The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

by

Taylor Jenkins Reid

Celia St. James Character Analysis

Celia St. James is an actor and the love of Evelyn’s life. Celia intimidates Evelyn with her superior acting talent in rehearsals for Little Women, but eventually the two form a mutually beneficial relationship when Celia offers Evelyn acting coaching in return for Evelyn making public appearances with her. Though Celia is less cunning than Evelyn, her appetite for fame and success is almost as keen. Eventually, Celia and Evelyn begin a romantic relationship which reveals Celia to be naïve and idealistic in the face of Evelyn’s pragmatic realism (Celia was born rich and has never had to struggle financially, whereas Evelyn came from nothing). The couple breaks up twice, both decisions stemming from Celia’s disapproval of Evelyn prioritizing public admiration and success over their relationship. Though the couple endures hardship due to Evelyn’s obsession with her public image and the dangers of being openly gay, Celia never relinquishes her desire for happiness. Toward the end of her life, Celia asks Evelyn to move to a small town in Spain with her, where they can live anonymously and be together romantically in their later years. Not long after retiring to Spain, Celia dies of a pulmonary disease.

Celia St. James Quotes in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo quotes below are all either spoken by Celia St. James or refer to Celia St. James. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Ambition vs. Morality Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2 Quotes

There are two men seated next to her, names lost to history, who are staring at her as she looks ahead at the stage. The man next to her is staring at her chest. The one next to him is staring at her thigh. Both of them seem enraptured and hoping to see the tiniest bit farther.

Maybe I’m overthinking that photo, but I’m starting to notice a pattern: Evelyn always leaves you hoping you’ll get just a little bit more. And she always denies you.

Related Characters: Monique Grant (speaker), Evelyn Hugo, Celia St. James, Max Girard, Mick Riva
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

It was expensive wine. I liked drinking it as if it was water, as if it meant nothing to me. Poor girls from Hell’s Kitchen can’t drink this kind of wine and treat it like it’s nothing.

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Celia St. James
Page Number: 110
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 30 Quotes

“And now that I don’t have her, and I have more money than I could ever use in this lifetime, and my name is cemented in Hollywood history, and I know how hollow it is, I am kicking myself for every single second I chose it over loving her proudly. But that’s a luxury. You can do that when you’re rich and famous. You can decide that wealth and renown are worthless when you have them. Back then, I still thought I had all the time I needed to do everything I wanted. That if I just played my cards right, I could have it all.”

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Monique Grant, Celia St. James
Page Number: 192
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 39 Quotes

Harry laughed and put out his hand. I shook it. “Once again, Evelyn, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Harry Cameron (speaker), Celia St. James, Rex North
Page Number: 243
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 45 Quotes

What Max was talking about was a graphic portrayal of female desire. And my gut instinct was that I loved the idea. I mean, the thought of filming a graphic sex scene with Don was about as arousing to me as a bowl of bran flakes. But I wanted to push the envelope. I wanted to show a woman getting off. I liked the idea of showing a woman having sex because she wanted to be pleased instead of being desperate to please. So in a moment of excitement, I grabbed my coat, put out my hand, and said, “I’m in.”

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Celia St. James, Harry Cameron, Don Adler, Max Girard, Rex North
Page Number: 262
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 54 Quotes

“Did you ever love me?”

“Yes, I did. When you made love to me and you made me feel desire and you took good care of my daughter and I believed that you saw something in me that no one else saw. When I believed you had an insight and a talent that no one else had. I loved you very much.”

“So you are not a lesbian,” he said.

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Max Girard (speaker), Celia St. James, Connor Cameron
Page Number: 308
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 59 Quotes

Robert always claimed that he married me because he would do anything for Celia. But I think he did it, in at least some small part, because it gave him a chance to have a family. He was never going to settle down with one woman. And Spanish women proved to be just as enchanted by him as American ones had been. But this system, this family, was one he could be a part of, and I think he knew that when he signed up.

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Celia St. James, Connor Cameron, Robert Jamison, Robert Jamison
Page Number: 344
Explanation and Analysis:

“I think being yourself—your true, entire self—is always going to feel like you’re swimming upstream.”

“Yeah,” she said. “But if the last few years with you have been any indication, I think it also feels like taking your bra off at the end of the day.”

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Celia St. James (speaker)
Page Number: 346
Explanation and Analysis:
Evelyn and Me Quotes

I said, “Doesn’t it bother you? That your husbands have become such a headline story, so often mentioned, that they have nearly eclipsed your work and yourself? That all anyone talks about when they talk about you are the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo?”

And her answer was quintessential Evelyn.

“No,” she told me. “Because they are just husbands. I am Evelyn Hugo. And anyway, I think once people know the truth, they will be much more interested in my wife.”

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Monique Grant (speaker), Celia St. James
Page Number: 385
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo PDF

Celia St. James Quotes in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo quotes below are all either spoken by Celia St. James or refer to Celia St. James. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Ambition vs. Morality Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2 Quotes

There are two men seated next to her, names lost to history, who are staring at her as she looks ahead at the stage. The man next to her is staring at her chest. The one next to him is staring at her thigh. Both of them seem enraptured and hoping to see the tiniest bit farther.

Maybe I’m overthinking that photo, but I’m starting to notice a pattern: Evelyn always leaves you hoping you’ll get just a little bit more. And she always denies you.

Related Characters: Monique Grant (speaker), Evelyn Hugo, Celia St. James, Max Girard, Mick Riva
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

It was expensive wine. I liked drinking it as if it was water, as if it meant nothing to me. Poor girls from Hell’s Kitchen can’t drink this kind of wine and treat it like it’s nothing.

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Celia St. James
Page Number: 110
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 30 Quotes

“And now that I don’t have her, and I have more money than I could ever use in this lifetime, and my name is cemented in Hollywood history, and I know how hollow it is, I am kicking myself for every single second I chose it over loving her proudly. But that’s a luxury. You can do that when you’re rich and famous. You can decide that wealth and renown are worthless when you have them. Back then, I still thought I had all the time I needed to do everything I wanted. That if I just played my cards right, I could have it all.”

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Monique Grant, Celia St. James
Page Number: 192
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 39 Quotes

Harry laughed and put out his hand. I shook it. “Once again, Evelyn, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Harry Cameron (speaker), Celia St. James, Rex North
Page Number: 243
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 45 Quotes

What Max was talking about was a graphic portrayal of female desire. And my gut instinct was that I loved the idea. I mean, the thought of filming a graphic sex scene with Don was about as arousing to me as a bowl of bran flakes. But I wanted to push the envelope. I wanted to show a woman getting off. I liked the idea of showing a woman having sex because she wanted to be pleased instead of being desperate to please. So in a moment of excitement, I grabbed my coat, put out my hand, and said, “I’m in.”

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Celia St. James, Harry Cameron, Don Adler, Max Girard, Rex North
Page Number: 262
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 54 Quotes

“Did you ever love me?”

“Yes, I did. When you made love to me and you made me feel desire and you took good care of my daughter and I believed that you saw something in me that no one else saw. When I believed you had an insight and a talent that no one else had. I loved you very much.”

“So you are not a lesbian,” he said.

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Max Girard (speaker), Celia St. James, Connor Cameron
Page Number: 308
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 59 Quotes

Robert always claimed that he married me because he would do anything for Celia. But I think he did it, in at least some small part, because it gave him a chance to have a family. He was never going to settle down with one woman. And Spanish women proved to be just as enchanted by him as American ones had been. But this system, this family, was one he could be a part of, and I think he knew that when he signed up.

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Celia St. James, Connor Cameron, Robert Jamison, Robert Jamison
Page Number: 344
Explanation and Analysis:

“I think being yourself—your true, entire self—is always going to feel like you’re swimming upstream.”

“Yeah,” she said. “But if the last few years with you have been any indication, I think it also feels like taking your bra off at the end of the day.”

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Celia St. James (speaker)
Page Number: 346
Explanation and Analysis:
Evelyn and Me Quotes

I said, “Doesn’t it bother you? That your husbands have become such a headline story, so often mentioned, that they have nearly eclipsed your work and yourself? That all anyone talks about when they talk about you are the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo?”

And her answer was quintessential Evelyn.

“No,” she told me. “Because they are just husbands. I am Evelyn Hugo. And anyway, I think once people know the truth, they will be much more interested in my wife.”

Related Characters: Evelyn Hugo (speaker), Monique Grant (speaker), Celia St. James
Page Number: 385
Explanation and Analysis: