Emma McLaughlin

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. show more 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 X's' 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. Written by two former nannies, The Nanny Diaries deftly punctures the glamour of Manhattan's upper class. show less

Chick lit that starts out deceptively "light", snarky, with brand name dropping and New York City settings. Our narrator is a senior at NYU, hardworking college girl amidst the ultra rich, Park Ave set - nanny to Mr./Mrs. X's 4 yr old boy Grayer... as one reviewer puts it: " 'The Bonfire of the Vanities' meets 'Mary Poppins' in this hilarious look at life as a nanny to the rich and fatuous. The authors have perfect pitch, and their every observation rings true. 'The Nanny Diaries' is social show more satire that's as moving as it is funny" - Jane Heller, back book cover. But oh how sad, sad, sad it is for the little boy - desperate for normalcy, for some loving attention from either parent, for a decent nap for gosh's sake... Nan, our protagonist, narrates everything with sly humor, self-deprecating observations, and sometimes careens into panic-stricken narration when crises erupt. I laughed in some parts, shook my head in disbelief at the incredible behavior of both Nan's employers, and couldn't wait to read the next chapter to see what new heights Nanny would be forced to climb to survive this job. show less

I realize that this book is essentially residing in the Doritos section of the book store while everyone mostly wishes to pretend that they only read Globe Artichokes, Organic Free-Range Chickens or Nine-Grain Toasted Wheat Berry Muffins. But you know what? There are days where I really do want Doritos. And I don't mean some sub-standard generic Nacho-Cheese-Flavored Corn Chip - if I'm going to eat junk food, I want a quality junk food (I don't want pretend junk food either - so keep your show more Guava Choco-Almond Crips to yourself). And that's what you'll get with the Nanny Diaries. A quality, name-brand, worth-the-calories, junk food read.

In terms of your chick lit, summer beach read, something to pass the time reads, The Nanny Diaries is a cut above most others. While the staples are all present - young ingenue about to make her way in big city, old guard establishment that will be examined though wide-eyed idealism and a best-friend with rough edges - this story seems to do a much better job of taking us through the familiar dance without it seeming so forced.

Nan is a surprisingly well-formed character for the genre. By this, I mean that she has reason for moving through the plot. Her actions also have consequence and her character suffers from mistakes of her own creation in addition to the expected meanness of others. Nan's story of accepting a job and staying on as Grayer's nanny to a self-involved Manhattan couple works only because she is more than a single-note character. Even Grayer, her charge, gets his turn at character growth. The lessons in the Nanny Diaries are not particularly deep (don't be a self-involved jerk pretty much sums it up), but that's okay. If you want life-changing, go to the Pomegranate Syrup Infused Roasted Rack of Lamb section of the literature isle. show less

This book was unreal. I know that Mrs. X is an amalgam of many women the two authors worked for, but even if each only exhibited one of the awful traits this woman does, she is unfit to breed. Mrs. X does absolutely nothing by herself. At the end of the book she is talking about buying a 2-room studio up a few floors so she can get away for some “me time”. This woman’s life is nothing but “me time”. If she ever had to do a single thing on her own, she would collapse into a show more gibbering mass of cellulite-free flesh.

I can hardly believe that people like this exist. She and her husband expect the child is something on order. Something they can put away into a box when they grow tired of it. That their son is an it with no thoughts or feelings. It would serve them imminently right if he grew up to be a psychopath. They take absolutely no pride in any portion of raising their son. It’s completely sick. I would have told off these people inside 5 minutes of knowing them.

But Nanny is desperate and she really does like the kid. It’s not his fault his parents are heartless monsters and that he’s had twice as many nannies as his age. All in all, though, he’s not portrayed as a bad kid. He’s going to be seriously fucked up though.

I felt no sympathy for Mrs. X when Mr. X was discovered to be cheating on her. What did she expect? Mr. X cheated on his first wife with her and she expects him to change? Not gonna happen. I would have been less protective of the bitch though and let her see it right up close. No hiding the truth from the Mrs. for me. show less