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What the Nanny Saw
It’s the summer of 2008. For the past decade Nick and Bryony Skinner and their four children have ridden high on the economic boom, but their luck is about to run out. Suddenly, the privileged family finds itself at the center of a financial Central London house is besieged by the press, Nick disappears, and Bryony and the children become virtual prisoners in their own home. And Ali, their trusted nanny, watches it all. As the babysitter, she brings a unique insider-outsider perspective to the family, seeing far more than even the family itself is capable of. But when a reporter with a personal connection to the story comes asking her for the inside scoop, will Ali remain loyal to the family who never saw her as anything other than the help? Or will she tell her side?Written with Fiona Neill’s delicious humor and addictive style, What the Nanny Saw is a keenly observed, often comical chronicle of the urban wealthy elite, of parents who are often too busy to notice what is going on under their own noses, of children left to their own devices, and of a young nanny thrown into a role she doesn’t know how to play. It is a morality tale of our time, a tale of betrayal, the corrosive influence of too much money, and why good people sometimes do bad things.
465 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
107 people are currently reading
2875 people want to read
About the author
Fiona Neill
10 books130 followersFiona Neill is a novelist and journalist. She was born in 1966. Her first novel The Secret Life of a Slummy Mummy, based on her column in The Times Magazine every Saturday, was published in 2007. It was widely acclaimed and went on to become a Sunday Times bestseller that sold in twenty-five countries.
Brought up in Norfolk, she now lives in London with her husband and three children.
Fiona is presenting a five-part series on BBC Radio 4 called Famous Footsteps, starting on January 12th. Find out more about the series by visiting the BBC Radio 4 website.
Brought up in Norfolk, she now lives in London with her husband and three children.
Fiona is presenting a five-part series on BBC Radio 4 called Famous Footsteps, starting on January 12th. Find out more about the series by visiting the BBC Radio 4 website.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews
July 18, 2012
When I began reading What the Nanny Saw I wasn’t overly impressed or bowled away by the first few chapters. It seemed slow to start and only mildly interesting. However, as I delved deeper into the book, I found it harder and harder to put down. The plot was absolutely compelling.
If I were to rate this book on character development alone, I would probably give it a two. While the story is rich with characters, I found that I was indifferent to them. The main character Ali is the nanny who sees all in her three years working for the wealthy, powerful, and relatively dysfunctional Skinner family. The story is a recount from her memories and perspective, but in third person. She’s not the most interesting character I’ve ever read…far from it, to be honest. While on occasion she did one or two surprising things, overall I found her to be rather bland. This was a stark contrast to the Skinner family, all of whom had very loud or dominant traits. It was wise of Fiona Neill to use an outsider to tell the story. Ali’s role in the family is very intriguing—they can’t function without her and yet she’s not quite a family member and is judged by different standards. She represents the perfect blend of propriety and impropriety.
The plot is where the fun lies. I couldn’t help thinking repeatedly how this would make a fantastic movie. I really wouldn’t be surprised if a year or two from now, I see a movie “based on What the Nanny Saw”. The intriguing family dynamics mixed with society’s expectations and norms set the basis for the rise and fall of this story. Very much a part of London’s high society, the Skinner adults do their best to keep their status as clean and regal as possible while the Skinner children explore pushing their boundaries in inappropriate ways. A glimpse into the lives of other families like theirs provides an interesting and juicy ‘gossip’ factor. Everyone wants to know what and how the other families are doing to slip up. The torrid affairs, corporate lies, and societal fallout when things start to go downhill for the Skinners makes you want to turn the pages as fast as possible to know what comes next.
Despite my initial misgivings and my lack of investment in the characters, I was glued. Thanks to the tangled and fun plotline my rating for the book shot up much higher than I expected it to be! Definitely a good casual read.
If I were to rate this book on character development alone, I would probably give it a two. While the story is rich with characters, I found that I was indifferent to them. The main character Ali is the nanny who sees all in her three years working for the wealthy, powerful, and relatively dysfunctional Skinner family. The story is a recount from her memories and perspective, but in third person. She’s not the most interesting character I’ve ever read…far from it, to be honest. While on occasion she did one or two surprising things, overall I found her to be rather bland. This was a stark contrast to the Skinner family, all of whom had very loud or dominant traits. It was wise of Fiona Neill to use an outsider to tell the story. Ali’s role in the family is very intriguing—they can’t function without her and yet she’s not quite a family member and is judged by different standards. She represents the perfect blend of propriety and impropriety.
The plot is where the fun lies. I couldn’t help thinking repeatedly how this would make a fantastic movie. I really wouldn’t be surprised if a year or two from now, I see a movie “based on What the Nanny Saw”. The intriguing family dynamics mixed with society’s expectations and norms set the basis for the rise and fall of this story. Very much a part of London’s high society, the Skinner adults do their best to keep their status as clean and regal as possible while the Skinner children explore pushing their boundaries in inappropriate ways. A glimpse into the lives of other families like theirs provides an interesting and juicy ‘gossip’ factor. Everyone wants to know what and how the other families are doing to slip up. The torrid affairs, corporate lies, and societal fallout when things start to go downhill for the Skinners makes you want to turn the pages as fast as possible to know what comes next.
Despite my initial misgivings and my lack of investment in the characters, I was glued. Thanks to the tangled and fun plotline my rating for the book shot up much higher than I expected it to be! Definitely a good casual read.
September 21, 2012
At first glance you might think that this book is another story of a young female being overworked while caring for privileged children of rich snobby parents, ala The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin. But if you keep up with this story you come across a much deeper read that involves the 2008 banking crises, family interactions and even the theme of trust and loyalty.
Nick Skinner is the managing director of an investment bank connected with a major US investment bank. Bryony owns a financial public relations firm. These two self-centered, career-obsessed and high strung adults have a life of privilege. They live in a huge mansion in a prestigious area of London. They go on vacation to Corfu, Greece where Bryony’s parents, Foy and Tita Chesterton, own a villa and olive orchard. They send their children to an exclusive London school, throw lavish dinner parties, and spend money on clothes never worn and food eaten. They also seem to go through nannies at a regular pace.
Enter twenty-one year old Ali Sparrow. In 2006 Ali is almost finished with her English degree at the University of East Anglia but for financial and tutor reasons she must take a leave of absence. Her father is a fisherman in Cromer, a small old fishing town. Her mother desperately tries to help Ali’s older sister, Jo, kick a heroin habit which threatens to destroy the family. So instead of heading home during her educational break Ali looks to London for a temporary job.
Ali is hired as the nanny to the Skinner’s four children. Jake is about to turn 17 years old and getting ready to move on to higher education while Izzy is their 15 year old daughter beginning to experiment with life (think drugs and sex). Then there are the five year old twins, Hector & Alfie, who are so connected both mentally and physically that they seem to be just one person. The children are given everything but parental love and Ali finds that she becomes their parent for attention and even love. And in return she begins to care for the Skinners as if they were her own family
For the next two years Ali is absorbed into the family structure as she is given a wonderful room, great pay and even taken on international trips. The only other staff member in the house is the Philippine housekeeper, Malea, who keeps to herself and is of little help to Ali. Over time Ali becomes invisible to family and guests and as such is able to watch the family situations and interactions as if a fly on the wall. Ali’s observation of a family that starts to implode both mentally and financially as the US banking crisis crosses the ocean due to greed, arrogance and unethical behavior makes for an interesting story. At times the family is like the saying “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.” But it is Nick’s ethical and moral actions that become a mystery to everyone.
There is a bit of business terminology and writing in the book that might throw those who have no business or financial knowledge but that should not stop anyone from reading this wonderful book to find out just “what the nanny saw.” And how what Ali saw ends up having the most powerful impact on the Skinner family. Neill is a London Times columnist and author of the best selling Slummy Mummy. A great read for anyone who likes contemporary fiction, English families, domestic fiction, business fiction and stories about family secrets.
Families — England — London — Fiction
Nannies — Fiction
Family secrets — Fiction
Nick Skinner is the managing director of an investment bank connected with a major US investment bank. Bryony owns a financial public relations firm. These two self-centered, career-obsessed and high strung adults have a life of privilege. They live in a huge mansion in a prestigious area of London. They go on vacation to Corfu, Greece where Bryony’s parents, Foy and Tita Chesterton, own a villa and olive orchard. They send their children to an exclusive London school, throw lavish dinner parties, and spend money on clothes never worn and food eaten. They also seem to go through nannies at a regular pace.
Enter twenty-one year old Ali Sparrow. In 2006 Ali is almost finished with her English degree at the University of East Anglia but for financial and tutor reasons she must take a leave of absence. Her father is a fisherman in Cromer, a small old fishing town. Her mother desperately tries to help Ali’s older sister, Jo, kick a heroin habit which threatens to destroy the family. So instead of heading home during her educational break Ali looks to London for a temporary job.
Ali is hired as the nanny to the Skinner’s four children. Jake is about to turn 17 years old and getting ready to move on to higher education while Izzy is their 15 year old daughter beginning to experiment with life (think drugs and sex). Then there are the five year old twins, Hector & Alfie, who are so connected both mentally and physically that they seem to be just one person. The children are given everything but parental love and Ali finds that she becomes their parent for attention and even love. And in return she begins to care for the Skinners as if they were her own family
For the next two years Ali is absorbed into the family structure as she is given a wonderful room, great pay and even taken on international trips. The only other staff member in the house is the Philippine housekeeper, Malea, who keeps to herself and is of little help to Ali. Over time Ali becomes invisible to family and guests and as such is able to watch the family situations and interactions as if a fly on the wall. Ali’s observation of a family that starts to implode both mentally and financially as the US banking crisis crosses the ocean due to greed, arrogance and unethical behavior makes for an interesting story. At times the family is like the saying “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.” But it is Nick’s ethical and moral actions that become a mystery to everyone.
There is a bit of business terminology and writing in the book that might throw those who have no business or financial knowledge but that should not stop anyone from reading this wonderful book to find out just “what the nanny saw.” And how what Ali saw ends up having the most powerful impact on the Skinner family. Neill is a London Times columnist and author of the best selling Slummy Mummy. A great read for anyone who likes contemporary fiction, English families, domestic fiction, business fiction and stories about family secrets.
Families — England — London — Fiction
Nannies — Fiction
Family secrets — Fiction
June 11, 2016
'What the Nanny Did' or 'What the Nanny Didn't Do but Should Have Done' or even 'Who the Nanny Did' would have all been better titles for this book.
This book was terrible. And the funny thing is that the person who read it before me agreed as well! I picked this book up at my local thrift store, and the previous reader had made notes all along the margins correcting the authors spelling, grammar, and loop holes. So that was an added bonus to this story.
I only read this book for a personal reading challenge, and I purposely did not look up any reviews or even read what this book was about before I began reading it, so I didn't know what to expect.
Truthfully, I should have stopped reading this book. I have not finished a book in a long time that disgusted me as much as this book has. Besides the five year old twins, there was not an honest soul in this book. Affairs ran amuck between nannies and husbands, husbands and best friends spouses and husbands and baby-sitters, and the "protagonist" (I "" because I can't give anyone credit who is willing to have an affair with a married man whom she baby-sits for) has no sexual moral compass.
Neill writes in a way that makes all nannies under the age of 30 seem as though they are willing to ruin children's lives by sleeping with their male boss, and that the only nannies who won't sleep around are overweight unattractive elderly women.
Furthermore, this book has so many loose ends, and Neill did a HORRIBLE job at actually keeping within the theme of the book. If she wanted to incriminate Nick more, she should have written more about his actions than the fact that Jake and his nanny were sleeping together all the time.
Yes, there was a lot that the nanny saw, but very little had to do with what Nick was doing. Mainly she saw: affairs wreck marriages and families, a teenager in her care suffer with anorexia yet was too afraid to address this with the parents (her employers), saw this same teenager in a drunken sexual act that was being filmed (unbeknown to the girl) and STILL didn't mention this to her employers, neglected children left right and center because their parents were too busy pursuing the "big life" to pay attention to them, and incompetent parents who don't know how to work dishwashers and washing machines because there was "help" for that. And yet, through all of this, this nanny that I assume we are supposed to root for, didn't have any courage to quit, speak up, or even address her concerns.
I'm a nanny, and from my perspective, this girl was a HORRIBLE nanny. Not only did she fail to address issues like anorexia, dangerous drunken and drug induced sexual promiscuity but she slept with her bosses teenage son, and a former tutor (who she happened to baby-sit for).
HORRENDOUS.
I could relate to Ali (the nanny) on one level: I know what's it's like to be the glue of a family. I've worked for many families in my past, and some people seriously can't function unless someone is taking care of their children for them. Live in Nannies can have it rough.
But I have also worked for wonderful families who just needed an extra hand, and we had a great relationship. Believe it or not, you can be a nanny and not sleep with your boss.
I am going to thoroughly enjoy getting rid of this book.
This book was terrible. And the funny thing is that the person who read it before me agreed as well! I picked this book up at my local thrift store, and the previous reader had made notes all along the margins correcting the authors spelling, grammar, and loop holes. So that was an added bonus to this story.
I only read this book for a personal reading challenge, and I purposely did not look up any reviews or even read what this book was about before I began reading it, so I didn't know what to expect.
Truthfully, I should have stopped reading this book. I have not finished a book in a long time that disgusted me as much as this book has. Besides the five year old twins, there was not an honest soul in this book. Affairs ran amuck between nannies and husbands, husbands and best friends spouses and husbands and baby-sitters, and the "protagonist" (I "" because I can't give anyone credit who is willing to have an affair with a married man whom she baby-sits for) has no sexual moral compass.
Neill writes in a way that makes all nannies under the age of 30 seem as though they are willing to ruin children's lives by sleeping with their male boss, and that the only nannies who won't sleep around are overweight unattractive elderly women.
Furthermore, this book has so many loose ends, and Neill did a HORRIBLE job at actually keeping within the theme of the book. If she wanted to incriminate Nick more, she should have written more about his actions than the fact that Jake and his nanny were sleeping together all the time.
Yes, there was a lot that the nanny saw, but very little had to do with what Nick was doing. Mainly she saw: affairs wreck marriages and families, a teenager in her care suffer with anorexia yet was too afraid to address this with the parents (her employers), saw this same teenager in a drunken sexual act that was being filmed (unbeknown to the girl) and STILL didn't mention this to her employers, neglected children left right and center because their parents were too busy pursuing the "big life" to pay attention to them, and incompetent parents who don't know how to work dishwashers and washing machines because there was "help" for that. And yet, through all of this, this nanny that I assume we are supposed to root for, didn't have any courage to quit, speak up, or even address her concerns.
I'm a nanny, and from my perspective, this girl was a HORRIBLE nanny. Not only did she fail to address issues like anorexia, dangerous drunken and drug induced sexual promiscuity but she slept with her bosses teenage son, and a former tutor (who she happened to baby-sit for).
HORRENDOUS.
I could relate to Ali (the nanny) on one level: I know what's it's like to be the glue of a family. I've worked for many families in my past, and some people seriously can't function unless someone is taking care of their children for them. Live in Nannies can have it rough.
But I have also worked for wonderful families who just needed an extra hand, and we had a great relationship. Believe it or not, you can be a nanny and not sleep with your boss.
I am going to thoroughly enjoy getting rid of this book.
September 4, 2012
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. I agree with other reviewers that it was slow-starting at first. I hung in there because the subject matter interested me (although I would have been fine with a lot less financial details). I was very annoyed about halfway through the book when a background story showed up out of nowhere for Ali which seemed totally out of character for her. I thought it did nothing for the book, and if it had to be included, should have been at the start.
I finished it but it took me much longer than usual, (I'm a very fast reader) I just didn't care much about any of the characters except for the twins.
I finished it but it took me much longer than usual, (I'm a very fast reader) I just didn't care much about any of the characters except for the twins.
August 14, 2011
There has been a lot of commentary recently about chick lit and its place in the literary spectrum - with What the Nanny Saw, Fiona Neill makes a beautiful riposte. It has all the components of a chick lit novel - over-the-top characters, a slightly contrived situation, a romance that you can see coming - but places them within a fiercely intelligent story examining the minutiae of scandal, finance and the media.
On the face of it, we are reading about Ali Sparrow and her attempts to play the part of a Mary Poppins character in an obscenely rich family. Her job is cut out for her, considering she barely sees the two parents and they communicate with her via their Blackberries. However, Fiona Neill sets this against the backdrop of the fall of Lehman Brothers - the father of the Skinner family, Nick, holds a prominent position in the bank, and revels shamelessly in the multi-million bonuses he receives each year.
This acknowledgement of how current affairs affected those in the maelstrom of the collapsing financial situation is something I have never seen articulated quite so well before. There is a sense of utter doom as Nick tries harder and harder to shore up the failing position of Lehmans, and his manner of dealing with the crisis is incredibly believable.
As well as this, Neill examines the way that very rich families invite nannies and the like into their houses at the risk of a loss of privacy - we've seen people like Posh and Becks, and Jude Law suffer from nannies telling all. Ali's struggle with her conscience as to whether she should mention anything about what she has seen behind closed doors feels, again, very realistic.
The risk that Fiona Neill took with following a rich family is that it becomes very hard to sympathise with either Bryony or Nick. I do feel for the children, both before and after the financial crash occurs, since they could not choose the life they end up leading. But hearing about fridges and larders filled with food that spoils because they don't eat it before they buy fresh, and the Skinners having a man who comes round just to check the *lightbulbs* makes them seem incredibly out of touch. I guess that is partly the point.
And I'm afraid I found it difficult to appreciate Ali as well. I think that this might have been easier had Neill spent more time at the start of the novel showcasing Ali's life and exactly why she *needed* to take the job with the Skinners. It would also have helped when Ali kept deferring her return to university - as it was, I couldn't see precisely why she would choose a very peculiar job pandering to the needs of a very spoilt family over going back to university and forging her own life and career.
With that said, I do want a lot of people to read What the Nanny Saw. It really is a glittering example of what the very best chick lit can accomplish. In fact, I have placed a tag of contemporary on this novel as well in my review, because at times it doesn't *feel* like how most people regard chick lit at all. It is weighty, dark, satirical and very clever. Well done, Fiona Neill!
On the face of it, we are reading about Ali Sparrow and her attempts to play the part of a Mary Poppins character in an obscenely rich family. Her job is cut out for her, considering she barely sees the two parents and they communicate with her via their Blackberries. However, Fiona Neill sets this against the backdrop of the fall of Lehman Brothers - the father of the Skinner family, Nick, holds a prominent position in the bank, and revels shamelessly in the multi-million bonuses he receives each year.
This acknowledgement of how current affairs affected those in the maelstrom of the collapsing financial situation is something I have never seen articulated quite so well before. There is a sense of utter doom as Nick tries harder and harder to shore up the failing position of Lehmans, and his manner of dealing with the crisis is incredibly believable.
As well as this, Neill examines the way that very rich families invite nannies and the like into their houses at the risk of a loss of privacy - we've seen people like Posh and Becks, and Jude Law suffer from nannies telling all. Ali's struggle with her conscience as to whether she should mention anything about what she has seen behind closed doors feels, again, very realistic.
The risk that Fiona Neill took with following a rich family is that it becomes very hard to sympathise with either Bryony or Nick. I do feel for the children, both before and after the financial crash occurs, since they could not choose the life they end up leading. But hearing about fridges and larders filled with food that spoils because they don't eat it before they buy fresh, and the Skinners having a man who comes round just to check the *lightbulbs* makes them seem incredibly out of touch. I guess that is partly the point.
And I'm afraid I found it difficult to appreciate Ali as well. I think that this might have been easier had Neill spent more time at the start of the novel showcasing Ali's life and exactly why she *needed* to take the job with the Skinners. It would also have helped when Ali kept deferring her return to university - as it was, I couldn't see precisely why she would choose a very peculiar job pandering to the needs of a very spoilt family over going back to university and forging her own life and career.
With that said, I do want a lot of people to read What the Nanny Saw. It really is a glittering example of what the very best chick lit can accomplish. In fact, I have placed a tag of contemporary on this novel as well in my review, because at times it doesn't *feel* like how most people regard chick lit at all. It is weighty, dark, satirical and very clever. Well done, Fiona Neill!
October 17, 2012
What the Nanny Saw gives an intimate, indepth look at the world of high finance in 2008 London from the perspective of a nanny in the home of an investment banker, Nick Skinner and his wife, Bryony, owner of her own PR company. Their life of privilege includes a five-story house in the best section of London, private schools for their four chiildren, summer house in Greece, live-in staff, and extravagant purchases, and a dinner party where Elton John entertains. When Ali is hired as nanny to the children in July, she disrupts her schooling and promises a year to devote to Jake, an eighteen-year-old who is attending Westminister, Izzy, fourteen, a cellist, a little overweight, and twin five-year-old boys who have created their own secret language. Ali slowly endears herself to the family and is taken along when the family visits Greece for the summer. Minute details of Ali's duties of helping Izzy with her studying,finding her drunk at a party in Notting Hill while her parentas are away for the weekend, bonding with the twins, takes up three-quarters of the book. We get glimpses of the tension in the marriage and in the family with Bryony's opinionated father Foy and dutiful wife Tita who suppects her best friend Florence of having an affair with Foy. Slowly the reader learns "what the nanny saw" with the economy starting to slide downward and Ali notices Nick's increasing obsession with the unsecure lending his bank is invovled in. The house is besieged by the press and Nick's personal computers are confiscated and he is charged with insider trading. When Bryony's father, Foy, a self-made man in the salmon and olive oil businesses, reaches seventy, they plan an elaborate affair in a newly acquired Jacobean manor, titled Thornberry Manor remodeled for the celebration at a seven figure price. Tents are set up in the garden and lavish menu and entertainment fills the night until Foy gives his speech and sings all verses to American Pie. Afterward, Florence, wife of his best friend, tries to capture his attention after a fifty-year clandestine love affair, and Foy has a slight stroke. He has to be moved inside the main house and cared for as his wife Tita has thrown him out. Ali is considered one of the family up to the moment Bryony finds her in bed with her eighteen year old son. Then she is out and has to return to school. The financial crisis hit its lowest when Lehman's stock was trading for $3.71 a share when less than a year ago it was worth 86.18 a share. Suddenly, the book changes focus and we see Ali tenured as a university lecturer and thinking back to her time with Jake and the family. She sees the family for the last time at Foy's funeral.
January 14, 2013
For a 450 page book, I was not overly impressed. While I did finish the entire thing, I feel like it was way too drawn out, and there were many details that related to the financial crisis aspect of the story that should have been drawn out more than others. I feel like there were some parts of the book that didn't necessarily belong in the text and I found myself questioning why they were included. While the story is supposed to be about the credit crisis and its effect on the Skinner family (as well as their part in the entire thing), I didn't think the author paid all that much attention to the central theme that the book was supposed to be about. If you were really looking for 'what the nanny saw,' I don't think there was enough attention paid to that. I don't feel like Ali's behind the scenes view was as well thought out as it should have been, especially with it being the title of the book. We only really get a short glimpse into what the nanny saw at the end, and I didn't feel as though it was very compelling.
December 3, 2018
Well written and addictive
March 26, 2013
cute....much like Nanny diaries...i found it entertaining if not somewhat predictable....a good mindless beach kind of book....though I did learn a fun fact...the reason the Meditteranean sea is so clear is for lack of phosphorous which phytoplankton need to thrive (it seems that they are what gives our ocean a "less clear" appearance)....so for me, the book was worth the answer to one more jeopardy question!
August 28, 2024
I liked the plot about a Nanny job to a rich couple. The nannys back story was good too. Her take on the working couple, who we could certainly judge for their parenting skills. But it is the Nanny's viewpoint. I guess the ending wasn't that surprising but it all seemed to wind up quickly. And I didn't feel sorry for any of them.
I skimmed over the whole insider trading fiasco as I remember the real story of 2008, but didn't really care or feel attachment to Nick who was just competing with his wife and father in law. The kids all four were interesting characters.
I must have liked it as I shared the story line with my husband which rarely happens.
I skimmed over the whole insider trading fiasco as I remember the real story of 2008, but didn't really care or feel attachment to Nick who was just competing with his wife and father in law. The kids all four were interesting characters.
I must have liked it as I shared the story line with my husband which rarely happens.
October 6, 2013
One sentence in this book had me plowing through it to see what happens. It has nothing to do with the background of this story, which is the financial downfall of the sub-prime mortgage industry of 2008. It's the love affair that a nanny has while working for a supremely rich family in London. "She felt loved," was the sentence and we hear it as she is fleeing the home, even as she feels drawn to it's inhabitants.
What is refreshing about this book is that unlike many books about the uber-wealthy, it doesn't waste it's time and mine going on about shoe brands and how much the champagne costs, as if wealthy people got wealthy by shopping. Instead this family feels like a real family, struggling with 2 high flying careers, neglected children, excess that seems normal to them because they are surrounded by people who act the same. Keeping the floor radiant heat on year round for the dog and letting groceries go to rot because they have the same standing order with the grocer regardless of who is in town or hiring a wine waiter for a dinner party are details that sound real and add to the story. These are people whose chaotic life is interesting because it is so exotic.
Which is why the nanny gets sucked in even though she is warned by everyone about Stockholm syndrome. In the end she becomes more a part of the family that she'd like to be. Which provided much of the dramatic tension.
What bothered me about the book is something I've noticed about the last few books I have read which is that there is a very gentle arc to the plot: no high highs, no low lows. Perhaps it is something I am stickler for because of my screenwriting background but I do like a book that peaks near the end. It takes the stakes higher and reveals something about the characters that these kinder, gentler books never get to. Another problem is that a plot thread gets dropped. There is a character, her sister, that is very interesting and a key element, I feel, to the main character's background. She floats like a ghost on the sidelines to the point where she feels, to me, like a plot point and not a real person.
As a side note, I skimmed all the financial information about the husband's business. I already went through exhaustive discussion of this at the time the market was plummeting and find it boring. Others might not. It shows that the writer is one smart cookie, as do her interesting literary references, which I found very interesting. She doesn't throw this stuff out to impress, it adds layers.
A good, fun read. Easily forgettable but with some psychological insight to characters that brings it a notch above the rest.
What is refreshing about this book is that unlike many books about the uber-wealthy, it doesn't waste it's time and mine going on about shoe brands and how much the champagne costs, as if wealthy people got wealthy by shopping. Instead this family feels like a real family, struggling with 2 high flying careers, neglected children, excess that seems normal to them because they are surrounded by people who act the same. Keeping the floor radiant heat on year round for the dog and letting groceries go to rot because they have the same standing order with the grocer regardless of who is in town or hiring a wine waiter for a dinner party are details that sound real and add to the story. These are people whose chaotic life is interesting because it is so exotic.
Which is why the nanny gets sucked in even though she is warned by everyone about Stockholm syndrome. In the end she becomes more a part of the family that she'd like to be. Which provided much of the dramatic tension.
What bothered me about the book is something I've noticed about the last few books I have read which is that there is a very gentle arc to the plot: no high highs, no low lows. Perhaps it is something I am stickler for because of my screenwriting background but I do like a book that peaks near the end. It takes the stakes higher and reveals something about the characters that these kinder, gentler books never get to. Another problem is that a plot thread gets dropped. There is a character, her sister, that is very interesting and a key element, I feel, to the main character's background. She floats like a ghost on the sidelines to the point where she feels, to me, like a plot point and not a real person.
As a side note, I skimmed all the financial information about the husband's business. I already went through exhaustive discussion of this at the time the market was plummeting and find it boring. Others might not. It shows that the writer is one smart cookie, as do her interesting literary references, which I found very interesting. She doesn't throw this stuff out to impress, it adds layers.
A good, fun read. Easily forgettable but with some psychological insight to characters that brings it a notch above the rest.
March 6, 2019
Ali becomes a nanny for a rich couple, Nick and Byrony. She is to mainly watch five-year old twins, who have frustrated their mother by keep talking in a secret language that nobody understands. There is also a 14 year old girl who seems to have anorexia and a 19 year old boy that has gone off to college.
The first couple of chapters were a bit confusing as I tried to figure out what was going on, it was after and there was some kind of financial disaster with Nick's company and he was possibly going to prison. Then the book jumps to the past and you read about Ali starting to become a nanny.
Nick and Byrony are rich, but their life is fair from perfect. The twins are attached to each other, speak in their own language, and don't like to play with other kids. Their 14 year old seems to have an eating disorder, yet nobody seems to care much enough to actually help her. Byrony is constantly flip flopping on what she tells Ali to do in between constantly claiming she is so busy because she works full time. Plenty of mothers work full time yet still have time for their children.
And Ali. I want to like my main character and be rooting for her, but I didn't like her. She just came across as self-centered, not caring, and she kept sleeping with men that weren't appropriate (either married or just too young without giving away too much of the plot.)
I felt bad for the five-year old twins, as they seemed to be the only decent characters in the whole book.
Mixed feelings about this one. It was okay, I have read another book by this author, so I was expecting it to be a little better than it was. But at the same time it was a decent story too.
More of my book reviews can be found at http://bookswithkari.blogspot.com/
The first couple of chapters were a bit confusing as I tried to figure out what was going on, it was after and there was some kind of financial disaster with Nick's company and he was possibly going to prison. Then the book jumps to the past and you read about Ali starting to become a nanny.
Nick and Byrony are rich, but their life is fair from perfect. The twins are attached to each other, speak in their own language, and don't like to play with other kids. Their 14 year old seems to have an eating disorder, yet nobody seems to care much enough to actually help her. Byrony is constantly flip flopping on what she tells Ali to do in between constantly claiming she is so busy because she works full time. Plenty of mothers work full time yet still have time for their children.
And Ali. I want to like my main character and be rooting for her, but I didn't like her. She just came across as self-centered, not caring, and she kept sleeping with men that weren't appropriate (either married or just too young without giving away too much of the plot.)
I felt bad for the five-year old twins, as they seemed to be the only decent characters in the whole book.
Mixed feelings about this one. It was okay, I have read another book by this author, so I was expecting it to be a little better than it was. But at the same time it was a decent story too.
More of my book reviews can be found at http://bookswithkari.blogspot.com/
January 1, 2017
3.5 stars Rounded up because of its ability to bring such a visceral reaction with its inside perspective.
Reading took a back seat as our family did a major downsize, packed, and moved over the past few months. However, this book was such an engrossing read that I couldn't keep from sneaking in a few chapters late each night, though I was dead tired and had an overload of sorting/packing to do.
Set in London in 2008 during the financial downturn, it is the story of a 21 year old university student (Ali) who though inexperienced, is hired by the Skinners as a live-in, full-time nanny for their four children. They are an excessively wealthy couple - banker (husband Nick) and successful financial PR consultant (wife Bryony), who are so caught up in their busy lives to notice what mattered, and never really see Ali as anything other than the hired help.
When the financial downturn starts picking up steam, Ali knows that the Skinners are in trouble financially, but she doesn't realize how close to home things will get. When Nick is accused of insider trading, and the family's assets are frozen, things go from bad to worse.
This book offers an often humorous inside perspective of how greed and arrogance helped bring the banking industry to its knees. Though I did find myself once again getting very riled up and ticked off knowing that the "bad guys" got away with it, and in the end who really suffered the consequences of their actions. Damn!
Reading took a back seat as our family did a major downsize, packed, and moved over the past few months. However, this book was such an engrossing read that I couldn't keep from sneaking in a few chapters late each night, though I was dead tired and had an overload of sorting/packing to do.
Set in London in 2008 during the financial downturn, it is the story of a 21 year old university student (Ali) who though inexperienced, is hired by the Skinners as a live-in, full-time nanny for their four children. They are an excessively wealthy couple - banker (husband Nick) and successful financial PR consultant (wife Bryony), who are so caught up in their busy lives to notice what mattered, and never really see Ali as anything other than the hired help.
When the financial downturn starts picking up steam, Ali knows that the Skinners are in trouble financially, but she doesn't realize how close to home things will get. When Nick is accused of insider trading, and the family's assets are frozen, things go from bad to worse.
This book offers an often humorous inside perspective of how greed and arrogance helped bring the banking industry to its knees. Though I did find myself once again getting very riled up and ticked off knowing that the "bad guys" got away with it, and in the end who really suffered the consequences of their actions. Damn!
March 27, 2012
This book was an OK read, though the main character Ali was not very believable and I felt the author was using the characters in her own way, rather than staying true to them as "individuals" if that makes sense. It was one of those books that you kind of feel you have read before as it has many cliches, but its an OK "switch your brain off" type of read. However, I have to say that whilst I am not a prude, I do hate the use of the "c" word (the 4 letter one!) in a book, and it lent nothing to this book to use it more than once - like the author was just putting it in for the sake of it, which was disappointing and unnecessary.
January 27, 2017
Loved it! Another great book by Fiona Neill. Slummy Mummy is one of my very favorite books, but I was hesitant to read this book since I knew it wasn't a comedy. You can't really compare the two books.
After I got through the first 100 pages, I was hooked and could hardly put the book down. Great character development, clever transitions, and careful weaving of the story about the banking crisis and collapse as well as greed, drive, and belonging. It was GREAT!
After I got through the first 100 pages, I was hooked and could hardly put the book down. Great character development, clever transitions, and careful weaving of the story about the banking crisis and collapse as well as greed, drive, and belonging. It was GREAT!
November 10, 2015
Honestly, this book could have been about 200 pages. And if it was shorter, maybe it would have been better. But it was the same thing, over and over, with no real closure at the end. My book club and I read this, and NONE of us liked it (5 women). To quote one, "If I could have given it zero stars, I would have."
Not worth it. Sounds mysterious and intriguing, but it's just not.
Not worth it. Sounds mysterious and intriguing, but it's just not.
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October 23, 2011Quite a good book, too much banking/shares stuff in it though. The rest of the story is good and it would have been better to have had more of the character storylines rather than banking stuff that I really don't understand. Would have liked the ending to have been better though.
May 23, 2013
This book reminded me of the Nanny Diaries but set in London and the Nanny was employed by a financial banker accused of insider trading. It was a quick read and fairly entertaining but nothing I would recommend.
November 23, 2016
Not exactly what I thought it would be. If you're thinking it'll be some sort of mystery, it's not. It's a rather bland story with characters you neither love nor hate. It's well written which is what moved it from 2 stars to 3 but I don't think that's enough of a reason to read something.
August 30, 2015
Was light but a very engaging read
September 21, 2025
A brick of a book with an attractive premise: a young girl, a glamorous, ultra-wealthy London family, a scandal. What's not to like, right? This kind of a premise would be exactly my cup of tea.
If it weren't for the execution. "What the nanny saw" has one major flaw that the promising premise or the decent'ish ending chapters can't fix: the cadence. The storytelling. The way the author speaks to us is so underwhelming, it made me wanna cry - or not finish the book. I'm glad I did finish, because the ending was strong and definitely gave the novel some extra points.
I feel like the novel could've used a stronger editor. A lot of the time with books in English, it's way better when people "say" something, just "say" them. "Dialogue," said Ali. "Dialogue," said Bryony. Now when the dialogue is strong and sharp, the text will flow and feel nice to read. With this book, dialogue was so exasperatingly poor, and instead they had compensated with a lot of synonyms where personally I think just the word "said" should have been. When in the span of a single page, someone "smiled" (meaning they said something while smiling) at somone else three separate times, it gets rather annoying.
To top it off, Ali, the family's nanny and the protagonist, was about the worst nanny ever. I'm not gonna detail it so as not to spoil anything, but she couldn't have been any more reckless or careless about the kids' welfare. Also, the subject of anorexia was approached with an absolutely blase attitude. Ali found out the family's fourteen-year-old daughter was anorexic, and didn't bother to tell anyone for months, because I guess she had other, more pressing matters to attend, such as gossiping with other nannies about her employer's sex life whilst the family was in the earshot, or something.
I commend the book for the nice lenght and the strong final pages, but overall, it's miss for me.
If it weren't for the execution. "What the nanny saw" has one major flaw that the promising premise or the decent'ish ending chapters can't fix: the cadence. The storytelling. The way the author speaks to us is so underwhelming, it made me wanna cry - or not finish the book. I'm glad I did finish, because the ending was strong and definitely gave the novel some extra points.
I feel like the novel could've used a stronger editor. A lot of the time with books in English, it's way better when people "say" something, just "say" them. "Dialogue," said Ali. "Dialogue," said Bryony. Now when the dialogue is strong and sharp, the text will flow and feel nice to read. With this book, dialogue was so exasperatingly poor, and instead they had compensated with a lot of synonyms where personally I think just the word "said" should have been. When in the span of a single page, someone "smiled" (meaning they said something while smiling) at somone else three separate times, it gets rather annoying.
To top it off, Ali, the family's nanny and the protagonist, was about the worst nanny ever. I'm not gonna detail it so as not to spoil anything, but she couldn't have been any more reckless or careless about the kids' welfare. Also, the subject of anorexia was approached with an absolutely blase attitude. Ali found out the family's fourteen-year-old daughter was anorexic, and didn't bother to tell anyone for months, because I guess she had other, more pressing matters to attend, such as gossiping with other nannies about her employer's sex life whilst the family was in the earshot, or something.
I commend the book for the nice lenght and the strong final pages, but overall, it's miss for me.
August 7, 2023
I went through phases of loving this book and phases of strongly disliking this book. I found the business jargon to be confusing and I couldn’t understand the financial side to the book. That being said I always love reading about the rich upper class and financial crimes. This book added a twist to this story because it focused on the nanny of an upper class family.
I throughly enjoyed following Ali during her time working as a nanny and watching her build relationships with every member of the family. Her connection with the twins was so special and warmed my heart.
I loved the drama throughout the book and think that the build of suspense was great. However, I think at moments they took the drama t far. The romantic affairs happened all over the place and none of the relationships in this book were stable and happy.
Another reason I did love this book was because there were so many characters. It was hard to have good character development when there are so many different storylines and lives being highlighted at once.
Overall I enjoyed this read but wouldn’t necessarily recommend unless it is the type of story you are interested in.
I throughly enjoyed following Ali during her time working as a nanny and watching her build relationships with every member of the family. Her connection with the twins was so special and warmed my heart.
I loved the drama throughout the book and think that the build of suspense was great. However, I think at moments they took the drama t far. The romantic affairs happened all over the place and none of the relationships in this book were stable and happy.
Another reason I did love this book was because there were so many characters. It was hard to have good character development when there are so many different storylines and lives being highlighted at once.
Overall I enjoyed this read but wouldn’t necessarily recommend unless it is the type of story you are interested in.
January 30, 2022
I found the book hard to keep up with and I hated it was in 3rd person. I felt the author could have used first person easily. I kept reading only to see if it’s get better but it didn’t really. I loved hearing about the Eastern Europeans nannies life story at the cafe. My family is Romanian so the that small scene in the book made me happy to read and feel more connected to my roots. I would have gave up on this book if I wasn’t doing a 1 book a month challenge. There’s a lot of affairs and it’s sickening to read. Better off not reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2024
Just ok.
I almost wanted to give up a few times, but for lack of something else to read, I persevered. The story was a bit flat and all the financial stuff was lost on me. I really didn't care that much about any of the characters. Since I don't live a life of such luxury, the excessiveness, over the top lifestyles, poor treatment of "domestic help", their inability to comprehend what it's like for ordinary people, and entitlement of the 1% only intensified my feelings of "I really don't care".
I almost wanted to give up a few times, but for lack of something else to read, I persevered. The story was a bit flat and all the financial stuff was lost on me. I really didn't care that much about any of the characters. Since I don't live a life of such luxury, the excessiveness, over the top lifestyles, poor treatment of "domestic help", their inability to comprehend what it's like for ordinary people, and entitlement of the 1% only intensified my feelings of "I really don't care".
March 21, 2019
Low 4
I love the way Fiona Neill develops the characters in her books - so much so that I miss them when I finish the book and I have to wait a while before I start reading something else ...
This is the 3rd book I’ve read by this author and whilst the story/subject matter wasn’t as ‘punchy’ as The Betrayals and The Good Girl, the characters were as finely tuned as ever.
Slow to start but still a good read
I love the way Fiona Neill develops the characters in her books - so much so that I miss them when I finish the book and I have to wait a while before I start reading something else ...
This is the 3rd book I’ve read by this author and whilst the story/subject matter wasn’t as ‘punchy’ as The Betrayals and The Good Girl, the characters were as finely tuned as ever.
Slow to start but still a good read
March 23, 2023
How did the author get this book past publishing? From slut shaming to pro-anorexia pep-talks. Even going as far to make jokes about children being obsessed with toys in a “non-autistic way”???? Sleeping with her employer and her employers child? Oh and only pretty Nannie’s do this, not frumpy overweight ones. Did I mention there is fat-shaming as well? IMMEDIATE DNF. If it’s on your shelf, it would look better in the dump. A recycle bin doesn’t even deserve this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2018
Like other people have said it took me a while to get into this book but once I did well I couldn't put it down.
The first chapter felt very much like it should have been in the middle of the book, which may be why i struggled to get going with it.
The first chapter felt very much like it should have been in the middle of the book, which may be why i struggled to get going with it.
November 26, 2019
Apparently the book was supposed to be funny? I didn’t find any funny parts. The ending was abrupt. If Lehman Brothers/Bear Stearns stuff is of no interest to you, it’s going to be a rough road to hoe.
June 12, 2020
Very good story of the 2008 financial crisis from the perspective of a young college student who has been hired as a live in nanny to an extremely wealthy British family. The father is ahighly paid investment banker while the mother is a publicist. I enjoyed this book very much.
August 9, 2021
Kwam wat traag op gang, maar kon later in de boek meer bekoren. Gaat evenzeer over de financiële crisis als over de nanny, eigenlijk wel een originele combinatie aan elementen.
Was niet wat ik ervan verwachtte maar dat is geen slechte zaak.
Was niet wat ik ervan verwachtte maar dat is geen slechte zaak.
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