A review by aman757
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus

adventurous hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A friend from high school recommended this book to me some years back, and I had somewhat carelessly given her copy away. Admittedly, this would not be a book I'd likely have chosen to read myself, mostly because I prefer to read non-fiction books, but since I got a copy to return to my friend, I decided to try reading the book again. And I would acknowledge that I did enjoy it more than I was expecting to. I found the main character, Nanny, relatable enough that her commentary on the lives of the ruling class circles she navigates as part of her career came off to me as neither snobbish or entitled. Rather, I believe I interpreted the behavior of her clients and others around her similarly to how she does throughout most all of the book. I think part of what allowed for the likability of the main character and the effectiveness of the storytelling was the fact the book was co-authored, with the creative partnership between Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus leading to a better finished product than either of them probably could have produced on her own. I say this not to insult either one of their individual careers, but just to suggest that this may be a type of work relationship most any writer might find helpful in the genre of occupational fiction, especially when attempting to encapsulate the traits of a profession through such an aptly named character as Nanny. I'd also like to share a couple scenes in this book that stand out to me as both memorable and exemplary of the book's larger themes.

The first is when Nanny takes her client, G (I forget his full first name), to meet her mom, and her mom tells G about her family's tradition of wassailing, which seems to be essentially a version of caroling, with the main guideline being to "sing your heart out." At this point in the book, G still comes off as unsure about, or even averse to, his relationship with Nanny, but he is all for participating in the tradition of wassailing when it comes time for it. And so, Nanny, still being new to the job and the apartment building of her clients, chooses somewhat selfishly to bring G to the door of a guy she started developing a crush for from an earlier scene in an elevator. G proceeds to put on an impassioned performance for the guy, and then Nanny was able to talk to her crush some before she went with G to sing at a different apartment.

This is an example of how the book remaining in the perspective of Nanny allows the reader to remember that she does have personal interests working for the X family, although she almost always puts the interests of the client first, and this scene particularly shows how Nanny figures out a way to incorporate one of her personal wants into her time with G so that he has a good experience while she remains true to her interests too.

Another memorable scene to me was when, during a prolonged absence from the family, Mr. X sent a dozen roses daily for almost a month. This goes on so long that when Nanny returns from a brief winter break, the X family's living room is filled with roses. This wasn't a very extended scene or one that played a major role in the plot of the book, but it still stood out to me, partly for the contrast it provides to Nanny's contribution to the X family. Unlike the previously discussed scene, in which Nanny recognizes her personal want of seeing the guy she liked from the elevator and then incorporates that into an activity that still prioritizes G, Mr. X does not openly acknowledge his own want of staying at work during his company's merger (and possibly having an affair with a co-worker around the same time), and the solution he arrives at is essentially just telling his secretary to "spam the resend button" on flowers.  Sending roses is really not a bad idea by itself, but when no adjustment is made after the gesture isn't received well, this shows to me that a lack of commitment already existed and that giving flowers was meant to be more conciliatory than forgiveness-seeking

. Therefore, although there isn't any type of neat resolution arrived at by the end of the book, I believe that it is apparent that Nanny makes a necessary contribution to the lives of the X family, in the way she strives to make a genuine connection with G and repeatedly shows her commitment to him, despite the often dismissive attitude of the parents who hire her. This shows it is sometimes good to be a positive influence for a child in a smaller role, and allow your example and the influence of time, to bring the other, more important parts of a child's environment to grow where they may have been lacking before.