The Nanny Diaries

By: Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus

Narrated by: Kathe Mazur

Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

What do you do when you are a nanny to an obscenely rich Park Avenue matron named X? Mrs. X refuses to do anything for herself, including cook, clean, or take care of her 4-year-old son. You are expected to do everything, including maintaining the mental health of said 4-year-old, even while Mrs. X decides that it is time for a divorce. You'll have to bear up under the strain with wit and panache, even as the boundaries between your working life and your so-called private life blur, merge, and disappear. The symbiotic relationship between parent and nanny ensures that your life will be spent anticipating and fulfilling the needs of your charge and your employer. Have fun! The readers of this book certainly will.

©2002 Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (P)2002 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Romantic Times Award Winner - Best Chick Lit Novel, 2002

"The Nanny Diaries is diabolically funny...vastly entertaining...perfectly pitched social satire." (The New York Times)

Very true, sometimes sad, never boring!

The depiction of the X family in the upper east side in Manhattan is very realistic, sometimes sad, but the story telling is fast and always entertaining. I recommend the unabridged version; the abridged recording is cutting out lots of poignant observations to make place for the storytelling. Go for the unabridged version, you'll get the story with its fuller picture, and the reader, Kathe Mazur, is also much better storyteller than Julia Roberts for this particular book, making all the characters come alive.

Great reader!

I think this book is a nice story, half invented and half true probably, but the value of this audiobook is absolutely the reader! Miss or Mrs Mazur do a fantastic work, with voices and musicality, giving each word a meaning. I think I'll buy other books read buy Kate Mazur.
My advice is you have to listen to this one just for have some hours of fun without getting involved in strong themes, even if at the end of this read you are leaved to think to a lot of things! Thats absolutely my advice!

Read it First

I read this book when it was a new release. I loved it and thought it would be a fun listen. This book is fantastic. The reader is captivating and fun. She gets the book and the makes you want more! A definite listen.

Very good.

The attitudes of adults in this book may offend more sensitive listeners. I think they're a necessary evil, though. It's an interesting glimpse into the world of people who name their children for comparative adjectives (Grayer!?) or goegraphic locations. I enjoyed the sarcastic humor and situational jokes.

Entertaining, yet sad

This is a witty, well-written story that provides a peek into life of well-to-do families and how differently parenting is handled by these families. The narration is great, making it a book I really enjoyed listening to. At the same time, it is a sad story. As a child psychologist and a mother, I really felt for the children in the story.

Excellent

So genuine that it hews more closely to autobiographical than fictional. A great clash-of-worlds story, with one lovely but doomed child caught in the middle. I felt that it didn't read like a general indictment of the rich but more like a cathartic examination of real-life events.

Kathe Mazur was a fantastic narrator. She was able to produce a distinctive range of voices so that I knew who was speaking at any given time. She even did a good UK accent. I thought she brought the story to life.

Great Book but SAD SAD SAD

This was a wonderfully engrossing book about our "me-first" society and those people [not the strong, but the rich] who prey on the weak. The young Nanny allows herself to be a doormat for her employer while falling in love with her charge. The ending was particularly sad -- the throwaway Nanny, the throwaway [deleted to not spoil the story], and the inevitable questions about what happens to the charge AND the Nanny in the future. It was a great read, with a great READER.

i laughed out loud

Be careful listening to this book in public because people will look at you funny when you laugh out loud. Great narration.

Entertaining, Thoughtful

This was a fast read. I loved some characters (you know who), despised others (ditto), and never changed my mind. No hidden agendas there, for sure. I understood Nanny's agonizing involvement, tolerating the abusive treatment of nasty Mrs X (but at one time feeling compassion for the woman!), while ignoring the advice of those who cared for her. She said it over & over, "What would happen to Grayer"? She loved him dearly, and couldn't leave him. Simple as that. She became emotionally involved. I don't believe it was masochistic behavior; just kindness, which she hoped mattered. Plus, this was her job; this was the way she earned her money while going to school. She felt she could make good wages (when she didn't get stiffed). She stuck it out, enduring working for the horrible Xs. Who hasn't done that? But she knew it wouldn't be forever. I enjoyed the humor concerning the "summer rental" (chipped mugs, sloped bedroom ceiling) at Nantucket. We all know those cottages. Nanny's place in the car under the canoe (which never changed!) fit right in. I didn't miss the small part where Mr X smiled, and Nanny glimpsed Grayer's likeness for such a fleeting moment; Mr. X had once been, as Grayer is now. Then it was gone. Only, Mr. X never had Nanny. Kathe Mazur, as reader, was great. One of the best I've ever heard.

Hard to listen to

The main character lets herself get dumped on endlesly, ignoring the sage advice of her family and friends. It is painful to listen to the exploits of the selfish parents yet the main character enables the behavior by becoming a doormat. Not much fun to listen to.