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Nothing to Fear
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For Ginny, the new house represents a new start: a room of her own where she can research her book on the psychology of fairytales and recover from a bitter divorce. The last thing she's looking for is romance. But her young neighbour breaks down her defences. Sean cooks her delicious meals and rescues her from a drunken attack by her ex-husband. His only eccentricity is the locked room in his house that he forbids her to enter. It can't contain anything sinister, can it? Ginny can't resist finding out. But when she opens the door, she is propelled into a horror story, rather than a fairytale.
For Ginny, the new house represents a new start: a room of her own where she can research her book on the psychology of fairytales and recover from a bitter divorce. The last thing she's looking for is romance. But her young neighbour breaks down her defences. Sean cooks her delicious meals and rescues her from a drunken attack by her ex-husband. His only eccentricity is the locked room in his house that he forbids her to enter. It can't contain anything sinister, can it? Ginny can't resist finding out. But when she opens the door, she is propelled into a horror story, rather than a fairytale.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 12, 2017
Where do I start? I love this book, really. At first, I have to admit, the story is kinda boring because the author brings us to know deeper about Ginny and her life. However, the story is getting interesting when Sean enters Ginny's life and the conflict started. I think about many twist endings while reading it since this book is thriller (as we know, thriller always has twist ending). And guess what? I guessed it right. I thought about that twist and tada~ I'm right. But still, the ending amazed me even though I've thought about it. There's time when I felt so scared that I wanted to go out of my room (which I didn't do because I was too lazy to move lol). I love Sean and his character. He's sweet. And now, I'm in a condition where I'm too depressed to go on and read another book. I'm still thinking about this book and Sean. Good job, d'Ancona!
January 13, 2022
A girl with some issues with her new job and new home, living with only her cat, eventually get to know the mysterious-nerdy yet charming boy next door. Some interests kicked in, as the truth comes unexpected and leave the girl questioned.
As flat as the premises sound, I found the way the author tells is pretty compelling. It's a 'frowny' book, because the truth that boy's kept are begging for injustice, and for my justice-for-all moral it was frustrating enough to fight in the air and cheer on the girl to own up her opinions about him. And not being tricked for far too long.
Also, this book is readable. I don't remember how many times I pick and shelve this on my rack, because for suspense and thrilling reasons, I just have to be reminded how calm yet still compelling the choice of words this book had.
As flat as the premises sound, I found the way the author tells is pretty compelling. It's a 'frowny' book, because the truth that boy's kept are begging for injustice, and for my justice-for-all moral it was frustrating enough to fight in the air and cheer on the girl to own up her opinions about him. And not being tricked for far too long.
Also, this book is readable. I don't remember how many times I pick and shelve this on my rack, because for suspense and thrilling reasons, I just have to be reminded how calm yet still compelling the choice of words this book had.
December 5, 2017
You have a new lover.
There is a locked room in his house.
He makes you promise not to go in.
Do you keep your promise?
Ginny doesn't...
....& let's face it wouldn't we all have to have a nosey!
But what grisly secret is Sean hiding? Well, sadly the nightmare's twists & turns are not too hard to work out & while it is an entertaining read, I would have liked it to be a bit darker & more chilling.
There is a locked room in his house.
He makes you promise not to go in.
Do you keep your promise?
Ginny doesn't...
....& let's face it wouldn't we all have to have a nosey!
But what grisly secret is Sean hiding? Well, sadly the nightmare's twists & turns are not too hard to work out & while it is an entertaining read, I would have liked it to be a bit darker & more chilling.
January 14, 2024
Very hard book to get into, found the author to over describe which made it boring to read. It would be boring to really grabbing to going back to blatantly boring.
The ending was quite abrupt and didn’t end with very good closure.
Overall a boring read and I had to push through to finish it.
The ending was quite abrupt and didn’t end with very good closure.
Overall a boring read and I had to push through to finish it.
June 13, 2017
Buat gue sih buku ini ya nothing banget. Misterinya nggak kerasa dan dipaksain di halaman-halaman terakhir tapi ga dapet banget. malah kesannya jadi meh banget
November 25, 2017
Not as i expected but i like the plot twist.
July 30, 2018
Why did I even read this? I've expected so much from this book. Waste of time. huhu
June 16, 2020
Bertele2, borring.
May 11, 2021
The book has quite a long, slow start with not a great deal happening, but worth persevering as the second half of the book is really quite good, with a couple of interesting twists.
May 9, 2017
This story really captured my attention and I couldn't put the book down. You think you know how it's going to end but you will be surprised how cleverly the author surprises us with a twist you would not expect. Definitely recomend this book.
April 9, 2009
First Sentence: ‘Well?’ he said, calling up to her from the hall, ‘What do you think?’
Ginny Clark is starting over and has bought a new house away from her increasingly abusive ex-husband, Harry. Her very private new neighbor, Sean, even rescues her from an attack from Harry. She becomes intimate with Sean but opens a door into his past which makes her fear for her future.
Wonderful descriptions. I absolutely loved the author’s descriptive abilities; from the house to Ginny’s struggle with fertility and her marriage to her collection of books, the descriptions were wonderfully done.
The characters; not so much. The protagonist annoyed me. She was overly intrusive and, at times, too stupid to live. I realize both these elements were important to the plot, but she, personally, would have driven me crazy. The other characters were more interesting, particularly the two friends. The neighbor, Sean, was the most interesting character of all but, by the nature of the story; we really didn’t get to know him until the very end.
The progression of the story was interesting. There were a couple twists at the end that made it all worth while. Unfortunately, the story is so driven by the protagonist; it rather spoiled it for me as I just couldn’t get past my feelings about her.
This even played into the suspense of the book. Because I kept feeling the protagonist was so off in her reactions, the suspense didn’t play as strongly for me as it should have.
I don’t regret having read the book, but I don’t know that I’ll read another by this author.
NOTHING TO FEAR (Susp-Ginny Clark-England-Cont) - G
d’Ancona, Matthew – standalone
Hodder & Stoughton, 2008 – ISBN: 9780340828489
Ginny Clark is starting over and has bought a new house away from her increasingly abusive ex-husband, Harry. Her very private new neighbor, Sean, even rescues her from an attack from Harry. She becomes intimate with Sean but opens a door into his past which makes her fear for her future.
Wonderful descriptions. I absolutely loved the author’s descriptive abilities; from the house to Ginny’s struggle with fertility and her marriage to her collection of books, the descriptions were wonderfully done.
The characters; not so much. The protagonist annoyed me. She was overly intrusive and, at times, too stupid to live. I realize both these elements were important to the plot, but she, personally, would have driven me crazy. The other characters were more interesting, particularly the two friends. The neighbor, Sean, was the most interesting character of all but, by the nature of the story; we really didn’t get to know him until the very end.
The progression of the story was interesting. There were a couple twists at the end that made it all worth while. Unfortunately, the story is so driven by the protagonist; it rather spoiled it for me as I just couldn’t get past my feelings about her.
This even played into the suspense of the book. Because I kept feeling the protagonist was so off in her reactions, the suspense didn’t play as strongly for me as it should have.
I don’t regret having read the book, but I don’t know that I’ll read another by this author.
NOTHING TO FEAR (Susp-Ginny Clark-England-Cont) - G
d’Ancona, Matthew – standalone
Hodder & Stoughton, 2008 – ISBN: 9780340828489
August 11, 2011
I tend to avoid thrillers. Experience has shown that I find them distinctly lacking in the promised thrills. However, I'd been given a free copy of Nothing To Fear and it seemed ungrateful not to give it a go so, with an open mind and an optimistic attitude, I set about widening my horizons.
Sadly, I was to be disappointed. Matthew D'Ancona isn't a bad writer as such, he's just uninspiringly mediocre. His background as a journalist is perhaps to blame, and although he is down on hacks and bad writers in general, he unfortunately lacks enough charisma to pull off this self-deprecation to the extend he intended.
The "twists" are obvious and easy to predict, lacking the necessary suspense and far too heavy-handed in their not-so-subtle preliminary hints. The action is haphazard, moving too fast to form a realistic storyline and yet too slowly to create dramatic tension. The characters are underdeveloped and struggled to inspire sympathy. Perhaps, had the book been twice as long, I would have been more inclined to care about their fates . . . but on the other hand, I doubt that D'Acona could have stretched out the story any longer than he managed to here.
At best, this reads like the synopsis for a not particularly interesting episode of a generic crime drama. At worst, it is the underwhelming, unidentifiable spewings of a bored journalist, wishing to expand his repertoire but not doing so with particular aplomb. Just because you can edit a newspaper doesn't mean that you can write a novel. D'Ancona, stick to editorial in the future.
Sadly, I was to be disappointed. Matthew D'Ancona isn't a bad writer as such, he's just uninspiringly mediocre. His background as a journalist is perhaps to blame, and although he is down on hacks and bad writers in general, he unfortunately lacks enough charisma to pull off this self-deprecation to the extend he intended.
The "twists" are obvious and easy to predict, lacking the necessary suspense and far too heavy-handed in their not-so-subtle preliminary hints. The action is haphazard, moving too fast to form a realistic storyline and yet too slowly to create dramatic tension. The characters are underdeveloped and struggled to inspire sympathy. Perhaps, had the book been twice as long, I would have been more inclined to care about their fates . . . but on the other hand, I doubt that D'Acona could have stretched out the story any longer than he managed to here.
At best, this reads like the synopsis for a not particularly interesting episode of a generic crime drama. At worst, it is the underwhelming, unidentifiable spewings of a bored journalist, wishing to expand his repertoire but not doing so with particular aplomb. Just because you can edit a newspaper doesn't mean that you can write a novel. D'Ancona, stick to editorial in the future.
December 29, 2015
Novel ini dibuka dengan adegan Genie, si tokoh utama, yang tengah mencari rumah baru. Dia dibantu oleh sahabatnya Peter. Ada beberapa rumah yang ditawarkan si agen penjual yang bernama Luke. Dan ada satu rumah yang telah begitu lengkap, layak huni, dan tidak memerlukan banyak renovasi. Namun Genie menolak rumah tersebut dan malah memilih sebuh rumah yang membutuhkan tenaga dan waktu ekstra untuk merapikannya.
Konflik dan kecurigaan Genie dimulai saat dia mengintip ke dalam kamar rahasia Sean, kekasihnya tersebut. Peter pun mulai memanasi Genie untuk mencurigai Sean ditambah pula dengan kematian Winston (kucing tua milik Genie) yang mengenaskan. Ada rahasia apakah dari diri seorang Sean? Apa yang membuat Genie begitu ketakutan dan melarikan diri setelah mengintip kamar rahasia kekasihnya? Asli, cerita ini mempunyai beberapa lapisan. Ada rahasia dibalik rahasia, ah, maksudku ada twist yang menarik di akhir kisah. :D
Ini buku yang menarik.
Complete review:
http://bukulova.blogspot.co.id/2015/1...
Konflik dan kecurigaan Genie dimulai saat dia mengintip ke dalam kamar rahasia Sean, kekasihnya tersebut. Peter pun mulai memanasi Genie untuk mencurigai Sean ditambah pula dengan kematian Winston (kucing tua milik Genie) yang mengenaskan. Ada rahasia apakah dari diri seorang Sean? Apa yang membuat Genie begitu ketakutan dan melarikan diri setelah mengintip kamar rahasia kekasihnya? Asli, cerita ini mempunyai beberapa lapisan. Ada rahasia dibalik rahasia, ah, maksudku ada twist yang menarik di akhir kisah. :D
Ini buku yang menarik.
Complete review:
http://bukulova.blogspot.co.id/2015/1...
October 23, 2014
I enjoyed this more than anything I've read for quite a long time.
D'Ancona's touch is light, his characterisation not so much of the players, but of their activities draws on personal experience in academia and journalism, but never to the point of making one yawn.
His ideas about fairy tales, fear and freedom are interesting and intelligent, and the story has pace. Indeed, as others have noted, it finishes well before the end, but is so readable that that doesn't really matter.
I hope he enjoyed writing it, and I hope he has another go; I'll certainly try anything else he comes up with.
D'Ancona's touch is light, his characterisation not so much of the players, but of their activities draws on personal experience in academia and journalism, but never to the point of making one yawn.
His ideas about fairy tales, fear and freedom are interesting and intelligent, and the story has pace. Indeed, as others have noted, it finishes well before the end, but is so readable that that doesn't really matter.
I hope he enjoyed writing it, and I hope he has another go; I'll certainly try anything else he comes up with.
Read
August 12, 2011A very carefully written book that draws you in and creates great empathy with the main characters. Not what I would call a thriller but I don't think it is meant to be; it is more an exploration of fear and what leads us to make the decisions we do. The author did not go down the obvious route at the end with a traditonal happy ending either, which was refreshing. Very easy to read and towards the end I didn't want to put it down. A good read.
Read
March 10, 2015For Ginny, the new house represents a new start. The last thing she's looking for is romance, but her neighbour breaks down her defences. Sean cooks her meals and rescues her from an attack by her ex-husband. His only eccentricity is the locked room in his house that he forbids her to enter. It can't contain anything sinister, can it
August 5, 2013
At the end of reading you discover that this book is actually full of surprises, in spite of the fact, that at first the plot seems to be very typical and it seems like nothing unexpected will happen. Let it have a chance to surprise you!
September 16, 2011
Not a bad book, however it didn't have much twists and turns as stated on the book cover!!
December 9, 2012
more about this book, check on my review at here :
http://my-mystery-readings.blogspot.c...
February 19, 2014
read the first three chapters and skipped to the last two.
not the kind of book i like to read
not the kind of book i like to read
March 27, 2014
339 - 2014
June 10, 2017
GUE UDH GA NGERTI LAGI SAMA NIH BUKUUU❤❤❤
Secinta itu!!!
Pokoknya salah satu buku yg (gak mau tau gimana caranya) harus lu baca!! Fix bgt!
Secinta itu!!!
Pokoknya salah satu buku yg (gak mau tau gimana caranya) harus lu baca!! Fix bgt!
Read
November 7, 2014Cool! This book has so many surprises, even until the end of it!
January 9, 2016
It was ok (ish)
December 26, 2016
Actually I want to give this book more stars because it left me with pain. That unwanted ending T_____T But, I don't like how it was written. It focused too much on the main character and not the mystery. However, it must be done that way because THAT ending! T______T
It started with Ginny. She just started her new life after a messy divorce with her husband whom she married for more than 10 years. They had no children and that became the reason for their lost love. Ginny then moved to a quiet neighbourhood with her cat Winston, bought an old house, and to start writing again. She was interested in making a journal about fairy-tale and the hidden meaning of it. Of course there are many journals and articles about that but Ginny thought those tales can be seen from many angles and she wanted to write her thoughts. You will also see her past life with her husband, the reason they got divorce and how she has 2 best friends who helped her through this phase. She met 2 unique neighbours. One of them was an old couple, nice wife but bitter husband. And another one is more mysterious, socially awkward, old fashion, young and good looking man. His mysterious demeanour quickly caught the curious Ginny. after changing greetings and one encounter with an angry ex, Ginny fell in love with this man. But this man had a secret and he didn't intend to let her know. From those long description about fairy-tale and how it can be seen from 2 or many angles, you'll also grow unwanted feelings about the man. There's something off about him, and we can't quite sure why. We know how a man with too many secrets can't be good and it's a natural instinct to be careful or to stay away, but that's not it. And after Ginny knew the truth, I also disagree with it, that's not it. Finally after Ginny knew all the truth, that feeling changed again and this time it felt right, "yes, finally, oh dear......"
*dat feels.... *
*add more stars*
It started with Ginny. She just started her new life after a messy divorce with her husband whom she married for more than 10 years. They had no children and that became the reason for their lost love. Ginny then moved to a quiet neighbourhood with her cat Winston, bought an old house, and to start writing again. She was interested in making a journal about fairy-tale and the hidden meaning of it. Of course there are many journals and articles about that but Ginny thought those tales can be seen from many angles and she wanted to write her thoughts. You will also see her past life with her husband, the reason they got divorce and how she has 2 best friends who helped her through this phase. She met 2 unique neighbours. One of them was an old couple, nice wife but bitter husband. And another one is more mysterious, socially awkward, old fashion, young and good looking man. His mysterious demeanour quickly caught the curious Ginny. after changing greetings and one encounter with an angry ex, Ginny fell in love with this man. But this man had a secret and he didn't intend to let her know. From those long description about fairy-tale and how it can be seen from 2 or many angles, you'll also grow unwanted feelings about the man. There's something off about him, and we can't quite sure why. We know how a man with too many secrets can't be good and it's a natural instinct to be careful or to stay away, but that's not it. And after Ginny knew the truth, I also disagree with it, that's not it. Finally after Ginny knew all the truth, that feeling changed again and this time it felt right, "yes, finally, oh dear......"
*dat feels.... *
*add more stars*
April 23, 2017
Very good plot. Didn't see it coming.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews