Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: My sister-in-law was a nanny for several years, so when I saw this book, I had to get it for both of us. Every story she ever told me has unfolded in this 306 page book. The authors, former nannies themselves, have a disclaimer at the front of the book stating that the characters written are completely ficticious and not based on any particular past employer. This must be why the main character's name is simply "Nanny", and her employers are "Mr. and Mrs. X". Nanny has just been hired by the wealthy Xes to look after their son Grayer. She is to replace the old nanny, who had the audacity to request a week off to visit her sick sister in Australia. Nanny is just looking to keep her rent money coming in while completing her senior year at NYC, but soon finds that she is drawn to poor little Grayer, who at times can be a pill, but for the most part is just a poor little rich kid who wants his parents to notice him. Mrs. X spends most of her time shopping, planning dinner parties (in the hopes that her absentee/workaholic husband just might spend time with them), and volunteering on several committees. Nanny is used to the explicit demands Mrs. X requests for Grayer, and is not surprised when Mrs. X constantly asks her to do extra chores she wasn't hired for (like picking up Mrs. X's dry cleaning, picking up about 12 different items for a 30 people dinner party, or even escorting Grayer and the Xes to a fancy executive Halloween bash dressed as a giant Teletubby- one of the funniest passages in the book). Or, she'll show up 2 hours past the time she told Nanny she'd be home, leaving Nanny little more than 15 minutes to get to a school to give a speech that will determine whether she passes or fails. Nanny feels it's worth it, though, when the envelope of cash comes at the end of the week ("most nannies are paid under the table", she tells us). Even so, Nanny gets more than she bargained for when, at the Halloween bash, she and Grayer walk in on Mr. X and his Chicago executive (whom the book simply calls "Ms. Chicago")making out. Mr. X acts as if mothing is amiss, and Nanny is left to question whether or not she should report this infidelity to his wife. Slowly, Mrs. X begins to get her own suspicions, and Grayer begins to fall apart under the obvious cloud of neglect and dread that his father has stirred up. Nanny wants to run, but feels obligated to navigate these treacherous adult waters for Grayer, hoping things will calm down on their own. Meanwhile, she's also fallen for a Harvard student that lives in the Xes building, leaving Mrs. X to treat her badly and hurl rude comments at her because she is jealous of the happiness Nanny is finding with a guy. Hhhmph! How can Nanny tread through these tumultuous waters and still graduate from NYC? You'll have to find out for yourself. I read this book in less than 48 hours because I couldn't wait to find out what outrageous thing Mrs. X would come up with next. After listening to my sis-in-law's horror stories, I found that I wasn't surprised about the Xes shannanigans. All in all, a very interesting look into the frustrating world of raising someone elses children under extreme conditions.
Rating: 
Summary: Over-hyped
Review: Given all the buzz about this book, I was desperate to read it, and I was thrilled when a friend loaned it to me a few weeks ago. It wasn't bad - in fact, it was really good in some ways - but didn't live up to my expectations. The book was easy to get in to; the beginning was really engaging. I thought the authors gave Nan a really clear voice. She seemed like a real person. Loved all the name dropping of fancy places in New York, which I've always wanted to visit. I thought the book was really funny in parts - some of the demands that Mrs. X placed on Nan were just bizarre. So in many ways it was effective satire. I also loved Nan's family. They provided a nice counterpoint to the insanity of her work situation. The storyline with Nan's boyfriend was surprisingly ineffective - if they'd stuck to her grandmother and parents, I'd have been happier.
The problem was the book was a bit schizphrenic. At times it seemed like just a lighthearted novel wanting to poke fun at high society. But as we got to know Grayer, and watch Nan bond with him, we started to care about him and his situation. So, as the family fell apart, and we saw how he was suffering, I had this need for something more - a bit more depth, somehow. In the end I was left with this vague sense of dissatisfaction. The authors tried, at times, to give the Mrs. X character a bit of depth and create a bit of sympathy for her, but it didn't work. I think the book might've been more effective if the authors hadn't bothered to give it the extra bit of seriousness, and stuck to writing an all out funny book, ala the Shopaholic series. I do think this book is generally well written, and it is easy to read. It just isn't what I expected. So, bearing that in mind, I do think it's worth a look.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the TV show
Review: OK, "The Nanny Diaries" isn't great literature, but it is both funny and biting. A student takes a job as a nanny for an upscale Manahattan family because she needs the money. She quickly finds herself sucked into their dysfunctional lives while trying to provide stability for their neglected trophy child. Exploited and manipulated by the parents from day one, the nameless nanny tries to cope as the parents' behavior becomes more and more outrageous. A social satire which the authors more than hint is based on their own experiences, the book has an air of versimilatude only partly undercut by what the reader hopes is exaggeration. Even though the ending is inevitable, its sadness lingers after the book's end.
Rating:
Summary: Caring for children is the noblest profession
Review: The most important thing a person can do in this life is to nurture and care for the next generation. It's a tough and thankless job whether you're a Mom or a nanny. This book turns out to be an indictment of both. I find it difficult to be amused at disfunctional characters like a workaholic, philandering father and a self-centered, shallow mother and a self-martyred, victimized nanny. Do people really lead shallow lives like these? I suppose they do somewhere but I don't think this picture is typical. The wealthy people I know have a serious sense of responsibility to their families and their communities. Their servants are treated with respect and paid well. Certainly lives in busy, productive and relatively happy families have enough real conflict and drama to produce an interesting book without resorting to this kind of melodrama. And certainly no self-respecting nanny would stoop to the shabby behavior "Nan" does at the end of this book no matter how "put upon" she felt. Maybe someday someone will write a memoir about "nannying" that's less prone to sensationalism than this one.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly entertaining and revealing!
Review: A fast-reading glimpse into a 9-month nanny stint amongst the upper crust of New York society. I flew through this book in 2 1/2 days and found it thoroughly entertaining (while disturbing at the same time)! ...And as far as being witty - well it certainly was, in a sarcastic sort of way! I especially enjoyed the descriptions of Grayer's extra-curricula activities. My children have been in some activities as well, and the descriptions were, in many cases, humorously accurate! Being a one-time family day care provider and currently an at-home Mom who has been occasionally looked down upon by certain aquaintances as doing a "nanny's work" (i.e. - playing with my children, taking care of their day-to-day needs and activities!), I personally found this novel quite interesting. I actually know people who take this hands-off approach to child-rearing and I never understood it. This book made me realize that I am not alone in these feelings! ...But let the reader beware: this is the combination of the authors' experiences and to say that all employers of nannies are this uncaring and cold would be doing an injustice! First of all, there are always 2 sides to every story and I know of many instances of unreliable and problematic child-care situations. I also know of those who have had very good relationships with their nannies and have treated them very well in return. So, enjoy this novel, but don't label unnecessarily!
Rating:
Summary: The Nanny Diaries
Review: The Nanny Diaries follows Nanny, a young New Yorker who is trying to make a living while completing a degree at NYU, find a job, and find a husband. Nanny finds a job as a nanny for the Xes, a wealthy family who seem to live the perfect life. Mrs. X is thin and beautiful; son Grayer is smart and funny, and Mr. X has a great job. However, once inside the home, Nanny sees first hand the family fall apart. A divorce is looming, and Grayer is becoming more and more unstable by the day. Nanny has to deal with raising Grayer, taking care of Mrs. X and Mr. X's family duties, and also her own life.
I found The Nanny Diaries humorous and interesting. I enjoyed receiving a glimpse at the lives of the extremely wealthy, whose lives may not always be as perfect as they seem. The Nanny Diaries made me laugh out loud many times due to Nanny's witty narration of the situations she encountered with Grayer, who one could not help feel sorry for. It helped me to realize that money is not everything, and it definitely does not buy happiness. The Nanny Diaries was a wonderful book and I would recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: kept my attention from the start..
Review: I have been a caregiver to children before so I really understood all she goes through. THis novel is funny, sad, and bittersweet. The characters are believable, and there are some of them that you really dislike! Lol, Nanny has a big heart, and that is her downfall. Loved this book.
Rating:
Summary: Fun reading for the beach at the most...
Review: This book can be quite funny, but be warned that it is downright sad at points, especially when the authors highlight the way in which Nanny's young charge is neglected by his parents. I enjoyed this book on the level that it is a scathing examination of the private worlds of the ultra-rich, from how they decorate their million-dollar New York apartments; to what they wear; to how they party or treat the 'help.' But occasionally, the main character of this book is downright annoying. How am I supposed to sympathize with a protagonist who allows her employer to do things to her that would have any normal person running to the Labor Department to file suit? Take this one to the beach and use it as a light, fun read - don't expect tons of character development or any explanation of why Nanny is such a doormat.
Rating:
Summary: Get out your umbrella
Review: What if Mary Poppins had been a harried college student? What if her charge's parents were moneyed but insensitive, treating their child like a pet? The answer is "The Nanny Diaries," an amusing and sometimes poignant chunk of high-level chic-lit. Nanny is a student at NYU with a teeny apartment, but unfortunately she can't handle the money thang. So she's interviewed by wealthy Mrs. X as a potential nanny for her only son Grayer (poor kid), and is eventually accepted. Her duties include French lessons, stomach bugs, walks in the park, feeding Grayer, and so on. What Nanny didn't count on was being summoned in mid-vacation, serving as Mrs. X's fashion consultant, being heckled for her job, and attending Mommy & Me meetings with all the other nannies. What's even worse, Nanny soon learns that not all is well with the X family, and not just because Grayer is treated like a pet. Mr. X is obviously having an affair (with the "Chicago" woman) and their marriage is starting to split at the seams. Now Nanny must perform above and beyond the call of duty -- valiantly keeping herself and Grayer from being scarred for life. Since both Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin once were nannies, it's not surprising that they take some not-so-good-natured revenge on the royalty of Manhattan. The job is hell, and only a masochist would like it. Her Christmas present from this moneyed bunch? Earmuffs. But they manage to keep their revenge from running away from them, never turning this into an unfunny former-boss roast. There's nothing too surprising in "Nanny Diaries," but it's an entertaining ride. Kraus and McLaughlin deftly juggle the absurd and compassionate viewpoints. Their satire pokes straight through the idle rich and makes them bleed. About halfway through "Nanny Diaries," the plot seems to sag -- yes, we know Mrs. X is a pain in the butt with her crazy demands! We get it! -- but revs back up when the X family starts to disintegrate. Kraus and McLaughlin are actually excellent character writers. Even the excruciating Mrs. X has a human side and feelings, and Grayer (however much aggravation he causes Nanny) is the most sympathetic person in the whole book. Nanny herself is a fun character, keeping all her frustrations inside and letting rip at toys. "Nanny Diaries" is a pleasant beach read, amusing chick-lit that helped spawn the I-hate-my-job-and-my-boss-is-evil books. Fun light book about some of the underappreciated hired help.
Rating: 
Summary: Not quite there
Review: I was never able to fully get into this book. I kept waiting for something to happen it seems like, and then nothing ever did. I hate how Nanny didn't have the balls to stand up for herself. Even after leaving the X's, she still didn't at least give the readers the satisfaction of revenge. The best part of the story was Harvard Hottie, and even that was underdeveloped. I was left very unsatisfied after reading this.
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