Rating: 
Summary: Most of all just plain scary and sad
Review: "The Nanny Diaries" is being marketed as being quite funny and humorous and there are some hilarious scenes in it (the Teletubbies vs. limo incident had me in stitches) but 90% of the time this is actually a very sad book. Written by two former nannies, it tells the story of Nan who works part-time taking care of 4-year-old Grayer in order to pay her expensive rent while trying to get through college. Grayer is the unfortunate child of Mr. and Mrs. X, who are members of the NY social elite and therefore can't possibly find the time or emotional energy to even relate to their son. The father is hardly ever home as he is busy with his career (and his mistress) and the mother does her best to avoid any kind of physical contact with Grayer and treats him most of all like a hat she bought on impulse and now can't quite decide whether she wants to keep or not. Nan is treated equally bad as "part-time nanny" turns into "around-the-clock-slave" and we are treated to one horrendous example after another of how other people don't even register on the radar of Mrs. X and her kind. Mrs. X's poor treatment of Nan is one thing, and it will have you wanting to hurl the book through the room about once every ten minutes, but the thing that will really get to you is the insight into the lives of Grayer and other children like him. I don't know whether emotional deprivation actually counts as child abuse but it certainly should and there is just nothing funny in reading about a child who will grow up to be an emotionally deeply disturbed person. The New York Times calls this book "...diabolically funny..." and to some it may read as a clever satire but to me all it is, is a story of a woman who can't control her life and therefore takes it out on her hired help and a young boy who craves love and affection so desperately. It is still worth reading though because of the descriptions of the tender relationship which evolves between Nan and Grayer. It's obvious that both Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus have loved all of the children who have been part of their lives dearly and the descriptions of child/nanny affection in this book will move you deeply. Let's hope that all of the Grayer's of this world are fortunate enough to meet a Nan along the way.
Rating: 
Summary: Quick & engrossing read.
Review: I enjoyed Emma McLaughlin's writing style and I became easily engrossed. The writing is charming along with its struggling student/nanny heroine. Besides the fact that I found it annoying that the titled character was a nanny who, was, in fact, named Nanny, it was easy to become attached to characters. You felt the pangs of disbelief and anxiety that Nanny suffers through her bouts with the X-es. As her relationship with Grayer (the child) grows, you too, become involved and overly concerned with the welfare of a child who appears to be overlooked by his own parents. This attachment to the characters is associated with the downfall of the novel in its unsatisfying ending. After the terrible treatment that Nanny suffers from the X-es (despite her dedication and loyalty to Grayer), the novel culminates in her inevitable job dismissal. Somehow, Nanny finds redemption for all the sh*t she puts up with by telling off the hidden "nanny-cam" that was disguised as a teddy bear?!? (or worst yet, a new puppy named Grace?!? How can nanny's love and care for Grayer be easily replaced by a four-legged creature? Is her next odd job consists of her caring for animals instead of children due to the exteme emotional attachment?) The reader never sees the X-es reaction nor the change in action within the X-es. Throughout the novel, the reader holds on to the slight hope that the X-es will change there ways and reach a point of realization of priorities when it comes to their only son; but, this never comes. The novel ended abruptly without ever knowing what will become of Grayer. Was this ending intentional to further emphasize the blunt impact Nanny had on the lives of dysfunctional wealthy families? If it is, then, I agree with another reviewer; this is just a sad story and a cynical look on the trivialities that invade people of affluence.
Rating:
Summary: Vacation Book
Review: The Nanny Diaries is the perfect vacation novel. It has a light yet dry tone is fun and easy to read. Although the story line and relationships between characters don't have much depth that is part of the charm.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fabulous Read
Review: Once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. It is really well-written and has a way of engulfing the reader into the story, heart and soul. It is sad and gut-wrenching at times - my heart goes out to poor little Grayer being raised by such whackos - but it is also very funny and the descriptives are spot on. These two women are very talented authors, and I am now going to look for anything else they've written!
Rating: 
Summary: boring
Review: This book was slow and boring. The only reason I kept reading it was to see if she ever told the X's off-which she didn't.
I felt like burning this book after I finished it because it was so disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: why bother
Review: I kept asking myself why I was bothering to read this book. I guess the answer was that I was on a boat. Why anyone would feel it was ok to put up with the abuse that was ladled out to Nanny is a mystery. Aside from Greyer you feel sorry for no one. I did finish it because I always finish books I have gotten half way through and because I didn't have anything else to read. The blurbs on the cover stating that it is absolutely side splitting was stupid. Any reviewer who stated that should be fired.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book & So True
Review: As a daycare teacher for many years, eons ago, I recognized this in many parents. They have a child for show, nothing else. This is the realistic and unfortunate side of being a Nanny. Yes, this is a fictional book, but we all know it was researched well. Very good read. I'm a slow read and read this quite fast. I didn't want to put it down but I didn't want it to end either.
Great Book, definate must read!
Rating:
Summary: Good except for offensive language
Review: This is a wonderful story detailing the everyday joys and humiliations of Nanny's relationship with her sweet, normal little charge and his heartless, egocentric parents. I fell in love with Nanny and Grayer both.
However, the story would have been just as good without all the f-words and a lot easier to read.
Rating:
Summary: So realistic!!!
Review: I really liked this book because it is just the truth!! I am an expert babysitter and i can relate!! I have been babysitting for many different families full time and i found myself laughing when i realised how close to the reality what the author was describing was!! It is a fun book to read and i recommend it especially to people who like me suffered from babysitting for some CRAAZY people!!
Rating:
Summary: the pop psychology of the book world
Review: It was an enjoyable, light read that manages to evoke feelings of sympathy and indignation even while the reader is fully aware that the book's main goal is to evoke said emotions. This is a story about a nanny who cares for the son of a wealthy New York couple. As her stint progresses, she becomes more and more aware of the true nature of the elite society that creates the need for nannies and the bi-atch that is her employer. She stays, however, for the sake of her young charge and endures a series of ever-worsening demands and situations. Reading about what she goes through is like being mentally constipated, as the pressure builds and you just can't wait any longer for Nanny to just blow up at her employer and quit but she doesn't. Though Nanny Diaries provides quick-witted social commentary, it's far too simple and predictable a tale to be anything more than a cookie-cutter story with flat, 2D characters. Though it provides more blanket generalizations (for the shock value) than accurate reflections of society, it still has its roots in actual events. Nanny Diaries is a fun, mindless way to pass the time, much like gossip columns. A word of warning: brand-name dropping is ubiquitous in this book so if you don't know your Manolo Blaniks from your Hermes bags, you're going to be left with less-than-rich imagery or have to watch a lot more Sex and the City.
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