Nanny Returns: A Novel [Hardcover]

Emma McLaughlin (Author), Nicola Kraus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2009

Ten years after the fateful night when Nan was fired, she returns to New York with her husband, HH. Finally settling in to build a permanent home and get her consulting business off the ground, Nan's plans are derailed by HH's sudden desire to start a family - and her surpisingly strong resistance to the idea. Matters are further complicated by a late-night, drunken visit from a now fifteen-year-old Grayer, who's stumbled upon the nanny-cam tape Nan made on her last night in his mother's employment - and wants some answers. Racked with guilt and struggling to find a way to help Grayer and his seven-year-old brother, Stilton, through their parents' vicious divorce, Nan finds herself getting sucked into the Upper East Side world of wealth, power and dysfunction all over again. Set against the backdrop of a Manhattan economy cracking along the fault lines, The Nanny Returns plumbs the humour and heartbreak of a community who chose money over love, only to find the money evaporate - and their children ready to tell all.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Nan revisits 721 Park, home of the moneyed but morally bankrupt Xs, and the boy she guiltily left behind in their inept care in this smart and sassy sequel to The Nanny Diaries. And though Nan has grown up a bit, married Harvard Hottie Ryan and traveled the world, the plight of the rich and stupid continues, as does Nan's new crusade to save former charge Grayer and his younger brother Stilton, renovate a crumbling East Harlem mansion and stick it out at a soulless Manhattan private school. Outcomes are deeply uncertain, though Nan is nothing if not a natural-born cheerleader: I know what I'm worth. Because I care for these kids, I do, right down to my toes, she says of her young charges in and out of school. There's still one fear, however—whether she'll ever be able to make the leap from nanny to mommy. McLaughlin and Kraus leave no dry eyes as they once again wield a razor-sharp wit that cuts down the most uppity mortals even as it lifts up their vulnerable children. You could safely bet your first born that this'll be another smash hit. (Dec.)
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Review

"The many readers who loved the first entry will be thrilled to revisit Nan, Grayer, and the Xs." -- Booklist --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books (December 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416585672
• ISBN-13: 978-1416585671
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (138 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #503,082 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Have you ever wished calamity upon the 'hero' of a book?, December 18, 2009

By 

E. Jacobs - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nanny Returns: A Novel (Hardcover)

I bought "Nanny Returns" for some light and fun holiday reading. It was definitely light, but not so much fun. The story begins 10 years after the time period of the Nanny Diaries, when our hero, Nan, has returned to New York after years of globe-trotting with her husband. The story has several parallel threads: the purchase and the subsequent foibles related to the fixer-upper house Nan and her husband purchased, the fact that Nan's husband wants to have a baby immediately, the launch of Nan's consulting business, and the return of some characters (including the "Xes") from the prior book.

The authors did a fairly good job of re-introducing old characters for those of us who didn't read or only vaguely recall the first book (I fall into the latter category). I do remember enough of it to recall that back then I thought Nan was immature and spineless, which was perhaps understandable given her age at the time. And therein lies the fundamental problem with the current book. Nan, after marrying, living all over the world, and having aged 10 years, has not changed. I found the character to be completely unsympathetic and unlikeable. This is a woman who shakes in her boots when she has to return to the building of her old nemesis, Mrs. X, but yet she opts to take employment with a private school dealing with precisely the same type of people that we thought she was "over". This is a woman who expresses her liberation from the evil "Xes" by dressing dumpily when she goes to their house. This is a woman who hangs her colleagues out to dry in order to please the very people she is "over". Has she learned nothing from her experience with the "Xes", having lived in different cultures all over the world, and having aged ten years? Apparently the answer is no. Once the table was set with that realization, it was reinforced over and over again by Nan's actions.

In addition to my obvious dislike of the main character, I found the book to be fairly dull and at the same time, over-written. While some of the subject matter in the book is incredibly current, in many cases the dialogue about these issues seemed forced. Also, since we already know how awful the parents of New York are from the first book, the "wow" factor is gone from the second.

Nonetheless, the authors again tried again to shock with the horror of NYC parents. It's a re-hash of the same old stuff. In the years since Nanny Diaries was printed, the world has changed. Shows like the "Real Housewives" franchise have made anything the authors have to add completely redundant. Is anyone surprised by this type of behavior anymore? Finally, the major plot twist is very obvious right from the get-go. The combination of all these factors means that I would not recommend this book to even my sister, who will read cereal boxes for fun.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't live up to its predecessor, January 22, 2010

By 

Julia Flyte - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nanny Returns: A Novel (Hardcover)

The Nanny Returns picks up around 10 years after The Nanny Diaries ended. Nan is now married to the Harvard Hottie (Ryan) and after some time living overseas, has moved to Brooklyn. One day her former charge Grayer (now aged 16) turns up on her doorstep and she gets sucked back into the lives of the X family, which now also includes a 7 year old son called Stilton. The X's marriage is still unhappy and when Mr X hooks up with a Hollywood star, Nan gets caught up in the middle trying to protect the children.

I really enjoyed The Nanny Diaries but I'm sorry to say this book is nowhere near as good. It's a convoluted mess with a massive number of sub-plots, all of which are confusing and none of which are interesting. While there are some amusing snippets about how the Manhattan elite live, they are few and far between, and the froth is tempered this time around with drunken binges and drug overdoses which feel out of place. The writing also gets bogged down with elaborate descriptions, to the point where I wondered if the authors were paid by the adjective. Nan is also such a passive and indecisive character, which seemed appropriate in the first book but far less so in this one, now that she's married and ten years older.

The book starts slowly and you wonder where it's going. While it does pick up, it was a struggle to stay the distance. I don't recommend it.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Witty and heartbreakingly realistic, December 19, 2009

By 

The Compulsive Reader (Big Rapids, MI, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nanny Returns: A Novel (Hardcover)

Twelve years ago, Nan left her charge Grayer X in the questionable care of his rich and selfish parents, and has been feeling guilty about it ever since. Now Nan has returned from living abroad with her husband Ryan and they have bought a fixer-upper in New York City and Nan is ready to start her career when she encounters Grayer, now sixteen. Driven by her guilt, she finds herself involved with the ridiculously rich X family once more as she tries to help Grayer's little brother, Stilton and once again finds herself colliding with the absurd and weird customs of the Upper East Side's wealthiest residents.

Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin's sequel to The Nanny Diaries is smart and laugh-out-loud hilarious as Nan attempts to do right by Grayer and Stilton X, despite the bizarre customs of their parents and peers that fight against her every step of the way. The glittering and powerful world that the X's live in is rather disturbing at times, but quite believable, and tNan is a grounded, sensible narrator, routinely providing comic relief with her wry and witty comments and observations. Thankfully, Nanny Returns isn't a conventional rich people novel only highlighting the glamour of a wealthy lifestyle, but also revealing the darker motivations and the insane notion that rules don't affect you if you have money that many of the characters possess.

Nanny Returns may be a little lengthy, but it moves at a brisk pace with enough problems and drama to keep the book moving, but not so much as to overwhelm the reader. The only complaint might be that the ending wraps up rather quickly, not really devoting much time to falling action, but other than that, Nanny Returns is a wonderfully entertaining and realistic novel that probes into the privileged world of New York City's wealthiest without losing sight of what's really important in life.