UNDER INFLUENCE Paperback – October 28, 2016

In Joyce Maynard’s beautifully structured novel, Helen, a struggling single mother, intrigues and frustrates us as we experience her entering the embrace of a charismatic couple, Swift and Ava Havilland. Unlike Helen, we recognize that the Havillands are absorbing her identity into theirs. But can she resist them and their seductive lifestyle if she wants to regain custody and the trust of her son?Sometimes we make decisions without reflecting, or we let someone else make decisions for us. Bad parents and bad marriages beat us down enough that we let others take the lead, tell us what to do, take care of us. Helen has made a terrible mistake for which she has lost parental rights. Her determination to regain her son blinds her to the nature and danger of the company she is keeping.She is in a deep emotional bind as she becomes increasingly enmeshed with Ava and Swift. She has known so little love in her life that she believes they truly care for her, and can’t accept real love when it arrives in the form of Elliot, a caring and decent man. The Havillands’ subtle disparagement and scorn of him causes her to distrust her own feelings.How many of us have been emotionally seduced by people, or have thought we found love or friendship where it did not exist? How many of us have rejected someone based on false pride or superficial vanity? Under the Influence illuminates the desperation that comes from loss and the impossibility of some choices.From the beginning, the reader senses Helen’s fragile nature and tendency to ignore her instincts. In her hope that Swift will help her regain custody, she allows her son to be placed in a potentially tragic situation. Telling the truth to the authorities could mean losing him completely. Maybe justice does triumph in the end, but at what cost? Everyone’s lives have been irrevocably changed. Relationships have been severed, seemingly forever.Then Helen takes a final brave step.One of Joyce Maynard’s greatest strengths is characterization. Rather than simply painting the Havillands as glamorous villains, she reveals the loneliness and pain beneath their narcissism, particularly Ava’s. Helen is perhaps her most complex heroine, with an unmistakable voice. We experience her grasping for solutions, we see her gradual seduction by Swift and Ava as they charm and flatter her. We can’t help caring for her, even as we deplore her decisions. Human, fallible, and ultimately hopeful, she is as fully realized a character as I’ve encountered in recent years.In the April issue of The Atlantic, Nicholas Dames quotes President Obama in conversation with the novelist Marilynne Robinson on the most important thing that he has learned from novels: “It has to do with empathy. It has to do with being comfortable with the notion that the world is complicated and full of grays, but there’s still truth there to be found, and that you have to strive for that and work for that.” Under the Influence deeply engages the reader's empathy and underscores our need for connection, despite the perils we might encounter. I highly recommend this compelling novel.

I liked this book very much, it was a fast read but somewhat predictable as to the motive of the Havillands. I was glad the main character Helen was able to overcoming her alcohol problems and get her son back. It seems in this book all those that were close to Helen were either lying about something (such as her ex-husband making it so hard for her to see her son yet having all kinds of problems in his own personal life), made her feel bad about herself so it good she overcame all of this. But I was glad the Havillands got what they deserved in the end with the fraud convictions as well as that self-serving son Cooper. I did like the ending that came to these shallow people. I dislike people who when you don't show your support for them 24/7 when in fact you suspect some foul play, on their part, as with the boating accident that was blamed on Evelyn's young son was shameful. Then to have these people just flat out lie to the detriment of the housekeeper's young daughter who was seriously hurt in the accident, awful people to cover it up because they think money can buy anything. They really pushed the limits of friendship. It's a good read if you like that people get what is coming to them for their behavior in the end. I know I'm all over the place in this review but there is really too much to write without telling what the whole book is about. I must say this author is a good storyteller.

...maybe it's not (true).Helen is down on her luck. Truth be told, she's made some bad choices that got her where she is. She'd married the wrong guy, and he left her for another woman. She lived for her 7 year-old son Ollie, and was very careful not to get into the sauce until after he was safely in bed. But then late one night Ollie woke up with a burst appendix, and in the rush to get him to the hospital, Helen got stopped for driving under the influence. That's when her life took a nosedive, because that was when she lost custody of Ollie.Helen was at rock bottom. And then she met the Havillands. Swift and Ava were bigger than life. They had everything money could buy, or so it seemed. In spite of Ava being confined to a wheelchair, their marriage was the envy of their friends. The Havillands had tons of friends and threw magnificent parties. And they doted on their new best friend, Helen. One day Swift casually mentioned he could get the ball rolling for Helen to regain custody of her son. Helen thanked her lucky stars for the day she'd crossed paths with this generous, caring couple.But things can change in an instant. There was an accident. Someone was badly hurt. How did it happen? Suddenly Helen sees her relationship with the Havillands in a new light. The title "Under the Influence" takes on a whole new meaning. Is she willing to risk her friendship with them by telling what she knows? What is the price of friendship?The price of integrity?This book was well written. It set the mood wonderfully and I enjoyed how the story unfolded. There were several good twists and turns, especially one I never saw coming.I had no preconceived notions about this book. It definitely exceeded my expectations, so I'm giving it 5 stars, rounded up from 4.5.

I would give this at least a 4 star if not a 5 if the author had not drug it out .I ended up skipping at least 25% of the book and the only thing I missed was her one slip when she drank one night. it was mentioned later and it was easy for me to figure out what had happened. I will admit I am more of a mystery ,drama, and action reader and this is more of a feeling book. The story is very interesting and the character's all easy to imagine because of the descriptive way the author presents them.

Comeci a ler a historia tenho a dizer que comecou muito bem recomendo

Une femme un peu paumée entre divorce, fils confié au père, et petits déboires judiciaires, se retrouve adoptée par une famille de grands bourgeois sympathiques. Sympathiques mais pervers. Pervers car , en fait, paumés aussi!L’imbroglio des liens créés est magistralement décrypté. Le cheminement psychologique des personnages est passionnant.Bref, un suspense où le danger sourd et on guette, haletant, d’où il viendra. Et il viendra !

Could not put this book down, I read it in three days! Absolutely loved the characters, I related them to myself and other people I know/have known. They were very life like. That was the main selling point for me. The only thing I did not like about this book was it ended too soon. I will definitely recommend and will be reading more from this author.

I was very impressed with this story. It didn't skip ahead and it didn't go back in time. It was very well written. I can see why this author is so successful. I enjoyed this book immensely, so much so that I ordered 4 more books by Joyce Maynard. I highly recommend this book, it was another one I just couldn't put down.

Beautifully written enjoyed it thoroughly!