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In the Drink: A Novel
In this compassionate, wise, and comical debut, Kate Christensen gives an engaging and authentic voice to a new generation of single urban women.
Claudia Steiner never intended for her life to become such a disaster. At the age of twenty-nine she finds herself serving as secretary to an insane, aging socialite who barks orders from her toilet, specializes in devastating ba...more
Claudia Steiner never intended for her life to become such a disaster. At the age of twenty-nine she finds herself serving as secretary to an insane, aging socialite who barks orders from her toilet, specializes in devastating ba...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
August 1st 2000
by Anchor
(first published May 4th 1999)
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She's the friend of a friend and that friend sort of recommended this to me. It depressed me because it described my life at the time perfectly and it was like reading my own journals. Which either means that I should be making whatever money she made off of this piece of crap or that she's awesome (and I'm a total slacker for getting my journals published). But I didn't really feel awesome after reading this. Depressing.
After Maud Newton came down heavy this summer on Kate Christensen book recommendations, and because she's coming to read soon, I decided to give her a whirl by reading two back-to-back. With this one, I was hoping for something light but well written and addictive that I could ingest in a couple days. Didn't really grab me at first - par exemple, a whole page on the cockroaches in her character's Manhattan apartment? and do we have to follow her through every nap and walk across the park? - but...more
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While procrastinating on Devil in the White City, I picked this book up at the library on my friend, Bridget's stellar recommendation of the author, Kate Christensen. Christensen is indeed a "writer's writer"--I thoroughly enjoyed her style and array of colorful characters in this book.
It's the story of a New York woman, Claudia, who works as the personal assistant and ghost writer for a rich older socialite author who somewhat mistreats her. Claudia is also at fault because...more
It's the story of a New York woman, Claudia, who works as the personal assistant and ghost writer for a rich older socialite author who somewhat mistreats her. Claudia is also at fault because...more
I actually really liked this book, but mostly because I could so easily relate to it at this point in my life. It was one of those "perfect timing" books. The protagonist, Claudia, is frustrated with her life in NYC. She lives in a shanty of an apartment; she eats, drinks, and spends money irresponsibly; she is pining after her male best friend who she is sure does not feel reciprocal interest; and most of all, she is terribly dissatisfied with her work. Her feeling of futility wit...more
Perhaps I am just inclined to dislike books where I dislike the protagonist, which in this case, was a great deal. The narrator is selfish and naive and rather manipulative, and I think we're supposed to feel sorry for her plight, but I don't. I can relate to being poor and maybe having a job you don't like and unrequited longing for a friend, but... her particular case of unrequited longing feels nothing to me like a genuine want for him, but rather a kind of possessiveness. Her disgust at his ...more
I read the whole book, so that says something. The narrative is enough to keep you in the book, but the characters were flat and cliche and the story has been done. It was interesting that the end doesn't really resolve anything. But, by halfway through the book I was so tired of Claudia (the main character) and her sorry for herself self that can't pull it together I wanted to slap her. Those are not the kind of young, urban female characters that I want to see.
I loved Christensen’s main character, Claudia. She sort of reminded me of the directionless main character in "Him, Her, Him Again" but Claudia is a little more focused at being a loser.
“Over the years, I’d begun to take a perverse pleasure in seeing just how bad my life could get before the whole thing blew and, as an interesting corollary, just how severely I could punish myself for having been so arrogant as to think that my untapped potential and vague desire to suc...more
“Over the years, I’d begun to take a perverse pleasure in seeing just how bad my life could get before the whole thing blew and, as an interesting corollary, just how severely I could punish myself for having been so arrogant as to think that my untapped potential and vague desire to suc...more
Didn't do justice to one of my favorite subjects- Booze- And I like cheezy chick books- but I can say not so in this case.
When I read this in my early thirties, I could still relate to the struggles of a young, single woman finding her way.
I had high hopes for book on drinking. It really fell short.
I really didn't like claudia to start with she is the sort of person you want to shake and say pull yourself together. I did warm to her a bit as the book went on though. Overall it is a bit neither here nor there. The first three quarters are a bit ooops drunk again with all progress in last quarter. Plus by end it's neither cheesy nor tragic. It kind of wants to end all hearts and flowers then does a sharp left to make up your own mind. Didn't hate it didn't love it probably wouldn't read anot...more
Your likelihood of enjoying this book seems fully predicated on whether it happens to be the right book at the right time for you. A good test is to skip to a seminal moment of crisis in the novel, about 200pp. in: the main character has had a truly awful day, and then comes home to find that she's run out of toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper, and coffee -- all at once. It's not the life changes that break her but that sudden, stupid, annoying coincidence that leads her to faceplant in her bed a...more
Like many first novels, In the Drink feels a little formulaic (just a tiny bit) and a little less accomplished than later works by the same author. That said, even here Christensen creates a strangely sympathetic, chronically down-on-her-luck heroine and recreates a lovingly and closely observed New York City in the sunset days of the 20th century. As Claudia Steiner struggles with a hopeless mountain of debt, soul-sucking underemployment, unrequited love, and, yes, a creeping but unmistakable...more
I'm not a confused, self-depracating, alcoholic writer in NYC but I couldn't put down this story about one! I found Claudia's misadventures and failures funny and somehow relatable. I've read Christensen's "Jeremy Thrane" (another drunk, but not nearly as fun) and "The Great Man," and this was by far the most enjoyable--I was surprised that this was the first of her novels. A good light read before bed; perfect for the beach.
I have only the vaguest recollection of reading this book - had I not skimmed the summary, I would've ruled it completely forgettable. I appear to have taken a deep dive into chick lit in the year following the completion of my degree in English. Does this surprise anyone?
It's also possible that this was a selection for one of many defunct book clubs that I attempted to organize in the last 10 years. My notes are unclear.
It's also possible that this was a selection for one of many defunct book clubs that I attempted to organize in the last 10 years. My notes are unclear.
I got about half way through this book and just didn't care enough about the main character to finish. Claudia is a young woman whose life is a disaster. She hopes to become a writer, but is in a dead end job that pays her nothing. I found it hard to feel sorry for Claudia. She didn't seem to be looking for a better job and she spends her off hours going out with friends and drinking too much.
Overall, it was an interesting read. While the plot has been fairly overdone (the protagonist in an underachieving writer working a menial job as a secretary for a crazy, yet rich, woman in NYC), the character of Claudia was fairly interesting. The writing style showed lots of promise, but the plot meandered and the resolution seemed almost too neat.
Second reading of this book for me, and not as enjoyable the second time around. The narrator didn't seem as sympathetic. However, she did seem authentic and the situations and characters the author draws are believable. Just got tired quickly of the immature, self-destructive behavior of the main character.
Quick read about a twenty-something woman living in NY and scraping along at a crappy job. Overall, there wasn't much growth in the character and in the end, she was almost in the same place she started, except with a slightly altered attitude. Not my kind of novel.
If you've ever had an early, mid, or late 20s crisis, felt like your career is pointless, had a crappy boss, stuck in a life you cannot recognize, or been a trainwreck/hot mess, then Claudia Steiner will warm her way into your cynically cold heart.
The author has an ability to make the reader empathize with completely despicable characters. I believe this was one of her earlier novels so it was interesting to read it as a training ground for her later, fabulous, The Epicure's Lament.
This was a wonderful book about a late twenties gal living in NYC. I laughed aloud at several parts and commiserated with the main character, Claudia, at several moments. It was very well written,and I highly recommend.
Slow going story of a would-be writer passively waiting for her life to start and whiling the time away drinking. Ultimately, this character is hard to connect with and while the drinking scenes enliven the story, they aren't that interesting either. Meh.
I loved this book. It was the first thing I read by Kate Christensen, and I became a fan. She writes novels about women who think more often than they shop.
I liked this book but you can tell it was a novice. It portrays a young woman who is trying to muddle through everyday issues most women have to face today.
No. No. No.
This character was annoying and I ended up skimming through most of this book. Which is why I didn't understand exactly how it ended.
This character was annoying and I ended up skimming through most of this book. Which is why I didn't understand exactly how it ended.
The most interesting thing about this novel is that the author attended Reed College. Is this all that interesting? Not terribly. That said, I found the whole mess rather compelling when I read it back in 2001 or so.
Eh... it had parts of Bridget Jones Diary and Devil Wears Prada, but didn't pull it together like those books did.
Well, topical for me. Probably hoping to understand things, but maybe I'll exhaust the theme someday soon.
Its always great to read about someone who is bright, educated and full of talent, but can't quite seem to get it together. I also personally like a hot mess- they make me feel better. I am not too many steps away from Claudia. While I can't find a job or use for my talents and education, my cat still likes me and the prospect of drinking everyday, especially in the afternoon, is revolting.
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Kate Christensen is the author of the novels In the Drink, Jeremy Thrane, and The Epicure's Lament. Her essays and articles have appeared in various publications, including Salon, Mademoiselle, The Hartford Courant, Elle, and the bestselling anthology The Bitch in the House. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband.
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