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Sep 15, 2011BethHMW rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
In the sequel to The Nanny Diaries, Nan has returned to New York City with her husband, Ryan, after a twelve year absence. While working on setting up her consulting business, grappling with immensity of a home renovation, and Ryan's sudden desire to start a family, Nan is taken by surprise when her last charge from her nannying days, Grayer X, shows up on her doorstep. Despite her attempts to avoid the world she left, she is drawn back in to the upper crust of New York society to aid the child she never really let go of. Nan's return to the highest circle of New York society is another fascinating insight into a social group that utterly evades common sense. What makes the narrative even more compelling is the placement of the novel at the beginning of the economic crash of 2008 which had such a significant effect on the upper echelons. McLaughlin and Kraus also explore the issue of what makes a good parent and really recognize that growing up and moving beyond events in our pasts is never as simple as it sounds. The return of Grayer to Nan's life is also realistic and provides resolution to the relationship that was broken at the end of the previous novel. While the humour of this follow-up novel isn't as pronounced as the previous one, and the society people of New York seem even more heinous, the book is an intriguing return to characters who are still just as sympathetic and real.