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Claire LaZebnik
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Knitting Under the Influence: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Claire LaZebnik (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 out of 5 stars 92 ratings
When you're in your late twenties and nothing in your life seems to be falling into place, knitting is an awfully seductive way to spend your free time -- especially when life doesn't come with a stitch counter.
Kathleen, Sari, and Lucy's Sunday knitting circle is the only thing holding them together. Kathleen has been cut off financially by her family and forced to enter "the real world" for the very first time. Sari has fallen for the man who made her life a living hell in high school, but now desperately needs her help. Lucy, torn between emotion and reason, must reevaluate her life when her lab and her boyfriend are assailed by an animal-rights group.
At their club meetings, they discuss the really important questions: how bad is it, really, to marry for money if you like the guy a lot anyway? Can you ever forgive someone for something truly atrocious that they've done? Is it better to be unhappily coupled than happily alone? And the little ones: Can you wear a bra with a hand-knit tube top? Is it ever acceptable to knit something for a boyfriend? And why do your stitches become lopsided after your second martini?

In Claire LaZebnik's hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking novel, Sari, Lucy, and Kathleen's lives intersect, overlap, unravel, and come back together in an utterly satisfying read.
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  1. Print length
    423 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    5 Spot
  4. Publication date
    November 2, 2008
  5. File size
    2.9 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Three L.A. girlfriends keep it together with their Sunday morning knitting circle in LaZebnik's sophomore warm-fuzzy (after Same as It Never Was). Charming, irresponsible Kathleen Winters is dependent on her identical twin sisters (semi-famous actresses reminiscent of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) for a paycheck and a home. After drunkenly spilling family secrets to a reporter, she sets off in a turquoise Mini Cooper to find an apartment and job of her own. Meanwhile, scientific researcher Lucy Cameron questions her career and love life as her lab and her self-righteous boyfriend become the targets of animal rights activists. Sari Hill faces the deepest conflict of all when the same "good-looking asshole" who tortured her brother in high school shows up with his autistic son at the autism clinic where she works. Each young woman re-examines her beliefs as the knitting projects—a hot pink bikini, a midnight blue baby blanket, a sweater—pass by. The tangled paths to three satisfying resolutions are marked by hot sex, an adorable gray kitten and, above all else, girl talk. LaZebnik juggles periods of personal crisis while maintaining her characters' complex individuality. Social knitters, especially, will relate to the bond that strengthens over the click-clack of the girls' needles. (Sept. 14)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Claire LaZebnik lives in Los Angeles with her TV writer husband and four children. She is the author of the novels Knitting Under the Influence, The Smart One and the Pretty One, and If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home Now.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B001JK9BH8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ 5 Spot (November 2, 2008)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 2, 2008
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.9 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 423 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 out of 5 stars 92 ratings

About the author

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Claire LaZebnik

Claire LaZebnik

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THE TROUBLE WITH FLIRTING is now available! It's my second YA novel, and if you liked EPIC FAIL, you'll like THE TROUBLE WITH FLIRTING. It's a lighthearted romance loosely based on Jane Austen's MANSFIELD PARK (but with one big twist). Please check it out!

Meanwhile, come visit me on my Facebook page Claire LaZebnik Writes--we have book giveaway contests and silly conversations about anything and everything--and read my blog at www.clairelazebnik.com. You can contact me easily through either. I love to hear from my fans!

Happy reading!

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
92 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book to be a fun read. They appreciate the knitting theme, with one customer noting it has more knitting than drinking. The readability receives mixed feedback, with some finding it easy to read while others find it too vulgar.

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5 customers mention "Enjoyment"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable, with one mentioning it's a fun story about three women.

"...I loved it. I was never bored and the book moved between the various stories at just the right moments, staying long enough to let you savor moments..." Read more

"...This was a fun story about three women who's common tie is knitting, and they are VERY committed to their knitting group, and have become very..." Read more

"Fantastic, fun read." Read more

"...it was going to lead from the start, how she got you there was very entertaining. So grab your adult beverage of choice, and enjoy." Read more

3 customers mention "Knitter's passion"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the knitting content of the book, with one noting it has more knitting than drinking scenes, and another highlighting how the characters are very committed to their knitting group.

"...three women who's common tie is knitting, and they are VERY committed to their knitting group, and have become very committed to each other...." Read more

"...Read that one, skip this. And for a truly excellent knitting novel, I suggest The Knitting Circle: A Novel by Ann Hood." Read more

"...romance novel, with a personal touch for those of us who are passionate about knitting. Nicely done." Read more

6 customers mention "Readability"3 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the readability of the book, with some finding it easy to read while others disagree.

"...except for the alcohol/adult content scattered around it, as it is easy reading...." Read more

"...Sari, Kathleen and Lucy, who engage in, like, totally inane and profane dialog through probably 90% of the writing...." Read more

"I really enjoyed reading this book. It was an easy read and fun. Sometimes we need to just enjoy a book to make us smile...." Read more

"...He is probably the most stable, but is either not that nice or sarcastic...hard to tell from the writing. WHAT A MESS......" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Colin Summers
    5.0 out of 5 stars Chick Lit Smart Enough a Guy
    Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    I couldn't put the first novel by this author down, and had the same trouble with this one. I meant to just read the first few chapters one morning and then it was all I did for the day. I loved it. I was never bored and the book moved between the various stories at just the right moments, staying long enough to let you savor moments, but returning to a different thread (yarn?) before your attention was worn out.

    The characters are smart and real, and don't spend any time talking to themselves or whining about things. It's really refreshing to read about women who are not simple, and who are not sabotaging one another. Without being coy about it, they still have fun with sex and flirting and men.

    It's better than just beach blanket reading. Without being heavy, it has some sharp commentary about life. My only complaint is that it wasn't long enough. I would have been happy with one or two more chapters.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Sarah J Faulkner
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fun read!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Contrary to the title, this book has a lot more knitting than drinking, but even that isn't overdone. This was a fun story about three women who's common tie is knitting, and they are VERY committed to their knitting group, and have become very committed to each other. While not always believable - I'd love to be able to maintain the lifestyle Kathleen maintains while working as little and with so little energy invested, for example - it was still fun. And she does deal with some real issues, like people with autism and how autism affects other family members, and she handles it in a compassionate and believable way without getting bogged down by the seriousness of it. I will check out more books by this author.
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  • Hoolia
    3.0 out of 5 stars Started out strong but ended abruptly
    Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    I picked up this book along with a few other 'girlie' books and finally got around to opening it.

    It intrigued with a story of friendship as well as the lives they all led.

    I don't know if I saw the ending coming before the gals in the book did.

    But the book seemed to just 'end'.

    It wasn't a satisfied close of the book but "Really? That's it?"

    It wasn't bad but I would definitely say don't expect a grand ending for it just seems to be 'wrapped up'.
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  • Abigail Broska
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read
    Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Fantastic, fun read.
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  • Christi
    4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable
    Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    I was reading another book "Secret Life of Dresses" and saw that this author had reviewed it, and I have to admit that I was intrigued by the name of the book that followed her name. I am a fair-weather knitter and I love "chic-lit" books, so when I saw the cover, I put it in my queue immediately. If you are expecting knitting patterns or your average clean friday night knitting group book, you're not going to get that with this one. what you are going to get is the friendship between three friends that will make you laugh, make you cry, make you laugh and then make you cry again. I got drawn up in the story, and although I could see where it was going to lead from the start, how she got you there was very entertaining. So grab your adult beverage of choice, and enjoy.
    Helpful
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  • Different
    3.0 out of 5 stars Knitting Under the Influence
    Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I thought this book was about knitting. I was reading it to be apart of a book club. It is not what I expected. I should have to read the reviews before purchasing.
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  • L. Kelly
    5.0 out of 5 stars Three L.A. Friends Share Their Lives, Loves, and Knitting
    Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2007
    The fun illustration on the cover of this book hooked me into reading this book. The book turned out to deliver a much different story than I was expecting, and I ended up thoroughly engrossed in the story. Kathleen, Sari, and Lucy are three single friends living the fast life in Los Angeles. The three friends get together every Sunday morning for a kntiting circle, where they share their weekly happenings and love lives over knitting. The book turned out to be much more about the girls learning to find personal fulfillment and love than about either knitting or drinking, but that's okay!

    A major sub-theme in the book is treatment for autism. In the story, Sari, whose older brother Charlie is autistic, works as a therapist at an autism clinic. Sari must deal with a bunch of conflicting emotions when she begins treating 4-year old Zack Smith, whose father Jason Smith went to high school with Sari and ran with a group of kids who made fun of Charlie and called him a "retard". The author has an autistic son of her own, and does a great job of weaving in the autism angle into the storyline.

    Kathleen and Lucy are also very interesting characters. Kathleen is a triplet whose two identical sisters are child stars similar to the Olsen twins. As a triplet and a sibling of semi-famous celebrities, Kathleen is searching for her own identity. Finally, Lucy has a very interesting job doing animal research in a lab at UCLA, and has to deal with a lot of issues because her job involves killing rats for her research.

    This book was a wonderful surprise for me, and I will definitely be on the lookout for more books written by Ms. LaZebnik.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Michelaneous by Michele
    2.0 out of 5 stars OMG
    Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    I'm sorry. I wanted to like this book; however, to be fair to the books I've rated 5-stars and feel proud to recommend, I'm afraid this one doesn't come close. I had to force myself to read the first 96 pages and then could no longer dedicate another minute to this plotless tale. Capitalizing on the current trend in knitting-related novels, this does the genre an injustice. It's chick-lit and not the good kind of chick-lit like Sophie Kinsella's work or the stories of Bridget Jones. This has three main characters, Sari, Kathleen and Lucy, who engage in, like, totally inane and profane dialog through probably 90% of the writing. Yes, they knit (one owns a knitting store), but from what I've read, mostly they obsess over guys and apparently alcohol? I'm not sure, I didn't get far enough to determine WHAT this was about.

    In my opinion, the author's first novel, Same As It Never Was: A Novel, was far better. Read that one, skip this. And for a truly excellent knitting novel, I suggest The Knitting Circle: A Novel by Ann Hood.
    9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Leah
    4.0 out of 5 stars Hugely readable!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Knitting Under The Influence tells the story of three friends: Lucy, Kathleen and Sari, who meet each week to knit and chat. Kathleen's just quit working for her triplet sisters and is happy when her dad's friend Sam finds her an apartment and a new job; Sari has dedicated her life to helping Austitic kids after growing up with an Austistic brother and doesn't have time for love, especially not with Jason Smith, one of the guys who teased her brother in high school; and Lucy is happy with boyfriend James, at least she thinks she is and spends her days doing tests and things on rats in a bid to make the world a better place. There's quite a bit going on in the book as we follow each woman in their respective lives as well as the times they meet up each week and at random times during the week. I found it incredibly easy to follow every one and thoroughly enjoyed each woman.

    I thoroughly enjoyed the book, despite being over 400 pages long, it was a quick and easy read - despite the fact it took me almost a week to finish it on my Kindle. It was so easy to pick up on the story and the lives of the girls every time I put it down and picked it back up. The girls are great friends, but they also have their own separate lives. Sari probably had my favourite story, I thoroughly enjoyed the work she did to help Austitic kids to talk and interact and I loved that, despite not being a fan of Jason Smith, she helped his son Zack. I found it very interesting and absorbing as Autism is rarely touched upon in Chick Lit. Kathleen's story was probably the most lacking, but I loved Kathleen nevertheless so I didn't really feel it lagged the book down at all and the same goes for Lucy. I loved Lucy, despite her tendency to not eat! I thought her storyline was also very interesting - how many science people are in Chick Lit? - so it was lovely to get into the nitty gritty of science work and meet someone who isn't a hairdresser or PA.

    The characters in Knitting Under The Influence were excellent. Kathleen was my favourite character - there was something so great about the way Kathleen lived her life, the way she wasn't necessarily bothered about bothering Sam, her neighbour, how she just let her life flow, although her speech about wanting a rich husband was crass. Sari was a brilliant character, too, I could understand why she was so protective of her brother and why she failed to forgive Jason and still held a grudge even after so long. Lucy was my least favourite - for a while I thought she was very cold, but she's actually not so it was interested how my opinion changed of her throughout the book. I certainly misjudged her.

    I really enjoyed Knitting Under The Influence. It had everything I wanted. It was warm, it was witty, the romances were excellent and everything I expected and guessed and it was a very satisfying read. Claire LaZebnik is an excellent writer and I can't wait to dive into her other novels. I've already bought If You Were Here, You'd Be Home and if I like that I'll most certainly be buying her most recent book. Knitting Under The Influence is a brilliant tale of friendship, romance and, of course, knitting - I'm not a big knitting fan myself, it always makes me think of little old ladies with clacking needles but it's a surprisingly popular hobby for Chick Lit characters. Who knew? I'd definitely recommend the book it was a fun and quick read with some serious bits, too, and the Autism storyline is done really, really well. Definitely a good read and well worth your money!
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  • Karpet
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Girlie Read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    I was unsure how enjoyable a novel about knitting could be. Wool, knit, purl etc! This book turned out to be a good girlie read that you wanted to keep reading and for it never to come to an end. It is about three women friends who live in L.A and who meet up regularly to knit and chat about their boyfriends, work, family and everything else in between. The book follows each woman's life individually and the various challenges they are facing in their lives. This book would appeal to both lovers of knitting and those who have never knitted in their lives. The characters are passionate about their hobby and by the end of the book you feel the urge to attempt your own knitting creation.
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