The Story

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes—called in Finnish Herrat pitävät vaaleaverisistä—is a gossipy, funny novel from the 1920s. It’s told through the diary of Lorelei Lee, a young woman who’s pretty, clever, and totally focused on one thing: marrying rich. Not just for the cash, mind you—Lorelei wants style, security, independence. She can’t get these things on her own back then, but she can charm them out of a wealthy guy. The trouble starts when she meets Gus Eisman, a button tycoon (because yes, buttons made people rich). She becomes his “protégée,” and travels around Europe with her best friend Dorothy. But then another guy shows up, and let’s just say Lorelei’s plans get messier than her lipstick at midnight. Add a stolen tiara, a bunch of jealous women, and even a psychiatrist who is sure something’s wrong with her for not wanting average things, and you’ve got a comedy that’s way ahead of its time.

Why You Should Read It

So much of what I love about this book is how real and funny Lorelei is. You root for her even when she’s being manipulative. Also, this is written by Anita Loos—a razor-sharp satirist—and it tore apart all the fake manners of the old upper classes. Lorelei uses the one weapon any woman had back then: charm. But she’s not an idiot. She knows that rich men treat women like toys. Rather than hate them, she smiles, nods, and takes the diamond rattle, using their money to actually have control over her life. It also shows extreme class differences, taboo sex work relationships (that everybody ignored), and pure frenemy energy between Lorelei and every other woman. Loos wrote this like a funny gossip session between besties, so you get inside jokes that land even 100 years later.

Final Verdict

This isn’t your stuffy classic to suffer through—it’s wild, witty, and frankly shocking at times. Perfect for readers who want sharp, dirty fun or enjoy storylines like Clueless crossed with Gossip Girl, but in jazz-era fashions. Great for history buffs too because of fake-perfect representation of 1920s stereotypes. If you want the story behind the Marilyn Monroe movie? Yup, this is it.