Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining, even if a little over-hyped
Review: Again, another book "everyone" talked about. I have to say, it held my attention and was entertaining, but the whole relationship with the guy in the building didn't really ring true to me, and while the "family" she works for may have been as horrible as described, it was so one-sided that I started to lose interest in them. They almost lacked any redeeming qualities, which I guess was the point, but made the entire story kind of predictable. Even so, it kept me turning the pages because the main character is truly likeable and a good person. Nanny made the book, even if sometimes I just wanted to give her a nudge every once in a while and tell her to grow a backbone or get out. There's only so much a girl can take.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and there's truth behind the fiction...
Review: As you the reader will likely know, the authors worked as nannies for years in New York City, so their novel really is "authentic" in its portrayal of the nanny's everyday routines and ups-and-downs. While they say Nanny Diaries is not autobiographical, it's likely they wrote some of their individual personalities and experiences into the character simply known as Nanny. The story's first several chapters are very funny, and there's a great deal of ridicule, satire and name-dropping to set the tone. The last third of the book is not funny though. Rather, it's sad to read how the parents of Nanny's charge, whom she affectionately nicknames Grover, completely disrespect Nanny's concern and love for Grover's well-being. They do everything imaginable to avoid bonding with their child, and at the same time, criticize and belittle Nanny's competence as a nanny and best friend to him. The book is more than just a work of fiction. It's also a pointed and (likely) accurate look at a niche of American society that can afford the luxury of private child-care/nannies while they pursue their selfish lives. I've read that Miramax has bought the film rights, and Julia Roberts is reportedly interested in playing Nanny. I'm more than sure this will make a great movie, and Julia Roberts will be the perfect "Nanny" to bring the character to life!
Rating: 
Summary: Hilariously horrifying
Review: Co-written by former nannies Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, "The Nanny Diaries" is a highly satirical (and only slightly exaggerated) look at the bizarre world of child-raising in New York's upper crust. Our heroine, Nan (what else would she be named?), takes a job raising Grayer, the four-year-old son of the rich and disgusting X family. (For some sadistic reason, all the upper-crust children in the novel have names which would get other kids beaten up at school on a daily basis. Grayer's friends have names like Darwin, Cristabelle, Carter, and so on.) The book is both hilarious and horrifying at the same time, and it makes one appreciate the job of raising kids all the more. Nan is given the unenviable task of guiding Grayer through a maze of activities, including music lessons, piano lessons, French lessons, karate lessons, and so on. "Non-structured" activities are restricted to art museums, libraries and the Swedish Consulate. Fun stuff like playing on the swings and in the sandbox is apparently not allowed. With an environment so nurturing and caring, it's no wonder so many of these kids feel the need to blow their minds inside out on drugs. This is largely because Grayer's parents are truly horrible people, making one feel the need to reach through the pages, throttle them, and take away their child to be raised by anyone with an ounce of sense. Wolves, perhaps. The horrifically self-centered Mrs. X, in between asking Nan to go out and buy lavender water for an intimate party of fifty and other non-nanny tasks, occupies her day with manicures, charity events, abusing the domestic staff, and pretty much everything else except actually working and having anything to do with her son. Mr. X is seen only briefly and intermittently as he juggles mergers and mistresses in his job on Wall Street. And his girlfriend, known only as Ms. Chicago, also has a whack at Nan, asking her to cover up her activities and buy foie gras for an intimate encounter with Mr. X. For her part, all Mrs. X cares about is getting Grayer, at the ripe old age of four, into the right school. When he gets into another school instead, it is a major catastrophe, and a "long-term development consultant" is called in to berate Nan for not taking him to the Guggenheim, reading to him from the "Wall Street Journal," or having him translate his clothes sizes and colors into Latin. One flips the pages with breathless anticipation, wondering what new outrage Mrs. X will think up to heap on Nan next. McLaughlin and Kraus clearly draw on their experiences in writing the novel. "The Nanny Diaries" is a delightfully nasty take on the attitude that too many parents have, that their kids are mere accessories instead of people who need love and attention. Grayer sure isn't getting any, at least not from his parents.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: God, I hope none of this is based on real life, although I think it is. This is a book all about how a struggling NYU student takes a job as a nanny, and becomes one woman's slave. You will find yourself hating the spoiled, self-absorbed mother in this book. I know there has to be some truth to this story and it makes me sick that some mothers would basically just give the job of raising the child to someone else. And the father in this story, no better. In the end, the parents get what they deserve, I would of like to have seen the nanny be just a little bit more vindictive though.
Rating: 
Summary: A woeful "tail
Review: Has anyone else mentioned the puppy who makes an appearance in the last chapters of The Nanny Diaries?
I could concentrate on the sad life of the poor little rich boy, but it has been analyzed extensively before in these reviews. The fact that the authors choose to draw their characters as archetypes and to emphasize the fact by leaving them with archetypal names like those in the cast of an ancient morality play--this too has been pointed out.
The masochistic repetitious loop of events; the starkness of the selfish nature of the employers. Exaggeration to make a point, but no happy ending. Indeed, no ending at all. The depths of self abnegation on the part of Nanny: in real life, people are neither as bad nor as good as these characters are made out to be.
But the dog. The X family somehow acquires a puppy, presumably from a reputable breeder. Well, reputable breeders would have had qualms about sending one of their pups home with a visibly dysfunctional family such as this one. And...have the writers ever owned a puppy? This amazing puppy is practically housebroken from the moment they get her. The authors may have deliberately writ large about everything else but a young pup with this much bladder control--unlikely! Not a central point, perhaps, but a vexing one.
Aside from its gaps, the book is well enough written, but it is not a novel. It is a string of episodes.
Rating:
Summary: One of my Favorites
Review: I almost passed this one up, and I am glad I didn't! I am not a fan of children and have no interest in working with them or reading about them so I didn't think I would like this but I tried it and whatddya know, I LOVED IT!!
This is a book about a girl, Nanny, who is living in and going to school in New York City. She is a student at NYU who is specilizing in Child Development. She takes a job as a nanny for a very rich woman in New York City after meeting the child and his family at the park posing for a family photo (not realizing she was the current nannys replacement). Upon taking the job she basically becomes Mrs. X's slave. Her hours become unbearable, sometimes with no notice at all, leaving her neglecting her studies. Nanny, having bonded with the child, Grayer, takes all the crap Mrs. X dishes out... until she literally can not take it anymore!
I LOVED this book. I have to say that while some of the situations were clearly exxaggerated for impact, it was overall realistic. There are many women who push off their child raising responsibilities to their young nannies, and take their services for granted. These two authors are wonderful and this book was full of humor and drama, an overall perfect satire. I would recommend this to anyone who loves to read. You won't be dissappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet, sad, and sarcastic in all the right places
Review: I didn't expect to enjoy The Nanny Diaries as much as I did.
That said, I think I've read it ten times.
The characters are exaggerated just enough to be caricatures, but still believable, especially for those of us who've been arse-end of a soy milk bottle and an enraged, Versace-clad parent. That's what really appealed to me, the extent to which it detailed the ridiculous, awkward, peculiar, frightening situation of being a nanny.
If you like a good, female-centered story without venturing too far into chick lit, this is a great book. It's also a great book for anyone who enjoys stories of extreme situations, cute kids, and sass.
Oh, and Grayer is just great. I loved him. All in all, a worthy read.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat of a letdown
Review: I liked the book - but I didn't love it. I thought some of the book really dragged, especially the end. Nanny is great and my heart went out to Grayer. I wanted to pull him out of the book and give him a hug! In the end I was hoping for a little more substance.
Rating:
Summary: I never had a nanny!
Review: I never had a nanny, but I was what some people call a "latch-key kid." From age 8 on, I was responsible for my house and myself when I arrived home from school -- and I loved it! The women described in The Nanny Diaries are over-protective and [...]. They over-schedule their kids and try to program them so that they can live vicariously through their kids' lives and then brag to their friends about their acceptance in pre-schools that will lead ultimately to admission to Ivy League colleges. What a rat race! I felt so sorry for little Grayer (Grover), and I grew to love him in this novel.
Rating:
Summary: An Amusing and Witty Read
Review: I received this novel as a Birthday Gift from a friend, and am in LOVE. I've While this novel is not my favorite of all time, I would most certainly recommend it to anyone who has a love for a witty, lighthearted, and amusing reads. been reading the Nanny Diaries in concurrence with my assigned reading for my literature class. Perhaps the novel is not as amazing as I proport, but it is certainly a fast and amusing read in contrast with Billy Budd, Demian, or One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest....The writers' voices are amusing, intriguing, and genuine, and the plot is full of life's ups and downs, complete with a hunt for panties, sea-sickness, and late night computer crashes that jepordize a term paper. I would strongly recommend this lovely read to any and all in search of inciteful and amusing entertainment. I would also recommend to anyone who has read this novel and enjoyed it, any of the novels by Sarah Dessen =)
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