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The Nanny
The bad babies at a birthday party introduce the colors
229 pages, Hardcover
First published November 12, 1987
102 people want to read
About the author
Dan Greenburg
164 books75 followersDAN GREENBURG BIO
BOOKS:
Dan's 73 books have been published in 24 countries.
His adult best-sellers include EXES, LOVE KILLS, HOW TO BE A JEWISH MOTHER, HOW TO MAKE YOURSELF MISERABLE, and HOW TO AVOID LOVE AND MARRIAGE. How to be a Jewish Mother sold several million copies. It and How to Make Yourself Miserable were in print for 30 years and were on Publishers Weekly’s list of all-time bestsellers.
Amazon will publish Dan’s third psychological thriller, FEAR ITSELF, in January 2014. They’ll also republish his first two thrillers, EXES and LOVE KILLS.
He’s written four series of children's books: THE ZACK FILES, SECRETS OF DRIPPING FANG, WEIRD PLANET, and MAXIMUM BOY. The Zack Files sold more than 2 million copies, was translated into 20 languages, and generated an Emmy-winning 52-episode TV series that ran on Showtime and Fox Family.
ADVENTURES:
Dan has written extensively about his adventures:
Riding with NYPD homicide detectives for two years to research thrillers FEAR ITSELF, EXES, and LOVE KILLS.
Interviewing murderers alone in their maximum security prison cells for FEAR ITSELF.
Attending autopsies in the NYC morgue for EXES.
Learning how to discipline tigers and lions on a Texas tiger ranch.
Swimming with 80,000 lb. humpback whales in the deep ocean.
Flying upside down with a stunt pilot in an open-cockpit biplane.
Participating in dangerous voodoo rites in Haiti.
Riding with NYC firemen for four months and following them into burning buildings.
Searching for the Loch Ness Monster.
Assisting exorcists in a Connecticut house attacked by poltergeists.
Acting a major character role in a Western movie filmed in Spain.
Doing stand-up comedy at the New York Improv, and on TV talk shows.
Getting screamed at by Orson Welles on the set of Catch-22 in Mexico.
MAGAZINES:
Dan’s articles have appeared in The New Yorker, Esquire, New York Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, The Huffington Post, Time, Life, Newsweek, Ms., Playboy, and have been reprinted in 44 humor anthologies in the U.S. and England.
MOVIES AND TV:
Dan has had six of his feature films produced, two of which are on Variety’s list of top grossing films.
THEATER:
Along with Jules Feiffer, John Lennon and Samuel Beckett, Dan was a contributor to Oh! Calcutta!, which ran on Broadway for 21 years. He was also a contributor to Free to be You and Me, which ran off and on Broadway for years.
MISC.:
Dan has appeared on The Today Show, The Tonight Show, Larry King Live, and Late Night with David Letterman. He grew up in Chicago, got his BFA from the University of Illinois, and his MFA from UCLA. He lives in Westchester, NY and British Columbia with his author wife Judith Greenburg and many cats.
dan@dangreenburg.com
BOOKS:
Dan's 73 books have been published in 24 countries.
His adult best-sellers include EXES, LOVE KILLS, HOW TO BE A JEWISH MOTHER, HOW TO MAKE YOURSELF MISERABLE, and HOW TO AVOID LOVE AND MARRIAGE. How to be a Jewish Mother sold several million copies. It and How to Make Yourself Miserable were in print for 30 years and were on Publishers Weekly’s list of all-time bestsellers.
Amazon will publish Dan’s third psychological thriller, FEAR ITSELF, in January 2014. They’ll also republish his first two thrillers, EXES and LOVE KILLS.
He’s written four series of children's books: THE ZACK FILES, SECRETS OF DRIPPING FANG, WEIRD PLANET, and MAXIMUM BOY. The Zack Files sold more than 2 million copies, was translated into 20 languages, and generated an Emmy-winning 52-episode TV series that ran on Showtime and Fox Family.
ADVENTURES:
Dan has written extensively about his adventures:
Riding with NYPD homicide detectives for two years to research thrillers FEAR ITSELF, EXES, and LOVE KILLS.
Interviewing murderers alone in their maximum security prison cells for FEAR ITSELF.
Attending autopsies in the NYC morgue for EXES.
Learning how to discipline tigers and lions on a Texas tiger ranch.
Swimming with 80,000 lb. humpback whales in the deep ocean.
Flying upside down with a stunt pilot in an open-cockpit biplane.
Participating in dangerous voodoo rites in Haiti.
Riding with NYC firemen for four months and following them into burning buildings.
Searching for the Loch Ness Monster.
Assisting exorcists in a Connecticut house attacked by poltergeists.
Acting a major character role in a Western movie filmed in Spain.
Doing stand-up comedy at the New York Improv, and on TV talk shows.
Getting screamed at by Orson Welles on the set of Catch-22 in Mexico.
MAGAZINES:
Dan’s articles have appeared in The New Yorker, Esquire, New York Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, The Huffington Post, Time, Life, Newsweek, Ms., Playboy, and have been reprinted in 44 humor anthologies in the U.S. and England.
MOVIES AND TV:
Dan has had six of his feature films produced, two of which are on Variety’s list of top grossing films.
THEATER:
Along with Jules Feiffer, John Lennon and Samuel Beckett, Dan was a contributor to Oh! Calcutta!, which ran on Broadway for 21 years. He was also a contributor to Free to be You and Me, which ran off and on Broadway for years.
MISC.:
Dan has appeared on The Today Show, The Tonight Show, Larry King Live, and Late Night with David Letterman. He grew up in Chicago, got his BFA from the University of Illinois, and his MFA from UCLA. He lives in Westchester, NY and British Columbia with his author wife Judith Greenburg and many cats.
dan@dangreenburg.com
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 14, 2015
Read this in 8th grade & it's stuck with me ever since.
March 17, 2022
The Nanny, Dan Greenburg, 1987
My favorite quote: “Something was happening to Phil, his wife and his baby, something hideous, and Phil was still trying to understand what it was and what to do about it and how people as normal and nice as they were could have had such a thing happen to them.”
Notable characters: Julie Pressman, the mother; Phil Pressman, the daddy; Harry, the baby; Luci Redman, the mysterious, super-sexy nanny
Most memorable scene: When Phil suspects he sees Luci, the nanny, breastfeeding the baby. There’s just something about someone breastfeeding another person’s baby that really creeps me out
Greatest strengths: Its mystery. The Nanny keeps the reader asking questions throughout … and long afterward. Dan Greenburg did a fine job creating a new kind of terror here. I’m still sure I know what was going in this book, but I liked it
Standout achievements: I often finish books and couldn’t tell you anything about them six months later — but The Nanny really stuck with me. Dan Greenburg’s imagery is extremely vivid — probably due to his concise writing style — and even though it’s been a long time, I remember more about this book than most (I usually forget most of the story as soon as I start the next book)
Fun Facts: Uma Thurman was initially slated for the part of Camilla (Luci Redman, the nanny) in the film. I can kinda see it …
Other media: The 1990 film, The Guardian, is based on this book … though the two are very different entities, though. Seriously … not even the same story -- but both are pretty cool in their own right IMO
What it taught me: Honestly, as much as I enjoyed this book, I think too many things went unresolved. While I generally enjoy ‘indeterminate endings,’ The Nanny is one of those books that reminds me that there is such a thing as too many loose ends. Dan Greenburg could have rounded out the story a lot more by addressing some pretty simple issues
How it inspired me: The attraction and sexuality in The Nanny is very well-drawn. More than once, I’ve referred to this book when I’m looking to ramp up the hormones and sexual tension in my own work (sometimes my books get a bit too hormonal, though -- but that’s another story)
Additional thoughts: I’m a fan of unique villains and in many ways, that’s what saves this book for me. Luci Redman — or Nanny, as she insists on being called — is nothing if not a fresh-faced, new breed of monster
Haunt me: alistaircross.com
Read The Nanny: https://tinyurl.com/2p8pfs9s
My favorite quote: “Something was happening to Phil, his wife and his baby, something hideous, and Phil was still trying to understand what it was and what to do about it and how people as normal and nice as they were could have had such a thing happen to them.”
Notable characters: Julie Pressman, the mother; Phil Pressman, the daddy; Harry, the baby; Luci Redman, the mysterious, super-sexy nanny
Most memorable scene: When Phil suspects he sees Luci, the nanny, breastfeeding the baby. There’s just something about someone breastfeeding another person’s baby that really creeps me out
Greatest strengths: Its mystery. The Nanny keeps the reader asking questions throughout … and long afterward. Dan Greenburg did a fine job creating a new kind of terror here. I’m still sure I know what was going in this book, but I liked it
Standout achievements: I often finish books and couldn’t tell you anything about them six months later — but The Nanny really stuck with me. Dan Greenburg’s imagery is extremely vivid — probably due to his concise writing style — and even though it’s been a long time, I remember more about this book than most (I usually forget most of the story as soon as I start the next book)
Fun Facts: Uma Thurman was initially slated for the part of Camilla (Luci Redman, the nanny) in the film. I can kinda see it …
Other media: The 1990 film, The Guardian, is based on this book … though the two are very different entities, though. Seriously … not even the same story -- but both are pretty cool in their own right IMO
What it taught me: Honestly, as much as I enjoyed this book, I think too many things went unresolved. While I generally enjoy ‘indeterminate endings,’ The Nanny is one of those books that reminds me that there is such a thing as too many loose ends. Dan Greenburg could have rounded out the story a lot more by addressing some pretty simple issues
How it inspired me: The attraction and sexuality in The Nanny is very well-drawn. More than once, I’ve referred to this book when I’m looking to ramp up the hormones and sexual tension in my own work (sometimes my books get a bit too hormonal, though -- but that’s another story)
Additional thoughts: I’m a fan of unique villains and in many ways, that’s what saves this book for me. Luci Redman — or Nanny, as she insists on being called — is nothing if not a fresh-faced, new breed of monster
Haunt me: alistaircross.com
Read The Nanny: https://tinyurl.com/2p8pfs9s
April 6, 2016
I saw the movie The Guardian a long time ago and had always been curious about the book it was based on which brings me to my review. I was EXTREMELY disappointed in this book. The characters are unlikable, the nanny is stupid and annoying as a matter of fact I found most of the characters annoying. I thought the storytelling was immature and that the story as a whole was poorly executed. Basically I hated it except for a few glimmers of interest I had to force myself through which I only did because my sister suggested I read it and then we could watch the movie again which we did with a new found appreciation. I suggest not bothering with this book and checking out the movie instead.
October 12, 2013
I enjoyed this book. There was a movie made based on this called The Guardian. If you ever saw the movie and liked it track down this book and give it a read.
June 16, 2021
When The Nanny was published, Dan Greenburg had an already checked career in sex-and-morality comedies and children’s books. Little in his resumé indicated any proclivity for the horror genre except, perhaps, the seemingly well reviewed thriller Love Kills. In this psychosexual thriller with a touch of supernatural, a hip middle-class couple move to New York City to make it big, with their new born son. Comes in the nanny with glowing recommendations, stern demeanour and frankly odd behaviours. Soon, it transpires that she is not who she claims to be and, of course, shocking revelations and violent murders ensue.
This piece clicks by swiftly, following a very clear and predictable plot which, often make the narrative feels contrived. Actually, the novel reads like a script treatment and the fact that in its 1990's movie adaptation, The Guardian by William Friedkin, a baby eating tree was added to the plot - a rather ballsy move even by Hollywood standards - is testimony of Greenburg’s lacklustre horror quality. His grasps on the challenges of new parenthood and the strain it bears on couples is undeniable and perhaps the best part of the novel. However, middle-class lifestyle and values paraded as desirable and worth murder to protect was a harder sell for me. If horror as a genre can be conservative then this one is for the text book.
This piece clicks by swiftly, following a very clear and predictable plot which, often make the narrative feels contrived. Actually, the novel reads like a script treatment and the fact that in its 1990's movie adaptation, The Guardian by William Friedkin, a baby eating tree was added to the plot - a rather ballsy move even by Hollywood standards - is testimony of Greenburg’s lacklustre horror quality. His grasps on the challenges of new parenthood and the strain it bears on couples is undeniable and perhaps the best part of the novel. However, middle-class lifestyle and values paraded as desirable and worth murder to protect was a harder sell for me. If horror as a genre can be conservative then this one is for the text book.
September 26, 2024
Three and a half stars. Being a fan of Friedkin's THE GUARDIAN, I've always wanted to read the book it was based on. I knew Friedkin made lots of changes, but other than the core premise, the book is completely different (there's nary a Druid tree witch to be found). This is a fast, easy read. The chapters are short and the writing is simple. The sex scenes feel like they were written by a horny 13 year old boy, and I couldn't help but think Greenburg was playing out some of his own kinky fantasies on the page. But the last 50 pages when Nanny turns into the Terminator and the book goes full horror are fun.
October 29, 2023
Totally unbelievable. But a quick read.
January 10, 2024
fast read and strangely good. I liked it but I’m giving 3.5 stars cuz I felt like the ending was rushed.
June 10, 2013
Phil e Julie Pressman sono due giovani sposi che da Chicago si trasferiscono a New York per motivi di lavoro. In breve tempo la loro vita cambia drasticamente con la nascita di Harry, il loro primo figlio. L'arrivo del bambino causa non pochi problemi alla coppia tanto da costringerli ad assumere una tata in grado di prendersi cura sia della casa che del piccolo. Dopo una serie di disastrosi colloqui i due decidono di assumere Luci Redman, un'affascinante infermiera inglese dalle ottime referenze. Ma ben presto la donna mostrerà il suo vero volto: dietro l'impeccabile professionalità della governante si cela infatti una creatura diabolica e inquiente.
"Nanny", scritto da Dan Greenburg, è un romanzo molto particolare poichè è un mix di numerosi generi lettarari. L'inizio è assolutamente rosa, a tratti divertente... quasi comico quando vediamo i protagonisti alle prese con biberon e tettarelle, poi la storia si tinge di erotismo con l'entrata in scena della Tata, arrogante e fredda ma anche terribilmente seducente, che per ottenere quello desidera non esita a scendere a qualsiasi compromesso. A tre quarti del libro la trama si trasforma in thriller per poi diventare un vero e proprio horror. In conclusione, malgrado non sia un capolavoro rimane ugualmente un discreto libro.
"Nanny", scritto da Dan Greenburg, è un romanzo molto particolare poichè è un mix di numerosi generi lettarari. L'inizio è assolutamente rosa, a tratti divertente... quasi comico quando vediamo i protagonisti alle prese con biberon e tettarelle, poi la storia si tinge di erotismo con l'entrata in scena della Tata, arrogante e fredda ma anche terribilmente seducente, che per ottenere quello desidera non esita a scendere a qualsiasi compromesso. A tre quarti del libro la trama si trasforma in thriller per poi diventare un vero e proprio horror. In conclusione, malgrado non sia un capolavoro rimane ugualmente un discreto libro.
February 9, 2023
THE NANNY, which served as the basis for the film THE GUARDIAN, is a slow-burn horror novel that I find most notable for blending ROSEMARY’S-BABY-style literary pretensions with the schlockiest third act I’ve seen since the movie THE NUN. The book doesn’t seem well remembered, likely because readers who appreciated the story’s initial restraint were put off by the silliness of the unexplained ending, and vice versa. There’s also an element of SINGLE WHITE FEMALE in the proceedings, but thankfully the novels never descends into gratuitous erotica, as I was worried it might.
November 10, 2021
Utan tvekan den absolut bästa bok jag nånsin läst. Det här är boken som gjorde mig bokintresserad som barn. Jag glömde titeln men aldrig känslan boken gav mig då.
Efter tjugo år hittade jag den igen, läste och fick EXAKT samma känsla.
Seriöst den mest obehagliga och mest intensiva skräckbok som finns!
Efter tjugo år hittade jag den igen, läste och fick EXAKT samma känsla.
Seriöst den mest obehagliga och mest intensiva skräckbok som finns!
June 3, 2016
Silly but readable. Not the best supernatural villain ever and a lot of "dead air" chapters but you could do worse in the summertime.
September 2, 2018
One bad decision after another, makes for a situation that worsens, until there is no possible ending
that will not be a disaster.
that will not be a disaster.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews