Beyond the Blonde does for the world of hairdressing what The Devil Wears Prada did for the world of glossy magazines. If you like fun and frothy novels that lift the lid on the glamorous (and not so glamorous) aspects of the world of style, this is the novel for you. If not, you might find yourself drowning in the vanity of it all. It's unapologetic fluff with a capital 'f'!
Written by a hot New York hair stylist Kathleen Flynn-Hui, you get the impression this easygoing story of life in a top big apple salon is probably partly autobiographical. Georgia is a smalltown girl who grew up sweeping the floors in her mother's hair salon, only to fly the nest for New York when the bright lights came calling. With best mate and fellow hair afficionado Patrick in tow, she gets a job at SalonJean-Luc, a style hotspot full of colourful characters (staff and clients). And that's where the real story begins.
I say 'real story', but this book isn't going to impress you with a complicated plot full of twists and turns. It's all fairly straightforward stuff, and you'll guess the ending halfway through. However, the pages fly by thanks to the requisite bitchy backstabbing, beautiful men and a group of clients who'll do anything to secure the prime appointment times. The main emphasis here is less on plot and more on revealing anecdotes and funny stories that reveal (albeit glossed over for the sake of fiction) what it's like to be a top stylist.
Women who love fashion and frivolity will no doubt enjoy this book for being funny, frank and easy to read. But if you're not a closet fashionista, you'll probably find your time better spent with something with a less predictable plot and more character development. It's not going to set the world alight for it's literary brilliance, but it'll keep you occupied on a long train journey!
If you liked this, you might like Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes.
