The Nanny Diaries: Summary and book reviews of The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin, plus links to an excerpt from The Nanny Diaries and a biography of Emma McLaughlin.

One young woman to take care of four-year-old boy. Must be cheerful, enthusiastic and self-less - bordering on masochistic. Must relish 16 hour shifts with a deliberately nap deprived preschooler. Must love getting thrown up on, literately and figuratively, by everyone in his family. Must enjoy the delicious anticipation of ridiculously low, 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 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.

Media Reviews

Harper's Bazaar ...a humorous, detail-packed new novel...   New York Magazine ...the wicked fascination of this novel lies in all the wacky tidbits about life in the social stratosphere....very funny...   W Magazine ...sharply observed and stylishly written   Glamour Magazine ...[a] hilarious tell-all novel   Vogue ...the details, devastating as they are, ring true, making this [book]...impossible to put down.   Booklist - Beth Warrell 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.   Kirkus Reviews First-novelists and former nannies McLaughlin and Kraus get the details right   Library Journal This is an inside story. The authors have both worked as nannies for well-to-do New Yorkers, and here they fictionalize their experiences to protect the innocent--and the guilty!   Publishers Weekly Required reading for parents and the women who they hire to do their parenting...thoroughly appealing...

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Beth K.
above average light read
A satire of NY society that keeps you entertained. The parenting methods, lifestyle choices and general ambiance are all very typical. Mrs. X is L. Birnbach but the one who is best portrayed is Mr.X a.k.a. Steven Haft in real life (Birnbach's...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Beth K.
above average light read
A satire of NY society that keeps you entertained. The parenting methods, lifestyle choices and general ambiance are all very typical. Mrs. X is L. Birnbach but the one who is best portrayed is Mr.X a.k.a. Steven Haft in real life (Birnbach's...   Read More

Rated of 5 by E.M.
Okay...
This book was really good. It could do without the slightly inappropriate parts, though. The language, alcohol and drug references were also disappointing. I would give it a 3 out of 5.

Rated of 5 by trvlquuen1
Not as Entertaining
Based on the hype, I was prepared for an easy, entertaining, funny book. Yes, it was an easy read, and at times, the author did have a good sense of humor, however, I don't find child neglect in the least bit funny, nor the treatment of what the...   Read More

Rated of 5 by ROSIE FOFO
LALA
a hilarious book..for kids of 15 and up.

Rated of 5 by fawnabelle
I LOVED this book and finished it within a day. It's one of those books that you can't put down until the end. I love the characters ( espically the Harvard Hottie). I realy want them to write a sqeul if anyone knows that they have or plan...   Read More

...25 More Reader Reviews

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