9780062257796
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Under the Influence audiobook

  • By: Joyce Maynard
  • Narrator: Joyce Maynard
  • Category: Family Life, Fiction
  • Length: 9 hours 13 minutes
  • Publisher: HarperAudio
  • Publish date: February 23, 2016
  • Language: English
  • (5875 ratings)
(5875 ratings)
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Under the Influence Audiobook Summary

The New York Times bestselling author of Labor Day and After Her returns with a poignant story about the true meaning–and the true price–of friendship.

Drinking cost Helen her marriage and custody of her seven-year-old son, Ollie. Once an aspiring art photographer, she now makes ends meet taking portraits of school children and working for a caterer. Recovering from her addiction, she spends lonely evenings checking out profiles on an online dating site. Weekend visits with her son are awkward. He’s drifting away from her, fast.

When she meets Ava and Swift Havilland, the vulnerable Helen is instantly enchanted. Wealthy, connected philanthropists, they have their own charity devoted to rescuing dogs. Their home is filled with fabulous friends, edgy art, and dazzling parties.

Then Helen meets Elliott, a kind, quiet accountant who offers loyalty and love with none of her newfound friends’ fireworks. To Swift and Ava, he’s boring. But even worse than that, he’s unimpressed by them.

As Helen increasingly falls under the Havillands’ influence–running errands, doing random chores, questioning her relationship with Elliott–Ava and Swift hold out the most seductive gift: their influence and help to regain custody of her son. But the debt Helen owes them is about to come due.

Ollie witnesses an accident involving Swift, his grown son, and the daughter of the Havillands’ housekeeper. With her young son’s future in the balance, Helen must choose between the truth and the friends who have given her everything.

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Under the Influence Audiobook Narrator

Joyce Maynard is the narrator of Under the Influence audiobook that was written by Joyce Maynard

Joyce Maynard is the author of nine previous novels and five books of nonfiction, as well as the syndicated column, “Domestic Affairs.” Her bestselling memoir, At Home in the World, has been translated into sixteen languages. Her novels To Die For and Labor Day were both adapted for film. Maynard currently makes her home in New Haven, Connecticut.

About the Author(s) of Under the Influence

Joyce Maynard is the author of Under the Influence

Under the Influence Full Details

Narrator Joyce Maynard
Length 9 hours 13 minutes
Author Joyce Maynard
Category
Publisher HarperAudio
Release date February 23, 2016
ISBN 9780062257796

Subjects

The publisher of the Under the Influence is HarperAudio. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is Family Life, Fiction

Additional info

The publisher of the Under the Influence is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780062257796.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Elyse

October 23, 2017

UPDATE: $1.99 kindle special. — PAGE TURNING contemporary NOVEL - takes place in the SF Bay Area Update: With sad news....Joyce Maynard's husband died on June 16th. Jim had pancreatic cancer. He fought a very brave battle for almost 2 years. My heart goes out to Joyce. Joyce has been sharing touching memories of she and Jim from the days when they first met. The song "Book of Love" by Peter Gabriel, was sung at their wedding .....by Joyce's assistant and extra daughter --which says just how she felt about marrying Jim. They spent 4.5 years together. Joyce says she will miss Jim forever and feels his fierce love still.Bless you Joyce! So deeply sorry for your loss.**Joyce Maynard**.....I don't think I can say enough wonderful things about Joyce Maynard. I LOVE this woman. I LOVE this author! Joyce's writing is so engrossing....pulsing with life ....( brittle, fragile, sharp, and real), that we are quickly absorbed into this mournful yet ultimately life-affirming novelThis book is to be read slowly ( but you'll read it quickly), as its imbued with empathy ....I wanted to savor the luminous prose. I wanted to rush to the end ... yet stave off reaching the last page. Needless to say...my entire being pulsated with this novel. For readers who have read at least a half dozen books written by Joyce...we begin to see a common theme in all her books. Joyce is quite accomplished developing deeply flawed - enthralling - benignant characters. Every book Joyce has ever written has Indelible characters ---( emotionally wrenching characters....painted with tenderness and truth) This is Joyce's 9th novel ...a-cautionary-tale! Helen is the central character. She is 'down-an-out'... ( a dreadful divorce, and lost custody of her son, following a drunken driving arrest). Working for a caterer, at an upscale SF art opening, she meets philanthropists Ava and Swift Havilland. Ava, confined to a wheelchair. Ava takes an interest in Helen....( inviting her into her life of the wealthy - and privileged). Helen's entire life changes. Ava and Swift established a charity committed to rescuing dogs. Helen almost seems like another 'rescue' project for Ava. Once Helen falls under the spell of her these new friends, Helen no longer has time to see her 1 other close friend, ( Alice). Helen is insecure and desperate - struggling to trust listening to her own voice. She is not confident about having relationships work. It doesn't help that her parents made her feel invisible as a child. She seems to be "under-the-influence"...by everyone around her. At the same time we like Helen .. ( she is extremely loyal to her son Ollie...and overall we see her goodness - her desire to love and be loved). Helen begins to reunite with her son - Ollie. Once Ollie meets Helen's friends...he becomes infatuated with Swift. Swift teaches Ollie to swim. Swift becomes a super-hero in Ollie's eyes. Lots of side stories going on between Ava & Swift - their housekeeper - Swift's older son...and Helen's ex- husband. Around the time Ollie meets Swift & Ava, Helen meets Dwight... an accountant who is a kind- gentle - kind - man - with good morals - and thinks the world of Helen. Helen enjoys being with Dwight. It's the best relationship - functional - healthy - and happy --that she has ever had. Their relationship isn't firecrackers ... but it's real. Swift, having stollen the heart of Helen's son, Ollie, is a flashy guy to compete with. Dwight looks boring to a 7 year old next to Swift. ( so Helen begins to have doubts about Dwight . Ollie and her friends all think Dwight is too dull and conservative. Many questions will dig into your hearts....Why might wealthy friends have more influence than less- wealthy friends? Why do we allow our friends judgments to influence our choices in life partners? Have you ever dropped a friend?Has a friend ever dropped you?Isn't it possible the loss of a friendship is as painful as a divorce? This story allowed me to look at many friendships over the years....This is not a book I'm done thinking about. Joyce keeps the tension drumming on your chest right up to the final pages...Juicy drama....Piercing psychology ...and poignant understanding of how deeply people who love each other - hurt each other! One of Joyce's Best!!!!!!Loved...loved...loved....it!!!!!!HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO ALL MY FEMALE FRIENDS .. and those special male friends!

Esil

February 29, 2016

Under the Influence got my attention from the beginning, and then it kept me reading – with an impending sense of dread. From the beginning, we know that something bad has happened in Helen’s life, and that it involves her former friend Ava. Helen catches a glimpse of Ada at an intersection. Helen hasn’t seen Ada for 10 years, but this sighting sets her off to recall the events leading up to the breakup of their friendship. Helen met Ada at a particularly low time in her life – she had recently lost custody of her young son – and Ada swooped in as an apparent rescuer. I won’t say more about the plot, other than to say that this is a very readable page turner – although this is not a thriller, it is definitely an emotional roller coaster. The narrative is carefully and tightly crafted. There are a lot of cringe making moments as we see Helen's lapses in judgment. But the lapses are human, and it’s hard not to have sympathy for Helen. This is a book about loneliness, desperation for family, charisma, neediness and entitlement. I have never read anything by Joyce Maynard. The writing is simple and the story not earth shattering, but the way Maynard develops the story through Helen’s eyes really pulled me in. Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for an opportunity to read what was meant to be an advance copy – I gather it was published a few days ago.

JanB

January 02, 2022

From the beginning of this tightly plotted story there's an impending sense of doom. The book starts off when Helen glimpses Ava in the back of a taxi. Ava is an old friend that she hasn't seen in years and the sighting sends her down memory lane to the events that led to the end of their friendship.Helen was a lost soul when she met Ava. She was badly parented, divorced, and had recently lost custody of her young son. Ava and Swift are wealthy philanthropists who take an interest in Helen and soon she's under their spell. Under their influence. She had never been part of a loving family and when she met Ava, the promise of love, acceptance, and support, along with their lavish lifestyle, was difficult to resist. There were moments I wanted to reach through the pages and shake some sense into Helen. It's so easy to judge flawed, vulnerable people if you haven't walked in their shoes, but I felt nothing but sympathy for her. It's a complicated story that makes you think long and hard about serious topics. The ending.....well, I was holding my breath, and while it ended suddenly, I wrote the ending I wanted in my mind :)Maynard has quickly become one of my favorite authors. Her writing is deceptively simple yet filled with nuance and depth - the mark of a great author. This was my second book by her and it won't be my last.

Carol

November 21, 2017

The only information that I had about Joyce Maynard before reading this novel was that she previously had an affair with J. D. Salinger. I’m glad that I decided to see if she could also write because I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The story unspools slowly in the beginning; and, I became a bit impatient waiting for an epiphany moment from Helen that should cause her to rethink her choice of friends.It was a great audio…an immersive, all consuming read. I plan to check out other novels by this author.

Jennifer

February 04, 2017

Remember in middle school, when the popular kid would talk to your friend and suddenly you ceased to exist? Well, in adulthood there are those that never quite grew out of that basking-in-attention phase. Sometimes, you just need to feel special I guess. The main character: Helen has found her people. They are wildly successful, resourceful, influential, fun, generous, and out of everyone else, they have chosen her as their rescued pet so to speak. And like a child eager to please, she is oh so easily influenced by her new besties. But as her wishes start to be dismissed and questionable behavior begins to surface, she is already too dependent on her new friends' promises...and might I mention that she has already burned too many bridges with those that really mattered. Under the Influence is my favorite Joyce Maynard book to date. It offers such a good lesson because Helen's story is not far-fetched. It's about flawed people who place their hopes and dreams in other flawed people who enjoy their place on pedestals like Gods. But you know what they say: If it seems too good to be true... In case you need a reminder of what qualities are important in a friendship actually worth your time, you can find a few HERE. Live well and enjoy each other ♥Note: (view spoiler)[I have to admit that while reading, my stomach was rolling at Ollie and Swift's impending Lake Tahoe trip. I was certain Swift had been grooming Ollie during all their "fun" time together and instead of a boating accident, a different sort of tragedy was going to occur. Although I am sad about Ollie's experience, I am so glad it wasn't a sexual abuse situation like I thought. (hide spoiler)]My favorite quote:"Friends. There's a loaded word for you. I know some people when speaking of a particular relationship may say, "We're just friends", as if this were some lesser form or connection to that of lovers or so-called soulmates. But to me, there may be no bond that matters more in the end than friendship, true and enduring friendship."

Vanessa

January 05, 2018

I’ve been on a bit of a roll with Joyce Maynard she’s a firm audio favourite, I find her storytelling easy to digest and find my concentration doesn’t waver at all while listening, she’s got such a hypnotic voice. The way she portrays her characters they feel so authentic, so realistic in her dialogue and scenarios you can really feel the book played out visually. The story builds slow which is characteristic of Maynard but it never feels dull, you become part of the story as it slowly unfolds and I noticed myself itching to get back in the car for more story development. I can’t even say that anything extraordinary happens in the book but I hardly cared, I loved it and will happily keep reading her books forever...

Bianca

October 12, 2017

Under the Influence is the second Maynard (audio)book I read, and as you can see from my rating, I enjoyed it a great deal.The delivery was superb, I was immersed in the very realistic story from the very beginning. Helen loses custody of her son, because of driving under the influence. She immediately changes her ways, goes through the motions to prove that she's worthy of having her son back. But things take time. Desperately lonely, she's taken under the wing by a rich couple, Ava and Swift Havilland - who are very charitable. Helen is so charmed by them, her entire life revolves around them, around what they say and think. Even Helen's son, David, is instantly charmed by Ava and especially by the boisterous Swift, who teaches David to swim and do other fun things.Early on, we get to know that something had happened. It was life-altering, in more ways than other. The Havillands are great manipulators. Eventually, Helen sees the truth through her rose coloured glasses. I'll leave it at that so that I don't completely spoil it for you.I don't quite know what it is about Maynard's writing that works so well for me. Her writing is somewhat understated, still, she manages to create compelling stories, with very realistic characters. Both Labor Day and this book were very atmospheric, it was very easy for me to imagine the characters and the settings. The first person narration was done impeccably. I like that Helen wasn't perfect, in many ways, she was as average as they come, including average looking.I know what it is: Maynard is very kind and non-judgemental. I like that.Maynard was the narrator of this audiobook and I must say she was excellent.2/2 books @5* = new favourite writer.

Suz

February 11, 2023

Starting a little slow, the pace picked up quickly enough. I thought this may be literary fiction, but I could not put this down, finishing very quickly on route to my annual beach summer holiday. Joyce Maynard writes like a natural – characters I got to know intimately (and quickly) – and how well does she get you to love/hate some of them!Helen is a single mum hard on her luck after divorcing her husband and receives a DUI. Being pulled over whilst taking her son to emergency for appendicitis should not excuse her for this deed, but I did find myself feeling very sorry, given a very nasty ex-husband and her desperate state of mind. Enter a gregarious but extremely false pair of people whom Helen false for completely, Ava and Stuart. She falls completely under their spell. We see this train wreck as Helen is drawn in, even to the peril of her own happiness. Captured well is the relationship between Helen and her son after losing custody, and the way in which she is entering head first into an unhealthy reliance on Ava and Stuart. Narcissism is obvious to the reader, but painfully lacking in Helen. I found myself wanting to shake sense into her many a time. Hearty five star read. The author has cemented herself as a go to for this reader.

Lisa

July 27, 2018

5 ++++ Stars ⭐️ wow!!! That’s all I can say right now . . . This is my first Joyce Maynard book . It won’t be my last. The writing is absolutely spell binding, an exquisitely woven character driven story. I’ll add more later but right now I just need to savor and digest an array of mixed emotions. I’m sad that I finished this book in 3 days but excited I have several other Joyce Maynard books yet to read . . .Ironically, Elliot reminds me so much of my husband, also an accountant, for whom I met on match.com , 8 years ago today!!!! All through our courtship he would say, I’m just an ordinary simple , one woman man, not much to figure out. . . 🙂❤️

Dana

April 06, 2016

Under the Influence is story of love, friendship, loss, and betrayal - and the lengths one will go to to be accepted and approved of.I am not often drawn into a book from the first few pages, but the story pulled me in right away and kept me engrossed to the end. The novel is wonderfully written and well-paced throughout. I, also, loved the eclectic group of characters.4.5 *

Judy

September 09, 2017

Joyce Maynard delivers a timely, poignant, and cautionary tale UNDER THE INFLUENCE ---how ordinary people (victims) --fall under the influence of not only unhealthy addictions, but toxic people, as well. Often outward things which seem to dazzle--socially accepted, can be deadly in many ways. Choose your friendships and relationships wisely—moral values; good versus evil and the masks which deceive. Helen a young divorced mother, of seven-year-old son, Ollie-- a photographer and caterer. She likes her wine, and one night at home after drinking, her son has an emergency and on the way to the hospital; finds herself stopped by the cops for a DUI, and ultimately loses custody of her son.Lost, depressed, and worried her son is slipping away—he is now living with her ex-husband and his new wife. She spends time with a friend she enjoys; however, lonely---soon she meets Ava and Swift Havilland. She is blown away by their rich lifestyle. They take control and soon she is under their spell. She forgets all about her other friend, and uses this couple’s lifestyle and “toys” to dazzle her son. In the meantime, she meets a man via an online dating site. He is boring, an accountant, and a rule follower—Elliott. They hit it off; however, her friends are risk takers and live on the edge, and there is conflict between them. Their opinion influences her, and she begins thinking maybe he is boring, and not cool enough. Helen begins spending all her time with the couple, caught up in their lifestyle. Elliott, thinks something is off with the wealthy philanthropists and their connection to the charity. Helen is put off with his comments and comes to their defense.Ollie, her son is also caught up in Swift’s personality, and soon Helen allows her son to go on a boating outing while she helps Ava prepare for a surprise birthday party. She soon learns, things are not always as they seem. Some people can be damaging. Some toxic people are not always our friends, but use their money, control, and connections for their own selfish reasons.A serious wake up call to many—both young and old. How often do we allow the popular connected people in our lives, pushing aside our true friends for the glamour? The same with alcohol, or other addictions – society and peer pressure has convinced us you need to do certain things to be hip, cool, impressive, accepted—things to satisfy; may often wind up destroying our lives, our health, and damage precious relationships and those close to our hearts. A thought-provoking read ---for all ages, ideal for book clubs and further group discussions. Especially women seeking a partner, with small children. The bad boys, the rich, and the risk takers-- may not make the best friend, partner, or parent. Often the outward appearances are a façade, covering up deeper darker psychological problems. My first book by Maynard --highly impressed—delving into the deep human emotions from all perspectives. (Especially children, who can develop hero worship, and influences). I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author-- very emotional and moving. Fans of Amy Hatvany, Diane Chamberlain, and Jodi Picoult will enjoy the contemporary domestic suspense, the true value of friendship, and the highly charged topics—ones which influence our lives. At the same time, we must be careful who we spend time with (especially those who may be vulnerable). We all have a propensity to imitate the habits and adopt the interest and opinions of our close friends and we inadvertently embrace the values they profess. By choosing whom we take on as friends we are charting our own destiny. Look forward to reading more from this author! JDCMustReadBooks Highly recommend her latest: The Best of Us Sept 2017.

Lynne

May 02, 2016

A beautiful story about love, family, and friendship. I was so immersed in the story that when it ended I screamed. I'm still living in it even though I've started another.

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