Saturday 3 July 2021

315. The Nanny Diaries by Nicola Kraus & Emma McLaughlin

BOOK REVIEW: The Nanny Diaries by Nicola Kraus & Emma McLaughlin

I was moved to tears through both the emotional and hilarious sides that this novel had to offer. This book which has been adapted for the silver screen, is a classic in the non-fiction genre and still remains a fast favourite in the chick lit section today.

The story revolves around Nan (I'm not sure whether the pun for the short form of nanny was intended here). Nan has a tricky relationship with her employer, Mrs. X. A non-existent relationship with Mr. X. But she loves their little boy, Grayer, to pieces.

In between looking after 4-year-old Grayer and running a thousand errands for Mrs. X, his rich, uptight Manhattanite mother, Nan is trying to have a life. There's college, shopping, her friends, her cat George. And the gorgeous Harvard boy from the sixth floor😂

But the X family's dramas keep intruding - visits from Mr. X's predatory mistress, catastrophic family outings and, as a final straw, the case of the marriage-destroying panties. As divorce looms, Nan realizes how attached she's become to the X's underloved son - and how nannying has become more than just a job.

I loved this story because it hit a chord on so many levels. First are the nannies, in Malaysia we call them domestic helpers. Most parents who have domestic helpers at home COMPLETELY leave the care of their children to them. The children become more attached to the helpers compared to parents.

This book invites readers to be more immersive parents and take a child's development process to heart compared to just earning and showering them with earthly goods. Funny, touching and true-to-life, this novel is a modern-day Mary Poppins story - with attitude. 


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