Meet the Posh Parents & Crazy Coppers (Nanny - Melissa Nathan)

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Product:	Nanny - Melissa Nathan
Date:	27/10/05 (208 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Light hearted romantic comedy.

Disadvantages: You may not like romantic comedy.

This book has many light hearted caricatures of all sorts of people from those enjoying a simple village life, to those with designer lifestyles in central London. Their jobs range from housewives, builders, small shop owners, high-flying advertising executives, accountants, and policemen. Oh and I mustn’t forget the nannies!

The author’s observational skills of people going about their every day business, is obviously great, and she portrays them in an entertaining, and often witty, way. The credits show that she adequately researched areas where her own experience was limited.

Even if you don’t like romantic comedy, if you have access to this book, try reading chapter 8, for comedy without romance. It contains a story of six policemen, from three different departments of the force, trying to catch one intruder. While I enjoyed the whole book, this chapter was by far the most hilarious, and therefore the best, in my opinion. The two detectives, Nick and Gerry, turn up again in the book, and continue to give a good comical performance. (They remind me of Briggs and Louis, The Detectives, in the half hour comedy of that name, played by Jasper Carrott, who I would cast as Nick if this were dramatised, and Robert Powell, who I would cast as Gerry.)

The hysterical, as well as humorous, interlude of trying to catch an intruder is just one of the many sub plots running alongside the main one, where Jo is trying to find out what she wants from life.

I admired the main character Jo for leaving her parent’s village home to try a completely different lifestyle working as a nanny for the Fitzgeralds in London, aged 23. Her own suite of rooms in their house, and sole use of a car, help tempt her to take the job they offer. Although having passed the NEEB vocational course for this sort of work, she seeks to advance her career in the capital, with just a little experience of working for families near to where she was born.

Another thing to her credit is that she only gets drunk while off duty! Homesickness was a contributory factor in her wanting to drink too much. This includes two girls’ nights out, one just before the intruder incident, and the other before her boyfriend from her home village came to stay for the weekend.

When asked if the relationship with the boyfriend she had left behind in the village was serious, she replied, “Yes, but it used to be fun.” Jo told the boyfriend that she didn’t want to split up from him when she moved to London, and hoped they could still see each other at weekends, but I couldn’t help wondering if she was hoping to find someone better.

The four Fitzgerald children (the one from the father’s previous marriage just visits at weekends), all have different needs but Jo soon becomes aware of them, and copes well, but not quite perfectly. The endearing ways of the youngest child are in great contrast to the oldest.

Coping with the parents is more difficult, but with advice from other nannies with a lot more experience of living with this sort of employer, she learns much about how to deal with them as well. I found the relationship between the laid back father, and the mother who likes to be in control, fascinating and often funny. But when the father hides a particular problem from his wife, but not his adult son, Josh, from his previous marriage, he could be making matters even worse, as suspicions arise about what the problem is.

Will Jo learn to cope with Josh? I found the chemistry between Jo and the Josh amusing and interesting. Josh starts off by acting very superior, but as Jo gains in confidence, her own strengths begin to shine through.

One sub plot, which involved school bullying, was disturbing rather than funny though. The teachers have a great belief in an attractive looking girl, who is also a good actress. This is bad news to any pupil who doesn’t do as she tells them.

All the characters and plot were believable to me, as I am someone who thinks it is essential to see the funny side to as many circumstances as possible, to stay sane. This author seems to think similarly.

This book was lent to me by my 20 year old daughter, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I think readers who have enjoyed Sophie Kinsella’s Shopoholic books would especially appreciate the humour in The Nanny, even though this is not shopping related.

While not a masterpiece, I think this book is very good for its genre.

While telling you a little about the plot, I didn’t mention anything that wasn’t in the first half of the book, and there is a lot more to it than I have written about. This means there is still plenty to find out, if you think you would like this type of book.

The author, Melissa Nathan, was a journalist for 10 years before writing novels full time. She had written two books before this one, Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field, and Persuading Annie, which were modern versions of two of Jane Austen’s books. She now has two very modern fiction stories out without reference to a previous author. As well as The Nanny, she has written The Waitress.

I think I will buy The Waitress for my daughter, in the hope she will lend that to me as well!


Paperback: 400 pages (April 3, 2003)
Publisher: Arrow
ISBN: 0099427974
List Price: £6.99

Summary: Witty tale of how life changed for a nanny who moved from her village home to London.