Customer Reviews

Hysterical Blondeness

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Are blondes really ditzier than their brunette counterparts? And do men truly find blondes more attractive?

Patricia Stillwell has spent her entire life disdaining blondes. Along with her best friends and housemates, Pinky McGee and Paul Costello, Patricia has always been the more intellectual film noir type. All that changes when Patricia participates in an experimental weight loss study- and wakes up blonde!

Patricia's whole world changes once she's blonde. Suddenly, the yummy-looking owner's son, Brett Nordquist, is noticing her and Patricia is having a blast with her newfound popularity. But what about Paul, who is starting to look more like a romantic interest than a roommate? What can a brunette do when she is struck with HYSTERICAL BLONDENESS?

Suzanne MacPherson has written a side-splitting tale about the stereotypes of the brunette versus the blonde female. While the story does nothing to eradicate those stereotypes, HYSTERICAL BLONDENESS provides numerous moments of sheer hilarity. Patricia's metamorphosis from an intelligent, thoughtful, and clear thinking brunette into a blonde only interested in money, society, and other's opinions is one guaranteed to keep the reader flipping the pages, hoping Patricia's sanity will return.

HYSTERICAL BLONDENESS also presents the reader with a moral to the story: sometimes the grass isn't greener on the other side! Patricia's journey into the uglier side of popularity and wealth teaches her some valuable lessons. Lizbeth Summers is Patricia's primary nemesis in HYSTERICAL BLONDENESS and Patricia struggles with her desire to remain who she is or become more like Lizbeth. Pinky McGee, however, steals the show! Pinky's solid, level-headed thinking help keep the storyline from wandering off into the ridiculous.

Suzanne MacPherson is definitely an author to watch out for! Creating romantic comedy that is truly humorous without being over-the-top is difficult and yet the process seems effortless while reading HYSTERICAL BLONDENESS. One word of caution while reading this book: don't read in public unless you are prepared for the funny looks you'll receive as you laugh out loud!!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

This book seemed like it would be such perfect chick lit: after years of being a few pounds overweight and a mousy brunette, Patricia joins a study for an experimental weight loss drug which not only helps her drop the weight, but temporarily alters her DNA to turn her platinum blonde. Hilarity and an unofficial social experiment are sure to ensue, right?

Wrong. Not only is this book fraught with grammatical and spelling errors, but the writing feels like an intelligent 7th grader's and there is not one original thought in the entire 384 pages. Patricia, Patty, and Paul all speak like they're from a bad 50's sitcom, with stupid nicknames, a horribly dated way of speaking, and humorless, stupid jokes. Furthermore, the main characters are offensively anti-blonde: if you were to change every blonde reference to a skin color or sexual preference reference, this novel would never have made it to bookshelves. In fact, I don't know how it did.

I read a few chapters and gave up in disgust. How on EARTH did this stupid book get published????

Do blondes have more fun? That's the question mousy department store employee Patricia finds herself asking when a weight loss drug trial results in all her body hair suddenly turning platinum and male attention starts coming out of the woodwork. Suddenly her unrequited crush, store scion Brett Nordquist only has eyes for her, and her male roommate Paul (who never looked at her with anything but friendship), wants to take the relationship to the next level. But what'll happen when she meets goal weight and her hair starts growing out?

With a potentially side-splitting premise, the story falls short in so many places, and lacks any real imagination (Nordquists Department store sounds suspiciously like Nordstrom's - and both are based in Seattle). Usually Macpherson can be counted on to write a witty and romantic comedy, but this is so full of cliches (from the quirky best friend who makes her own dazzling clothes and the icy blonde she finds herself in competition with, to the male best bud suddenly realizing he's in love with his friend) that I had to check to make sure I had the correct author. If you are a fan of her writing, do yourself a favor and get this one from the library.

Patricia Stillwell has signed up for an experimental weigh-loss program. However, she was unprepared for the immediate results. While she was sleeping Patricia's hair went from a brunette to a blonde.

Along with the change in her hair color, she notices men taking second and third looks at her. She even has two interesting suitors. Wealthy handsome Brett Nordquist and her long time friend Paul Costello desires her with passion in their eyes when they look at her. However, as she affirms blondes have more fun she overtly pursues Brett who she has hidden her secret love because she worries whether she is a lasting treasure or a moment's pleasure. Paul has done likewise with hiding how much he loves her whether she is a blonde or a brunette, but now must make his feelings known or idly watch his beloved with someone else. Perhaps her best friend Pinky can straighten this out as the triangular players seem unable to do so.

This is a fun, often amusing, at times over the top contemporary romance with likable characters. Patricia keeps the story line somewhat focused as she learns blondes have more fun but also more troubles with Brett and seemingly suddenly Paul wanting her. Pinky keeps the story line, the triangle, and the readers somewhat in line as Suzanne Macpherson provides a hysterical relationship tale.

Harriet Klausner