The Nanny Diaries
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''The Nanny Diaries'' is a 2002 novel by
Emma McLaughlin Emma Lanier McLaughlin (born February 7, 1974 in Elmira, New York) is an American novelist. Biography McLaughlin graduated from New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She met Nicola Kraus while both were attending New ...
and
Nicola Kraus Nicola Kraus (born August 17, 1974) is an American novelist. Personal life Kraus was born in New York City, and graduated from the Chapin School and then New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She met Emma McLaughlin w ...
, both of whom are former
nannies A nanny is a person who provides child care. Typically, this care is given within the children's family setting. Throughout history, nannies were usually servants in large households and reported directly to the lady of the house. Today, modern ...
. The book satirizes upper-class
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
society as seen through the eyes of their children's caregivers.


Writing

The writers were students at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...
's Gallatin School of Individualized Study when they wrote the book. Both had worked as nannies for about 30 different wealthy families on the
Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the we ...
, where the book is set. As a child, Kraus lived at
1000 Park Avenue 1000 Park Avenue is an apartment building on the Upper East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Park Avenue and East 84th Street. It was built in 1915–16 by the develo ...
, and claims she modeled some of the characters, particularly Mrs. X, on other building residents.


Other media

A
film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...
starring
Scarlett Johansson Scarlett Ingrid Johansson (; born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2018 and 2019, she has featured multiple times on the ''Forbes'' Celebrity 100 list. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 ...
,
Paul Giamatti Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti (; born June 6, 1967) is an American actor and film producer. He first garnered attention for his breakout role in '' Private Parts'' as Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton, leading to supporting roles in ''Saving Private R ...
, and
Laura Linney Laura Leggett Linney (born February 5, 1964) is an American actress. Having studied acting at Juilliard School (1986-1990), she became known for her complex and multilayered performances on stage and screen. She has received various accolades, ...
was released in the United States on August 24, 2007. The novel was also released as an
audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sc ...
, read by actress
Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and th ...
.


Sequel

In 2010 Kraus and McLaughlin released a sequel called ''Nanny Returns'', in which Nan and Ryan (aka Harvard Hottie) are married, and after having lived abroad for twelve years, they have returned to New York, where they move into a
fixer-upper In real estate vernacular, a fixer-upper is a property that will require repair (redecoration, reconstruction, or redesign), though it usually can be lived in or used as it is. They are popular with buyers who wish to raise the property's potent ...
, and Nan hopes to start a business. One night, a drunken, 16-year-old Grayer shows up at their door, demanding to know why Nan abandoned him years earlier, and thrusting the couple back into Mrs X's life.""
Amazon.com. Retrieved January 28, 2014.


Characters


Nanny Schuester

Originally in college when the first book began, Nanny Schuester was the primary nanny to Grayer X, and eventually began to love him as a son. Mrs. X fires her after seeing the close interaction between Nanny and Grayer, jealous that her son prefers Nanny over her. The X's force Nanny to leave without saying goodbye to Grayer, something that haunts her. In a rage, Nanny records herself on the "NannyCam", accusing the X's of being bad parents and begging them to simply love their son. While working for the X's, Nanny meets and falls in love with a boy who lives in the same building as the X's, who she nicknames "Harvard Hottie", as that is where he went to school. In the sequel, ''Nanny Returns'' twelve years have passed since the conclusion of the first book. Now married to Harvard Hottie, they move back to New York after spending six years traveling the globe through his UN program. Afterward, a sixteen-year-old Grayer turns up on her doorstep, drunk and still bitter over how things ended between them. Still feeling guilty for leaving Grayer when he was four, she decides to help him. Thus, this brings her back in with the X's, who have not changed in the past twelve years. However, her focus on helping Grayer puts a strain on her relationship with Harvard Hottie, who feels that it's not her place to be Grayer's "nanny" anymore.


Ryan Hutchinson aka "Harvard Hottie"

Originally living in the same building as the X's, HH runs into Nanny in the elevator while she is hanging out with Grayer. Nicknamed Harvard Hottie by Nanny (as he attended Harvard), they begin to gain a rapport. However, their relationship almost crumbles when she runs into him and his high school friends, who he doesn't stop when they insinuate that she is only a nanny so she can have affairs with rich husbands. However, after apologizing, they begin a relationship. In ''Nanny Returns'', Harvard Hottie (his real name is revealed to be Ryan Hutchinson) is now married to Nanny and, after moving around the world due to his UN duties, decide to move back to New York. However, their relationship becomes strained because he wants to immediately start a family while she is hesitant to do so. He also does not support her getting sucked back in into the drama of the X family, as he knows the toll it took on her the first time.


Mrs. X

Grayer's mother, Mrs. X is self-centered and a poor mother. She leaves all the parenting work for Grayer on Nanny, with Mrs. X spending most of her time in seclusion or shopping. However, she doesn't like to spend money on others, as she poorly compensates Nanny for working overtime and fires workers whenever she feels like it. Her relationship with her husband is almost non-existent due to his constant cheating and constantly long work hours. However, she grows jealous of Nanny once Grayer starts seeing Nanny as his mother over her. She fires Nanny and prevents her from seeing Grayer to say goodbye. In ''Nanny Returns'', she has remained the same but has had another son (from Mr. X). She becomes severely depressed due to Mr. X leaving her for a younger woman. She kept Nanny's video from the "NannyCam" in case she had to sue Mr. X for custody of their children. However, she finds out that the reason that her husband was wealthy was that he was a con artist and the police have started to suspect him. Not wanting to lose her lifestyle (as she will get nothing in the divorce if he is caught), she decides to turn a blind eye. However, when Mr. X is caught, Grayer tells her that he will financially support her. But only if she acts like a real mother to her younger son.


Mr. X

The very much not-present father of Grayer. He is married to Mrs. X but continually cheats on her with other women. He similarly works very long hours at his office and would rather not be a father to Grayer. In ''Nanny Returns'', it is revealed that he is a con artist, which was how he gained so much money. He tried to convince Grayer that he wanted to spend quality time with him but actually wanted to use him to steal something. He also has left Mrs. X for a younger woman and cut off much of the money she was given.


Grayer X

The son of Mr. and Mrs. X. He is four-years-old during the events of the first book. He becomes very close to Nanny and begins to see her as his real mother since his actual parents neglect him. Unknown to him, Nanny was fired due to a jealous Mrs. X who also prevented Nanny from saying goodbye to him. This abrupt and seemingly cold departure emotionally scarred him as he grew older. In ''Nanny Returns'', Grayer is now sixteen with a seven-year-old younger brother. He shows up on Nanny's doorstep drunk after seeing the "NannyCam" video and looking up her address from his mother's files. He's still hurt by Nanny's disappearance from his life, as she was the only person who truly cared for him. He doesn't trust her anymore but also wants his brother to succeed and requests her help. He eventually finds out why she had left so suddenly and forgives her. He decides to move out of his mother's house and live independently, realizing that his parents never really cared for him. Nanny offers to adopt both him and his brother, but he turns her down, saying he needs to do things on his own. However, he promises to stay in touch. Before he leaves, Nanny gives him a charm he had given her when he was four, telling him to always remember their time together as she has.


External links

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nanny Diaries 2002 American novels American novels adapted into films Chick lit novels Nannies in fiction Novels about child care occupations Novels set in Manhattan