I loved [b:Anywhere But Here|96861|Anywhere But Here|Mona Simpson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171355148s/96861.jpg|93362]. This one sounds just as good.

paperback surprise bookbox; started strong, then dissolved into a mismash that was hard to follow. Essentially, it's about an LA couple who hires a live-in nanny during the week & she moonlights for another couple on weekends, meeting the other nannies in the park with the kids & sending $$ to her own family in the Philippines. ( )

Most in my book club had trouble finishing this. The characters especially the many nannies were hard to keep track. The message of the story is something you will remember. ( )

Good book about "the help". However, setting a book in LA in the early 90's and not mentioning the earthquake seems weird.

I was angry and glad when I finished this book: glad that it was over and angry that I stuck with it. It was way too long and rambling. What struck me about both narrators, Lola and Claire, was that both sacrificed their children for either money or career, yet neither reaped the potential benefits and so it seemed everyone lost. I found no character who seemed engaged with life - it just seemed such a struggle and for what. This would be interesting to pair the The Help - what happens when you leave your children to an adult who you treat as disposable. ( )