The Nanny Diaries

Rating:
Summary: The families are believable; the nanny isn't
Review: It is easy to believe that there really are families and individuals who are as abusive as these people are. But that someone with the narrator/heroine's background and skills would accept the abuse for 9 months, and never speak up, is beyond any credibility.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and Addictive!
Review: I found myself totally sucked into this book and the world of Nan and her experiences with a Mrs. X and co. It's both hilarious and horrifying to see how uppper Manhattan so-called mothers raise their children -- or pay someone else to raise them. The 4-year old, Grayer, is just another fashion/social strata acessory to Mrs. X. But what makes this book so enjoyable to read is the writing, which is direct and simple and clear. This book is very entertaining -- and I felt myself totally addicted to it after the first five pages. Read it! I promise you'll enjoy it! Also recommended: [e-mail] by Tom Grimes, The Losers' Club by Richard Perez

Rating:
Summary: MEMOIR OF A NANNY
Review: this is a cute book that gos inside what its like to be a nanny to upscale new yorkers who treat u like a piece of shoe lint. it is a funny touching book. i loved it.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Manhattan Slice of Life
Review: At first I thought the book was funny. And then as I read more into it I realized how serious the situation really becomes. The wealthy "X" family is completely emotionally messed up, with little Grayer stuck in the middle. Other people have stated in their reviews that they felt Nanny had no backbone - I think completely the opposite. She realized she was the only stable person in Grayers life, and she is looking out for him when she just backs away and doesn't cause trouble for the X's. She also knows her place as the hired help. If she got involved and confronted the X's she will have a difficult time looking for her next job.
The book itself is a disturbing look at the upper class and how they live. Mr. X is having an affair, Mrs X is falling apart, and Grayer becomes emotionally attached to the hired help instead of his own family.
What started out as a humorous book, ends up being a very sad look at the life of the wealthy in Manhattan.

Rating:
Summary: Fiction or Auto Biography?
Review: First of all, I really appreciate the authors' efforts in giving the readers the insight into the community of the wealthy in New York. However, since this is a fiction book, I am expecting some interesting plots and perhaps characters that I would care about.

The book mainly talks about the hardship of working with difficult people and the love and hate relationship with your employer. But Nan, the main character failed to deliver those elements effectively. Her narrations are very descriptive and detailed but she lacks the wit and humor, AND her sarcasms plus constant whining about her job and life becomes really irritating after a while thus, making it really hard to sympathize with her.

The idea of giving names such as: Xes, Nan, HH is refreshing at first but after reading nearly a hundred pages into the book, they become annoying (well, at least for me).

Overall, I would recommend "The Nanny Diaries" to anyone who is interested in learning about the upper class society in New York. But if you enjoy reading novels with good plots, witty remarks and interesting characters to care about, don't expect too much from this book.

Rating:
Summary: A whole range of emotions...
Review: I expected this book to be very funny, and it was in parts. However, the times I laughed were probably almost as much as the times I wanted to cry or scream at the characters in the book. The book is not written in an actual diary format, which is nice. It follows Nanny, a college student trying to juggle her last year at NYU while at the same time caring for a adorable four year old named Grayer. Nanny takes us into a world many don't see, a world were children learn french at age 4, get coached to do interviews to attend private schools, and oh yes, hardly ever see their parents. As Nanny deals with getting Grayer to warm up to her, she also had to deal with his mother, the chilly Mrs. X. The woman expects Nanny to be her slave, available to her every whim. I liked the fact that we got to see Nanny outside the nanny enviroment, and deal with things like annoying roommates, guys, and her family. I would recommend this book, but just don't expect it to be all fun and games.

Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: If you have ever babysat (especially for a wealthy family) you gotta read this book. Sure some of the events seem a little far fetched, but the amazing thing is, people do things like make the nanny and child eat in the bathroom (as to not get food on the carpet in the bedroom) while the parents have a dinner party downstairs. You really feel for the poor little boy Grayer. He just wants to be a kid, but has all these activities that his mom has him signed up for that Nanny must drag him to. I read some other reviews and they couldn't see why the nanny just didn't quit. Anyone who has ever babysat before knows it is about the child and not the parents. As long as you get your paycheck and you really care about the child, you will put up with more. It's like any other job--there is always something that you must put up with. I found the story hilarious, yet at times made you sad for what was happening to Nanny and you felt sorry for Grayer. This is definitely a fun read!

Rating:
Summary: In Another Time, this Book Might Bring Social Change
Review: This book disturbed me, not only because the X's were despicable and Nanny was a spineless jellyfish, but because the authors wrote about what amounts to slave labor in the late-20th and early-21st century and no one seems to care! Is the State of New York or the Federal Government going to do anything about foreign women being treated like dogs for what really amounts to cab fare in New York City? Doubtful. Why? Because the very people who are the ones to bring about social change are the ones benefiting most by this system's very existence. Anyone remember the saga of Zoe Baird?

This book will not bring the Monied Academics and Intelligensia to rally for reform because they're the ones salivating for the next truckload of illegal immigrants to enter the country so they can spend their BILLIONS on haute couture, five-star resort vacations, and millions-dollar homes in the Hamptons, and NOT on paying EMPLOYEES decent wages with benefits.

This book basically records another despicable fact of 21st Century apathy and opportunistic lifestyles in the U.S.

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing and thought provoking
Review: Sneak peak into the workings and sub-culture of Manhattan's upper social strata. Very disturbing and thought provoking. Were they being devious, or simply looking to uncover what needed to be revealed? Read it and decide for yourselves. An easy book to read in one sitting.
Arlene Millman
author of BOOMERANG - A MIRACLE TRILOGY

Rating:
Summary: Made me laugh...then made me cry
Review: I agree with some of the other reviewers. I was really depressed after reading this book. I, too, was happily tearing through this book, laughing out loud to myself and then....came to a screeching halt about 75 pages from the end. I realized that the poor child (Grayer) is going to be left again. It truly broke my heart.

I am not usually a "cryer" but I actually cried thinking about that poor kid. It made me look at my own relationship with my child and my job. Like another reader, I also finished the book late at night and had to fight the urge not to wake up my son and hug him. Funny and witty but sad.