Rating: 
Summary: Very good, but sad
Review: I was once a nanny, and I feel so greatful for the children I cared for and their parents after reading this book. (Except that one family....)The Nanny Diaries has just about all you want in a book. You'll laugh, cry, become enraged with anger, all in one chapter. One second you hate Mrs. X. THe next sympathize her. Two pages later you want to be her best friend. Ok, sure, right. Mostly you want to hate her. It did make me run in and hug each of my sleeping angels several times, swearing that if I ever have to hire someone to help with them I will ALWAYS be the one raising them. Saddest part was thinking that what happens in this book really does happen in some families. Basically: Good but sad story. Loved the book. Kept me up nights. Would read it again. Making a list of people I know who should read it as a wake up call.
Rating: 
Summary: Trashy but good
Review: I liked this book more than I wanted to, considering the raft of unsympathetic characters and obvious invasion of privacy that the writers committed in writing about their ex-employers. McLaughlin and Kraus manage to write some nuance into characters like Mrs. X and her cohort and are skilled at weaving details into the story without sound like Judith Krantz-esque label-droppers. Women like Mrs. X have made their deals with the devil, but the authors never completely let go of compassion for the women and their charges. The husbands in the story are little more than shadows, which is perhaps the point. It would be nice to think that the authors are exaggerating, but judging from New York Magazine, no exaggeration is required to reflect the materialism, superficiality and reactionary values of this subculture. Scary!
Rating: 
Summary: Fiction bordering on real life
Review: This is a fantastic book. Imagine working for someone as narcissistic as this woman. If the thought scares you, don't become a nanny, as it happens everyday in cities across the United States. Ultimately the mother overcomes her insecurities and finds strength by abusing her "help." Sad, but true.
I used to be nanny myself and fortunately I worked for wonderful people.
I wanted to write all of my ex-employers thank you notes after reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Nanny Diaries
Review: The Nanny Diaries is a satirical comedy about the lives of the rich and their so-called 'stressful lives' from day to day. We are introduced to the X family, a typical hard-working father, snobby, socialite mother, and a single, lonely child. The narrator, a college-aged girl named Nanny is hired to care for the X's child, Grayer. Throughout the novel, Nanny must keep up with their fast paced life of secrets, gossip, and lies. I really enjoyed this book because it gives average people insight into the corrupt lives of rich people. Nanny is constantly used as a call girl to Mrs. X's every need. The fact that Mr. X stops coming home due to an important affair drives Mrs. X into a frenzy. I found myself laughing constantly at the ridiculous events that occurred in this book. Another reason I really liked this book was because I could relate to Nanny's struggle between the balance of work and school. Nanny is frantic at times to balance her time and I could relate to her situation, including finding time for the 'Harvard Hottie'. This book is a great read for young women who struggle to make it young in this world.
Rating:
Summary: Deeply Engaging and Moving
Review: Among the rather large genre of books about women in their mid 20's - early 30's this one has been one of my favorites to read. An enjoyable tale about a Nanny taking care of a 4 year old Park Avenue kid named Grayer "X". (...)The only reason why I gave this book a 4 is the ending really leaves a lot be desired. It is all rather abrupt, and while you can fantasize and predict what the last 10 pages or so will lead to in the future for the X family, it would be nice to have a more complete conclusion. Perhaps a sequel will be written, but if not I'm sure everyone that reads this story will come up with hopeful, realistic, or their own favorite future for the X'es, particularly Grayer, and of course our heroine, Nanny. A good read if you like this genre, and insightful into the demanding life of being a Nanny.
Rating:
Summary: Very GOod!
Review: I thought this was a very interesting book...and from my perspective, even thought it's a satire, it seems that it's true..in some ways at least. I enjoyed this book, the happy parts, the sad parts, and the ending, this book left me fulfilled. I liked the charachters, and I liked the way it was written...now...what's with the lavender water?
Rating:
Summary: Amusing
Review: I found this book very easy to read because the way people behave can be so fascinating. A bit of a sad reflection on the attitudes of people and the effects upon their children, this book boldly shows just how bad those attitutes can be and the extent of rationalizing to justify how absurdly correct they want to be. The entertainment value of this book is high. It is very amusing and well worth reading. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Not the TV show
Review: "The Nanny Diaries" is a funny, bitter, and often heartbreaking novel based on the authors' experiences working for upscale Manhattan families. The narrator, a college student in need of money, takes a part-time job as a nanny for a family whose previous nanny has abruptly left. The job quickly becomes full-time, and she finds herself sucked into the parents' dysfunctional lives while trying to provide stability for their neglected trophy child. Exploited and manipulated from day one, the nameless nanny copes as best she can. She bonds with their child and manages to establish a daily routine, but the parents' behavior becomes more and more outrageous. "The Nanny Diaries" isn't great literature, but it is both funny and biting. Even though the ending is inevitable, its sadness lingers after the book's end.
Rating:
Summary: Funny!
Review: So, I first went to the States as an au pair and then I went back there to school. To pay it, I worked for many years as a nanny in these rich families and oh my god! this book is everything I went through during those years. Same stories, same notes, same problems... I am so glad that my nanny days are over. You should definetely read it! It is so funny!
Rating:
Summary: A Window into Depraved NYC Charity Circuit Culture
Review: This book should be on the MUST READ list of every gold digging New York City woman determined to marry $ucessfully. As The Nanny Diaries so cleverly illustrates you may end up with a real bread winner, a child who goes to the "right" schools, a big town house between Fifth and Madison and a "cottage" in the Hamptons, but at the end of the day the price for all of this may be greater than a year's worth of Botox and a closet filled with Manolos. With a truly charming breezy style, The Nanny Diaries give an entertaining account of the life of an Upper East Side Nanny, her tyrannical charge, his razor thin mother and his too-busy-to-be-a-part-of-the-family father, who perhaps predictably is clumsily juggling a demanding career and a scheming amoral mistress. As the authors caution in the beginning of the book, this is a fictionalized account meant as a composite of dozens of nanny jobs they have held over the years. While it is unlikely that any family can be as horrifying as the Xes are depicted here, so much of this book rings true that I suspect there is a very angry NYC family cringing right now at every mention of this remarkable book. Normally when a book focuses on the negative personality traits of one of its characters, the reader is left feeling cheated, wondering why the author neglected to mention the characters motivations or more redeeming characteristics, but in this book, you never wonder. This family is so believably abysmal I will never be able to walk through Central Park again and see the nannies who are raising our next generation in the same way again. My hat is off to the kind women who for so little financial reward are saving all of us from the monsters their parents would have raised, had they had enough time to do the job themselves between charity balls, tennis lessons, manicures and ladies lunches at Le Cirque.
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