Rating: 
Summary: These vile yuppies (the authors, not the Xs)
Review: There is (or should be) a special circle of hell reserved for so-called authors and publishers who push this kind of toxic sludge on an unsuspecting public. Where to begin? The wafer-thin stereotypes...the adolescent noodling/ whining masquerading as prose... the mindless name-checking of yuppie brands, restaurants, schools, destinations... the almost complete absence of irony. I say "almost complete" because the only irony I could find in this book was of the unintentional kind. Kraus and McLaughlin are creatures of the very class they seek to pillory/ parody. Same schools, same background - same aspirations, from what I could tell. "Harvard Hottie" - oh, please. The satire here stings like a moist noodle. No doubt our heroines are now (even) richer and smugger from their 15 mins in the spotlight. My favorite line in the book is on the back flap bio: "They are no longer nannies." Really. How nice for them. What a jolly lark it all was. Weep not for the nannies. Weep not for the little...Grayer princelings of this world. Think of the 3rd-world nannies who do what they do because they don't have a choice. Think of the public who wasted $[money] and an hour of their life on this souffle. Think of the trees that died! And last but not least, a minute's silence for the real authors who refuse to stoop to the level of this guff. The horror - the horror!
Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious, Sad and True
Review: After being a "nanny" for several years, for several wealthy families, I thought this book would be great therapy for me. I laughed out loud, I got really mad, and my heart was broken for the innocent victim (always the child) at the end. Couldn't put this book down at all, and enjoyed every part of it.
I hope mothers, fathers, and caregivers, use this book as an important tool.
Also, for the record, want to point out that not all upper-class families treat their "help" in the manner portrayed in this book. There are the rare exceptions.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Interesting
Review: A great, easy read. Fascinating story. Well done!
Rating: 
Summary: More like the Ninny diaries
Review: This book was touted as a tell-all insider's take on the 'other half.' The central character, Nan, becomes unnaturally obsessed with someone else's four year old child, whose mundane activities are chronicled in painful detail. This obsession then extends to the philandering of her employer's husband. Nan also harbours growing resentment for her employers' position in life yet allows them to treat her like a doormat, which fuels her resentment. She was a pitiful character that really made this book a sad study of her pathetic life.
Rating:
Summary: Yay!
Review: HILARIOUS... a bit depressing at the end, but the first 2/3's of the book kept me laughing out loud to annoy my co-worker all night! It was great!
Rating: 
Summary: Much ado about nothing...
Review: I'm not sure what exactly ignited the hype that currently surrounds "The Nanny Diaries". Is it simply that many New York social types are busy trying to guess who the model for the X's are? It certainly can't be the originality (C+) or writing skill (B-) exhibited by the co-authors. One of the first problems is the title. The word "Diary" would lead a reader to expect a book written a la "Bridget Jones' Diary" with entries dated, musings, revelations, etc. "The Nanny Diaries" actually is much closer in style to Candace Bushnell's "Sex and the City" to whom it owes a humongous debt. Forget the jacket blurbs comparing the authors to Tom Wolfe. It's Candace Bushnell they should be compared with! The Nanny of the title is not only the protagonists job description, it is also her name! Please, could we get a little more heavy-handed if we tried? What is this, name=destiny? Have YOU ever met someone named Nanny? Those details aside, my biggest problem with this book was that I simply couldn't believe that Nanny would put up with the indignities, abuses & pay-problems she attributes to her employers. It is claimed "The Nanny Diaries" are based on anecdotes related by "actual nannies" interviewed by the authors. If so, those nannies were probably illegal immigrants because any potential care-giver who is (as Nanny describes herself) Caucasian, college-educated, French-speaking with no tattoos would have no reason to put up with such a bad employer. She would be snapped up in a minute, & have her pick of jobs. Ann Landers is fond of saying "No one can take advantage of you without your permission." Nanny should take this adage to heart & stop the kvetching already. Even her family in the novel tell her "enough already!". I am sure that people like the X's do exist. Vogue & W's pages are full of them every month. That doesn't mean reading about their materilism, self-centeredness, & unhappy marriages is either a social X-ray or a revelation. Rather, they are an easy & obvious target. In short, "The Nanny Diaries" is a light entertainment in the tradition of "Sex and the City". It will not change your life (unless you are the authors' agent or banker)& it probably won't even remain in your memory a week after you finish it. If you must read it, go to your local library & give the money you save to a children's charity.
Rating:
Summary: Satire Plain & Simple!
Review: "The Nanny Diaries: A Novel by Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus is a satire read plain and simple! Typical lifestyle of the wealthy passed down from generation to generation. Too much of a good thing and not enough love or so the saying goes! I found the characters very realistic (sad but true)-- the dialog doable, but lacking for the most part and, the plot in my opinion is what the story was all about to begin with. The Nanny Diaries although not what I had expected, (even so) still a very worthy read! John Savoy
C.E.O. & Financial Advisor
Savoy International
Motion Pictures
Rating:
Summary: This is a great book!
Review: I am one of thousands of college students that go to school and work part-time as a nanny. This book gives an inside look at the ridiculious creatures we have to put up with! McLaughlin and Kraus really depict a true story, ficton or not.
Rating:
Summary: You won't be able to put this book down!!!
Review: I absolutely loved this book!! It is written in a way that hits every emotion. There are funny parts and very sad parts. Being a mother of a 2 year old, it amazes me that there are women in this world who treat their children like this!! Thank goodness for Nanny, the only mother figure poor Grayer has. This book will make you laugh and it will make you cry. And if you are a mother, it will make you appreciate your children even more.
Rating:
Summary: Boring! How could you love it?
Review: This was one of those books that I'm shocked to hear anyone liked. I read it with the same feeling you get when a friend tells you a long, boring story, but you listen because they're a friend who needs to vent. By the end, I got the feeling the nannies/writers were using this book to yell at all the terrible parents they worked for. Then I realized they worked for over 30 families - and they're so young! Does that mean they had as many problems being a good nanny as the parents did being good parents? It at least raised the question. I wouldn't recommend this book - not enough depth or character development.
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