The Nanny Diaries    by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus Order:  USA  Can Griffin, 2003 (2002) Hardcover, Paperback, Audio, CD Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth The Nanny Diaries was written by two young women who have worked as nannies. I would like to think this work of fiction is just that - a work of fiction. But as I got into this enlightening novel, I began to feel that I was reading of events that really happened; harrowing events that cannot bode well for the children involved. Nanny works for Mrs. X to care for four year-old Grayer. Nanny's overwhelming need to nurture and protect Grayer is not part of Mrs. X's agenda. Her needs and whims are foremost in running a childproof luxury Manhattan apartment and maintaining a failing marriage. This exposure of the moneyed class of New York is frightening as well as amusing. The relationship between the two women borders on slave and mistress. Grayer is torn between them. I don't see that anything will change because of this novel. Unfortunately, no one will recognize themselves in these pages. I found it a book worth reading to see how the other half lives; to wonder how you yourself might conduct your life were you in the same position; and to laugh at the ridiculous situations in which these people find themselves embroiled. The Nanny Diaries is a thought provoking story, and a disturbing one. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews