The life of a nanny is ripe with possibilities for entertaining stories - I know cos I used to be one - so this week we're going to look at three very different books about what can happen when you move in with not just complete strangers, but children too.
First up had to be the most famous book about a nanny since Mary Poppins - The Nanny Diaries. Described as 'a modern chick lit classic' by our own Diane, Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin's debut novel features Nan who, while studying for her master's in child education, turns to nannying for rich Manhattan families to pay the bills.
Suddenly she has to juggle her studies with the ever-more demanding, unreasonable and distant family she works for whilst also trying to avoid her difficult flatmate (which isn't too hard, as Nan barely has time to eat or sleep anymore!). The real focal point of the book is Nan's relationship with her little charge, Grayer, and it provides a great insight into the emotional issues around caring for children who are not your own.
In Under My Spell, Deborah Wright's modern magical fairy tale, Cara, a 25 year old witch, is so desperate to escape the clutches of her batty mother that she applies for a live-in nannying position with the Wilkins family. She’s delighted to get the position, and even more sure that this is the right move for her when she meets her gorgeous next door neighbour Sean, but Cara must remember all day, ever day, to act normal. If anyone finds out about her secret double life she’ll lose everything.
Carry on over the cut for the third - non-fiction this time - choice.
Aged just 19 Suzanne Hansen moved to L.A and accepted a post looking after three children whose father just happened to be one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, super-agent Michael Ovitz. You’ll Never Nanny in this Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny describes how what had at first seemed like a dream job quickly became a nightmare: too shy to negotiate a fair contract, Suzanne found herself on call at all hours of the day and night. She also found her employers had very little respect for her, the work she did, or even their own children. But when she thought about quitting, the family turned nasty (or nastier), with Michael uttering the words that make up the book's title. Was he right? Would she ever nanny in Hollywood again? Well, there's only one way to find out!
