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The Nanny Diaries: A Novel
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780312291631
ISBN: 0312291639
Label: St. Martin's Griffin
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Date: 2003-03
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: March 18, 2003
Studio: St. Martin's Griffin
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Editorial Review:
The Nanny Diaries is an absolutely addictive peek into the utterly weird world of child rearing in the upper reaches of Manhattan's social strata. Cowritten by two former nannies, Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, the novel follows the adventures of the aptly named Nan as she negotiates the Byzantine byways of working for Mrs. X, a Park Avenue mommy. Nan's 4-year-old charge, the hilariously named Grayer (his pals include Josephina, Christabelle, Brandford, and Darwin) is a genuinely good sort. He can't help it if his mom has scheduled him for every activity known to the Upper East Side, including ice skating, French lessons, and a Mommy and Me group largely attended by nannies. What makes the book so impossible to put down is the suspense of finding out what the unbelievably inconsiderate Mrs. X will demand of Nan next. One pictures the two authors having the last hearty laugh on their former employers. --Claire Dederer
Wanted:
One young woman to take care of four-year-old boy. Must be cheerful, enthusiastic and selfless—bordering on masochistic. Must relish sixteen-hour shifts with a deliberately nap-deprived preschooler. Must love getting thrown up on, literally and figuratively, by everyone in his family. Must enjoy the delicious anticipation of ridiculously erratic pay. Mostly, must love being treated like fungus found growing out of employers Hermès bag. Those who take it personally need not apply.Who wouldn’t want this job? Struggling to graduate from NYU and afford her microscopic studio apartment, Nanny takes a position caring for the only son of the wealthy X family. She rapidly learns the insane amount of juggling involved to ensure that a Park Avenue wife who doesn’t work, cook, clean, or raise her own child has a smooth day. When the Xs marriage begins to disintegrate, Nanny ends up involved way beyond the bounds of human decency or good taste. Her tenure with the X family becomes a nearly impossible mission to maintain the mental health of their four-year-old, her own integrity and, most importantly, her sense of humor. Over nine tense months, Mrs. X and Nanny perform the age-old dance of decorum and power as they test the limits of modern-day servitude.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Touche'!
Unfortunately I saw the movie first, prior to reading this hilarious book. Too bad the movie doesn't do the book justice.
It was funny, contemporary, light, shedding outrageously hysterical insight into the world of the elite.
Fun, easy read. Slight tear-jerker ending...
Rating:  - Amusing book that left me feeling sad...
I found this book to be very engaging and a real page-turner. However, when I got to the end I was disappointed and sad.
There is a feeling of impending doom after the first 1/3 of the book. The first third is amusing, written spiritedly and although I found things *not* to like about the protagonist, "Nan," overall I liked her and could find things about her with which I could identify.
The last two thirds of the book are gripping and make you want to keep reading - ... Read More
Rating:  - Not worth the time
I read this book with low expectations yet...even then I was disappointed.
The main character "Nan" has a series of tasks (which her high-strung employer "Mrs. X" commands her to do), which makes her ideal 15-20 hour weekly job a 60 hour a week struggle.
Nan has one-dimensional friends (Sarah and Josh) and a relationship with a man whom she never reveal the name of but only refers to him as Harvard Hottie or H.H.
Its confusing how her relationship with H.H. ... Read More
Rating: - Over-hyped Nonsense
I'm sure that there is a good idea buried in this book, I just feel that it wasn't excuted well. A Nanny named Nanny and employers named Mr. and Mrs. X-like this was some attempt to protect real people. My problem is that in the 2 YEARS that it's taken me to read this book, is that the humor (if one wants to call it that) is at first in the begining too over the top and then the rest of the book severely lacking. Maybe this was to be a modern version of Agnes Grey-another book that sets out to ... Read More
Rating: - 'Nanny Diaries'...Nicely Done! (3.5 stars)
A good mix of satire and social commentary, with a poignant ending!
Most of the critics seemed to miss the point that this was a novel, and that the experiences are not taken directly from the lives of the two nannies. Presumably, they swapped enough stories among themselves and other caregivers, and found a (somewhat) believable framework to include everything here.
There are some nitpicks, already mentioned in great detail, about the characters' names. The main character actually being ... Read More
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