Nanny Diaries
- Book Review,
by Emma McLaughlin
Amazon.com
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
From Publishers Weekly
A blistering satire based on the real-life experiences of former New York City nannies McLaughlin and Kraus, this hilarious examination of the upper echelons of Manhattan society and the unlovable Park Avenue X family is flawlessly complemented by Roberts's limber, metamorphosing vocal performance. Depicted by the Academy Award winner's detached, patronizing tone, Mrs. X, a housewife, has little more to do than spend her adulterous, workaholic husband's seven-figure salary on manicures, designer clothes and floral arrangements. She delegates the care of her bratty four-year-old son, Grayer, and other small "errands" (e.g., shopping for a 50-guest dinner party) to an NYU grad student, Nan. Highlighting the disparity between the decadent, insular world of the Xs against the underpaid, disrespected one of the hired help surrounding them works especially well in audio, as Roberts acutely captures neglected Grayer's temper tantrums, piercing whines, inconsolable cries of "I want my mommy" and the hesitant tones and broken English of his playmate's caretakers. When the babysitter's "level of commitment" to the job is questioned and a developmental consultant is called in to handle the "deleterious self-esteem adjustment" her charge may have been set up for after failing to make it into a prestigious school, Roberts conveys Nan's struggle through readings alternately sarcastic, angry and falsely cheerful. This is a witty and thoroughly enjoyable production. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This is an inside story. The authors have both worked as nannies for well-to-do New Yorkers, and here they fictionalize their experiences to protect the innocentDand the guilty! Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From AudioFile
Dysfunctional family life among the upper crust of Manhattan's Upper East Side is held up to a magnifying lens, and it is not pretty. Written broadly and relying on stereotypes, still, it makes for a fascinating, engaging, and ultimately sad story. The writing voice suggests a protagonist who is sensitive, caring, vulnerable, and eager to please; unfortunately Roberts fails to capture this, coming across instead as flat, matter-of-fact, and self-assured. The accents she attempts are unrecognizable and inconsistent and prove distracting. Breezy with touches of humor and pathos, this story makes for good listening despite an out-of-sync narration. E.S. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
From Booklist
The difference between a baby-sitter and a nanny is the employer's income. If your boss makes seven figures, you're definitely a nanny. Here, the nanny's real name is Nanny, and her charge is four-year-old Grayer Addison X. College student Nanny wanted a 12-hour-a-week gig, but soon enough, she is soon working triple-overtime attending "Family Day" at preschool and being asked by a "Long-Term Development Consultant" what "methodology" she follows in dressing young Grayer. Things only get worse when Mr. X's mistress expects Nanny to help facilitate her employer's affair. Based on the authors' experiences as nannies to Manhattan's elite, the novel thoroughly skewers the privileged few, but beyond the satire, readers will care greatly for Nanny, poor Grayer, and even Mrs. X, who suffers the humiliation of her husband's infidelity even as she attempts to deny it. Some minor characters need fleshing out and a subplot involving Nanny's romance with an Ivy League student is left dangling, but finally this is a fast-paced, witty, and thoroughly entertaining tale. Beth Warrell
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Diabolically funny." - The New York Times
Review
"a national phenomenon" --Newsweek
"[Nanny is] Mary Poppins channeling Dorothy Parker" --Time
Review
"[Nanny is] Mary Poppins channeling Dorothy Parker." - Time
Review
"Impossible to put down." - Vogue
Review
"McLaughlin and Kraus... [have a] carefully calibrated sense of compassion and delicious sense of the absurd." - Entertainment Weekly
Review
"Impossible to put down." - Vogue
Kirkus
"First-novelists and former nannies McLaughlin and Kraus get the details right"
The New York Times
"...diabolically funny..."
Newsweek
"a national phenomenon"
Review
"a national phenomenon" --Newsweek
"[Nanny is] Mary Poppins channeling Dorothy Parker" --Time
Book Description
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 pre-schooler
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 Hermes 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.
The Nanny Diaries deftly skewers the manner in which America's over-privileged raise les petites over-privileged-as if grooming them for a Best in Show competition. Written by two former nannies, this alternately comic and poignant satire punctures the glamour of Manhattan's upper class.
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