Split Ends
A Fictitious Memoir
By Brynmore Wilkins
I was compelled by it on my holiday ! It made me happy, mad and sad.
A page turner. It was tough to put down.
It’s scissors at dawn…
Small town boy Stevie Deadwood dreams of opening his own salon. Armed only with his talent and the shaprest scissors, he talks his way into a glitzy West End hair palace. Never losing sight of the dream to start his own business, it seems like Stevie’s prayers may have finally been answered when colleague Terrie steps in with a plan. Curl & Curl hairdressing is duly launched in a dazzling sea of beige. A putty coloured omen of greige.
But running a salon isn’t as glam as it looks. Stevie begins to wonder if he’s made a terrible mistake. Especially when he realises that his avant-garde ideas and after-hours Soho adventures have no place in this bland new world. When business partner Terrie begins to morph into a cross between Anthea Turner and Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), he feels like he’s living on the set of The Devil Wears Asda.
Written as a fictitious memoir, Stevie confides in you as a friend, taking you behind the smoke & mirrors of a chic London salon confessional.
What started off as a collection of short stories, soon evolved into something much bigger during my commutes between Soho and Brighton. My book is written as a fictitious memoir, I’ve also been called the Adam Kay of hairdressing.
Split Ends has been reviewed as insightful, dark, revealing, hilarious, even poignant. It’s about people-watching, hairdresser and client behaviours. It’s about the salon as a confessional, its creatives and their all-too-fragile egos.
Inspired by true life experiences and written by a hairdresser, Split Ends is comical but in no way a parody. Clients tell me that they think my thinly-described characters are over-the-top. Hairdressers tell me they’re spot on. I say let the reader decide.
Brynmore WilkinsHilarious. The perfect lockdown read.
Brilliant biting writing
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Split Ends is packed with weird and wonderful characters, there was never a dull moment and at almost 400 pages that is a real credit to Brynmore. I don't do drama in my real life but I crave it in books, the bigger the better. Split Ends was one drama after another and I savoured every chapter of it!
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You think YOUR salon is dramatic ? Honey, you ain't seen nothing yet…
Working in the hairdressing industry, you’ll likely have encountered some tricky people, over-the-top situations so bizarre you couldn’t possibly make it up. Having worked with high-profile clientele as a hairdresser for over three decades, Bryn Wilkins (author of @splitends_the_novel), decided it was time to put pen to paper and jot down such stories during his daily commute.
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Some writers are so good that they make you interested in subjects you wouldn’t have thought you’d want to read about. This was a really pleasurable read and most certainly entertained me on a long flight.
I don’t go for fancy hairdos or colour my hair but this book fascinated me. I know nothing of the lifestyle described in this book but I really liked it. It’s fluffy and very funny. This book will have you bemused, pondering and laughing out loud. Brynmore does not disappoint !
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As Adam Kay is to hospitals, Brynmore Wilkins is to hairdressing.
There are so few stories out there about hairdressing. Surprising, considering it’s one of the oldest professions in the world.
Split Ends is a fictitious memoir, written by a hairdresser. It’s the book for hairdressers, about hairdressers.
It’s scissors at dawn with over 100, five star reviews.
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Split Ends is The Devil Wears Prada for the hair styling world !
This book is crying out to be made into a series on Netflix. If you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at your hair salon, prepare to find out. It’s funny, outrageous, shocking and at times poignant. Stevie is your window into the hidden and competitive world of hairdressing. Split Ends is like The Devil Wears Prada ...but much more dangerous, these guys have sharp scissors.
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There are only two things in life that can you make you both look and feel instantly better about yourself. Shoes and Hair. Split Ends is a book about hair. We may not have had hair salons open through lockdown but what we did have to save our lives and sanity was this delicious story.
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A murder mystery without the murder – yet ! A book you have to read to the end. How the author doesn't murder anyone is a sign of his ability to rise above some terrible behaviours. The world of hairdressing seems so calm on the surface, however underneath is a bed of jealousy, intrigue and laughter. You also can't help but look for people you might know or characteristics in yourself that might get a mention.