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 </i>other<i> 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.
Happy Reading! B x
The Beautiful Book Break 