Synopsis:
The trials and travails of an Upper East Side nanny as the family she cares for repeatedly violates her boundaries.

Review:
Aaahhh… there’s nothing like a lazy day on the couch with a quick read like The Nanny Diaries. Like The Devil Wears Prada, the book sings when skewering the rich and entitled, and falls flat whenever it delves into the protagonist’s life outside of work, mainly because both Nan and Andrea are ciphers, straight men for the villains. As such, the book doesn’t pull a Jane Austen and transcend its genre to achieve true social commentary.

As a former babysitter, I have been very fortunate to work for families who loved their children and who had healthy respect for other people. But the book raises some tough questions about the place of childcare in our society, and the commodatization of children. I think the book is most worth reading by parents so that they can see the dark side of putting their own needs above those of their children.