The Blonde Theory

Kristin Harmel
5 Spot (2007)
ISBN 9780446697590
Reviewed by Patti Yackulic for Reader Views (6/07)

When, at a Sunday brunch with her faithful friends, Harper Roberts mourns the loss of her live-in male friend, her expectation of mere support was surpassed when Meg, editor for “Mod,” devised a solution to Harper’s dating drought. Harper, a successful, brilliant, blonde attorney could transform into a dumb blonde for two weeks in order to experience the difference in the dating scene if men don’t feel threatened by her brains. Not only would her research be excellent fodder for an article for “Mod,” but Harper would know if all men felt as inferior to her as Peter had.

As Kristin Harmel explores the dumb-blonde-dating theme in “The Blonde Theory,” readers are treated to a light read with the requisite amount of male bashing. After all, expansion of such a theme dictates that men be portrayed in a negative light as stereotypical males with only superficial interest in women as sex objects. Simultaneously to developing Harper’s exploits, Harmel selected to ensure that her readers sufficiently received her disparaging message about men as she entangled Jill, one of Harper’s friends, in marital upheaval at the hands of her new husband. Just when her readers are questioning the wisdom of love connections, Harmel cleverly ends her novel with a twist.

Although “The Blonde Theory” served as a pleasant diversion for me on a cold winter evening, I found myself questioning whether or not this book had merit. For readers such as myself, the story was far-fetched and out-of-touch with reality, or at least the reality of a non-club-hopping professional female. For readers freshly facing the devastation of a recent collapse of a relationship, this story might reinforce the theme that men are all exploitive users. For naïve young women, this story probably would just be a quick read to keep boredom at bay. So much of Harmel’s novel centered on development of her theme that my ultimate concern is that readers from each category will miss her profound message penned on the final few pages of the book.

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