Rating: 
Summary: Watching Grayer X
Review: To demonstrate satire in the novel The Nanny Diaries, the authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus invite their audience into the lives of the X's and Nan. While the X's assume they are employing Nan to watch over their child, she, in reality, becomes more of a mother figure to four-year old Grayer X.
What keeps the reader enticed is the authors' humorous portrayal of Mr. and Mrs. X's relatioship with their son and his future. For instance, Grayer's rarely present father buys him a sweatshirt to a renowned pre-school, "Collegiate Academy," expecting his future admittance. When Grayer is rejected from Collegiate, his disappointed parents take the sweatshirt away from him and then proceed to hire a psychologist to relay the news to their four-year old son. Nan is stunned as well as amused by this drastic behavior shown by the X's. Another satirical example of Nan's experiences while employed as a nanny for Grayer, surfaces during the holiday season. Nan, expecting to recieve a raise or at least a plane ticket as a bonus for her overtime services during this busy season, is shocked when all she receives is a pair of designer earmuffs! She is offended by this simple gift as a payment for caring for the X's 'most prized possession,' their son Grayer.
Certainly, the authors of The Nanny Diaries successfully captured and held the audience's attention. Their use of satire as a means of portraying this upscale New York family entertained the reader without becoming overly judgmental of the X's lifestyle.
Rating: 
Summary: Boy, am I glad I waited for the paperback edition?
Review: I picked up this novel many times at the bookstore and put it down when it was first released in hardcover but once I saw it in paperback I said why not? Why not? Indeed. This novel was reviewed as being "hilarious" and based on the numerous 5 star reviews listed at this site praising the storyline and the authors, I figured I couldn't go wrong. All I can is "you've got to be kidding". Child abuse in Upper Class America is not funny and neither was anything else written about the spineless main character "Nanny" who happened to be the biggest wimp I've ever read about to date. Her parents certainly wasted their money on her education as she came away with absolutely NOTHING and I mean NOTHING. I wouldn't even consider loaning this novel to someone to read, so after I finished it, I promptly threw it in the trashcan, which for me, is a major no no. How the Nanny Diaries ever made "bestseller" boggles my mind, my head is still spinning. I wished I had put IT down when I had the chance.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutley moving
Review: This book was absolutley awesome. I managed to read one hundered pages of it in about an hour and a half, I simply could not put it down. The "Nanny Diaries" really exploits wealthy families and shows what most people believe is happening, actually is. I hope that someone can help me find a book as fabulous as this one. I hope that we see a sequel soon because I am absolutley on the edge of my chair, not knowing what happens with H.H. and Grover. Anyone would love this book, I recommend it to ALL readers of teens and up. It has almost knocked Catcher and the Rye off my top favorite book.
Rating: 
Summary: Well written distraction...
Review: After looking over the other reviews, I notice a lot of emotion, and that is part of what the story intends to bring out. It is not "funny" as is stated by the press reviews of the book, but some of the situations are too close to reality not to be found laughable. The realness of the characters is somewhat lacking, they feel like their anonymous names, somewhat two dimensional and merely accessories to Nanny's life. The book was, to me, a good story in that I cared for Grayer's character (as a father), and found myself rooting for Nanny, in some instances. Nanny really struck me as a character fascinated with tearing down the actions of people she longs to be. She liberally denigrates the Xes attempts to be parents in any way, and yet she covets nearly every part of their life outside of their child. She doesn't pine for a Grayer of her own, instead she pines for Hermes bags and Prada shoes. The saddest part of the book is that what Nanny most wants to be is that which she claims to most despise. She can see everyone's faults clearly but her own, perhaps that makes this a better book, perhaps not.
Rating:
Summary: Please don't waste your time
Review: The book had a relatively pointless story line, but at least it made up for it with a horrible ending. But hey - if pointless drivel is your thing - enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Misleading
Review: Yes, its a very good book. However, I am furious about the billing it received as being "funny". Sure, there are funny situations Nanny finds herself in, but the book is about a four year old boy whose parents won't even hug or acknowledge. And just as he gets really close to his Nanny-of-the-year, she is let go and replaced. Yes, its a book many people should read, but not if they are expecting it to be funny or to have a happy ending.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe that's what it's supposed to do...
Review: I just finished reading this book and I was extremely impressed with it. Other reviewers seem to be commenting on how depressing and awful the plot of the book seemed to be. And i agree, I felt equally as sorry for Grayer and equally as furious at Mrs. X. But that was what made the story so great, in my opinion. You see, to me, books are meant to take you to another world, to show you a situation you may not be able to experience yourself, without having to spend hundreds of dollars on a ticket to another country, or applying for a job as a nanny. That may sound cliche', but it's the truth. A good book to me is one in which you can actually feel the emotions of the characters and spend your free time thinking back on what an awesome book you just read. So yes, it did cause some extreme emotions, but that's what made this book awesome.
Rating:
Summary: very well written, but disturbing
Review: I enjoyed this book. The people became real to me. However, being a mom of three children, one a little boy who loves to play with trains with his daddy; it really tore me up inside. I don't know if I would be able to suggest to someone else simply for the fact of how awful to have children for this reason.
Rating:
Summary: Funny but Heartbreaking
Review: Absolutely great book...I have mostly given up fiction because there's so much great non-fiction out there, but this book isn't really fiction I don't think. I'm sure there have been many generations of little Grayers raised like him. Maybe this explains many adults out there? As a mother of 2 it broke my heart for the little boy. As a former middle-class college student, it made me profoundly grateful that I was able to waitress in college, not be a nanny.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing and Depressing
Review: It is 10:15pm and I should be sleeping, but I am too upset and I feel driven to review this book. I bought this book because I had heard that it was "hilarious" and the like from the 'professional' reviews, word of mouth, and this site. Although there are some funny passages in the beginning that I laughed out loud at, the rest of the book is just depressing and disturbing. How can anyone find this funny and amusing? One review actually said we would even feel bad for Mrs. X's humiliation at being cheated on. Feel sorry for Mrs. X??!?? I feel about as sorry for her as any woman who would sleep with a married man, marry him and have his child, then proceed to abuse this child through neglect, stay in the marriage in the face of obvious cheating just to maintain her lifestyle, and purposely get pregnant again to keep him, so she can bear and discard yet another child. I am sickened. The characters sicken me and I am sickened by the response and review of many, if not most, of the readers. Are we so desensitized? I wonder if even the nanny/authors are desensitized. Because it seems the authors and reviewers focus was on 'poor Nan' and enjoying the shortfalls of the idle rich. Well, I don't think its funny. I know that the "X's" aren't real, they are worse! They are an amalgam of many many families, which means there are soo many Grayers out there. And, several of the reviewers refer to Grayer as "bratty". Well, that just makes me sick. This boy, and all the boys and girls he represents, are being deprived of love, reassurance, security, bonding, and even a little attention from the people that made him. These children are all permanently scared and in pain and don't understand it and don't know how to communicate it. It is profoundly sad.
I guess I can say that the book was well written, because it had such a profound effect on me. But, my heart breaks for all of the children out there who are nothing more than accessories, boxes checked, a chore to take care of.
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