The Nanny Diaries
Jun. 3rd, 2002 02:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thebratqueenI was interested in this myself, and based on ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lucifrix's recommendation I decided to go down to the library and pick up a copy of The Nanny Diaries. Lucifrix herself has made some good comments about it which you may want to read.
I'd definitely recommend the book. To give you the sixpense summary it's a book written by two former nannies and while it's under the guise of fiction it's based on their experiences and the experiences of friends of theirs who also worked as nannies.
As Lucifrix said, it is a depressing book though. I was only able to get through it by thinking that in real life after each horrible situation the real-life "Nanny" quit, found another family and then had something bad happen there. It was too much to think of one person going through all of these things.
And I suppose that out there somewhere there are people who do go through these things all the time but I have to say I was a little frustrated with "Nanny" for not quitting. Yes, the Xs were assholes and a half and that's their fault, but Nan just keeps coming back to work and letting them walk all over her. It's the fictional embodiment of those people who write into Ann Landers to say things like "My in-laws show up whenever they want to, make long distance calls and eat all my food and never chip in a dime or a minute of work on chores!" who really need to have it pointed out to them that many of their problems would go away if they just developed a spine and said "Stop doing that!"
Esp because Nan sees the Xs go through their staff like Kleenex.
It's kind of ironic that while Nan is marveling at how Mrs. X came into the marriage through an affair yet didn't see the potential for another affair coming, while Nan herself came into Grayer's life as the nanny equivalant of a mistress and didn't think this might form a pattern. Esp when she hears the horror stories from the rest of the staff too.
I liked how the book was written though, for all that it's closer to a horror novel, IMO, than light reading (it is a fast read though). The authors correctly keep the focus on Nan as the observer of the Xs and all they stand for and not so much as the protagonist. We only hear about Nan's personal life as it relates to her job, which is good b/c we're in this for the dirty secrets of the employers.
That does make one scene, of Nan looking for future employment, a little strange though b/c we get into very intimate detail of how strange the interview was and really it has no bearing on the plot. I suspect this was a real life event that happened to one of the authors that pissed her off so much she just had to include it to embarass the people, regardless of whether or not it had any bearing on the narrative. I suppose it was an interesting enough scene, but out of place in the long run.
I also liked how this didn't turn into the nanny version of Bridget Jones with Nan sitting there mourning that not only does she have a shit job but she also doesn't have a boyfriend but - yay! - by the end of the novel a wonderful man sweeps her off her feet, they get married, and she has her own children and is therefore fulfilled. Yes, Nan does have a social life and a boyfriend, but her relationship with him isn't the focus, it's just another mirror by which we see how her job is affecting her. Plus I think it's a clever way of establishing someone who, like the Xs, is new in her life yet unlike the Xs finds her to be a good person. It's a nice way of showing that other than the fact that she has no spine, Nan is essentially okay people. Otherwise we might end up wondering if the Xs were the final judges on that.
So, all in all, good read, definitely recommended, although be prepared for a lot of cringing. I think the only thing that I would ask is a Throw Me a Line (or three) to better establish why Nan was stuck in this job. We get passing mentions of the fact that she's got to keep the job for rent or whatever, but IMO it wasn't enough. It's like Doublemeat Palace on Buffy - yeah we're on board for the fact that Buffy needs a job, but we can't understand why she doesn't go back to waitressing instead of taking the fast food one that pays less and sucks harder? Same with Nan - yeah she needs the cash and nannying as a concept gives her what she needs, but when she no longer has the hours she asked for and she's not even getting paid on a regular basis to begin with why does she stick with it? If they'd made that clearer I wouldn't be quite as frustrated.
lucifrix's recommendation I decided to go down to the library and pick up a copy of The Nanny Diaries. Lucifrix herself has made some good comments about it which you may want to read.I'd definitely recommend the book. To give you the sixpense summary it's a book written by two former nannies and while it's under the guise of fiction it's based on their experiences and the experiences of friends of theirs who also worked as nannies.
As Lucifrix said, it is a depressing book though. I was only able to get through it by thinking that in real life after each horrible situation the real-life "Nanny" quit, found another family and then had something bad happen there. It was too much to think of one person going through all of these things.
And I suppose that out there somewhere there are people who do go through these things all the time but I have to say I was a little frustrated with "Nanny" for not quitting. Yes, the Xs were assholes and a half and that's their fault, but Nan just keeps coming back to work and letting them walk all over her. It's the fictional embodiment of those people who write into Ann Landers to say things like "My in-laws show up whenever they want to, make long distance calls and eat all my food and never chip in a dime or a minute of work on chores!" who really need to have it pointed out to them that many of their problems would go away if they just developed a spine and said "Stop doing that!"
Esp because Nan sees the Xs go through their staff like Kleenex.
It's kind of ironic that while Nan is marveling at how Mrs. X came into the marriage through an affair yet didn't see the potential for another affair coming, while Nan herself came into Grayer's life as the nanny equivalant of a mistress and didn't think this might form a pattern. Esp when she hears the horror stories from the rest of the staff too.
I liked how the book was written though, for all that it's closer to a horror novel, IMO, than light reading (it is a fast read though). The authors correctly keep the focus on Nan as the observer of the Xs and all they stand for and not so much as the protagonist. We only hear about Nan's personal life as it relates to her job, which is good b/c we're in this for the dirty secrets of the employers.
That does make one scene, of Nan looking for future employment, a little strange though b/c we get into very intimate detail of how strange the interview was and really it has no bearing on the plot. I suspect this was a real life event that happened to one of the authors that pissed her off so much she just had to include it to embarass the people, regardless of whether or not it had any bearing on the narrative. I suppose it was an interesting enough scene, but out of place in the long run.
I also liked how this didn't turn into the nanny version of Bridget Jones with Nan sitting there mourning that not only does she have a shit job but she also doesn't have a boyfriend but - yay! - by the end of the novel a wonderful man sweeps her off her feet, they get married, and she has her own children and is therefore fulfilled. Yes, Nan does have a social life and a boyfriend, but her relationship with him isn't the focus, it's just another mirror by which we see how her job is affecting her. Plus I think it's a clever way of establishing someone who, like the Xs, is new in her life yet unlike the Xs finds her to be a good person. It's a nice way of showing that other than the fact that she has no spine, Nan is essentially okay people. Otherwise we might end up wondering if the Xs were the final judges on that.
So, all in all, good read, definitely recommended, although be prepared for a lot of cringing. I think the only thing that I would ask is a Throw Me a Line (or three) to better establish why Nan was stuck in this job. We get passing mentions of the fact that she's got to keep the job for rent or whatever, but IMO it wasn't enough. It's like Doublemeat Palace on Buffy - yeah we're on board for the fact that Buffy needs a job, but we can't understand why she doesn't go back to waitressing instead of taking the fast food one that pays less and sucks harder? Same with Nan - yeah she needs the cash and nannying as a concept gives her what she needs, but when she no longer has the hours she asked for and she's not even getting paid on a regular basis to begin with why does she stick with it? If they'd made that clearer I wouldn't be quite as frustrated.
