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The Good Nanny: A Novel
The Cross family's new nanny is perfect. A natural with children, a whiz in the kitchen, and a gifted painter, the only thing Miss Washington can't seem to do is make a mistake. But thanks to Stuart Cross's artistic ambitions, his wife Andie's mounting paranoia, and the nanny's smitten ex-boyfriend, what should be domestic bliss quickly turns into an outrageous disaster.
- GenresFiction
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
February 22, 2023
This audio book was kind of boring. It was mostly about the man of the house and his two daughters, and his dealing with his paranoid wife but didn't really get around to the nanny all that much and have much at all going on until close to the end. It didn't help that the CD's were well used and worn out so they skipped and repeated in several places so some tracks had to be skipped which contained some pertinent information.
April 29, 2023
Judging by other ratings, a lot of people don't like this book. It was not your typical mystery for sure.The author has his own unique style of writing, and the beginning of the book took a while to build up interest. I am giving it four stars because I think the author had an incredibly effective and subtle means of depicting the way racism happens in North America. Recommended for those who enjoy subtleties.
August 20, 2019
This has got to be one of the worst books I have ever read. Honestly, given our political climate, it should be pulled from shelves.. I don't write many reviews, but this book was so terrible, that I couldn't just leave my 1 star without an explanation.
The book follows a rich, careless, vapid couple through their search for a nanny and their issues trusting the nanny, which appear to stem from racism.
When the mother returns home one afternoon, unexpectedly early from work,
Then later, when the nanny
What the actual fu*k, B. Cheever....
The book follows a rich, careless, vapid couple through their search for a nanny and their issues trusting the nanny, which appear to stem from racism.
When the mother returns home one afternoon, unexpectedly early from work,
Then later, when the nanny
What the actual fu*k, B. Cheever....
August 30, 2020
As to the latter part, I think the author could say to readers, "Don't say that I didn't warn you." The reader could see the hard scene coming in advance (suspension of belief required as to the officer & Sugar's scene inside the restaurant w the children on each side of her). / Sugar the nanny had acted in the story as if she was a balm to offset (& at some point) heal the family infected with chaos. Instead, she ended not as a balm, but as impotent as the pus, ooze & blood that chaos produces. / Give wide berth to the people who seem to materially prosper despite lives chaotic. / The reader is with the scenes, easy to imagine characters, not convoluted. Clean. But still bizarre, extreme chaos in the 4-member family. And pity felt for the 2 daughters bc any sense of safety the nanny created for them within the family is gone after the latter part of the story. If you're sensitive to the empathy this loss & continuance* of danger provokes, then perhaps don't read it. *Because do the parents become less chaos-based? Unknown.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2021
The novel revolves around Stuart and his wife who have bought an extravagant home and need a competent nanny to care for their children while they both work. They hire "Sugar," an artist and highly recommended nanny whom their girls love.
The parents pride themselves on being open minded and progressive, but as the plot progresses, the underlying racism which they outwardly deplore becomes more obvious. There are some funny scenes, but overall the droll humor got a bit tiresome.
I think the problem is that the book is dated. Forty years ago, I might have enjoyed it more.
Several reviewers criticized Cheever for being racist. I think they missed his intent to show the underlying racism of this very "liberal" and forward thinking couple. Their actions show us the feelings they don't know they have.
This was an audio book and my new car doesn't have a CD player, so I had to finish by listening to it on a CD player in the house. I don't do well sitting still and listening so it took me forever.
The parents pride themselves on being open minded and progressive, but as the plot progresses, the underlying racism which they outwardly deplore becomes more obvious. There are some funny scenes, but overall the droll humor got a bit tiresome.
I think the problem is that the book is dated. Forty years ago, I might have enjoyed it more.
Several reviewers criticized Cheever for being racist. I think they missed his intent to show the underlying racism of this very "liberal" and forward thinking couple. Their actions show us the feelings they don't know they have.
This was an audio book and my new car doesn't have a CD player, so I had to finish by listening to it on a CD player in the house. I don't do well sitting still and listening so it took me forever.
June 13, 2018
An ironic story about yuppie parents and their quest for the “paragon” of nannies.
Cheever never quite pulls off the humor implied in his chapters. The nanny never really comes alive, either, but the book does entertain.
It’s the age-old pull between one’s love for her child and the need for fulfillment outside the home.
There’s also a never fully developed commentary about race and class.
Cheever never quite pulls off the humor implied in his chapters. The nanny never really comes alive, either, but the book does entertain.
It’s the age-old pull between one’s love for her child and the need for fulfillment outside the home.
There’s also a never fully developed commentary about race and class.
October 1, 2020
For the first half of the book I wondered why I was reading it. By the 2nd half it had became a four and by the end it had become a five. Of course, as always, these numbers are very subjective. But all in all I went through a lot of emotions myself while reading it. I laughed out loud. And was horrified at other times. I listened to it on audio by the way. I’m sure that makes a difference.
August 15, 2023
Audiobook. This was… a lot of words for an interesting plot, commenting on race and class and the ridiculousness of so many people, that could’ve been told in either a briefer or more interesting way. The afterthoughts of this story will stay with me for sure, but going through the story didn’t feel like much.
April 20, 2025
This book has gotten alot of bad reviews but I'm glad I didn't come here to see the reviews on this one as I probley wouldn't have bought it well i got it for free .. anyway it's about a couple husband and wife that are married trying to juggle both working and having kids etc they hire a nanny and things come unglued:) I'll stop there pick it up it's a good read!
Read
November 18, 2020This is one of those strange reads. I must have like something about it cause I read it compulsively. The story was pretty gruesome so it must have been the style the story was told in?? Still scratching my head.
February 18, 2023
I listened to the audiobook….and it was awful. The story (and droll narrator) was so boring. Honestly, nothing of interest happens until the last two chapters, and then the story turns tragic! Just awful, I do NOT recommend it.
September 19, 2019
Very slow start. Upper class people have problems with work life balance. Predictable, terrible ending.
December 16, 2024
Dark comic tragedy about privlegw, race, and today's society. Work/life balance preoccupied a young couple recently moving t o the suburbs and so they
Hire a nanny. To help out with the children.
Hire a nanny. To help out with the children.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2024
So many readers gave this book negative reviews, but I really liked it. I heard about the novel at the end of an Anthony Doerr novel (About Grace), and I figured it would be about missing children. There was just so much irony that I couldn't stop reading.
Because I don't read the book blurbs, I didn't know what to expect, but I immediately assumed the nanny was bad, which was what Andie did too. I think she really wanted what was best for her children, but maybe she was best? I'm in no way saying women can't work, because I do. But she wanted it all. The job, the house, the nanny, to be with the kids, freedom, for her husband to care more about the kids. And that's not realistic.
From the beginning of the book I was annoyed by the couple. They seemed really superficial at the own party. But I liked how the author made almost gave the readers a stream of consciousness so we knew what Andie and her husband were thinking all the time. And that made them more pathetic.
Their children needed love and attention, and I kept thinking Sugar was going to become bad, but she was so good. AGAIN, I think the message is great. Was she judged because of her color? Was she accused by the cops because of her color? Did she not gain recognition as quickly for her art because of her color? It just pissed me off. And what art gallery really charges half to show a painting? HALF of the profit seems so unfair for the artist, who does all the work.
As for the writing world, as a book editor, I was very interested in the careers of the couple. I could relate and felt like I was reading (listening about my job). I love all the famous author Cheever had the main character quote, like he could relate to these people. But was he really a great writer? It sounded like he was a great editor, and that's so different.
I had to laugh about his whining - one day at home in the millionaire mansion and he's having a pity party. Was the house just for show? And one day at home to work on writing his book, and yet he whines and gets nothing done because he's so distracted and acting like a petulant child.
The children - redeemable characters. Much smarter than they got credit for. Their vocabulary as they spoke was outstanding, and this probably came from parents who were editors/reviewers. They heard good speech at home. I appreciated the depth of characterization they received.
UGH - it just made me mad how much Andie acted like she cared and was worried but then wasn't around.
Because I don't read the book blurbs, I didn't know what to expect, but I immediately assumed the nanny was bad, which was what Andie did too. I think she really wanted what was best for her children, but maybe she was best? I'm in no way saying women can't work, because I do. But she wanted it all. The job, the house, the nanny, to be with the kids, freedom, for her husband to care more about the kids. And that's not realistic.
From the beginning of the book I was annoyed by the couple. They seemed really superficial at the own party. But I liked how the author made almost gave the readers a stream of consciousness so we knew what Andie and her husband were thinking all the time. And that made them more pathetic.
Their children needed love and attention, and I kept thinking Sugar was going to become bad, but she was so good. AGAIN, I think the message is great. Was she judged because of her color? Was she accused by the cops because of her color? Did she not gain recognition as quickly for her art because of her color? It just pissed me off. And what art gallery really charges half to show a painting? HALF of the profit seems so unfair for the artist, who does all the work.
As for the writing world, as a book editor, I was very interested in the careers of the couple. I could relate and felt like I was reading (listening about my job). I love all the famous author Cheever had the main character quote, like he could relate to these people. But was he really a great writer? It sounded like he was a great editor, and that's so different.
I had to laugh about his whining - one day at home in the millionaire mansion and he's having a pity party. Was the house just for show? And one day at home to work on writing his book, and yet he whines and gets nothing done because he's so distracted and acting like a petulant child.
The children - redeemable characters. Much smarter than they got credit for. Their vocabulary as they spoke was outstanding, and this probably came from parents who were editors/reviewers. They heard good speech at home. I appreciated the depth of characterization they received.
UGH - it just made me mad how much Andie acted like she cared and was worried but then wasn't around.
December 24, 2016
Stuart Cross and Andie Wilde, a sophisticated couple with interesting careers in Manhattan—Stuart is an editor at a prestigious small publishing house, and Andie has just been promoted to the "enviable but not entirely respectable position" of top film critic for the New York Post—have recently bought a huge house in the suburbs. Neither is willing to adjust their professional expectations to accommodate their two young daughters, so they hire a nanny.
Louise Washington is almost too good to be true, and the children (including one daughter who is picked on by her father for being overweight, ooooohhh I hate him) quickly become attached to her. She paints oil paintings like the masters, and oh yes, she’s black and her best friend has just been released from prison. (Believe me, at this point you’re trying to put all these pieces together so you c
an beat the author to the punch and proudly say, “I could see that coming!”)
Andie, feeling displaced and struggling with mother guilt, becomes more and more paranoid about the nanny's activities, and sets in motion a series of events that give the book its shocking conclusion. Publishers Weekly called this “a scathing satire,” but I didn’t laugh anywhere along the way. Really. It freaked me out. For quite a while.
This is an incredibly intelligent book and a great read.
Louise Washington is almost too good to be true, and the children (including one daughter who is picked on by her father for being overweight, ooooohhh I hate him) quickly become attached to her. She paints oil paintings like the masters, and oh yes, she’s black and her best friend has just been released from prison. (Believe me, at this point you’re trying to put all these pieces together so you c
an beat the author to the punch and proudly say, “I could see that coming!”)
Andie, feeling displaced and struggling with mother guilt, becomes more and more paranoid about the nanny's activities, and sets in motion a series of events that give the book its shocking conclusion. Publishers Weekly called this “a scathing satire,” but I didn’t laugh anywhere along the way. Really. It freaked me out. For quite a while.
This is an incredibly intelligent book and a great read.
October 20, 2017
Engrossing, funny and disturbing story of a horrid suburban couple who are challenged by a remarkable woman they hired as a nanny. These careless, privileged people can never acknowledge the profound damage they unconsciously perpetrate.
June 16, 2008
This book made me want to scream. Overly privileged wasp couple hire the perfect nanny. The wife is the hysterical type about her two daughters. The couple moved to the country to get away from New York crime.
The perfect nanny is not perfect enough for the mother and their senseless behavior bodes very bad for the nanny.
I was so angry at this couple in the end and their stupidity was the cause of everything.
I realize that this is meant to be a kind of black humor, but it was just too over the top for me.
The perfect nanny is not perfect enough for the mother and their senseless behavior bodes very bad for the nanny.
I was so angry at this couple in the end and their stupidity was the cause of everything.
I realize that this is meant to be a kind of black humor, but it was just too over the top for me.
February 12, 2008
There are many interesting themes in this book, and the author's inability to pick one and really run with it has kept me from giving this really good book five stars (I'm also constrained by the utterly depressing ending--didn't see that one coming). This is not a book for those who don't care to be challenged by their literature.
September 6, 2008
Quite possibly the WORST book ever. I listened to all 8, 9 or 10 CDs on a long road trip when the munchins where sleeping. I can't think of a reason I finished even the first CD except I must have been road crazy. I've never wanted to write an author and tell them how crappy their book was ..... until I listened to this one. BEWARE!!
July 7, 2009
Quick read. I actually liked the first part, even though the characters were exaggerated. It seemed like more of a parody than real life, and it was kind of fun. BUT, the ending was terrible and made me dislike the whole book. It was totally unrealistic and made the whole book feel like a cheap set-up.
April 24, 2011
This had to be one of the most irritating and boring plotlines I have ever encountered. Had I not been listening to it on a long drive I would have dropped it in the trash. Except for the nanny the characters were moronic and ridiculous. The ending is the worst part of all. I wish I had this six hours of my life back.
September 8, 2011
Dark satire of life in a nice NYC suburb with high-strung parents (the kind of people who never should have been parents) and their poor employee. The twist ending was depressing, but I loved all the jabs at the publishing world. Not much of an exaggeration, especially about how projects increase in value when someone dies.
October 3, 2007
I wish I'd given up on this book early on, when the female half of the couple got hysterical for no good reason. That way I wouldn't have been around at the end when the male half did the same damn thing. Bah.
November 6, 2008
This book was witty and satirical and truly suspenseful and dark until the last bit, when Cheever lost me. It got almost melodramatic, lost its amazing spark and humor and went from 6 out of 5 to 4 out of 5. Still highly recommended, but don't read it for the ending!
May 21, 2009
A quick read. A interesting fictional way to question ones priorities.
I need help...
I really am stuck in what should get a 2 or 3 stars. I need to define what gets a 2 and what gets a 3.
This book is average. Just like the last couple books I have read.
I need help...
I really am stuck in what should get a 2 or 3 stars. I need to define what gets a 2 and what gets a 3.
This book is average. Just like the last couple books I have read.
April 17, 2012
I wasn't too happy about how this story was going. It's a satire and the main characters were not that likeable. So I checked out the Goodreads reviews, and they warned me it would end badly. This at least prepared me for the highly manufactured tragedy at the end.
April 30, 2009
So far the story is just unfolding and the characters are mildly interesting although some details are cliche but maybe I'll find out why as I continue reading....
February 9, 2010
I really wanted to love this book, as I dig Cheever's book on running, called "Strides." But I didn't. I read until the end, though, so it had some suspense.
January 25, 2010
Supposed to be a "black comedy" but not very funny.
August 19, 2010
Lame ending.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews