.

No, it's 12 hours long.

Yeah.

You know, so it's not like to me at that level of a good book, but it's definitely, oh, I guess they should do hate rates.

Yeah, I guess I go in and roll right into it.

Roll right into it.

I'm going right out of here.

But yeah, I mean, in terms of, I'm going to give this a 4.5 out of 5 because, yeah, I read through this fast.

I found it enjoyable.

Maybe some predictable at times.

And some I rolly stuff.

But overall, it was fun.

And Evelyn was an interesting character to follow.

I'll go next and it's going to seem like I'm copying Sarah, but that was the number I had in my head before she started talking.

Okay.

4.5, it loses 0.5 because the conceit where Evelyn is telling her story to an unknown journal.

Like, I don't need all the interstitials with the journalist.

I don't care about or need.

But I like the Evelyn parts.

I have to go with, well, first I want to rate the audiobook like 5.5.

Really cool.

I'm just like so proud of someone for the English is a hard language.

Really hard.

One of the hardest to learn in the year.

The pronunciations don't make sense.

And to put yourself out there like that, do something sweet for your girlfriend.

You know, every woman should be so lucky to have a man like you, narrator.

I wonder if the girlfriend was like, you should put it, you should put it on spot.

It's so good.

Other people, like you put so much time and effort.

No, I think he didn't know how to send it if he didn't put it on spot.

Yeah, there's probably too big a file.

Yeah, I think you're probably right.

There's probably too big a file.

I didn't know how to do it yet.

So I just think it's really cool and like so many people would be afraid to do what he did.

And then for the book itself, my experience was deeply mowered by the audiobooks.

All I can give it is a one.

I don't know what it would have been like if I read it.

Probably a five.

Okay, so I think one of you rating it over the place.

I'm rating it a one.

But I just want to say again, like anyone that would make a foot of the man who did that audiobook narration, take a fucking look at the mirror.

You're wrong and see your big titties.

And see your small brain and your big, big, big, big, big.

And say, I am beautiful.

I am, I am beautiful.

Yeah, there you go.

Now we have our, we don't even ever have it on here.

Plugs.

Oh, well, yeah, nothing again.

Please help me.

Now is that a plug?

No, it's time for Little Fucker of the cast.

Oh, yeah.

Clara is my little fucker.

So hard.

It was like actually it was heroic that Evelyn moved that man to the driver's seat made everybody think he was a drug driver.

I love that she did it.

That was cool.

No.

I'm fine with her doing it.

You know what?

She did it for her kid.

I also, I also think I'm going to go with Clara because John called us pigs in the beginning.

John and she came down so hard on you, but she's in the book.

Yeah, yeah, but then what happened was she was, she was doing that, that bit about being mean to the person who can't speak English.

And you didn't let her keep going.

You didn't let her like put her keep putting her foot in her mouth.

You shamed her too hard too fast.

Well, I didn't want to be associated with her.

I didn't want to be associated with her.

People think I was disappointed.

I was disappointed.

And so that's why I'm going to Clara.

It wasn't the English.

It was the quality of the recording you see.

You also got a red mad in my head.

It's not what you were.

There was any confusion.

I hate myself.

Actually, his English was perfect.

He didn't do it the accent.

It was the recording issue.

He needed.

I already messed that up a few times.

I feel like messed it up a few times.

And my baby is not sleep-draining anymore because he got sick for a long time.

I don't know.

You need to come back and do it again.

I can't help if he undid it.

He undid it.

It's a huge, too huge, I think.

Yeah, that is a problem.

Babies are too cute.

God, sleeping.

Babies and sleeping.

It really is funny.

Sleep like a baby.

Who the fuck?

Who the fuck said that?

Oh, and woke up the baby.

Beautiful.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Alright, I'm golfing.

It's a leopard of f*ckin' nice.

See ya later, sweet cheeks.

Please be more quiet.

Alright, guys.

What are we reading next week?

Oh, wait, little pretty pretty...

I'm sorry.

Why am I the one that read?

Oh, pretty pretty pretty pretty princess.

So, Claire is the little pretty f*cker princess.

Pretty pretty pretty princess.

You want to put those words together?

Oops, my baby's screaming.

I like it more than little...

Alright, you guys, go look at her.

Yeah, we're rolling out, we're rolling out.

Oh, f*ck, John, what are we reading?

John, okay, John, no, you go.

You go.

Claire, what are we reading next week?

Oh, yeah, I don't know.

Okay.

What book did we...

Okay, I got it.

The Paris apartment by Lucy Foley.

I hope that's it.

No, is that it?

Yeah, okay.

Well, that's the next one I have written.

So, I think the Paris apartment by Lucy Foley is what we're doing next week.

If not...

No, that's it.

Yeah, that's the first time I've ever seen a Paris apartment by Lucy Foley.

Yeah, that's the first time I've seen a Paris apartment by Lucy Foley.

Bye!

[Music] - Alright.

[ Silence ]