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 novel
This 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 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 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! Diane S ?4,855 14.3k

From the beginning this novel has an insidious tone of a disaster waiting to happen. Well written with a beguiling and mixed cast of characters, they represent many of the people we meet in our actual lives. A young mother who loses custody of her son and is struggling emotionally and financially. A wealthy couple who offer her friendship and support. A young boy trying to find his way between two homes and a man who wants to be part of Helen's life but is stymied by her new friendship.

What is the true cost of friendship? How much are we willing to pay? From the beginning we are aware that something drastic and life changing happens at novel's end. Extremely well written, tightly plotted, I often felt a fly on the wall observing someone's intimate life. We do get in close and personal with these characters and while I can't say I d them, well except for Ollie and Elliot, they were so interesting and I really wanted to see where this was going. Many times I felt shaking Helen and telling her to wake up. A book to get caught up in, an immersive read that fully engaged my emotions. I just love this author's work and how good she is at portraying life's trials and joys, people and their misfortunes.

ARC from publisher.
123 s PorshaJo492 696

Life is hectic now. I'm traveling every other week for work. I start a book, I'm gone for a week, come back and I can't remember what I read. I just needed something comforting and soothing that would relax me. I immediately turned to Joyce Maynard and didn't look back. I just love her books. Every time I finish a book of hers, I want to dive right into the next one. But I need to pace myself as each one I read, I think...that is one less for me to discover.

Under the Influence tells the story of Helen. She's down on her luck right now. She's lost custody of her young son after a stupid mistake and it just doesn't seem she will turn things around. She's a lonely woman, desperate for some semblance of a family or family life. Her ex husband has their son, she rarely gets to see him, and her ex husbands family turns her away. Then, she meets Ava and Swift Havilland and she thinks her life has turned around. Helen so wants that sense of belonging that she's just not a rational person. Ava and Swift Havilland are very, very wealthy and Helen is very impressionable and soon she falls shall we say....under the influence of the Havillands. But what does it take to make Helen open her eyes to her so called "friends".

I love this story. It's a slow moving story but it kept me on edge. The tension builds though out the book. I kept wanting to know what was to happen. You can feel it from the beginning that something terrible is going to happen. Helen is so naive and just dang stupid at times I wanted to shake her and yell 'wake up'. I kept wanting to hear more, see what would happen. And it helped too by listening to the audio narrated by Maynard herself. She's a wonderful narrator. But also, the Havillands, you could say they were under the influence too, of power and greed. The lengths that people will go to to show what a perfect life they have...or seem to have. I don't want to say more and give anything away. A great read and one that I'm sorry is over. Now, on to my next Maynard.audio challengereads challengereads-201897 s Cheri1,904 2,760


As a child, Helen made up stories about her the two people responsible for her birth – her parents. Her father more often, where he was, what he did for a living. She viewed her home as a kind of hell; anyplace was better than there. Reading was her only solace.

Stacks of library books under the covers of my bed: the thing that saved me.

She grows older, wants only to not be her parents; with no idea what she really does want. Falling in love. Falling for the illusion of love, she learns about heartbreak. Still, she retains childish illusions about love. So when she meets Dwight, and Dwight tells her he always wanted a girl just her, she wonders what kind of girl she needs to be, to become in order to be that girl.

I had developed, early on, the habit of low expectations, and of letting my life be directed by whatever person happened to come along who seemed to know better than I did what they were doing.

Inevitably, their marriage is doomed, but out of that union comes a son, Ollie. Her first real love. Followed again years later by heartache when she loses custody of her son, struggling with the loss, struggling with life.

ItÂ’s when sheÂ’s at this low point that she meets a couple, the woman befriends her, theyÂ’re very well-off, and wellÂ… they seem to know better than she what to do. What she should do. What she should wear. Who she should befriend. But her life has become so much moreÂ… more everything with them in it, and she truly believes they know whatÂ’s best for her. After all, look at their life! Everyone loves them! They have everything.

Including Helen, it seems. Wrapped around their beckoning fingers. And really, theyÂ’ve become her everything, her friends, and maybe with their support, she can slowly gain back custody of her son.

You feel the tension build from the beginning, slowly at first but with the knowledge that some twist will come along to change the seemingly smooth course. This is a very tightly woven story, not a lot of unnecessary meandering to lead you astray, they’re just a broken woman, her broken son, seemingly well-meaning friends who have been nothing but be overly generous, and yet…. There is an ever-present sense of “I should have known…”

This is the second of Joyce MaynardÂ’s novels IÂ’ve read. I read, and enjoyed Labor Day as well. Having lived in the Bay Area where Under the Influence takes place for more years of my life than not, it was easy to find myself revisiting places and times and people this story brought to mind.
2017 goodreads-giveaway76 s Esil1,118 1,438

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. ew72 s JanB1,218 3,504


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.audiobook74 s Crumb189 650

This was a very, very good book. I enjoyed it because the characters were so relatable - which is something I really value in a book. I was so invested in finding out what was going to happen. I hated having to go to work because that meant I couldn't read! That is a true sign of a wonderful book. This was the first book I've read by Joyce Maynard, and it won't be my last! I give this book a 4.5/5! Perfect book for a book club, as well!contemporary women-s-fiction60 s Carol379 398

The only information that I had about Joyce Maynard before reading this novel was that she previously had an affair with J. D. Salinger. IÂ’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 audioÂ…an immersive, all consuming read. I plan to check out other novels by this author.e-audible women-s-fiction66 s2 comments Cathrine ?? 695 364

4.25?
Wow, I am so stoked. I was under the influence from page one and forty-eight hours later itÂ’s over. I want more. My only interaction with this author was the movie version of her Labor Day which my two besties and I really d (which probably means that the book must be awesome).
Her very skillful and subtle writing mesmerized me. Each page was a strand on a spiderÂ’s web under construction. ThereÂ’s this building fascination as you watch it coming together and then you realize youÂ’re caught.
This is an excellent tale that reads a memoir about how a bad start in life, low self esteem, and then a very unfortunate mistake in judgement can lead to extreme vulnerability and self-doubt, resulting in a lonely woman open to unhealthy and potentially harmful manipulation by others. It was absolutely and compulsively unputdownable. I will definitely be looking into more of MaynardÂ’s other works.
group-challenge55 s Debbie479 3,557

If youÂ’re looking for the story about a helpless boozer loser, look elsewhere. Me? I a good story about a down-and-outer, and given the title (which is what drew me in), I was surprised to see that drinking wasnÂ’t the theme. I kept waiting for booze to take over the plot, but it didnÂ’t. (So in a sick way, I was sort of disappointed.) The evils of alcohol do play a role, but itÂ’s not the focus. For Helen, her drug of choice is a rich, charismatic woman who pays unending attention to her. This type of addiction wonÂ’t land you a DUI, but it still can ruin your life.

Un other reviewers, I wasnÂ’t drawn into the book immediately. Since I wasnÂ’t getting the booze drama, I think I got bored. Helen was all victim-y, and her passivity was annoying. There was, however, a sense that something bad was going to happen, which made me curious.

So I was singing the It's Fine tune for a good while, but when I say it's fine, I usually mean it's bland--passable, decent writing, but no great shakes. I was mildly interested in Helen but not enough. I definitely wasn't under the influence of this one. But about a third of the way through, bingo. Glued to the page.

The story was so real. Through one understandable mistake, HelenÂ’s life was pulled out from under her. Raw, alone, and shell-shocked, she was ripe for the picking. There sat rich Ava, hungry for a slave, loyal fan, personal assistant, and court jester. Her wild and boisterous husband, Swift, was a draw to Helen as well.

I've seen it happen in real life--smart, rich people who carefully pick a new person-toy to entertain them for a while. They zero in, they pay attention as if she's the only thing important to them, and create a dependency where the victim will do anything they ask. Here, they pour it on thick, showering Helen with compliments and attending to her every word and action. Maynard portrayed the idol worship thing and its repercussions just brilliantly.

This social setup stirred me up, the psychology of it all. And IÂ’d say the fact that it called up the psych minor in me made it my favorite thing about this book. IÂ’m thinking that a social setup this (a person under the influence of a flatterer) can make a person lose her identity for a while. I went crazy over-analyzing this, but it was fun. When Helen introduced her boyfriend, Elliott, to Ava, she suddenly saw him through AvaÂ’s eyes. My theory is that at that moment, full of anxiety and conflict, Helen temporarily lost her identity. When she had been alone with Elliott before that meeting, she was super close to him, and her real self was shining through. But when she later saw him through AvaÂ’s eyes, she treated him shit and they broke up. I claim this wasnÂ’t her real self. She was sort of hypnotized; her identity disappeared.

One small complaint: Helen doesnÂ’t act on something that she should have. This was the only time that anything in the book was unbelievable, and it of course bugged me. AvaÂ’s maid told Helen not to trust Swift with HelenÂ’s kid. Helen was a little worried, but no biggie. I donÂ’t buy it. me, Helen would have flipped out; would have interrogated the maid for details. Implied in the maidÂ’s comment is sexual abuse. No mom hears that her son shouldnÂ’t be trusted with some man and does nothing.

Nothing fancy here, no language to die for, yet a really good book that I did get drawn into. There was no extra fluff, just smooth and skillful writing that kept to the story. The characters were rich, and the kid was especially convincing. At one point, I so believed in him, I felt what he felt. I donÂ’t often feel such a connection, especially with a kid. I realized then that Maynard is a damn good writer; it takes skill to draw you in that.

I will definitely be checking out her other books. Someone highly recommended her memoir, At Home in the World, so that will probably be the one I head to first. (I just checked the book out and read that when Maynard was 19, she lived with J.D. Salinger, who was in his 50s! Now I HAVE to read it!)
addiction damsels-in-distress down-and-outers ...more99 s Jennifer1,784 6,701

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 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 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: 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 I thought.

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."addiction listened-to-audiobook read-2017 ...more45 s Vanessa470 318

IÂ’ve been on a bit of a roll with Joyce Maynard sheÂ’s a firm audio favourite, I find her storytelling easy to digest and find my concentration doesnÂ’t waver at all while listening, sheÂ’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 canÂ’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...44 s Beverly892 350

Under the influence has almost nothing to do with with the drinking that led the main character to lose custody of her child to her ex-husband. It is more a character study of how a lonely woman, left with nothing to live for, becomes beguiled by a charismatic, rich, older couple.

The story of the young woman Helen and the couple fascinated me. Of the two, Ava, especially, knew how to manipulate people so well it was a high art with her. Swift, the husband, crude and loud, is not someone you could be attracted to for too long, or maybe that's just me.

What frustrated me at the beginning of the novel was the buildup to this relationship. Helen's back story was not believable to me or even that interesting. This part goes on for a long time too.I felt the author had never known true deprivation and couldn't imagine it that well.

What does come across as believable is the relationship between Helen and her little boy, Ollie. The love they have for each other is palpable, so Helen's seemingly cavalier attitude for his safety at times seems odd and not in character. This is part of who she is though. It's as if she is so much of a non person that she can't even speak up for the little boy she loves with all her heart. It is why she is easily manipulated by Ava and Swift. This also explains my 3 stars for a very thought-provoking book. If someone who was so neglected as a child met a couple of grifters Ava and Swift wouldn't her prior experience set off deafening alarm bells?This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full reviewpsychological-drama39 s Suz1,299 688

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 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.library-at-the-hub36 s2 comments Stefani346 16

I feel terrible for saying this about a New York Times bestselling author, but this book was GOD AWFUL. It had a soap opera-y quality that would be best expressed not in book form, but as the screenplay for a Lifetime movie, if we're being totally honest here.

Where to start? Apparently I'm in the minority here with my opinion, judging by the number of 4 and 5-star that I'm seeing on Goodreads, however, unless this woman is an acquired taste— a single malt scotch that tastes revoltingly bitter to the, ahem, unrefined pallet—I can't understand what all the rave are about. Suum cuique.

I feel I'm as much to blame as anyone for being sucked in by the premise of this book which does sound something I'd see on Hallmark after-hours: a single mother who's lost custody of her son and who's prone to bad decisions randomly meets a fabulously wealthy/philanthropic, glamorous couple who suddenly decide to take her under their wings, so to speak, and give her life meaning. And by meaning, they basically give her a "job" that gives her an excuse to spend her days and nights at their home, being wined, dined, and fawned over by them. So this couple become Helen's best friends/entire world at a time when her life is in shambles. Eventually, she finds a boyfriend on Match.com who conveniently is the polar fucking opposite of her friends—a rule-following accountant who delights in reading spreadsheets on the weekend for fun (I mean, really? Who does this??) who's a wonderful companion but embarrassingly boring to her new fancy friends.

So, I've only given you the very rough outlines of this story, but that should be enough for you to get the gist of its unbelievability. And, yes, I get the part about suspending belief for the purpose of reading fiction, but this was a little too lurid even by those standards. Here are some points I found a little hard to swallow:

(1) Helen is an "alcoholic." Her drinking is what leads her to eventually lose custody of her son. By some miraculous force, she stops drinking the day she loses her son, which, frankly, seems a little unrealistic given the struggles many alcoholics have with breaking a very, very powerful addiction. It almost entirely ignores the fact that being able to just quit drinking overnight is not necessarily within someone's control. While I don't doubt that some people can "quit the habit" cold turkey if given the right motivation, I'm not sure that's a ly scenario and even less so from a person Helen, who has no willpower and zero self esteem.

(2) The unquestioning willingness to take the Havillands on their merits and not question the power imbalance of the relationship—why would this super-rich couple suddenly decide that this woman—who, by her own description is basically a plain Jane with no personality—is worthy of all their time despite having little to nothing in common with her? No suspicion of an ulterior motive? Is she really that gullible?

(3) The whole tantric sex, *wink wink* come-hither looks between the ever-charming, hairy Swift and his paraplegic wife? It's laughably bad at best and I'm curious as to why these two think anyone is interested in the details of their sex life.

Ugh, at least it was a quick read. I probably should have just read the last 10 pages. fiction pulpy37 s Bianca1,156 1,019

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 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 that.

Maynard was the narrator of this audiobook and I must say she was excellent.

2/2 books @5* = new favourite writer.audiobook contemporary female-author ...more33 s SaraAuthor 1 book744

Very interesting read with a lot to think about. Group read for May, so I will wait and post my review later.

Helen is under the influence. She is under the influence of alcohol in the beginning of the story, and that causes her some serious problems, but she then falls under the influence of two people with money and possessions and a lifestyle that she wants, and that almost costs her everything. Its a complicated story about self-respect (or lack thereof), about parental responsibility, about listening to that inner voice that warns you when things are not what they should be.

The story is well-paced and believable and while you are screaming at Helen "don't go there", you are also looking at yourself and thinking is there any Helen in me. Would you resist the friendship of someone who offered you all the material goods and attention you have craved in life if you recognized the price to be loss of your autonomy? How much would you surrender for that connection? Would you lie to yourself? Bury your own feelings for someone else? Shun a friend or a lover?

Maynard poses some serious questions through her character development. She weaves an interesting tale and she writes a very satisfactory ending for it. I have another of her novels on my Kindle and I will not hesitate to read it.contemporary-fiction23 s Lisa107 28

5 ++++ Stars ?? wow!!! ThatÂ’s all I can say right now . . . This is my first Joyce Maynard book . It wonÂ’t be my last. The writing is absolutely spell binding, an exquisitely woven character driven story.

IÂ’ll add more later but right now I just need to savor and digest an array of mixed emotions. IÂ’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, IÂ’m just an ordinary simple , one woman man, not much to figure out. . .
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