Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #568866 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 384 pages

Amazon.co.uk 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 four-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 mother 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

Customer Reviews

I've been there and this book is the antidote!
If you've ever worked as a nanny or even worked with children this book is an absolute must. Discard anything you are reading now and pick it up. It's a long awaited classic. The co-writers have created a genuine female voice which puts those to shame those who think a woman in her early 20's has little to offer - it's also an absolute scream, an entertaining read from cover to cover. I'm an English woman who worked as a nanny in Westchester County when I was 18 and this book brought it all back home.It's perfect in every way - it shows New Yorks privilaged class up, as the disfunctional fragrant bunch that they are. I only wish I had the strength that the central character "nan" has - I'm sure that the authors have embellished a little, as this nanny manages most situations with apolomb and although we hear her very real reactions to hilariously unacceptable behaviour from the mother of her charge she always keeps her cool. In reality many nannies probably lost their cool as well as smoking far too much and sneaking out to diners at 2 am to bare their souls to equally somnolent counterparts. This is like a glance at the old yearbook for me, a real blast from the past. To the authors: thanks for reminding me that what I learnt back then was worthwhile.

Terrific reading.
Don't think of this as a Bridget Jones style book at all, just because it's written as a diary by young women. Not that Bridget isn't great, but this is wonderful and completely different- you'll know if it's your kind of thing by the end of the extremely funny prologue.

It's a great look at the world of the miserable super-rich, and you will definitely find yourself wanting to smack Mrs X for her supercilious little notes, however sorry you may end up feeling for her. The little boy is written with real tenderness, and the story is funny, heartwarming and really painful by turns. This is just solid, popular good reading and incredibly enjoyable. Indulge!

Hilarious and horrifying!
If I didn't know that the two authors had worked for New York families, I wouldn't have believed that such a world could exist. Hopefully, the extremes of behaviour are exaggerated - although sadly, they probably are not. I lurched between laughing and feeling my eyes filling up. How can any parent possibly be so unknowingly nasty to their 'beloved' child? I found myself swearing at the charming Mrs X, unable to believe that Nan could put up with so much. At first I found this lack of retaliation a bit unconvincing, but in reality, if your livelihood depends upon you forever capitulating, then capitulate you will.
A great read, that I finished far too quickly, wishing there was much more.