Rating: 
Summary: Not at all what I thought is was
Review: I bought this book for my wife who is currently getting her teaching credential in California. She had just finished up a class called, "Psychological Applications in Education." I thought this book would help, but I was WRONG.She was coming home each night and explaining to me what she was learning about generational poverty and generational wealth. It really opened our eyes to the different social-economic classes. This class is especially helpful to her as she will need to be able to understand and teach to all students. When I saw this book, I thought this material would be great for her to read so she could learn from it. I hoped it would give her an actual insight to the wealthy class...I did not see anywhere that it said this is fiction...I fell into the trap of the writier and the publisher and the way in which they marketed this book. It turns out my wife enjoys the novel, but I am very disappointed that I did not get what I led to believe I ordered.
Rating: 
Summary: Nanny Diaries Bizarre
Review: The Nanny Diaries offers us a glimpse of the bizarrly uptight manhattan sterotype. Like Jane Goodall she wanders around in their world, dazed at the transcluscent efforts of a self-absorbed rich lady (MRS.X) who flounders pathetically as a mother while spending every ounce of energy maintaining her state of denial about MR.X's "late night meetings". Nan strikes me as somewhat sympathetic to both MRS.X and the tragically neglected Grayer. Yet I wonder if living among the X's did not rub off on her. She simultaneously loses her spine and learns to whine and gripe with such effeciency that halfway through the book I feel like slapping everyone, including Nan, for staying mum over such terrible emotional neglects over poor little Grayer. All I kept thinking about was Grayer in his twenties. Full of anger and issues and living an cold, empty life that rivals that of his mom and dad (who by now would be on his seveth wife). This book did not make me laugh. It made me sad at how shallow everyone is, including Nan. The story was flat. The characters were undeveloped (what's the deal with Harvard Boy?), the ending was unfullfilling. Nan, in the end, does not do any confronting or even raises an eyebrow to the wretched MRS.X. The entire book was filled with one sided, selfish, people. Jeez, remind me never to visit Manhattan!
In the end, I believe everyone deserved what they got, except for Grayer. The book should be titled: Grayer: An American Tragedy. I want my money back. I also wrote my own ending where Harvard Hottie dumps Nan and MRS.X falls off a ten story balcony-on top of Nan who is standing waiting for a cab.
Rating:
Summary: Bad Book! Bad Book! Naughty! Naughty!
Review: You were a VERY BAD book to waste an hour of my time in
the hopes of finding some really good inside dirt on
the filthy rich. Instead I get a lame-o half-baked
novel filled with over-the-top caricatures, unbelievably
stilted dialogue, and all topped off with a snotty, self-
righteous main character who needs a good spanking more
than her charge. *WHOOOSHH!* Into the Vortex of Vile
Volumes you go!
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I loved this book. It was fascinating to read, both funny and heartrending at times. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: The good, the bad and the ugly
Review: I really liked this book. It was fresh, interesting and an easy and fast read. Even though (allegedly) fiction, like a really good ethnology or documentary it had the ability to transport you into the lives of others - the world of overprivileged, entitled-in-their-own mind parents who view their children as accessories or supporting cast members to their starring life dramas. These families - of which the X's is the specific one we follow - are really pathetic. And yet, you can't wait to read more since it kind of feels good to revel in the dysfunction of people who are so undeserving of the social status they so clearly believe is their due. Like another reviewer, I felt mixed feelings about Nanny. I too am one to avoid conflict as she does - which is why, at first, she stays in a nanny position taking demeaning and abuse of authority from her employer. It's a good example of the adage that nobody can take advantage of you without your permission. Nanny holds the strings - all she has to do is walk away and find other employment, but she stays on. However, while you want her to lash out and put Mrs. X in her place, you also feel for her because of the real bond and affection that develops between Nanny and her young charge, Grayson X. We come to understand, as Nanny does, that why she stays is because this little boy who so deserves and aches for love and affection would be the one who loses most if she walks out. The end of this book is bittersweet. In fact, it lingered with me. While you know that Nanny will be fine and will move on with her life, you're not so sure about the child. In fact, if you're a lover of children, you'll ache for the life ahead of little Grayson who wants for nothing in a physical sense and yet is clearly facing extreme emotional neglect. That's the worst part of this book because there is no solution, nor any resolution to that.
Rating: 
Summary: good up to a point
Review: I read this book out of curiosity: A book so high in bestseller lists had to be (at least) interesting...or so I thought. After finishing the book, I found it interesting to read some of the reviews written about it: the low-rating reviews talked about a mean-spirited, un-funny, sad & basically boring book. True up to a point. The high-rating reviews talked about an extremely funny, sad but also tender, true-to-life book. Also true up to a point. In my opinion, the "Nanny diaries" fits none of the 2 above categories: you surely know by now that it's an expose on Upper-East-Side NY life, about parents horribly neglecting their children & essentially delegating their parental responsibilities completely to nannies. Since these kinds of parents do exist, it's interesting to read about them. But the book tends to take the point too far. People in the book, after a certain point, seem like caricatures of themselves. Even Nanny, who is portrayed as far too perfect, especially compared to Mrs X who is portrayed as far too horrible: in real life people tend to have their pluses & minuses, even horrible people like Mrs X...The book shows no nuances, whatsovever. The writers are out to prove a point, & in the beginning, yes, the book is funny & insightful. But after the point is proven (more than proven) the book gets boring & repetitive. By the end of the book, I was feeling cheated- where was the humour of the beginning? where was the sarcasm? only bitterness (& helplessness) was left....and yes, sadness about a very bad situation: but this sadness could be shown through much more realistic events. The ending comes abruptly, as if the writers had just lost steam & wanted to get the book out of the way. The "Nanny Diaries" is based on a good idea, & contains some good, funny, sarcastic writing (especially in the beginning). Once you get past the good, opening parts, there's not much there.
Rating: 
Summary: How I would love to slap Mrs X.
Review: Nanny as she is called in the book is a young woman who is just trying to get thru her last year at NYU and is looking to be a nanny to a family part time. Well as she finds out everything isn't going to be as good as she expected. Mr and Mrs X have a four year old son Grayer who is at times a pain in the [behind], but overall he is a good kid just looking for someone to love him and care for him. Mrs X is so self involved in her own life that she has decided to make sure that Nanny does most of it. From taking him to swimming lessons, Mommy and Me, skating and various other activitys that will hopefully get him into the school that they feel will be good for his growing up. Nanny at times just wants to quit and run away, espically after she finds out that Mr X. is doing things that he should be going and also when Mrs X. isn't there to come take care of Grayer when nanny needs to be at school or doing what she needs to do. Nanny overall takes care of Grayer and makes sure that he feels special and loved and also trying to take care of herself. The end of this book left me with some questions, but overall I felt this was a really wonderful book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not enough dish on the rich
Review: I am a practical person who bought this mostly to learn about what the life of the new york rich/society type was like. I did get some of that, but for every pound of dish I got 10 pounds of fairly dull story line. I did not find the book that funny, and "Nan" seems depressed and has a negative perspective on just about everything. Her life doesn't seem fun or interesting, and reading about it definitely wasn't, either.
Rating:
Summary: An entertaining and pleasurable read...
Review: This book was great. I was surprised that so many people did not like the book. 'Nanny' is a flawed, imperfect, and at times weak character, but I felt that made her human and was also age appropriate. The book has had a ton of hype and I think it deserves it. A great book, and I look forward to future books by these authors.
Rating:
Summary: Worth Buying
Review: I was afraid this book would be all fluff and I'd put it down right after starting it, but it wasn't and I didn't. This is a quick, intriguing window into family life on the Upper East side of Manhattan. It is wonderfully written and is funny, sad and compelling at the same time. My heart aches for the little boy and even his mother, sometimes. The book did not disappoint, although child rearing on the Upper East side does.
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