The Babysitter

Rating:
Summary: A Novel of Suspense...
Review: A Novel of Suspense... That is what caught my eye on the cover of this book. This is the first book that I have read by Diana Diamond. Although I enjoyed the story and was caught up in it, I didn't really feel a lot of suspense. When I finished the book and begin to think about it, I realized that I never really felt that racing heart and clammy hands that I usually get when a book is very suspensful.
Theresa Santiago does appear to be very "Hand that Rocks that Cradle"-ish at first. She is a very complicated character to understand and after reading it, I still don't completely understand her. There are still many unanswered questions that I as a reader have.
The book was just a fun read. It had a great plot with a couple of unique twists. Overall, I enjoyed the book and will definitely try this author again, but I won't have as high expectations for suspense.

Rating:
Summary: A Novel of Suspense...
Review: A Novel of Suspense... That is what caught my eye on the cover of this book. This is the first book that I have read by Diana Diamond. Although I enjoyed the story and was caught up in it, I didn't really feel a lot of suspense. When I finished the book and begin to think about it, I realized that I never really felt that racing heart and clammy hands that I usually get when a book is very suspensful.
Theresa Santiago does appear to be very "Hand that Rocks that Cradle"-ish at first. She is a very complicated character to understand and after reading it, I still don't completely understand her. There are still many unanswered questions that I as a reader have.
The book was just a fun read. It had a great plot with a couple of unique twists. Overall, I enjoyed the book and will definitely try this author again, but I won't have as high expectations for suspense.

Rating:
Summary: Timely and entertaining
Review: At first, I thought not ANOTHER book about the au pair to disrupt the "perfect" family. I started it anyway and though it's not radically different, it's different enough that after about the first third, there's no putting this book down. It's probably the best of the bunch. The father in the book is a Congressional candidate, his wife a doctorial candidate, and the au pair is smart enough to double as much as an intern to the wife as babysitter to the children. Of course, she's beautiful and wins the kids over, too. Beyond that, would give away too much of this unsettling plot. If like me, you would rather read than watch non-stop Condit/Levy coverage on cable, you'll enjoy this book.

Rating:
Summary: The Babysitter is Not Who She Seems to Be?
Review: Gordon Acton, a wealthy successful business owner in Rhode Island, is pursuing a congressional seat and it seems that nothing will interfere with his political ambitions. His wife, Ellie, is completing her doctoral dissertation on educating disadvantaged children. Gordon suggests that they hire a highly recommended Hispanic mother's helper to stay with them in the their summer home in Cape Cod so Ellie will have time to work on her thesis. Coincidentally, this move will portray Gordon as a sensitive, open-minded, socially conscious candidate and help him win the minority vote. Ellie is admittedly concerned about how Teresa Santiago will fit in with the rich, snobby crowd at the Cape, but Teresa seems too good to be true...an excellent student, experienced in child care and very self-assured. Ellie agrees to hire her for the summer, but then the problems begin.

Teresa is not always who she seems to be. She pretended to be demure and self-conscious, but Ellie found revealing pictures of her in her room one day. The snobbish social circle at the Club cannot accept Teresa, which offends Ellie's sense of fairness. Teresa provides invaluable assistance with the research for Ellie's thesis, but then Ellie is accused of plagiarism, and Teresa seems to be the source of the rumors. Gordon stupidly succumbs to a drunken tryst with Ellie for which she shows no remorse. Then the Acton's start experiencing (or imagining) all sorts of threats to Gordon's campaign and Ellie's doctoral candidacy.

Teresa has been accepted to Yale but cannot afford to go, and the Acton's start to believe that she is black mailing them for the money she needs to go to college. They fear there will be no end to the black mailing once it starts. The manner in which they choose to deal with the problem is shocking and disturbing with a bizarre twist at the end of the book that will keep you enthralled and engaged right up until the last pages of the book.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: If you enjoy suspense novels, this is for you. Gordon, a successful businessman with political aspirations, encourages his wife to hire a young minority to care for their children during a three month summer vacation. He hopes that publicity photos of the girl with his family will earn him more votes in the upcoming election. Plus it will give Ellie, his wife, more time to work on his dissertation.

Early in the vacation, Teresa, the babysitter, is caught in a lie. The reader naturally assumes that she is secretly a villain who will tear the family apart. However, as more is revealed about each character, it becomes more and more unclear about who is good and who is bad until finally the book comes to a dramatic (if unrealistic) climax.

This book is a quick, light read -- perfect if you're at the beach or on an airplane.

Rating:
Summary: The Babysiter
Review: It is election time and politician Gordon Acton needs to do something big to put him over the top with the voters. He manages to convince his wife Ellie to forgo hiring their usual summer babysitter and hire Theresa Santiago a young Latina who comes from a foster family and is working her way through school. Gordon is sure that this will get him the minority vote therfore making him a shoe in to gain elected office. That is until Gordon ends up sleeping with Theresa one drunken night. Now Gordon is afraid that his secret will come out, hurting his chances at winning the election and ruining his marriage. Gordon is willling to do anythign to keep that from happening.

Ellie Acton was a bit unsure about hiring Theresa, this is an important summer for her because she is writing her doctoral thesis and needs complete concentration. She doesn't think that this is the best time to change babysitters. However, in the end she concedes and despite what she originally believed, she finds that Theresa is a godsend. She is wonderful with the kids and more importantly she had been a major help in researching some of the information for Ellie's thesis. Things couldn't have worked out more perfectly, that is until one of Ellie's proffessors contacts her and informs her that she has been accused of plagiarism. Ellie dosen't know who has accused her of such a thing but she does know that all the help that Theresa has given cannot help the situation. After all of her hard work Ellie will do anything to stop the truth about Theresa's hand in her thesis from coming out.

Convinced that Theresa is blackmailing both Ellie and himslef Gordon knows that he must take action. But is she really blackmailing them? Are the many lies about her past a mere misjudgement made by an insecure young girl? This was a refreshingly different take on the same old "hand that rocks the cradle" story, and defintiely worth the read!

Rating:
Summary: Why Haven't I Heard of Diana Diamond Before?
Review: The Babysitter is the first book I have read by Diana Diamond. I wasn't sure I'd like it; figured it might be unoriginal. I was wrong. Great read. Really stirs up some emotions. She takes you right into the thought processes of the characters. If all of Diana Diamond's books are as captivating as this one was, I will read them all, and will be looking for the next one and the one after that.

Rating:
Summary: Typical storyline with few twists...
Review: This book was a struggle to get through. I had this book and nursed reading it for a month. Nothing really gripped me. It's just like something you would see on a movie of the week or one on the lifetime channel. I swear I've seen a movie basically identical to the whole story. This was my first Diana Diamond book and it makes it obvious to me why she writes under a pseudonym. Being associated to this book might hurt her other books sales.

Rating:
Summary: The Babysitter
Review: Very short review because I don't want to give away any of the many twists in this story. Very gripping. An under privileged young woman from an immigrant family who always puts other before herself.....or maybe that's not true.....oh, wait, yes it is---I think. That's how my mind was working as I read this book. I almost burned steaks on the grill because this story volleys back and forth so intriguingly.

This will give another way to look at the political game during election campaigning.

If you like suspense and reading something to keep you on the edge of your seat and reading til you fall asleep at 2am only to wake up at 6 to start reading again....this is the one. If the author's other book, The Trophy Wife, is as good as this.....I will be amazed.

Rating:
Summary: Clever and Thought Provoking
Review: When I started reading this book, I thought I knew what it was going to be about. Since I like political novels, that's the angle in The Babysitter that attracted me in the first place. Not only didn't I have a clue where the characters and plot would end up, but I was also impressed by the way this story was presented. At first, I thought it odd that I wasn't getting a definitive characterization of Teresa. There was a good reason for that which all becomes clear by the end. I particularly liked the author's treatment of the Acton's good intentions to hire Teresa. It certainly wasn't only to give the girl the opportunity to experience a more privileged lifestyle since Gordon Acton was running for political office, and hiring a minority college age student to work for his family for the summer would give him a better chance to win the minority vote. But aside from that, The Babysitter shows throughout the book that no matter how people believe they do not think in stereotypical ways when it comes to their perceptions of minorities, stereotypes are deeply implanted and are not ignored or overlooked. While I wouldn't categorize The Babysitter as making any kind of political statement, it does make a good case for how people go with what they believe they intuitively know about someone rather than what there are definitive facts to support. The Babysitter is a good read I'd highly recommend.