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The Perfect Nanny

A Novel

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The Perfect Nanny

Written by: Leila Slimani, Sam Taylor - translator
Narrated by: Finty Williams
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About this listen

 *Soon to be an HBO series starring Nicole Kidman and Maya Erskine*

She has the keys to their apartment. She knows everything. She has embedded herself so deeply in their lives that it now seems impossible to remove her.

One of the 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR of The New York Times Book Review, by the author of Adèle, Sex and Lies, In the Country of Others, and Watch Us Dance

“A great novel . . . Incredibly engaging and disturbing . . . Slimani has us in her thrall.” —Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author of Bad Feminist and Hunger

“One of the most important books of the year. You can’t unread it.” —Barrie Hardymon, NPR’s Weekend Edition

When Myriam decides to return to work as a lawyer after having children, she and her husband look for the perfect nanny for their son and daughter. They never dreamed they would find Louise: a quiet, polite, devoted woman who sings to the children, cleans the family’s chic Paris apartment, stays late without complaint, and hosts enviable kiddie parties. But as the couple and the nanny become more dependent on one another, jealousy, resentment, and suspicions mount, shattering the idyllic tableau. Building tension with every page, The Perfect Nanny is a compulsive, riveting, bravely observed exploration of power, class, race, domesticity, motherhood, and madness—and the American debut of an immensely talented writer. Fiction Genre Fiction Islamic Heritage Literary Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Exciting
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Although the narration was good, I found this book very dry and well... boring. Perhaps the book losses something being translated from French??? Overall I found it rather uneventful. Basically you're given the climax at the beginning and then the entire book is backtracking with no twists or turns or surprises whatsoever and it ends exactly the way it began. Character development was strong in description but I did not find myself empathizing with or particularly disliking any character. I kept waiting for some event or information that was going to change the direction of the story or atleast add some excitement but it didn't come and left me wanting more. Again, maybe there is an aspect that is lost in translation.

Lacking...

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While I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it kept me riveted until the end I did find the story disturbing. The author was able to convince the reader that the mentally ill nanny could go about her job without anybody noticing her mental state.

Disturbing

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Big buildup to a very disappointing ending. It was like the author couldn’t decide how so didn’t

Blah

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I really enjoyed this novel. It pulls you in and does not let you go. In the end I felt sympathy for the nanny, and very little for the parents. Fascinating book.

Compelling character study

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