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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
As reviewers have noted, this is not a mystery, a thriller— the horrible truth is set out right from the beginning (an ingenious and hideous tactic). This is a character study, and a look at the complex world of mother/nanny/woman roles that many of us deal with.
The translation has a reserved, at-arm’s-length feel to it, undoubtedly deliberate, and effective. It’s more sad than horrifying.
The translation has a reserved, at-arm’s-length feel to it, undoubtedly deliberate, and effective. It’s more sad than horrifying.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this was not a good thriller in my opinion. the writing was skilled, the plot was there, but the way the author fit the pieces of the puzzle together didn’t make sense to me. the ending muddied everything and i felt my brain and eyes glaze over from sheer boredom. i was interested in the book until the last 30 pages, but then i was over it and confused.
i believe i got the deeper message the author was conveying, but i don’t really care enough to think harder about it. not sure why this book has been chosen to be a HBO series, but i’m sure with just a tiny bit of effort the screen adaptation will be a million times more exciting than what i just read. but at the same time, maybe i’m oversaturated with thrillers and am being too harsh. whatever. i’m giving it 2 stars because i liked the writing style.
i believe i got the deeper message the author was conveying, but i don’t really care enough to think harder about it. not sure why this book has been chosen to be a HBO series, but i’m sure with just a tiny bit of effort the screen adaptation will be a million times more exciting than what i just read. but at the same time, maybe i’m oversaturated with thrillers and am being too harsh. whatever. i’m giving it 2 stars because i liked the writing style.
The Perfect Nanny is the chilling debut of Leila Slimani, first Moraccan woman to win France’s literary prize, the Goncourt. The first sentence is alarming and devastating… “The baby is dead.” The rest of the book brings the reader on a sometimes voyeuristic journey of how this horrifying crime came to be. Not to be dismissed as another light thriller, Slimani’s depth is obvious as the main character struggles with modern motherhood, a guilt ridden internal debate of not feeling fulfilled enough staying at home with the children and wanting to return to work for stimulation. Slimani also touches on racism in higher socioeconomic circles, classism, and working mother shaming. The story is a quick read, with well-constructed tension. Loosely inspired by a horrific crime in 2012 where a New York nanny killed two children. Disturbing, yet engrossing.
-Lisanne E.
-Lisanne E.
3.5 stars. The writing, even in translation, is electric—sharp, precise, startling. This novel really pulled me out of my world into the uncomfortable domestic lives of Parisian couple Myriam and Paul, their two children, and their nanny.
The opening scene sets the stage: Myriam and Paul’s two children are dead/dying and the police are informing Myriam. The rest of the book brings us to that point.
After having two children, Myriam finds the tedium of motherhood unbearable and returns to practicing law. She and Paul find, yes, the perfect nanny, a highly recommended woman named Louise who loves nothing more than to transform other people’s lives. Louise is obsessed w perfection, in fact, and pines for her employers’ household when she has a break.
Over time, the relationships bw the adults, esp the women, twists as they disappoint one another.
No spoilers here. I couldn’t rate it higher because the mystery remains too opaque at the end. I had educated guesses but wanted more closure.
The opening scene sets the stage: Myriam and Paul’s two children are dead/dying and the police are informing Myriam. The rest of the book brings us to that point.
After having two children, Myriam finds the tedium of motherhood unbearable and returns to practicing law. She and Paul find, yes, the perfect nanny, a highly recommended woman named Louise who loves nothing more than to transform other people’s lives. Louise is obsessed w perfection, in fact, and pines for her employers’ household when she has a break.
Over time, the relationships bw the adults, esp the women, twists as they disappoint one another.
No spoilers here. I couldn’t rate it higher because the mystery remains too opaque at the end. I had educated guesses but wanted more closure.
im unsure on this book some of it seemed so clunky and also unbelievable i don't know how to talk about it without spoilers so i wont but it just didn't feel real to me and i found it hard to stay in the story because i was like wait you see this happening but do nothing and then its all too late.
The ending i was like there has to be more to it did i miss a page a chapter. gave it three stars because i was curious about it enough to really get into reading it Unfortunately the ending was disappointing. it was ok but not a book i will recommend. I also know this is going to be a book i just forget about.
The ending i was like there has to be more to it did i miss a page a chapter. gave it three stars because i was curious about it enough to really get into reading it Unfortunately the ending was disappointing. it was ok but not a book i will recommend. I also know this is going to be a book i just forget about.