Title: The Nanny Diaries
Author: Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin 2002
Genre: Chick Lit
Pages: 306
Rating: 3/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Movies; Rory Gilmore; 52 Books -- W6; Women Authors
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 preschooler. 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 Hermès 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.
Overall, a fairly disappointing book. I think the problem is that it is just so predictable. I knew exactly how the relationships between Nanny and Mrs. X and Grayer would play out. It feels like this story is just played out. It's just not the book for me. I seem to be on a trend lately of disappointing reads. I hope they get better. At least I am weeding out the not great reads from my bookshelves. Off to Half Price Books to sell some books I go...
Movie:
The movie is fairly true to the book which of course bored me. I just didn't really connect to any of the characters. It's not a bad movie, just a tired storyline and stereotypical characters. The movie may appeal to some, but I just didn't find myself wanting to see it again.