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The Nanny Diariesby Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments: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. Review:"[A] hilarious debut that pulls no punches....Required reading for parents and the women they hire to do their parenting." Publishers Weekly Review:"[T]he novel thoroughly skewers the privileged few, but beyond the satire, readers will care greatly for Nanny, poor Grayer, and even Mrs. X....Some minor characters need fleshing out and a subplot involving Nanny's romance with an Ivy League student is left dangling, but finally this is a fast-paced, witty, and thoroughly entertaining tale." Beth Warrell, Booklist Review:"[D]iabolically funny....[The] heroine...is a vastly entertaining narrator and impromptu social critic....This book is saved from self-righteousness not only by the authors' cleverness but also by their compassion." Janet Maslin, The New York Times Book Review Review:"[A] tart, lively, and genuinely openhearted debut....The Nanny Diaries is a sharply barbed comedy of manners....McLaughlin and Kraus are largely sympathetic to the children (who can't, after all, be blamed for the sins of their clueless parents), but they spare little mercy for monster moms and dads like Mr. and Mrs. X....[D]espite the fact that McLaughlin and Kraus have both worked as nannies, it's clear that The Nanny Diaries is a work of fiction. The characters are too broad and exaggerated and wincingly funny to be 100 percent true to life." Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com Review:"[T]he wicked fascination of this novel lies in all the wacky tidbits about life in the social stratosphere....[V]ery funny..." New York Magazine Review:"First-novelists and former nannies McLaughlin and Kraus get the details right: in acid asides, they limn the decor, trendy therapies, and the pretensions of social-climbing Manhattanites....Sometimes farcical, largely sincere — and ultimately trivial." Kirkus Reviews Review:"[T]he details, devastating as they are, ring true, making this [book]...impossible to put down." Vogue Review:"[S]harply observed and stylishly written." W Review:"[A] comic yet affecting novel of manners, or serious lack thereof. The engaging, almost addictive book...has quickly become a phenomenon....The book is Mary Poppins meets Bonfire of the Vanities meets Sex in the City, without the sex but with all the Italian leather accessories." Karen Heller, The Philadelphia Inquirer About the AuthorNicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin write together in New York City. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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