Golden Highlights (Book Review: Beyond the Blonde, Kathleen Flynn Hui)

As I move on in accomplishing my reading goals for 2014, I would like to also add another goal: that is, to go through reading my *physical* books. I know it's kind of a travesty for book lovers, but I have fully embraced my e-reader. Of course, I still like the smell of a physical book, but for me, holding on to a Kindle is just as convenient (if not more so) and just like I cannot live without my iPod, I like having literally thousands of books on my fingertips. And - less clutter! I hoard these ebooks like crazy, and think if I were stocking these physicsl book around, my place would be filled wall to wall with books. As it is now, I still have quite a lot of books, and I could clear a lot of space if I finish reading them (and then donating the books to Goodwill) So, I start with a book I randomly pick from a pile : Kathleen Flynn-Hui's Beyond The Blonde.

At first, Kathleen Flynn Hui's Beyond The Blonde seems like a Devil-Wears-Prada for the hair color industry, but honestly, I didn't think there were any huge and scandalous revelations here.  The main character, Georgia, is named "best colorist in New York City" and has an enviable character, but for me the strength of the book is in its good storytelling. Georgia comes from new Hampshire, where she grows up helping out at her mother's salon. Forsaking a college education, she instead goes to beauty school and upon graduating, moves to New York City with her friend Patrick. They get a job at Jean Luc, and well the rest, as you say is history. Even though this sounds like a familiar tale, Hui infuses it with a lot of down-to-earth humour and I never found it slow or draggy. I felt that at the end, I really got to know her character.  And even though the characters around her all filled certain stereotypical parts, I believed them for the most part. The book may not be the most original read, but it is still an authentic one, and I found it engrossing enough to finish in three sittings.