Knitting Under the Influence    by Claire LaZebnik Order:  USA  Can 5 Spot, 2006 (2006) Softcover     Reviewed by Kerrily Sapet In times of trouble and in times of joy, Kathleen, Sari, and Lucy turn to each other and their knitting group to ease life's ups and downs. Throughout the book as they knit hot pink bikinis, boyfriend sweaters, and soft baby blankets the three stumble through relationships, and try to pick themselves up. In Knitting Under the Influence, Claire LaZebnik perfectly captures three different friends. Kathleen is beautiful, yet flighty. After having spent years living off her identical twin actress sisters, she is now on her own, and hoping to snag a rich husband. Lucy is a scientist/animal lover doing research on rats and also dating a prominent and handsome, yet extremely opinionated, fellow researcher. Sari is a therapist at an autism clinic and is confronted with having to work with a client's son - the client is the very man who tormented Sari's autistic brother on a daily basis in high school. Although Sari has held on to that anger and hurt for years, she still finds herself attracted to this single man and his adorable son. These three friends, as different as they are alike, turn to their knitting needles and bottles of wine and wonderful camaraderie as they navigate the dating world. Knitting Under the Influence also features recipes for several drinks, inspired by the knitting projects within the novel, although the author warns if you knit and drink, there will be consequences. Overall the book is a hilarious tale, sometimes sweet and touching and sometimes out-loud laughable. But mainly it is honest and hits home about life, love, and dating. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews