THE NANNY DIARIES
Author: Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Hubs was the one who singled out this book to me while we were both browsing at a library. I took a peek at the synopsis and decided that taking care of a 4-year old would be something that I could relate to, and thus, something that I would enjoy reading.
Wrong.
I did not know that this book has spawned a movie, starring Scarlett Johansson, in 2007. But even if I did, it makes no difference.
It could be that I am not familiar with this nanny industry in the US, to be precise Manhattan. Going by the book, it appears to be a career, complete with a uniform and the usual stereotype – soft-spoken, dark-skinned and introvert players. However, it truly does not matter, because if the authors can pen a somewhat realistic background with an attached story, readers would be able to follow suit.
That – it did not happen in TND. I found the authors, former nannies themselves, rambling on and on blindly and even in the first chapter, the story was moving so fast, and detached, that I was unable to follow.
It was about Nan – even the name I was not sure, was it short for Nanny? Or really her name was Nan? – who part-timed as a nanny for the extra spending money while in school. Nan, however, was unfortunate to be working for the X family (oh please, surely X is not a family name?), who seemed to look upon (or down on) her as a family helper of sorts. Her charge, Grayer, appeared determined to make her life a living hell as well.
As a book, the story starts here and stops there and then picks itself again, and then stops abruptly. Even the termination of a former nanny was not being elaborated, so much so that I simply had no idea how Nan suddenly came into the picture. Mrs X first appeared as a likeable character, but she suddenly changed into a monster in the very next chapter. Characters in this book are so flawed; I did not know how was what or who was why.
Didn’t get my drift? I didn’t get the book either.
The TRUIzM
Wrong.
I did not know that this book has spawned a movie, starring Scarlett Johansson, in 2007. But even if I did, it makes no difference.
It could be that I am not familiar with this nanny industry in the US, to be precise Manhattan. Going by the book, it appears to be a career, complete with a uniform and the usual stereotype – soft-spoken, dark-skinned and introvert players. However, it truly does not matter, because if the authors can pen a somewhat realistic background with an attached story, readers would be able to follow suit.
That – it did not happen in TND. I found the authors, former nannies themselves, rambling on and on blindly and even in the first chapter, the story was moving so fast, and detached, that I was unable to follow.
It was about Nan – even the name I was not sure, was it short for Nanny? Or really her name was Nan? – who part-timed as a nanny for the extra spending money while in school. Nan, however, was unfortunate to be working for the X family (oh please, surely X is not a family name?), who seemed to look upon (or down on) her as a family helper of sorts. Her charge, Grayer, appeared determined to make her life a living hell as well.
As a book, the story starts here and stops there and then picks itself again, and then stops abruptly. Even the termination of a former nanny was not being elaborated, so much so that I simply had no idea how Nan suddenly came into the picture. Mrs X first appeared as a likeable character, but she suddenly changed into a monster in the very next chapter. Characters in this book are so flawed; I did not know how was what or who was why.
Didn’t get my drift? I didn’t get the book either.
The TRUIzM
Oh sod it. Don’t even bother flipping through the pages.
