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Une dangereuse emprise
A gripping psychological suspense readCupboards were sticky from spilt 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 are – just – holding their marriage together, after Christian's disastrous affair a year ago. But chaos beckons, and when the family are suddenly left without any childcare, Agatha comes into their lives to solve all their problems. But Agatha is not as perfect as she seems and her love for the children masks a deeper secret.Everything and Nothing is a stunningly assured debut, superbly evoking an atmosphere of inexorable and sinister menace that builds to a mesmerising climax in a story that is, at its heart, about thwarted and damaged love.
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First published January 1, 2011
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About the author
Araminta Hall
9 books555 followersAraminta Hall began her career in journalism as a staff writer on teen magazine Bliss, becoming Health and Beauty editor of New Woman. On her way, she wrote regular features for the Mirror's Saturday supplement and ghost-wrote the super-model Caprice's column.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
May 11, 2019
I really hope an editor was not compensated for their effort on this book.
Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall was among my favorite books for 2018. It was dark and disturbing with an unreliable cuckoo narrator.
After reading the synopsis for this earlier book by the same author, I went into it hoping to find more of this author's immersive psychological storytelling and found that this effort was anything but. That's a bad thing in this case.
This story is not told in chapters. It's one marathon chapter featuring 3 narrators, excruciatingly large paragraphs full of the characters inner dialogue, all of which made for an exhaustive read with a lot of skimming.
I will continue anticipating the next book from Hall because anybody that wrote Our Kind of Cruelty has got to have it in them again.
*** I received a copy of this book from Amazon using my bf's money. ***
Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall was among my favorite books for 2018. It was dark and disturbing with an unreliable cuckoo narrator.
After reading the synopsis for this earlier book by the same author, I went into it hoping to find more of this author's immersive psychological storytelling and found that this effort was anything but. That's a bad thing in this case.
This story is not told in chapters. It's one marathon chapter featuring 3 narrators, excruciatingly large paragraphs full of the characters inner dialogue, all of which made for an exhaustive read with a lot of skimming.
I will continue anticipating the next book from Hall because anybody that wrote Our Kind of Cruelty has got to have it in them again.
*** I received a copy of this book from Amazon using my bf's money. ***
May 22, 2024
Hooked from the beginning.
A great story line and characters but felt the ending was quite rushed. I felt like I didn't have enough information for it to end.
The ending definitely didn't do the book justice hence the four rather than five stars.
A great story line and characters but felt the ending was quite rushed. I felt like I didn't have enough information for it to end.
The ending definitely didn't do the book justice hence the four rather than five stars.
August 28, 2020
Released in 2011 this debut novel takes the Mary Poppins myth and turns it into a more sinister story of inviting the enemy, in the shape of a nightmare nanny, into the midst of a family home and a crumbling marriage. Despite an excellent start and and an impressive understanding of the complexities of combining parenthood with full-time work and demanding careers the final third of the novel proved a disappointment.
Narrated entirely in the third-person and presenting the perspectives of all three main characters the novel opens with married couple, Ruth and Christian Donaldson, both approaching the age of forty in a state of chaos after their latest nanny has quit. Both have busy full-time jobs with Christian in TV and Ruth a deputy editor of a female magazine and the toll of parenting one overindulged child who cries all night and a three-year-old who neither eats or speaks and survives on milk from a baby’s bottle has taken their marriage to breaking point. The arrival of super nanny and efficient Aggie seems to signal an end to their crisis on the domestic front with the house spick and span, Betty soon sleeping through and Hal making progress. But Aggie, as the reader quickly grasps, is not all she appears and has a rather disturbing history and even darker intentions.
Ruth feels guilty for pursuing her career but having tried devoting herself to motherhood knows it is not for her, not that this recognition assuages her conscience over whether she is failing her children. The result is incessant bickering with resentment on both sides and a breakdown in communication ensuring that when Christian comes face to face with his twenty-four-year-old former mistress and meets her for a drink, divorce looms large. The novel covers an eight month period and by the time Ruth and Christian start to realise the danger they have let into their own home, Aggie’s plan is well underway. A rushed and unconvincing denouement disappoints and although the novel’s territory is not original it is well-written and very perceptive on the myth of ‘having it all’.
Ultimately I think Araminta Hall tried to do too much and and needed a clearer focus with the novel ending up spreading itself too thinly and not doing justice to either a marriage in crisis or exploring the character of Aggie in enough depth to suffice.
Narrated entirely in the third-person and presenting the perspectives of all three main characters the novel opens with married couple, Ruth and Christian Donaldson, both approaching the age of forty in a state of chaos after their latest nanny has quit. Both have busy full-time jobs with Christian in TV and Ruth a deputy editor of a female magazine and the toll of parenting one overindulged child who cries all night and a three-year-old who neither eats or speaks and survives on milk from a baby’s bottle has taken their marriage to breaking point. The arrival of super nanny and efficient Aggie seems to signal an end to their crisis on the domestic front with the house spick and span, Betty soon sleeping through and Hal making progress. But Aggie, as the reader quickly grasps, is not all she appears and has a rather disturbing history and even darker intentions.
Ruth feels guilty for pursuing her career but having tried devoting herself to motherhood knows it is not for her, not that this recognition assuages her conscience over whether she is failing her children. The result is incessant bickering with resentment on both sides and a breakdown in communication ensuring that when Christian comes face to face with his twenty-four-year-old former mistress and meets her for a drink, divorce looms large. The novel covers an eight month period and by the time Ruth and Christian start to realise the danger they have let into their own home, Aggie’s plan is well underway. A rushed and unconvincing denouement disappoints and although the novel’s territory is not original it is well-written and very perceptive on the myth of ‘having it all’.
Ultimately I think Araminta Hall tried to do too much and and needed a clearer focus with the novel ending up spreading itself too thinly and not doing justice to either a marriage in crisis or exploring the character of Aggie in enough depth to suffice.
December 5, 2010
Absolutely amazing new book by Araminta Hall.
Grips you right from the start, so much so that I didn't put this book down until I had finished (needless to say it only took me two days).
Written from the view points of the three main characters: Ruth and Christian, married but falling apart and their seemingly perfect nanny, Agatha.
This story twists and turns right up to til the end, with intensity growing throughout. I felt as if I was there going through everything with them, sympathasing through Christian's affair and feeling Ruth's heartbreak, even if you aren't married you find something emotions within Araminta's writing that you can relate with.
Had such a strong, powerful hold over me whilst reading, that many a time I wanted to throw the book on the floor out of anger or annoyance - I always find that when I read a book or watch a sitcom there is always that one character that bugs you so much you just want to throw something at them because you know they are there to ruin everything. And that is exactly what Agatha is there for.
Highly recommend this book, out on 24th January.
Grips you right from the start, so much so that I didn't put this book down until I had finished (needless to say it only took me two days).
Written from the view points of the three main characters: Ruth and Christian, married but falling apart and their seemingly perfect nanny, Agatha.
This story twists and turns right up to til the end, with intensity growing throughout. I felt as if I was there going through everything with them, sympathasing through Christian's affair and feeling Ruth's heartbreak, even if you aren't married you find something emotions within Araminta's writing that you can relate with.
Had such a strong, powerful hold over me whilst reading, that many a time I wanted to throw the book on the floor out of anger or annoyance - I always find that when I read a book or watch a sitcom there is always that one character that bugs you so much you just want to throw something at them because you know they are there to ruin everything. And that is exactly what Agatha is there for.
Highly recommend this book, out on 24th January.
March 10, 2011
The book begins promisingly. A young girl walks down a middle class street in London on her way to an interview for the job of nanny. Greeted by the chaotic scene around her (mum and dad on the verge of spliting up, two unruly children) Agatha already knows she wants this job – and we already know she is hiding something!
The plot raced along at a satisfyingly quick pace and the characters of both Ruth and Christian (the parents) were nicely drawn; lots of angst, guilt, anger and blame and I believed them as a couple and I believed their situation. However, I never really got on board with Agatha the nanny. She remained so aloof to me that she never really got past being one-dimensional. I never even managed to get a suitable image of her in my head as I didn’t find her character nearly fleshed out enough to engage with any way. I was disappointed as I didn’t feel that her role was nearly suspenseful or menacing enough from what I had been lead to assume from the blurb and the first few pages. The book, to me, felt more about the struggles of a marriage and bringing up kids and the nanny plot was thrown in as an afterthought.
In summary, it was a good book and I really did enjoy reading it; the pages turned themselves and I never had time to get bored. I think this book bodes well for the future of this debut author and I look forward to seeing what else she publishes in the future.
The plot raced along at a satisfyingly quick pace and the characters of both Ruth and Christian (the parents) were nicely drawn; lots of angst, guilt, anger and blame and I believed them as a couple and I believed their situation. However, I never really got on board with Agatha the nanny. She remained so aloof to me that she never really got past being one-dimensional. I never even managed to get a suitable image of her in my head as I didn’t find her character nearly fleshed out enough to engage with any way. I was disappointed as I didn’t feel that her role was nearly suspenseful or menacing enough from what I had been lead to assume from the blurb and the first few pages. The book, to me, felt more about the struggles of a marriage and bringing up kids and the nanny plot was thrown in as an afterthought.
In summary, it was a good book and I really did enjoy reading it; the pages turned themselves and I never had time to get bored. I think this book bodes well for the future of this debut author and I look forward to seeing what else she publishes in the future.
April 25, 2017
The theme of this book maybe not be an original one but for me this was a cut above others that I've read in a similar vein. The story is told from the views of the three main characters Ruth, Christian & Aggie yet unlike many other books it's not told in the first person. I found the style & tone of the writing credible (I don't think there is a mother out there that won't identify with at least one of Ruth's concerns or feelings) & utterly compelling.
Looking at other reviews it seems to be one of those books that is either loved or hated, well I'm firmly in the love category :o)
Looking at other reviews it seems to be one of those books that is either loved or hated, well I'm firmly in the love category :o)
May 22, 2018
Didn't seem as dramatic as the description of book gave it, just average family insecurities! Did not hate it but it passed the time!
March 30, 2011
“The tube spat Agatha into one of those areas where people used to lie about their postcodes. Although why anyone ever would have been ashamed to live here was beyond Agatha’s understanding …”
The opening of Araminta Hall’s debut novel sets things up very nicely.
Ruth and Christian are struggling to balance their busy, busy lives: juggling demanding careers, patching up a marriage battered by his affair, a five-year old daughter who won’t sleep, and a three-year old son who won’t eat.
But then there is Agatha, a veritable Mary Poppins. She arrives as a potential new nanny to be interviewed finds a house and a family in chaos, but she takes it all in her stride, quickly calms the situation and then settles down to play happily with the children.
Her references are impeccable, and she is available immediately.
Does that sound a little bit too perfect? Of course it does!
Araminta Hall makes it clear from the very start that Agatha’s motives are questionable to say the least.
Life moves along with one problem seemingly solved, but others still looming.
The plot is nicely managed, with some twists predictable and others not, and with the author cleverly building up the tension without ever drifting into melodrama.
It works because the characters of Ruth and Christian, and indeed their troubled relationship, are so well drawn, and the psychology spot on.
I feared that she was on the verge of a breakdown as she struggled to keep on top of far too many things, and I wanted to scream at her to accept that she wasn’t superwoman, and that she needed to rethink her priorities.
And he I could have cheerfully strangled, as he so often failed to understand and take responsibility as an adult. But he could learn. Couldn’t he?
So many conversations and incidents rang completely true.
And along the way I found some profound truths about parent child relationships, and about how being a parent, however much you may love your children, doesn’t make you infallible, doesn’t mean you know how to cope.
There really were moments when the dialogue just stopped me in my tracks.
The character of Agatha was, I’m afraid, a little more troublesome. It’s a difficult on to explain without giving away crucial plot points, so I’ll just say that I so very nearly believed in her, but not quite.
Her character was compromised by the conclusion. I believed in how she got there, but what she did in the end just didn’t ring true.
You see, Everything and Nothing is being marketed as a thriller, and it works as a thriller. For me though it worked even better as a contemporary human drama, and I felt that having the conclusion play out as a thriller compromised that more interesting side of the story.
It was a good conclusion, and I was gripped until the very end, but ultimately it made the book a “great” rather than a “wow.”
Everything and Nothing is a thought provoking, and very, very readable debut novel. And, on the evidence of this book, I fully expect Araminta Hall to write a “wow” book before too long. I’ll certainly be watching out for it.
The opening of Araminta Hall’s debut novel sets things up very nicely.
Ruth and Christian are struggling to balance their busy, busy lives: juggling demanding careers, patching up a marriage battered by his affair, a five-year old daughter who won’t sleep, and a three-year old son who won’t eat.
But then there is Agatha, a veritable Mary Poppins. She arrives as a potential new nanny to be interviewed finds a house and a family in chaos, but she takes it all in her stride, quickly calms the situation and then settles down to play happily with the children.
Her references are impeccable, and she is available immediately.
Does that sound a little bit too perfect? Of course it does!
Araminta Hall makes it clear from the very start that Agatha’s motives are questionable to say the least.
Life moves along with one problem seemingly solved, but others still looming.
The plot is nicely managed, with some twists predictable and others not, and with the author cleverly building up the tension without ever drifting into melodrama.
It works because the characters of Ruth and Christian, and indeed their troubled relationship, are so well drawn, and the psychology spot on.
I feared that she was on the verge of a breakdown as she struggled to keep on top of far too many things, and I wanted to scream at her to accept that she wasn’t superwoman, and that she needed to rethink her priorities.
And he I could have cheerfully strangled, as he so often failed to understand and take responsibility as an adult. But he could learn. Couldn’t he?
So many conversations and incidents rang completely true.
And along the way I found some profound truths about parent child relationships, and about how being a parent, however much you may love your children, doesn’t make you infallible, doesn’t mean you know how to cope.
There really were moments when the dialogue just stopped me in my tracks.
The character of Agatha was, I’m afraid, a little more troublesome. It’s a difficult on to explain without giving away crucial plot points, so I’ll just say that I so very nearly believed in her, but not quite.
Her character was compromised by the conclusion. I believed in how she got there, but what she did in the end just didn’t ring true.
You see, Everything and Nothing is being marketed as a thriller, and it works as a thriller. For me though it worked even better as a contemporary human drama, and I felt that having the conclusion play out as a thriller compromised that more interesting side of the story.
It was a good conclusion, and I was gripped until the very end, but ultimately it made the book a “great” rather than a “wow.”
Everything and Nothing is a thought provoking, and very, very readable debut novel. And, on the evidence of this book, I fully expect Araminta Hall to write a “wow” book before too long. I’ll certainly be watching out for it.
August 20, 2012
I enjoyed reading this book and the feeling of spiralling chaos from Ruth and Christian's problems contrasted with Agatha's tight control. In the end, of course, she is the one truly out of control and the family have a chance of balance. A good read.
February 26, 2014
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.
July 11, 2016
Having picked up this book expecting a Nicci French/Sophie Hannah style thriller (and such expectations, I would argue, were not unreasonable given the fact that the book's publishers essentially have masqueraded it as precisely that), I was very disappointed with the actual content of Everything and Nothing. The blurb promises a suspenseful, sinister tale of a perfect nanny infiltrating a chaotic working couple's home - yet what is delivered is a tedious exploration of a cliched couple's marital issues and a cliched crazy nanny's psychological issues.
The first few chapters are promising, and Hall's initial characterisation of the book's protagonists did leave me intrigued. Yet the narrative descends into a horrific series of cliches and depressing musings which have very little substance or point. The characters stagnate, the plot stagnates, and Hall seems to use the bulk of the story as a medium to rant about the downsides of parenthood, marriage and life in general. Since her/her characters' meditations are in no way constructive or original, most of the book is empty and dispiriting with no redeeming factors. The narrative is also irritatingly moralistic in parts, occasionally switching to the irksome second person and doling out generic life advice in a sage and 'cryptic' tone ("Moments of joy mixed with terror and shame could not be lived through too many times, they would kill you in the end.").
Everything and Nothing is lacking in two essentials: plot and writing style. Whilst one of these requisites may, in certain cases, subsidise the other, Hall unfortunately neglects both. Perhaps I missed something, but I am genuinely surprised that this book was published. The story is nothing more than a regurgitation of worn out ideas, with little direction and no originality.
The first few chapters are promising, and Hall's initial characterisation of the book's protagonists did leave me intrigued. Yet the narrative descends into a horrific series of cliches and depressing musings which have very little substance or point. The characters stagnate, the plot stagnates, and Hall seems to use the bulk of the story as a medium to rant about the downsides of parenthood, marriage and life in general. Since her/her characters' meditations are in no way constructive or original, most of the book is empty and dispiriting with no redeeming factors. The narrative is also irritatingly moralistic in parts, occasionally switching to the irksome second person and doling out generic life advice in a sage and 'cryptic' tone ("Moments of joy mixed with terror and shame could not be lived through too many times, they would kill you in the end.").
Everything and Nothing is lacking in two essentials: plot and writing style. Whilst one of these requisites may, in certain cases, subsidise the other, Hall unfortunately neglects both. Perhaps I missed something, but I am genuinely surprised that this book was published. The story is nothing more than a regurgitation of worn out ideas, with little direction and no originality.
January 4, 2012
I've seen mixed reviews for this book and whilst I can completely understand the comments, they are some of the reasons why I loved it so much.
Ruth and Chris are a married couple trying hard to deal with the fallout from his affair with a younger woman a year ago. With two young and high maintenance children and demanding careers, they are a family in crisis. In an attempt to regain some control they hire a nanny, Agatha. Aggie soon becomes indespensible, the house has regained some order, the children adore her, but is all really what it seems.
It's a sinister story made all the more so by the realism with which it is told. The suspense is built slowly, deliberately so. You spend a lot of time getting to know the characters and to be quite honest it took me that time to really empathise with either Ruth or Chris. Both are fundamentally flawed and I seesawed between both of them in terms of the sympathy I felt for their situation. For me that is really a good indicator of how real the characters felt.
As the suspense built to the climax I felt a disturbing and chilling feeling in the pit of my stomach as I realised what was about to happen and the ending did not disappoint.
I thought this was a brilliant first novel. It won't be everyone's cup of team but it was quick and entertaining read that I highly recommend.
Ruth and Chris are a married couple trying hard to deal with the fallout from his affair with a younger woman a year ago. With two young and high maintenance children and demanding careers, they are a family in crisis. In an attempt to regain some control they hire a nanny, Agatha. Aggie soon becomes indespensible, the house has regained some order, the children adore her, but is all really what it seems.
It's a sinister story made all the more so by the realism with which it is told. The suspense is built slowly, deliberately so. You spend a lot of time getting to know the characters and to be quite honest it took me that time to really empathise with either Ruth or Chris. Both are fundamentally flawed and I seesawed between both of them in terms of the sympathy I felt for their situation. For me that is really a good indicator of how real the characters felt.
As the suspense built to the climax I felt a disturbing and chilling feeling in the pit of my stomach as I realised what was about to happen and the ending did not disappoint.
I thought this was a brilliant first novel. It won't be everyone's cup of team but it was quick and entertaining read that I highly recommend.
August 6, 2016
I really loved this book. It's the first time in ages when I have just related to one character but to all three characters.
The relationship between Christian and Ruth was so recognisable, as was the difficulties of being a working mum in today's 'have it all' world.
I'm not sure if I was supposed to dislike Aggie but I couldn't. She was the biggest victim of all.
The book reviews on the cover say that the book is chilling and suspenseful. I'm not sure I would describe it as that. It was definitely gripping and i couldn't put it down but I think what struck me more was how we assume that other people's lives are so perfect and how we try so hard to measure up to the impossible. Sometimes we try so hard we miss what is most important of all
The relationship between Christian and Ruth was so recognisable, as was the difficulties of being a working mum in today's 'have it all' world.
I'm not sure if I was supposed to dislike Aggie but I couldn't. She was the biggest victim of all.
The book reviews on the cover say that the book is chilling and suspenseful. I'm not sure I would describe it as that. It was definitely gripping and i couldn't put it down but I think what struck me more was how we assume that other people's lives are so perfect and how we try so hard to measure up to the impossible. Sometimes we try so hard we miss what is most important of all
September 29, 2011
I read this book in one day, not because it was a "can't put it down" but simply I had nothing else to do. Sums the book up really. SO much of the book was dedicated to building this story and then boom the "twist" and the ending completed in about 20 pages.
It's a shame because the writer is clearly talented but it's a little as though she got bored of her own story and just ended it. You know like when you were in primary school and finished off "and then I woke up, it was all a dream". Boring.
It's a shame because the writer is clearly talented but it's a little as though she got bored of her own story and just ended it. You know like when you were in primary school and finished off "and then I woke up, it was all a dream". Boring.
February 11, 2014
There's a fine balance between order and chaos. At the beginning, it seems the parents lives are chaotic and pulled in different directions, juggling family and work and relationships. At the beginning, it seems the nanny brings order and calm to the household. At the end, we realise that order and chaos can be an illusion.
A well written story, an easy quick-ish read (I read it in one day). I'm not sure that it was as "chilling and suspenseful" as the blurb suggested, but certainly a good story with a great twist. I'll be interested to read more of this author.
A well written story, an easy quick-ish read (I read it in one day). I'm not sure that it was as "chilling and suspenseful" as the blurb suggested, but certainly a good story with a great twist. I'll be interested to read more of this author.
February 8, 2024
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. It’s probably more than a four, but not enough to get it to a five.
August 16, 2023
A super quick but enthralling read. Couple 2.2kids- have everything, have nothing that matters. Dysfunctional family, chaotic household. Enter super nanny, Aggie, herself a much abused and lost girl who clearly has ocd and other issues relating to her own dysfunctional past. At first all is perfect. She plays Mary Poppins and is just too much so much so the mum becomes suspicious of her.. ( rightly so) . The plot is chronological telling the contemporary story but every so often there is a structural break when we get Aggies background. Thematically it concerns love , human needs, maternal feelings ( or lack of) abuse( in different forms) retribution … it is an energetic piece and we are tense awaiting the crisis and denouement … The pictures created are very filmic and for this reason and it’s simplicities, I gave it a full five stars even though it is not a ‘masterpiece ‘.
January 19, 2022
messed me up . 10/10 tho
July 24, 2025
Added a star for the Stoke shoutout
July 10, 2015
When my children were younger I had a live-in nanny/au pair one summer - she was lovely but the atmosphere of the house shifted considerably as a result. Araminta Hall's debut captures perfectly (and creepily) what could happen if your live-in help turns out to be less than perfect. Agatha is damaged and wreaks havoc on her employers marriage and life. No one is perfect here - the three viewpoint characters all have secrets - and the tension builds to a terrific climax. Raced through this fabulous book.
February 28, 2018
A bit above average thriller. Ruth and Christian have a difficult marriage and are raising two children. Since both of them work, they hire a nanny and Agatha enters the story.
I felt sorry for Agatha the whole way through despite her machinations to take over the family. The writer did a great job of developing Agatha’s character. Ruth and Christian were likable but came across as very self involved. The book kept my interest right through the last page and I’m giving it an extra star as a result.
I felt sorry for Agatha the whole way through despite her machinations to take over the family. The writer did a great job of developing Agatha’s character. Ruth and Christian were likable but came across as very self involved. The book kept my interest right through the last page and I’m giving it an extra star as a result.
September 21, 2011
Most depressing and boring book ever. Made me remember why I don't read "normal women" books. Dysfunctional parents, bratty kids, Nanny who's mental and complete lack of a story except for everybody hates each other. Only finished because it was short.
May 12, 2011
I just about gave up on this one, but kept reading to see if anything exciting was going to happen, sadly I was disappointed
January 10, 2012
This was a good read bu predictable. I would say that this is not a chillimg or menacing read as some of the reviews describe it but it was a good read
January 3, 2019
Everything was too predictable. The characters (even the kids) are also unlike-able, which makes it a rather painful and difficult read.
Agatha for example, seemed to function well enough to get through Everyday’s life perfectly, even to the point of being overly manipulative, which makes it hard to believe that she’s doing all that just to get back at her perpetuator. What exactly was she to gain from trying to kidnap someone’s child and claimed that child as her own without anyone noticing something amiss? She’s being made to think that she’s very smart, to be able to make such dubious plans, yet the one thing she failed to do was getting herself a fake identity.
Next up, the couple. They are anything one would expect of a typical marriage where they don’t understand each other, and were not able to compromise or sit down to have a healthy discussion to handle their internal affairs. Instead they hurled insults at one another every so often, so much bickering and sarcasm, and the occasional outbursts from their Daughter, Betty, which makes one wonder why Ruth did not sort help from a therapist or a doctor to help cope with her mental stress. Adding on to the fact that her Husband, Christian, is like the typical man-child, who do not seem to care to offer help in terms of household responsibilities.
While None of the characters are like-able, I do have a bit of a soft spot for Ruth, as she seems rather eager to help turn things around even though she’s clearly suffering from tremendous amount of stress.
Would I however recommend this book to anyone? The answer is no, unless you like being disappointed.
Agatha for example, seemed to function well enough to get through Everyday’s life perfectly, even to the point of being overly manipulative, which makes it hard to believe that she’s doing all that just to get back at her perpetuator. What exactly was she to gain from trying to kidnap someone’s child and claimed that child as her own without anyone noticing something amiss? She’s being made to think that she’s very smart, to be able to make such dubious plans, yet the one thing she failed to do was getting herself a fake identity.
Next up, the couple. They are anything one would expect of a typical marriage where they don’t understand each other, and were not able to compromise or sit down to have a healthy discussion to handle their internal affairs. Instead they hurled insults at one another every so often, so much bickering and sarcasm, and the occasional outbursts from their Daughter, Betty, which makes one wonder why Ruth did not sort help from a therapist or a doctor to help cope with her mental stress. Adding on to the fact that her Husband, Christian, is like the typical man-child, who do not seem to care to offer help in terms of household responsibilities.
While None of the characters are like-able, I do have a bit of a soft spot for Ruth, as she seems rather eager to help turn things around even though she’s clearly suffering from tremendous amount of stress.
Would I however recommend this book to anyone? The answer is no, unless you like being disappointed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2025
Goodreads mobile app is trash and deleted my review when I went back to edit it because the spoiler tags didn't save???? I'm so upset.
Anyways, 3 stars I guess. I listened to the audiobook on Everand. Araminta Hall writes the most exhausting marriages. The books I've read without married characters with children are nowhere near as exhausting as the ones with married characters. Neurotic, anxiety ridden wives who wax on too long about motherhood and stopped communicating years ago because their husbands are self absorbed, dismissive, avoidant, and tbh border on emotionally abusive. They don't see their wives as people and seem to passive aggressively punish them for having wants and needs outside of raising children. Relying on their wives to manage and solve everything, then admonishing them for not being nonchalant about things. Is it realistic? sure. But it's EXHAUSTING.
Agatha is the nanny and she's suspicious from the beginning, though we don't know why until the end. I wish we saw more of her psyche. I think there's some more depth the reader should have been given about her past and motivations. I think Ruth and Christian's marriage is more of the focus, and Christian's past affair. Near the beginning of the book, he starts meeting the affair partner again for... attention? Curiosity? He's emotionally constipated and has "grass is greener" syndrome.
All in all, an exhausting marriage with some bunny boiler side characters.
Anyways, 3 stars I guess. I listened to the audiobook on Everand. Araminta Hall writes the most exhausting marriages. The books I've read without married characters with children are nowhere near as exhausting as the ones with married characters. Neurotic, anxiety ridden wives who wax on too long about motherhood and stopped communicating years ago because their husbands are self absorbed, dismissive, avoidant, and tbh border on emotionally abusive. They don't see their wives as people and seem to passive aggressively punish them for having wants and needs outside of raising children. Relying on their wives to manage and solve everything, then admonishing them for not being nonchalant about things. Is it realistic? sure. But it's EXHAUSTING.
Agatha is the nanny and she's suspicious from the beginning, though we don't know why until the end. I wish we saw more of her psyche. I think there's some more depth the reader should have been given about her past and motivations. I think Ruth and Christian's marriage is more of the focus, and Christian's past affair. Near the beginning of the book, he starts meeting the affair partner again for... attention? Curiosity? He's emotionally constipated and has "grass is greener" syndrome.
All in all, an exhausting marriage with some bunny boiler side characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2018
This book is about a family who are over whelmed and at odds. They both work and don't properly take care of their children and so the children have behavioral issues. The family is lacking support from other family members and gratitude for what they have.
In walks a girl or nanny who appreciated these children, loves them, nurtures them, is happy to be with them care for them and live in a nice room she is intuitive to everyones needs but she is also taken for granted, not appreciated.
It could have been diffrent for all of them and they could have had a nice life with support and love. So what if the little boy called the nanny mommy. It takes a village to raise a child.
But no the parents decide to fire the nanny but before that can happen she runs away with the little boy then she decideds to kill herself. I cried. What type of people use people. Use things not people. I hated the ending. I loved the nanny even if she was emotionally scarred. Who isnt. I was so angry at this ending. PS. if I wernt so invested in Agatha and the children I would have quit the book.
In walks a girl or nanny who appreciated these children, loves them, nurtures them, is happy to be with them care for them and live in a nice room she is intuitive to everyones needs but she is also taken for granted, not appreciated.
It could have been diffrent for all of them and they could have had a nice life with support and love. So what if the little boy called the nanny mommy. It takes a village to raise a child.
But no the parents decide to fire the nanny but before that can happen she runs away with the little boy then she decideds to kill herself. I cried. What type of people use people. Use things not people. I hated the ending. I loved the nanny even if she was emotionally scarred. Who isnt. I was so angry at this ending. PS. if I wernt so invested in Agatha and the children I would have quit the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2020
This is the second book I have read this week which features someone who suffers from child abuse and then turning into a psycho and then killing themselves and to be honest it’s getting very boring now. None of the characters in this story were likeable, Ruth can’t stand her children,
Her husband is a cheating scumbag and Agatha turns into a psycho quite early on. The ending really let the book down, why do authors portray abuse survivors as crazy and suicidal? Why can’t Agatha have gotten the help she needed and learnt to value herself? I picked this book up at a charity shop so it was very cheap otherwise I would be wanting my money back. Sorry for the negativity I hate it when a book is a let down.
Her husband is a cheating scumbag and Agatha turns into a psycho quite early on. The ending really let the book down, why do authors portray abuse survivors as crazy and suicidal? Why can’t Agatha have gotten the help she needed and learnt to value herself? I picked this book up at a charity shop so it was very cheap otherwise I would be wanting my money back. Sorry for the negativity I hate it when a book is a let down.
May 11, 2020
I love a good thriller. And for me Everything and Nothing really ticks that box. A family who are struggling to hold themselves together combined with a creepy, too good to be true nanny, and I had everything I needed.
Ruth was the only character that I really sympathised with throughout the book because she has the hardest deal. Sure Agatha went through childhood trauma, but her actions can't be excused by that. And Christian, well I feel like he got what he deserved with Sarah.
This book may be one long ass chapter but it flows perfectly. I adored this, and I can't recommend it highly enough.
Ruth was the only character that I really sympathised with throughout the book because she has the hardest deal. Sure Agatha went through childhood trauma, but her actions can't be excused by that. And Christian, well I feel like he got what he deserved with Sarah.
This book may be one long ass chapter but it flows perfectly. I adored this, and I can't recommend it highly enough.
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