Stack of Spines

Before I get to my review, I must deviate for a story.  I joined twitter earlier this year and later realized it would integrate with my GoodReads updates.  I’m on GoodReads all the time, so it’s easier to publish there than twitter.  Whenever I finish a book, update that I’m so many pages through one, or mark a novel to be read, GoodReads sends along a tweet.  After stumbling upon Nanny Returns one day, I marked it to be added to my list of 273 to be read and a little tree fell down in metaphorical internet land for no one in particular to hear.  Or, so I thought.

Well, the authors of The Nanny Diaries found me – they followed me (flattering!), I followed them, and then they tweeted that their publisher was giving away copies of the new book Nanny Returns.  After an email exchange of contact information and (I presume) a check for legitimacy through a few clicks here, I got a book in the mail with a lovely note a mere 4 days later.

Since the last time I won a book (this is my first non GoodReads drawing win), the FTC has published new guidelines governing blogger endorsements and testimonials.  In a nutshell…

The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that “material connections” (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers – connections that consumers would not expect – must be disclosed.

I have always disclosed (and perhaps, bored you with details) regarding where I get books and how I decide what I read.  I fully support the new FTC guidelines and quite honestly believe the measures are a tad overdue.  I wasn’t even born in 1980, the last time they were changed.  But, better late than never, right?

In all seriousness though, I don’t let how I get a book taint what I write about it, and I strive to be open and honest about my reading experience.  The fact that an author may read my review (good, bad, or indifferent) is sometimes scary, but that’s just part of sharing a hobby of mine with the world via a blog.  And in case you are curious, I will always mention in a post if I am given a book, but there is also a handy category on the right sidebar called Pre-Release Reviews.  Any books mentioned there were won in drawings or sent.  Feel free to email or contact me if you’d like to discuss this topic further.  I love feedback and comments and will take (and disclose) both publisher and reader review requests - stackofspines at gmail dot com.

So, without further ado…

Admittedly, it’s been a long time since I read The Nanny Dairies.  At the time, I was a Midwestern girl going to college in a big East Coast city.  The idea of paying more for school tuition than my parents earned in a year was mind-boggling, and it was an even further stretch to imagine a nanny picking me up from school and ensuring my survival while my mother shopped and hosted charity lunches and my father made big deals with an office view Donald Trump would envy.  I remember being captivated by a witty novel about another world and enjoying every minute of the escape.

Maybe it’s because I’m seven years older and have a mortgage, maybe it’s because Nanny and Grayer are all grown up and dealing with more serious issues, but I found Nanny Returns disjointed and a touch depressing.  I was lost in the multitude of characters and sub-plots, and I wanted to reach through the pages and wring the necks of these people who don’t care about their own children.  Reading page after page of emotional damages was difficult.  Call me a cynic, but I know happy endings are few and far between for 16 year olds that have suffered 15 years and 364 days of continual neglect.  Suspending my disbelief long enough to enjoy the novel was nearly impossible.

The second half was much better than the first, mostly because the story picked up and I was able to identify with some of the “heroes” of the novel a bit better.  Yet, Grayer and Stilton broke my cornfield-loving heart.  Nan felt painfully out of place and I wanted her to pick up and leave the ridiculousness of the city behind.  I admired her spirit and desire to change the world by changing one life.  The irony of her marital conflict was interesting, especially when juxtaposed with her husband (also a do-gooder) and his job in Africa.  Overall, this novel makes me appreciate what I have and I’m thankful to live in affordable suburbia where there are Chagall paintings safely in museums.