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The Nanny Diaries: A Novel |
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Reviews |
| | Lame, repetitive, a waste of brain cells  |
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Having read this book, and "The Devil Wears Prada", in a short period of time (had to see what the hype was about really), I felt like I had been taken back into 1998, into the time of "Armageddon" and "Deep Impact" movies, where it seemed like the same script was smartly sold to two different production companies.
The same with these books, that were published within a month of each other - they feature pathetic, weak characters who go through life stammering sentences and not having the guts to stand their ground and save their own dignity from their insensitive, unlovable, and generally half-human bosses. This one just has the added twist of a child you are compelled to feel sorry for.
The only reason I read this book through is to see whether "Nanny" will muster some guts to tell her boss off (which the character in "The Devil Wears Prada" eventually did, even though to little satisfaction as a curse hardly summarizes what she should have said in the end); but I am left without even that satisfaction of having her step down from her pedestal, take her halo off, and utter a coherent paragraph that would serve as a verbal punch I was hoping for.
If you want something light to cheer you up, rather spend one and a half hours on any of hundreds mediocre romantic comedies, than the same time to read a couple of chapters of this book. It's simply not worth it. |
| | Great Storytelling  |
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This was a great, quick read. Very clever and well-written. My only gripe is that Nan didn't set things straight with Mrs. X in person at the end. The manner in which she blew off steam was kind of cowardly and anticlimactic. Otherwise, a fun, creative story! |
| | The Kids Won't Make You Nuts! But the Parents will! |
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The Upper East Side of Manhattan is described as midwestern population because there are more rooms than occupants. The nannies become a huge part of the children's lives. The nannies are seen taking care of the children. She had three types of mothers who hire nannies. The story about this nanny with Mrs. X who is self-centered, selfish, and inappropriate. She discards nannies as easy as diapers. She hires nanny after watching her son, Grayer, bond with her in Central Park on an outing. Worse, she doesn't tell his current nanny, Caitlin, that she is being replaced simply because she wanted a week off in August. Mrs. X thought that the two weeks in January was sufficient. Nanny is called nothing else in this book. We don't get to the know the names but we do know the residence is at 721 Park Avenue in one of the city's wealthiest neighbors where occupants are outnumbered by their servants and rooms. Mrs. X is uptight, highly selfish, and uncomfortable with motherhood. SHe can't be all she can because she has a child. Regardless that she might love him by being well-provided for, she does not play with him like his nannies, babysitters, and au pairs. The hardest part of the job is not so much the children but the self-indulged ego-driven parents who push their children to everything from studying French to karate lessons. Their aim and goal is that they go to the ivy leagues who already have a quota system on each zip code. The nanny does her best to put up with so much from Mrs. X and Mr. X, the father is absentee and spending his time at the office or away on business. The mother has nothing else to do but find ways to keep busy. She did ran an art gallery but she spends more time on herself, going to social events, parties, luncheons at expensive restaurants, the spa for a massage, etc. Mrs. X does everything but properly raise her own child for possibly fear of failure. You can blame the nannies for not doing their job but you can blame the parents for choosing to have others raise them. |
| | Fun, but frustrating |
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For a great page-turner, this may be your book. I loved the diversion from the typical chick lit plots, which often feature single girls looking for a man. This one deals with a single girl trying to pay her NYC rent, finish college and raise her boss's child for $10/hr. Being an up-front kind of person, I couldn't wait for Nanny to finally tell her selfish, stingy boss off. The woman's antics were ridiculous, but real enough that I could relate. It's chilling to realize people like this actually exist! |
| | Oh, Nanny, Nanny |
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Nanny wanted! Who wants to work running around town picking up clothes, running crazy errands while taking care of a four-year-old? THE NANNY DIARIES tells the story of one woman's determination to make some big money. But after living a full year with the snobby and rich X's Nanny has had enough, including the scandalous life of Mr. and Mrs. X.
THE NANNY DIARIES by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus deserves a two thumbs up! It always made me wonder what kind of crazy and inconsiderate errand Mrs. X will have Nanny do next. I couldn't put the book down! I hated how the X's treated Nanny rudely and unfairly. On page 360 Nanny gets paid a measly five hundred dollars! However she deserved nineteen hundred dollars after working ten days, sixteen hours a day for twelve dollars an hour!
I think that this book is mainly about friendship. Nanny and Grayer, the four-year-old boy, become very close to each other throughout the book. In the end Nanny finds out that all Grayer wants is some loving affection from his parents. I believe this book would be best suited for grades 8 and up because it has some foul language and some mature content. THE NANNY DIARIES is fiction, but for other nannies in this world it might not be so unrealistic.
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