Quick Review: "The Nanny Diaries" by Emma McLaughlin and NIcola Kraus

From Goodreads:  Wanted: One young woman to take care of four-year-old boy. Must be cheerful, enthusiastic and selfless--bordering on masochistic. Must relish sixteen-hour shifts with a deliberately nap-deprived preschooler. Must love getting thrown up on, literally and figuratively, by everyone in his family. Must enjoy the delicious anticipation of ridiculously erratic pay. Mostly, must love being treated like fungus found growing out of employers Hermès bag. Those who take it personally need not apply. Who wouldn't want this job? Struggling to graduate from NYU and afford her microscopic studio apartment, Nanny takes a position caring for the only son of the wealthy X family. She rapidly learns the insane amount of juggling involved to ensure that a Park Avenue wife who doesn't work, cook, clean, or raise her own child has a smooth day.  When the Xs' marriage begins to disintegrate, Nanny ends up involved way beyond the bounds of human decency or good taste. Her tenure with the X family becomes a nearly impossible mission to maintain the mental health of their four-year-old, her own integrity and, most importantly, her sense of humor. Over nine tense months, Mrs. X and Nanny perform the age-old dance of decorum and power as they test the limits of modern-day servitude.  Written by two former nannies, The Nanny Diaries deftly punctures the glamour of Manhattan's upper class.

My Thoughts:  This book has been sitting on my shelf for a long time and I can't remember where I got it.  Since I am trying to read books I own, I figured I should probably read it.  I must say if you have seen the movie, pass on the book.  The movie follows the book very closely and the book doesn't offer anything that wasn't already in the movie.  It was an entertaining and easy read.

I must say if any of that book is really true and there are people who really act like that, I am nervous for the future of this country.  It was pretty sad to see how awful the parents were and how they really didn't care about their kids at all.  Mrs. X was a twit and her husband was a total creeper and they both were complete failures at being parents and at being decent human beings.  I think the main reason I kept reading this book was in the hopes that they would get a clue and change their ways, unfortunately, that didn't happen.  

If you haven't seen the movie and are looking for something light and fluffy, check this book out.  3 stars.