"The Nanny Diaries" by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus:
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. (Summary courtesy of Goodreads.)
Melissa P:
I found this book to be extremely upsetting, but I also thought it was really good. I wanted to smack the mother of that poor little boy.
Melissa A:
I thought it was a fun read and Nanny was easy to sympathize with. I think it paved the way for books like "A Devil Wears Prada," where women have a completely crazy and stressful job situation. This story also translated well onto the big screen.
More by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus:
16 comments:
Looks like this might be a fun book. But it is probably frustrating to see what the Nanny goes through each day.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com
Sounds like a good book
I read this one and loved it! Very funny!
Margaret
singitm@hotmail.com
I really liked this book, I'm looking forward to Nanny Returns.
sfsabiaATverizonDOTnet
I listened to the audio version of this book awhile back and would love to now read it. I have a friend who was a nanny for a few years so it was interesting to hear her stories too.
suzebomb(at)gmail.com
I read this . It was a good book.
jeryl.marcus@gmail.com
I actually think this would prompt quite strong feelings for me - which isn't necessarily a bad thing! Not high on my wish list though.
S. Sabia I've read both Nanny Diaries & Nanny Returns. The first one is better. I'd love to know what you think when you've read it.
This was such a fun book.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
I never thought this would be a book I'd be interested in (okay, so maybe I don't care for Scarlett Johansson :-O) but after giving the description another read I actually think I should give it a try!
nina565(at)aol(dot)com
Not usually into this kind of book but might give this one a read or maybe I just haven't liked the movies about Nannies. I did like the show the nanny, so maybe. Does sound funny.
ah... another great classic!!!
schlarmette(at)gmail(dot)com
I got this book for my sister for her birthday. I of course haven't read it yet. I promise to get around to it. :) I am glad you all enjoyed it.
jenceyg@msn.com
I've seen the film but have never read the book. Unfortunately I didn't rate the film that highly which probably taints any interest in the book, although the description actually sounds much better than the film ever was!
be204ever AT hotmail.com
I have not read the book but have seen the movie.
ladykathryn@rogers.com
Sounds good:)
foxchick0323@live.com
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