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What do you do when you are a nanny to an obscenely rich Park Avenue matron named X? Mrs. X refuses to do anything for herself, including cook, clean, or take care of her four-year-old son. You are expected to do everything, including maintaining the mental health of said four-year-old, even while Mrs. X decides that it is time for a divorce. You'll have to bear up under the strain with wit and panache, even as the boundaries between your working life and your so-called private life blur, show more merge, and disappear. The symbiotic relationship between parent and nanny ensures that your life will be spent anticipating and fulfilling the needs of your charge and your employer. Have fun listening!. show lessTags
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lahochstetler Stories about the trials of nannies and the children they care for in the wealthiest corners of Manhattan.
Member Reviews
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 show more 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 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 show more 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 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 show more 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
In terms of your chick lit, summer beach read, something to pass the time reads, The Nanny Diaries is a show more 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 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 show more 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
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 show more 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
"The Nanny Diaries" is the fictional story of Nan, a grad student at NYU working as a nanny. Wickedly funny, the novel has pure laugh out loud moments as well as heart-breaking ones as Nan gets deeper in the Manhattan world of Mr. and Mrs. X while taking care of Grayer, a lovable but difficult child. I absolutely loved the witty and simple style, and the fact that it never bores. From the moment I read the first pages I was hooked on it and couldn't put it down until the end, only to leave me wishing for more.
When I first picked up "The Nanny Diaries," I was looking forward to what the New York Times deemed a "diabolically funny" read, but TND failed to deliver. Sure the book was cutesy.... a good read for taking your mind off of your problems, but funny? Nah. "Humphrey Clinker" was funnier than TND, and that's saying something because "Humphrey Clinker" is rather dry. Maybe the problem for me was that I decided to read this book immediately after watching the documentary "The Human Experience." Though Nanny complains an awful lot throughout her whole "ordeal," her problems are pretty paltry in the scheme of things. She just struck me as a high-strung, complainaholic, with a bit of a drinking problem. And what planet is H.H. from? I think show more most men would be turned off by any woman with Nanny's levels of negativity and self-absorption, but he did say she was "sexy" about 50 times, so maybe that explains his (fleeting) interest. Also, as someone else noted, there are major discrepancies throughout the book (maybe the result of having two authors?). For example, though Nanny criticizes the X's spending and the luxurious lifestyle they lead, she seems awfully happy about designer clothes (as she screams "PRADA! P-R-A-D-A. As in Madonna. As in Vogue. As in, watch me walk off in style...") and is easily turned off by less glamourous jobs, like working for a charity (though she can stay focused when interviewing for Mrs. X, when she interviews for a job working with a charity she notes that she "zone[s] in and out, keeping a beaming smile on [her] face and developing a fixation on the peanuts in [her] bag.") As for this being described as "chick lit," come on! Give ladies a bit more credit! We like adventure, excitement, and stunningly crafted lines too! show less
I ran across this book while cleaning and cataloging books in the basement (it's a long story.) I believe it belongs to my elder daughter, who has worked as a nanny for several families -- only one of which, thank God, bore some resemblance to the one in the book. I felt like taking a break from my somewhat depressing mystery ([b:Dying to Sin|1187849|Dying To Sin (Ben Cooper & Diane Fry, #8)|Stephen Booth|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1181751417s/1187849.jpg|1175837], review coming soon) so I invested a few hours in [b:The Nanny Diaries.]
The heroine (whose actual name appears to be Nan or Nanny) is a well-educated but not rich young New Yorker in her senior year at NYU who is looking for a part-time nannying gig. She meets the "X" show more family in the park and ends up working for them, caring for their three-year-old son Grayer (whom she immediately rechristens Grover.) The treatment Nan (and Grayer) receive at the hands of Mr. and Mrs. X would be unbelievable if I had not heard similar tales from my daughter. Anyone who's thinking of becoming -- or hiring -- a nanny should read this book. It's quite worth it. I hear there's a sequel out and I might just look for it. Recommended. show less
The heroine (whose actual name appears to be Nan or Nanny) is a well-educated but not rich young New Yorker in her senior year at NYU who is looking for a part-time nannying gig. She meets the "X" show more family in the park and ends up working for them, caring for their three-year-old son Grayer (whom she immediately rechristens Grover.) The treatment Nan (and Grayer) receive at the hands of Mr. and Mrs. X would be unbelievable if I had not heard similar tales from my daughter. Anyone who's thinking of becoming -- or hiring -- a nanny should read this book. It's quite worth it. I hear there's a sequel out and I might just look for it. Recommended. show less
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ThingScore 88
The authors, NYU grads themselves, have filled the novel with humorous events allegedly based on their personal experiences.
added by stephmo
"The Nanny Diaries" is a sharply barbed comedy of manners; the denizens of New York's Upper East Side (and, by extension, their brethren in all other tony, overpriced, deadly dull neighborhoods in cities around the world) are its target.
added by stephmo
With this hilarious, vicious satire of upper-class family life in Manhattan, McLaughlin and Kraus, ex-nannies who know of what they speak, position themselves as contempo Edith Whartons.
added by stephmo
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Author Information
13+ Works 11,286 Members
Emma McLaughlin was born in Elmira, New York on February 7, 1974. She graduated from New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study with a concentration in Arts in Education. She worked as a business consultant within the private and public sectors. She met Nicola Kraus while both were attending New York University, and working as show more nannies. They wrote The Nanny Diaries, which was published in 2002 and was adapted into a film starring Scarlett Johansson in 2007. Their other works include Citizen Girl, Dedication, The Real Real, Nanny Returns, and The First Affair. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
12+ Works 11,320 Members
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Distinctions
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Goldmann (45744)
Work Relationships
Has as a student's study guide
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Nanny Diaries
- Original publication date
- 2002-03-13
- People/Characters
- Nanny; Grayer Addison X; Mrs. X; Mr. X
- Important places
- Manhattan, New York, New York, USA; Park Avenue, New York, New York, USA
- Related movies
- The Nanny Diaries (2007 | IMDb)
- Epigraph
- "You should hear mama on the chapter of governesses: Mary and I have had, I should think, a dozen in our day; half of the detestable, and the rest ridiculous, and all incubi - were they not, mama?"
"My dearest, don't menti... (show all)on governesses; the word makes me nervous. I have suffered a martyrdom from their incompentency and caprice; I thank Heaven I have now done with them!"
- Jane Eyre - Dedication
- To our parents, for always reading at least one bedtime story (with voices) no matter how tuckered they were.
And to all the fabulous kids who have danced, giggled and hiccuped their way into our hearts.
We root for you... (show all) still. - First words
- (Prologue) Every season of my nanny career kicked off with a round of interviews so surreally similar that I'd often wonder if the mothers were slipped a secret manual at the Parents League to guide them through.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"I see. Well, then, Grace, let's go home."
- Original language
- English
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Statistics
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- Reviews
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- Rating
- (3.20)
- Languages
- 16 — Catalan, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 75
- UPCs
- 2
- ASINs
- 20