The Nanny

by Melissa Nathan

Twenty-three-year-old Jo Green knows that if she has to spend one more night in ultra-provincial Niblet-Upon-Avon she'll go completely bonkers! So she answers an ad in the paper, bids her devoted boyfriend Shaun adieu, and heads off to the big city. With a new job that offers excitement; a cool car; and her own suite with a TV, DVD player, and a cell phone, how can she go wrong?

Then she meets . . . the Fitzgeralds -- Dick and Vanessa and their unruly brood of rugrats who have suddenly been entrusted into Jo's care. There's eight-year-old "psycho-babe" Cassandra; bloodthirsty Zak, the six-year-old Terminator; and timid little Tallulah.

So what else could go wrong? How about the arrival of Dick's children from his first marriage: teenage Toby and (gulp!) all-grown-up-and-very-nicely-at-that Josh the accountant? And now that she has to temporarily share her room with Josh, Jo's head is really in a spin -- because with her hometown beau still in the picture and a sexy possibility sleeping just a foot away, life has suddenly gotten very complicated indeed!

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Humor, British Literature

536 pages, Paperback

First published February 19, 2003

About the author

Melissa Jane Nathan (13 June 1968 – 7 April 2006) was a journalist and UK author of popular "chick lit" novels in the early 2000s.
When working on Persuading Annie (2001), Nathan was diagnosed with breast cancer. She refused to let the illness dominate her life, and - in public anyway - was unfailingly positive. She had no time for most journalism written by cancer sufferers: "self-indulgent dirges without a helpline in sight", as she described them; she tried to joke about cancer's unoriginality in her Jewish Chronicle column and then added:
That was what you call laughing in adversity. It's what makes people smile mistily at me, as if I'm fading in front of their very eyes while telling knock-knock jokes. What they don't know is that I have daydreams about being the oldest person at their funeral.
Ironically, the characters in Nathan's first book, 'Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field', were starring in a play version of Pride & Prejudice that benefitted breast cancer research. The book was written prior to Nathan knowing about her own future diagnosis with the disease.
She died aged 37 from breast cancer in April 2006. She is survived by her husband, Andrew Saffron, and their son, Sam.
Her final novel, The Learning Curve, was published posthumously in August 2006. A writing award has been established to recognize quality comedy romance writers in her honor.

Reviews

[Namratha · Rating 4 out of 5]

In recent months, I have waded through some fairly mediocre chick-lit. I have left books halfway, groaned at the plot-predictability and mentally castigated the dull-as-ditchwater heroines and their pompous heroes.

So now when I come across an author who took a much-mauled genre and perfectly bound all the essential elements together; I want to genuflect before the Lord and send up a fervent "Thank You!"

The Nanny is another brilliant offering by the late Melissa Nathan. It's a tale of 23 year-old Jo Green. She’s a young lady who’s increasingly feeling the pangs of a life that’s going nowhere. She’s stuck tight in bucolic Niblet-Upon-Avon, lived with her parents, has a boyfriend (Shaun) who she’s known since kindergarten and is trying to eke out a living as an underpaid Nanny.

Taking a leap of faith (and desperation), she decides to take up the job of live-in Nanny in London with an affluent family. The perks are humungous. She will have her own suite with a massive TV, her own car, new friends and the golden opportunity to pull herself out of stagnation.
But every silver cloud has a demented lining.

Her new boss Vanessa Fitzgerald is a hard-wired, smart-talking corporate biggie. Evenings at home take the form of nasty digs and articulate squabbles with her easy-going husband Dick who runs a record store. They are the proud and terribly exhausted parents of bloodthirsty Zak, warrior-pixie Cassandra and the well-mannered little Tallulah. Adding to the family dynamics are Dick’s two sons from his previous marriage : obnoxious (since he has a chip on shoulder) teen Toby and charming but prone-to-bouts of obnoxiousness (since he has enough chips to form a mini-skyscraper on his shoulders) 25-year old Josh.

Just when Jo is getting the hang of things, she suddenly has to deal with the fact that Josh will be her new roommate. Simmering attraction, blow-hot blow-cold responses from Josh and the ever-intrusive presence of boyfriend Shaun do not make for peaceful living. And then there are the constant parallel dramas of the Fitzgerald clan. Everyone seems to be harbouring some deep dark secret....everyone’s ticked off but not always in unison....and everyone needs their lives to be set right. Jo Green has a lot of growing-up and decision-making to do. All this while finding true-love and keeping her hair attached to their follicles.

The book justifies it’s massive size. Nathan’s style is chatty and witty and loaded with punch and righteous indignation. The characters are not clichéd and even their most confounding personality disorders are beautifully unravelled.

I strongly recommend this book to all disillusioned chick-lit lovers who are sniffing out for something fresh, humorous and utterly engaging.

[BeccaJBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 millionth re read :)

The Nanny by Melissa Nathan is one of my all time favourite books!

Now, if anyone knows me, then they know that my genre of reading material is thriller, crime, mystery…. not fluffy rom com books about romance and girly stuff. But I read this book back when I was an early teenager and it has just stuck with me ever since. I have read it a bunch of times and each time I laugh out loud at bits, I get anxious about certain bits, and I get angry at other bits. A book must be good to get these reactions from me, when I’ve read it so many times! I’ve just had to buy a new copy as mine is falling apart – of course the original will sit pride of place on my favourites book shelf from now on 🙂

What is it about? It’s mainly about Jo – a 20 something young nanny, who is tired of her life in her small village, with her long term boyfriend Shaun, loyal best friend Sheila and smothering parents. She decides she needs to branch out and do something new and exciting with her life. What better way to do this than to move to London and become a live in nanny for a well off, dysfunctional family of 6.

Vanessa and Dick Fitzgerald have 3 children between them – Cassandra, Zak and Tallulah, and Dick has a teenage son from his first marriage, Toby. They fight like cat and dog and basically act as though they hate each other in a really passive aggressive way. They have money, are all gorgeous and have all the usual extended relatives that you usually find in these kinds of books – Vanessa’s judgemental mother, Dick’s other grown up son Josh, the precocious school mates and the indifferent cats.

Will Jo be able to get on in this crazy new world? Will she be able to resist the charms of ladies man Josh? How does that coffee maker work?

It is laugh out loud funny, and it is also charming. I love the secondary characters of Pippa and Nick. If you want something light hearted but clever, to read, then this is for you.

Unfortunately Melissa Nathan is no longer with us, so she won’t be producing any more fantastic reads – but you can work through her back catalogue and find other gems such as Pride, Prejudice and Jasmine Field, and The Waitress.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Nanny was a pretty good book that I sort of flew through.

This book is about Jo, who is 23 years old and basically trying to find her footing throughout life. She answers an ad in the paper, because that's what normal people do - right? and she heads off to the big city all alone. BYE BOYFRIEND NAMED SHAUN! With this new job she gets a car, her own suite, a cellphone, and a bunch of other things. Everything is awesome in her world right now.. well until it isn't.

She meets the Fitzgerald and her kids. Oh lord, their kids. However, I really liked to read from their point of view in this book. I think that's what I actually liked about this book: the multiple POVs that worked so well together. Also, I really liked Jo throughout the book. Then the whole thing between her, Shaun and Josh was highly entertaining. If I were her.. I would've picked Josh but then again.. it isn't about me.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I laughed so much I definitely shed some tears. I can totally see myself rereading it whenever I feel like and I hope that I will. Also, I will definitely look into more books by Melissa in the future too.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a weird book... I would recommend ‘Acting Up’ (‘Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field’) instead of this, to anyone thinking of reading this author - it’s a lot better!

[M.C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently dsicovered Melissa Nathan.
The first book I read by her was Persuading Annie, a Persuasion retelling (if you don't know by now that Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen novel, you really should subscribe to this blog. jk) and I instantly fell in love with her humor, her wit and her swoooooooony scenes.

And then, I grabbed the nanny.
Here is the synopsis:


Twenty-three-year-old Jo Green knows that if she has to spend one more night in ultra-provincial Niblet-Upon-Avon she'll go completely bonkers! So she answers an ad in the paper, bids her devoted boyfriend Shaun adieu, and heads off to the big city. With a new job that offers excitement; a cool car; and her own suite with a TV, DVD player, and a cell phone, how can she go wrong?

Then she meets . . . the Fitzgeralds -- Dick and Vanessa and their unruly brood of rugrats who have suddenly been entrusted into Jo's care. There's eight-year-old "psycho-babe" Cassandra; bloodthirsty Zak, the six-year-old Terminator; and timid little Tallulah.

So what else could go wrong? How about the arrival of Dick's children from his first marriage: teenage Toby and (gulp!) all-grown-up-and-very-nicely-at-that Josh the accountant? And now that she has to temporarily share her room with Josh, Jo's head is really in a spin -- because with her hometown beau still in the picture and a sexy possibility sleeping just a foot away, life has suddenly gotten very complicated indeed!


Man, this book ruined my life in the best way possible.
I just couldn't stop laughing. Then I had to stop laughing in order to read more, because I just couldn't. Put. It. Down.
On one hand I needed to know what was going to happen with Jo and Cassie and Vanessa and Josh and every other character in the book -seriously, can't this author write one unlikeable character? I was in love with the bad guys and the good guys and the kids and the adults... I even miss the stupid house they lived in now that I'm done with the novel. And, to be honest, it's not that they were all lovable per se. It's that they were alive.
They leapt out of the page at me, with their little mannerisms, their weird comments, the little details of their clothes. I was there. I did not read this book. I did not watch it unfold like a movie in my head as I read, like you generally do with a good, engaging book. I lived in it. I know these people intimately, I was there when they were behaving like idiots, when their worlds came crashing down, when they fell in love. I miss them right now so much that I can see the hugest reading slump heading my way, and I don't even care.

Which brings us to Josh (the not even caring does). I mean I've never read of a more gorgeous, irritating, vulnerable and totally mouthwatering hero since mr Darcy.
And of course The Nanny has a million Pride and Prejudice points, where the main characters swap opinions about each other maddeningly (and hilariously), and where romance surprises you in the most swoonworthy and unexpected of ways.

To be honest, I've read about three of Melissa Nathan's novels, and I can say that no one does social commedy, family life or intense romance as well as she.
She is, to me (early death, and glorious carreer left in the middle aside) the modern Jane Austen, no doubt about it. Her novels aren't chick-lit, they're not romances, they're not comedies. They are literature. I particularly enjoyed how she uses themes and tropes from Jane Austen's books, but twists them around to fit completely original plots and characters.
The Nanny, for instance, is not a retelling, but it has SO many beloved aspects of Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility and even Mansfield Park a little bit. It's the best thing that's happened to me since I discovered Austen in my early teens, and now that I'm slowly making my way around her books (much like I did with Jane's back then) I know that they'll be all read soon, and I won't know what to do with myself.

Reread them, I guess.

If you're sad or tired or just in need of a good book, just grab yourself a copy of The Nanny. As soon as you can breathe again (from laughing, or from swooning, one of the two will be happening every other page) you'll thank me.

[Kirstin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book.

Asd insane as it sounds, I think this was mainly because it completely reminded me of my own life (asides from the handsome son part) but, I moved from a small town to be a nanny in london and I can guarantee that she has captured the feelings, nursery mums, first friends, and children brilliantly.

The book is written from several different perspectives, including the children, which I think is brilliant. Because there are so many entertwining stories going on, it makes the book all the more exciting.

The ending was perhaps a bit predictable, but what more do you expect in chick lit?I couldn't put itdown and will certainly be reading it again!

[Haly Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a very long time ago and I still think about it sometimes - that says a lot!

This is a witty, hilarious, and juicy romantic story! This was my comfort read in high school.

The way she wrote the dialogues makes it so visual without even trying. I felt like I was watching a movie. I think this a great book for someone trying to get into reading!

Sadly I recently read that the author has passed away, Rest In Peace and thank you for your stories I’ll continue to share 💗

[Jakky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m rounding up from 3.5-ish. Although entertaining, I was halfway through it before I remembered having read it already… that’s how memorable it is. It’s an easy read, great for the beach or a transition after a heavy read.

[Treasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jo has spent her entire life in Niblet-Upon-Avon and needs to get out, so when she's given the chance to take a job as a nanny in London, she jumps at the chance. Of course, this means leaving her long-time boyfriend at home. But the prospect of a new setting and a job in a fancy house with her own car, cell phone, and private suite will soften that blow. Jo gets along famously with her new employers and her three charges, and all seems to be going wonderfully... until her employer's grown-up (and very attractive) son from a previous marriage moves back home - and into Jo's suite. Jo can't figure Josh out. Sometimes they seem to be friends, and other times he seems to hate her. And on top of everything else, she's pretty sure that Josh is helping his father hide a secret from the rest of the family - a secret that she finds impossible to forgive. But, as Jo is soon to find out, Josh may not be the only one harboring a secret.

Such fun chick-lit! I have enjoyed every Melissa Nathan book I've read so far - they are always clean (for the most part - things may be referred to, but that's about it) and fluffy with fun characters - and the writing is good, too! Just good, solid chick-lit.

[Molly T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved this book from the first time I read it. Thanks to my best friend who introduced me to the great Melissa Nathan. This book makes me laugh out loud. Nathan perfectly describes voices of little kids. Talulah especially. She is adorable. And I can just imagine a little kid acting exactly like her. It really brings something to the book. Otherwise this is just like most chick lit novels. Girl has a problem. Girl hates boy. Boy and girl start getting along. There is a huge fallout. They both realize they had misunderstood each other and end up together. But I really like Nathan's style. There is just something different there. I don't know. I think it is the dialogue. It is so witty, yet realistic. I wish I talked like that. (Kind of like I wish I talked like the characters in Gilmore Girls, but that is another story). Definitely recommend for a quick, easy read. I guarantee it will bring at least one smile to your face.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. The quiet, quirky, lovable main character and her family seemed very alive to me. Her little wards were funny and realistic, the supporting characters interesting and dynamic. And I really felt the love story between vrizzion in a soft way that made me smile. Chemistry is not easy to capture in this way.

The sadness I felt when I read about this author's untimely death stayed with me for awhile. I liked her very much and wish there were many more of her works to read. I reread this book every couple of years and still feel a pang missing the author's original voice.

[Kim Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook. New to me author. Loved the humour and creativity in the writing. Laughed out loud many times during this book. Only complaint, abrupt ending. Well worth the time to listen.

[Vrsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real page turner.

[Juli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un libro ligero, ideal para el verano. Sin una gran historia pero atrapante y entretenido.

Me ha gustado mucho

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

It had certain The Nanny TV Show vibes but is not really based on the TV series. I loved it and keep re-reading it every so often.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mlle Alice, pouvez-vous nous raconter votre rencontre avec The Nanny?


"Melissa Nathan et moi, c'est déjà une longue histoire d'amour. Elle a écrit de géniales réécritures modernes de Pride & Prejudice et de Persuasion (respectivement Acting Up et Persuading Annie) et j'ai également lu d'elle The Waitress, que j'avais beaucoup aimé!"

Dites-nous en un peu plus sur son histoire...


"Jo, une jeune femme de 23 ans, a un avenir tout tracé: elle va épouser son petit copain avec qui elle est depuis six ans et rester vivre près de chez ses parents dans sa petite bourgade, en continuant à être une "nanny". Jusqu'au jour où elle se demande s'il n'y a pas autre chose de mieux ailleurs, à Londres par exemple, où elle va accpeter un job dans une famille qui va changer sa vie."

Mais que s'est-il exactement passé entre vous?


"Melissa Nathan, c'est tout ce que l'on aime dans la chick-lit, en plus profond. On s'amuse beaucoup, on rit même carrément, ce qui m'arrive rarement avec un livre et en même temps, on se pose de vraies questions, sur notre vie, sur ce qu'on va en faire et sur les autres aussi. Ici une fois encore, elle a su me toucher avec une réflexion très pertinente sur les gens qui nous entourent qui n'ont pas toujours envie de nous voir évoluer! On ne peut donc que s'identifier à Jo et avant la fin du livre, la famille Fitzgerald est un peu devenue notre famille également et on a beaucoup de peine à l'idée de les quitter. D'autant plus que l'auteur ne se contente pas de nous conter le point de vue de Jo uniquement, mais nous découvront successivement celui de chaque membre de la famille ainsi que les problèmes de chacun, des parents jusqu'à la petite fille de quatre ans."

Et comment cela s'est-il fini?


"Pour tout vous dire, j'ai même versé quelques petites larmes à certains moments... La perfection je vous dis! Et comme la dernière fois j'ai envie de citer Melissa Nathan, qui a le don d'écrire des choses qui me touchent en plein coeur!

'People don't like it when you're brave, do they?' she asked suddenly.'It's as if they want you to be scared, because it permits them to not have to take any risks either."


http://booksaremywonderland.hautetfor...

[Mariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy divertido. Ideal para una tarde. Me reí mucho con los niños y me encantó como la autora, fue capaz de enganchar todas las historias en 3ra persona sin necesidad de cortar la escena anterior. Se enganchaban en un sólo párrafo, por lo cuál, no había un parate para una y otra. Al principio me descolocó, pero a medida que leía le fui tomando la mano.
Muestra la relación de una familia donde los dos padres trabajan y dejan a niños chiquitos al cuidado de una niñera. También muestran el amor paternal de los mismos, los problemas que puedan tener los niños con las peleas de sus padres o con problemas en la escuela, relaciones entre hermanos, y que a veces las cosas no son como uno piensa. No sé, me hizo ver que todo el mundo, por más pequeños que sean, tienen problemas y necesitan el apoyo de sus familias. En general, muestra lo que es el amor de familia pese a todos los defectos. El querer crecer, pedir perdon y madurar. Parece mucho drama, pero en realidad es un libro muy divertido que me hizo reflexionar entre lineas.

Una lástima que desde hace casi una década ya no se pueda pasar un buen rato con un nuevo libro de Melissa Nathan. QEPD.

[Gigi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked: The story-line, the multi-character point of view, the dissection of complex relationships, the humor

I disliked: The tendency to "tell" instead of "show" in the writing style, the unrealistic reactions of characters at certain points in the book

Overall, I enjoyed this book and kept reading because I wanted to see what happened next. There are several different story-lines and it's interesting to see how they intersect. I wish she had written certain conversations and situations out instead of just telling the reader a breif summation of what was said and how the characters were feeling at that point.

[Resident Optimist · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing read! I loved and savoured every moment of it, it was a random decision to read this book and despite the length of it, I don't regret any of it!

Jo (The main character) was a likable person, and Josh was just oomph ;)

It gave a whole new insight into the life of a nanny, and also how the other half lives. I didn't feel like I was in London while I was reading it, despite the story being set in London, which I absolutely loved, I read books to get away from where I live, to see the rest of the world.

I shall definitely be picking up another on of Melissa Nathan's books sometime soon!

[Audrey Wilkerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When my husband and I lived overseas, many years ago, I went through a period where all I wanted to read was Chick Lit. Specifically, Chick Lit set in London. My favorite author became Melissa Nathan, who I discovered when trying to find some Pride and Prejudice retellings. I read Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field, and was hooked. A few years later, I searched to see the title of her latest book and was shocked and saddened to learn that she had passed away from cancer, leaving a young family. So, much like Jane Austen, Ms. Nathan’s book list is short but wonderful.

After rereading Jasmin Field, I moved on to another Nathan favorite called The Nanny.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

They say a change is as good as a rest. Maybe that's why I picked this up - it's at least 10 years since I read a book I would classify as chicklit. Two chapters in I was being reminded why. Then in the next chapter I had my first laugh out loud moment and I remembered why this genre is so popular. The feel good plot and self-effacing humour is just what was needed during a crazily busy holiday season. And there were plenty of memories from my own days of juggling a career with kids and a nanny at home. Thanks to my friend who left it behind after coming to stay :)

[Abi Walton]

I loved this book and i love Melissa Nathan's writing she is one of the best Authors i have ever read and i have now finished her collection and all of them were superb.
The Nanny is enriching and keeps you glued to the pages the whole way through, i haven't read such a captivating book in a long time thank you Melissa.

[Natnat337 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so sad that we lost such a wonderful author. Melissa's books are just lovely - the characters are so well-written and the plots always hold my interest (even over several rereads of the same book!).

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guilty pleasure - read this in 2007 and after hearing Melissa Nathan lost her battle with cancer, have been re-reading all of her books. She was a great author with a skill in writing fun chick-lit. She will be missed.

[abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book. The characters were quirky and I just loved them. I wanted to rip my hair out in frustration at some moments in this book but it truly was an amazing book. I wish I could forget it all and re-read it for the first time.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very fun, entertaining and easy read. I really enjoyed it, it wasn't as predictable as I thought it would be. I recommend to anyone who wants a nice fun, cosy, easy book to curls up to this is it!

[Dustyloup · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely morsel of junk food. A tasty treat to gobble up. I would recommend reading it quickly because there are too many characters to keep track of that if I'd read it slowly I would've thought, "who the heck is this?" when a new perspective got added in.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun. I liked it better than Nanny Diaries.

[Michellestevens234 · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic book, made me laugh throughout, really good plot and the kids were brilliant.