The Nanny [Paperback]

Melissa Nathan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2003

Twenty-three-year-old Jo Green knows that if she has to spend one more night in ultra-provincial Niblet-Upon-Avon she'll go completely bonkers! So she answers an ad in the paper, bids her devoted boyfriend Shaun adieu, and heads off to the big city. With a new job that offers excitement; a cool car; and her own suite with a TV, DVD player, and a cell phone, how can she go wrong?

Then she meets . . . the Fitzgeralds -- Dick and Vanessa and their unruly brood of rugrats who have suddenly been entrusted into Jo's care. There's eight-year-old "psycho-babe" Cassandra; bloodthirsty Zak, the six-year-old Terminator; and timid little Tallulah.

So what else could go wrong? How about the arrival of Dick's children from his first marriage: teenage Toby and (gulp!) all-grown-up-and-very-nicely-at-that Josh the accountant? And now that she has to temporarily share her room with Josh, Jo's head is really in a spin -- because with her hometown beau still in the picture and a sexy possibility sleeping just a foot away, life has suddenly gotten very complicated indeed!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When 23-year-old Jo (named for a much saltier Jo in Little Women) lands a surprise nanny job with the cosmopolitan and dysfunctional (of course) Fitzgerald family, she trades in her quiet smalltown home and her unexceptional boyfriend, Shaun, for life amid the bright lights of London. Duties include looking after Tallulah, Zak and Cassie (four, six and eight, respectively), keeping mum during parents Dick and Vanessa's constant bickering and getting along with Dick's sons by a previous marriage, Toby, 13, and Josh, 25. Unlike Jo's parents' shouting matches, the Fitzgeralds' marital rows consist of sarcastic verbal jousting ("Jo had never heard `darling' used as a term of abuse before"), while the younger children's squabbling is frequent and forgettable rather than funny. The 12-hour days leave Jo no time to be homesick, and she manages to bond with everyone except Josh, with whom she shares quarters. Beady-eyed readers will quickly suspect a romance between the two, which will blossom, then wilt, revive and falter. Meanwhile, Dick and Vanessa's marriage is in jeopardy, and Dick's finances are a mess. Jo loves the darling children, but she's not entirely lovable herself. Instead, she's a victim of self-deception surrounded by one-dimensional characters two-timing beau Shaun, sly best friend Sheila, remorseful Dick, harpy Vanessa. Though things look up toward the end, they're an unhappy bunch with untidy lives. Blimey, where's the fun in that?
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Melissa Nathan was born and raised in Hertfordshire and now lives in North London with her husband. A journalist for ten years, she writes novels full time and is the acclaimed author of The Nanny and Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; First Edition edition (September 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060560118
• ISBN-13: 978-0060560119
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,059,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nathan Knows, August 27, 2004

By 

R. Chaffey "beckahi" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Nanny (Paperback)

This is the third Melissa Nathan book I have read, and I am always blown away by her remarkable wit and her wry sarcasm. Although not typically a fan of 'chick-lit', I was drawn to Nathan's previous books due to the Jane Austen angle, and I wasn't surprised to discover that I liked her with her own plotline. 'The Nanny' is a quick, enjoyable read that you'll find hard to put down.

'The Nanny' introduces us to Jo Green, a twenty-three year old woman from the English countryside, who is dissatisfied with her life but doesn't know what to do. Impulsively, she answers an ad for a nanny position in London and gladly accepts to work for the lovely but dysfunctional Fitzgerald family. Jo almost immediately regrets this decision - it's her first time away from home, she's in charge of three kids (aged 4, 6, and 8), and an entire house. Life looks better for Jo though, when she meets Pippa, a fellow nanny who teaches her how to rule the household, and not be ruled by them. Things take a turn for the worse however, when Josh, a son from the husband's first marriage, moves in and takes a dislike to Jo. The feeling is mutual, or is it?

'The Nanny' showcases Nathan's trademark wit and clever asides. Jo is a well-drawn character, although not entirely like her namesake (Josephine from 'Little Women'). Even though predictable and almost seemingly made for a romantic-comedy screenplay, Nathan rises above the vapid fluff of numerous chick-lit novels and sets the pace for some truly talented writing.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply The Best, December 7, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Nanny (Hardcover)

This has to be with out a doubt the best book ive read! I wanted to laugh i wanted to cry and the depth of the characters is wonderful i felt i was there right beside them and i could see all the rooms! In fact this book is a first of Melissa Nathan's books for me and i want to read of of her books now, she is the best author around. A Must Read.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a holiday-time "beach read", December 13, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nanny (Hardcover)

This is a well-written, modern comedy of manners that contains an occasional gem of a sentence. It's not exactly "chic lit" but neither is it War and Peace; the subject matter is light and familiar (at least to women) and the characters eccentric and charmingly British. I highly recommend it as a vacation read. It will entertain you, not strain you. But it won't rot your brain for lack of witty writing, like a lot of the other drivel being published under "romance" these days!