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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
Maybe it was just me, but the story just felt flat to me.
The story itself sounds promising but the characters are all pretty awful.
Ruth was really annoying, she overthought everything and was on such a downer about everything, I found her incredibly depressing.
Christian is also annoying, and a bit of a self obsessed pig. And Agatha well...started off interesting and then it was like the writer got bored of her.
Because I found the characters so unlikeable it affected the whole book for me.
The story made out like it was leading up to something big but it didnt really happen.
If I was to read an author like this again I would probably just stick with authors like Sophie Hannah.
The story itself sounds promising but the characters are all pretty awful.
Ruth was really annoying, she overthought everything and was on such a downer about everything, I found her incredibly depressing.
Christian is also annoying, and a bit of a self obsessed pig. And Agatha well...started off interesting and then it was like the writer got bored of her.
Because I found the characters so unlikeable it affected the whole book for me.
The story made out like it was leading up to something big but it didnt really happen.
If I was to read an author like this again I would probably just stick with authors like Sophie Hannah.
Some books jump at you from bookshelves. This was one of those. I don't know what made me pick it up, but I did.
Actually, it was probably these lines on the blurb.
Ruth and Christian Donaldson are a busy London couple with a life that could be the envy of others. However, their marriage is falling apart, their two children, five year old daughter, Betty, wouldn't sleep and three year old son Hal. Everything seems to be a mess. Ruth is at her wits end trying to balance work and life. Her guilt over choosing to work surfaces now and again. Until Agatha, or Aggie, their new nanny steps in.
Aggie seems to be an angel in disguise. She seems to have changed their lives ever since she arrived. The kids adore her, she seemedto have taken control over everything in minutes. She seems the answer to all their problems but why is it that Ruth is feeling so uncomfortable. Something isn't quite right about Agatha. We as readers start to understand what is wrong, while Ruth struggles to figure out in the middle of everything else that is happening in her life.
The blurb calls it a psychological thriller and it certainly fits the bill. It is scary and yet completely believable. People with ordinary lives, dysfunctional at some levels, struggling to make things work out. Agatha, is probably any mum's worst nightmare. The person you trust with your children can easily be the most dangerous of people. And dangerous in a way that is difficult to come to terms with.
It was an interesting read. An absolute page turner. Ruth and Christian are believable characters, flawed but believable. Agatha was a character who was confusing and as the story progresses, her motivations and her state of mind becomes clearer. The characters are well defined, and story is fast paced and gripping. It grabs you from the start and doesn't let go till the very end. I would rate it a 4/5.
Actually, it was probably these lines on the blurb.
Cupboards were sticky from spilled jam and honey, and the oven smoked when you turned it on because of the fat that had built up over the years. Agatha would never, ever let her future home end up like this. She would never leave it every day like Ruth did. She would never put her trust in strangers.
Ruth and Christian Donaldson are a busy London couple with a life that could be the envy of others. However, their marriage is falling apart, their two children, five year old daughter, Betty, wouldn't sleep and three year old son Hal. Everything seems to be a mess. Ruth is at her wits end trying to balance work and life. Her guilt over choosing to work surfaces now and again. Until Agatha, or Aggie, their new nanny steps in.
Aggie seems to be an angel in disguise. She seems to have changed their lives ever since she arrived. The kids adore her, she seemedto have taken control over everything in minutes. She seems the answer to all their problems but why is it that Ruth is feeling so uncomfortable. Something isn't quite right about Agatha. We as readers start to understand what is wrong, while Ruth struggles to figure out in the middle of everything else that is happening in her life.
The blurb calls it a psychological thriller and it certainly fits the bill. It is scary and yet completely believable. People with ordinary lives, dysfunctional at some levels, struggling to make things work out. Agatha, is probably any mum's worst nightmare. The person you trust with your children can easily be the most dangerous of people. And dangerous in a way that is difficult to come to terms with.
It was an interesting read. An absolute page turner. Ruth and Christian are believable characters, flawed but believable. Agatha was a character who was confusing and as the story progresses, her motivations and her state of mind becomes clearer. The characters are well defined, and story is fast paced and gripping. It grabs you from the start and doesn't let go till the very end. I would rate it a 4/5.
Quite gripping and easy to read. Ending was rushed and odd though
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There’s a lot going on in this book, and I actually think a lot of the plot could be something that could happen to any of us. There’s no such thing as enough caution or parents who do everything right, and this book is all about what happens when everything goes wrong despite your best efforts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicide, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/everything-and-nothing-araminta-hall.html
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Quite an entertaining story of a nanny who is not all she seems, two challenging children and a couple trying to fix their complicated marriage. Reminded me a little of cuckoo by julia crouch which I enjoyed a bit more. The ending of this book for me was a bit of a disappointment.
Irritating characters. Not as menacing or suspenseful as the blurb made it sound. Nothing much happened until the last few chapters. Very disappointing.
I read this book over the space of two days (although it could have easily been read in one sitting). Although I liked the book, I was lead to believe that Everything and Nothing was going to be focused more on Aggie and her psychosis, whereas Hall seems to have focused a little too much of the book on Ruth and Christian's relationship issues and less on Aggie's story. I would have probably enjoyed this book more if it were weighted the other way around. However, I still enjoyed Everything and Nothing and by the last quarter of the book I was very keen on getting to the end and seeing how the story was going to pan out, but, the main event of the story seemed to take a long time to get to and then appeared to be terribly rushed in the last dozen pages (perhaps this was a purposeful trick of time to reflect Aggie's inner torment?).
I didn't feel like the characters in this book were especially well developed. Particularly the characters of Sarah and Aggie. Additionally, I did not feel any sympathy towards the characters of Ruth and Christian, I just found them quite self absorbed and annoying.
I think this had the potential to be a very, very good story and, perhaps even 'chilling and suspenseful' (one review quote on the back of the book)...but, alas, twas not meant to be.
I didn't feel like the characters in this book were especially well developed. Particularly the characters of Sarah and Aggie. Additionally, I did not feel any sympathy towards the characters of Ruth and Christian, I just found them quite self absorbed and annoying.
I think this had the potential to be a very, very good story and, perhaps even 'chilling and suspenseful' (one review quote on the back of the book)...but, alas, twas not meant to be.