Rating: 
Summary: A book for New Yorkers perhaps, but not for me!
Review: I bought this book for a lighthearted break - sucked in by the promises of it being "diabolically funny" (NY Times). I found it instead to be a glimpse into an upper echelon of American culture that while may or may not be accurate, in my opinion, was just not funny. Perhaps New Yorkers may enjoy laughing at themselves and their experiences with the wealthier residents of their state, but I myself would prefer to avoid the Mr. and Mrs. X's of the world - even in a book.
Rating: 
Summary: An insightful but sad, depressing book
Review: While this book showed how unbelievably rude, inconsiderate, and self-centered some people can be, it also showed how the main character can lack a backbone, and have only herself to blame for becoming someone else's doormat. This book was entertaining at first, because it amuses me to think that these superwealthy, spoiled women even bother to get out of bed in the morning, given that their lives are wholly empty and meaningless lives. But half-way through, it became sad and depressing, as we see how this absent parenting (and when the parents ARE around, it's merely because the child is needed as decoration for a social function) creates yet another generation of self-absorbed people whose lives, yet again, lack meaning. The appearance of Mr. X's mother late in the book makes it so easy to see how Mr. X turned out the way he did, and that his son Grayer is destined to follow in his dad's footsteps. Perhaps those envious of wealthy people's money should read this, and discover that money does not, indeed, buy you happiness or love. In fact, too much of it probably makes you downright miserable.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: This snapshot into the lives of the fabulously rich in a big city was so engrossing! I got a copy because I had seen it on all the bestseller lists and heard so many good things about it, but wondered a little when I read the excerpt inside the book. I was very pleasantly surprised when I finally started reading it! Although the authors admit that the incidences described are taken from more than one employer, it still makes a fascinating story. If you like reality tv, even if you're a little embarassed to say so, you will really enjoy this book. Even if you don't, borrow it and give it a try - you might be surprised!
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Summary: Sure beats Mary Poppins...
Review: I received this book as a Christmas present from my mother. I read it that same day...I was completely enthralled. The authors, both NYU students, have a wonderful way with words - their prose is simple, breezy, but not flowery and shallow in a "Glamour" article-esque way. The fluidity of their style makes "The Nanny Diaries" THE book for quick, entertaining reading.
The story is quite simple: "Nanny", a senior at NYU majoring in child psychology and development, puts out an ad at the local agency to make some much-needed cash. She soon is hired by "Mrs. X", a posh, seemingly kind lady with a 4-year-old son named Grayer. The whole affair turns out to be much more than what Nanny bargained for. Grayer turns out to be a spoiled brat, Mrs. X is a fastidious, obsessive woman, and Mr. X is barely around (for reasons later specified in the book). It's your typical Park Avenue family, right?
As the plot thickens, Nanny learns that yes, Grayer can be a handful, but with good reason. He is a neglected child, desperate for love and attention. As the relationship between Nanny and Grayer blossoms, Nanny's relationship with Mrs. X deteriorates. This allows for much comedy and hilarity in the book, but empathy as well, for one feels for Nanny. Mrs. X, to put it lightly, is a first-class pain in the bum.
The great thing about this book is that you get a real feel for the setting and characters of the story. Nanny literally guides us around NYC, letting us view the hectic city through the lens of a young(and sometimes overworked)employee of the jet-set crowd. We attend Grayer's French classes, "Mommy and Me" sessions (which, ironically, have not a mommy in sight), socialite parties (to which she was dragged into), and even a disasterous trip to the Hamptons. The characters, no less colorful, are eclectic, ranging from the highly insane, crackpot mothers to OCD pre-schoolers. For all you chick-flick fans out there, there is even a romantic Nanny subplot woven in for good measure.
My advice? Pick up this book. Even if it's not classic literature, or even something intellectually stimulating like Tom Clancy or Michael Crichton, it's worth a read. The laughs alone are worth the price.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, easy read, but difficult subject
Review: I bought this book because everyone said how funny it was. It is a first person, fictionalized account of a woman ("Nanny") who works as a Nanny for a family (the "X's") with a 4 year-old boy in New York City. The beginning of the book is, indeed, hilarious. It describes the typical interview of a Nanny in NYC and pokes fun at the rich and how they conduct themselves in these situations. It is over the top. Once we settle into the life of Nanny, the X's and the little boy, however, I found it was still a great book, but no longer funny. It wasn't over the top anymore, it was all too real. Nanny is taken for granted, asked to do wildly inappropriate things, treated like dirt, underpaid, etc. Her young charge is completely neglected by parents who simply cannot stand to be anywhere near children. You root for Nanny in this book. You want her to tell the X's off. And she never does, because she can't. That's real life. Unfortunately, badly treated employees and neglected children are all too often also part of real life in some circles. The Nanny Diaries brings this all home to you. It is a tremendously easy read, and well worth reading. But if you're looking to be entertained rather than disturbed, you might want to look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: The Nany Diaries
Review: When i first started, i could not put the book down- i was absorbed in the life of Nanny and the X's howver toward thee edn of the book it slowed down and I found I had a hard time finishing the book( i ended up skipping a few pages) the trip to Nantucket just moved to slow for me. Overall it was a pretty good book- the 2nd half could have been alot better thought
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Summary: Fast read
Review: While there are no real surprises here, or depth of insight, this is an enjoyable, fast read. It's well-written and well paced.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Entertaining
Review: I was given this book on tape for my birthday, knowing nothing about it. I fell in love with Nan, the main character, after 5 minutes, and thoroughly enjoyed the witty manner in which the book was written. I too, wanted her to get her revenge at the end of the book, like many of the others who have written. Every time I was in the car, I HAD to listen to the tapes - nothing else! The story was so entertaining, I finished in 2 days flat. I recommend the book on tape for anyone who loved the book but would like to hear a different "audio" twist on it - Julia Roberts reads the book and does marvelous voices for each of the colorful characters. A true best seller, and winning twist on a typically mundane topic.
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Summary: "Life" in the rarified air of the upper social strata
Review: The authors really had me believing that some people who hire nannies don't breathe oxygen -- helium, or laughing gas would be more like it. Since truth IS stranger than fiction, I'm inclined to believe that this book is definitely based on fact, regardless of its opening disclaimer. It's hard NOT to dislike the X's, and in my case, their bratty Grayson. What I found hard to believe was that Nan put up with it for so long.... but then, when you're young and idealistic, you tend more towards martyrdom than you would as an older and wiser individual. Or, perhaps Nan was a glutton for punishment. I did, however, admire Nan's sardonic, WICKED sense of humor and her ability to adapt and survive. This is ALOT more than I could say for the X's, who had everything ....but... really DIDN'T. I found the panty hunt hilarious, the food fight chilling, and the Halloween party hysterical. And, in the end, I was VERY glad that Grace prevailed.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book, hard to put down
Review: This was an intersting book with entertaining characters and lots of great description that took you to the settings in the book. Every time I had to stop reading I looked forward to picking it up again to continue being highly entertained. A great book that I would recommend for people of almost all ages, not vulgar or violent, just a little gossipy now and then.
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