Word Attack!!

The Nanny Diaries

April 1, 2008 on 11:37 am | In Book Reviews |

I’ve listed ‘The Nanny Diaries’ on my list of favourite books on Y!360. But now, I’m not so sure. The first time I read it, I loved it. I thought it was a very good take on the nanny scene in NY, where rich and affluent mothers, hand over their children to hired nannies, and just forget about them.

I re-read it a couple of months ago, and I realised that the book depressed me. Where its self-deprecating humour, quite like most chick-lit books on the scene had earlier made me smile and maybe even grin, now, I saw the sadness lurking behind it. Most of all, I felt sad for the little kids, who would fit in the cliche, ‘poor little rich kids’ perfectly. They have all the toys they want, all the custom-made furniture and designer clothes, but no mommy. Mommy apparently is busy getting herself some valuable ‘me-time’ while she palms off the child to a harried nanny who feels that being a nanny is the only job that she can do with her clothes on that pays so well!

The Nanny Diaries is the story of Nanny who is on the look out for a job that will help her get through college. She likes kids, and becoming a nanny is thus natural. In the park, she bumps into Mrs. X who feels that Nanny could be a very good substitute for Caitlin her present nanny. Her four year old son Grayer is wary around Nanny at first, but slowly, the lines blur. Nanny becomes the most important person in Grayer’s life, ofcourse, after his mother. Mrs. X reels off child psychology to Nanny, but doesn’t have the time to actually get down on her knees and see her son.

At the backdrop is the X’ es deteriorating marriage, and Mrs.X’s feverish attempts to keep things looking smooth, fighting hard to dribble gloss into the cracks that have appeared in their marriage.

In my first reading, I was simply amused by reading the account of Nanny’s experience with Park Avenue mommies who dont blink before spending huge sums of money on body treatments, but waver before paying up money to the person who has become their child’s primary care-giver. Now, I felt angry and annoyed.

The last chapter of this book has been my favourite. I realised thankfully that it still is. The book reads easily, rather like Bridget Jones Diary and it does seem like a variation of a chick lit book. But read it for the depths hidden underneath the light prose. Read it if you dont feel like bashing up all those mommies who give birth to kids, and then hand them over to others to raise. I guess I feel so strongly, cos I became a mother once again!

( I just googled for it, and found that its been made into a movie too!! Didnt know that!)