Nanny Diaries

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 geting 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 employer's 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 X's 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 important, 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.

Nan goes to work for the wealthy X family in Manhattan to put herself through NYU. But with divorce on the cards, will she be able to maintain the mental health of their son, despite the onslaught of Personal Problem Consultants, a macrobiotic nutritionist and bilingual meals?

A modern twist on the familiar "Mary Poppins" story, written by two former nannies, in the tradition of contemporary authors of young women's fiction such as Melissa Bank. The book has taken America by storm, and looks set to have similar success here, backed by a high-profile campaign including website and consumer advertising.