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Nanny Diaries

By Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus

(25)

| Others | 9780141804743

Book Description

Wanted:
One young woman to take care of four-year-old boy.
Must be cheerful, enthusiastic and selfless-bordering on masochistic
Must relish sixteen-hour shifts with a deliberately nap-deprived pre-schooler
Must love getting thrown up on, literally and figuratively, by everyone in his famContinue

Wanted:
One young woman to take care of four-year-old boy.
Must be cheerful, enthusiastic and selfless-bordering on masochistic
Must relish sixteen-hour shifts with a deliberately nap-deprived pre-schooler
Must love getting thrown up on, literally and figuratively, by everyone in his family
Must enjoy the delicious anticipation of ridiculously erratic pay
Mostly, must love being treated like fungus found growing out of employers Hermes bag.
Those who take it personally need not apply.

Who wouldn't want this job?

Struggling to graduate from NYU and afford her microscopic studio apartment, Nanny takes a position caring for the only son of the wealthy X family. She rapidly learns the insane amount of juggling involved to ensure that a Park Avenue wife who doesn't work, cook, clean, or raise her own child has a smooth day.

When the Xs marriage begins to disintegrate, Nanny ends up involved way beyond the bounds of human decency or good taste. Her tenure with the X family becomes a nearly impossible mission to maintain the mental health of their four-year-old, her own integrity and, most importantly, her sense of humor. Over nine tense months Mrs. X and Nanny perform the age-old dance of decorum and power as they test the limits of modern-day servitude.

The Nanny Diaries deftly skewers the manner in which America's over-privileged raise les petites over-privileged-as if grooming them for a Best in Show competition. Written by two former nannies, this alternately comic and poignant satire punctures the glamour of Manhattan's upper class.

4 Reviews

  • Re: Nany Diaries

    Great book. I loved all of it, except there could have been more in the end.

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    ― Aprilwade98 said on Sep 19, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • Nanny Diaries

    A look into the family life of the rich and self-centered. The story is told as an anecdote from a college senior working as a nanny for an upper class family in New York to get money to cover her living expenses during her last year of college at NYU. While the parts of the books that deal with t ... (continue)

    A look into the family life of the rich and self-centered. The story is told as an anecdote from a college senior working as a nanny for an upper class family in New York to get money to cover her living expenses during her last year of college at NYU. While the parts of the books that deal with the nanny and her charge are touching and amusing, the back story slowly becomes really quite disturbing. From the other nannies and maids that have had to essentially abandon their own families in order to get work and money to support their families, to the legions of kids growing up with absent and uncaring parents, under the daily care of a rotating army of nannies, maids, and teachers, it really makes you think.

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    ― Readingrat said on Mar 1, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • Nanny is a struggling grad student with no visible piercings. Mrs. X, of Park Avenue, doesn't work, clean, cook, or raise her own child. She makes appointments and lists. Nanny needs a job. Mrs. X needs someone accomodating. Nanny and Mrs. X need each other. In return, Nanny is subjected to erratic ... (continue)

    Nanny is a struggling grad student with no visible piercings. Mrs. X, of Park Avenue, doesn't work, clean, cook, or raise her own child. She makes appointments and lists. Nanny needs a job. Mrs. X needs someone accomodating. Nanny and Mrs. X need each other. In return, Nanny is subjected to erratic shifts, irregular paychecks, and the sullen moods of her four-year-old charge. Sentenced to every playdate known to Central Park, and every gourmet-snack run she can handle, Nanny needs a diversion that an afternoon martini can't fulfill. Then she discovers a secret about Mr. X. Navigaing a marriage on the rocks and the increasingl paranoid, impossibly demanding attitude of her employer, Nanny is redefining servitude. Because now, Nanny has something worth more than Mrs. X's ill-fitting Prada castoffs as a thankless bonus. Nanny's acquiring the power of revenge...

    Is this helpful?

    ― meganzing said on Nov 1, 2007 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

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9780141804743 Others $26.85 -- Amazon US
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