What the Nanny Saw

What the Nanny Saw

by Fiona Neill

Ali becomes a nanny for a rich couple, Nick and Byrony.  She is to mainly watch five-year old twins, who have frustrated their mother by keep talking in a secret language that nobody understands.  There is also a 14 year old girl who seems to have anorexia and a 19 year old boy that has gone off to college.

The first couple of chapters were a bit confusing as I tried to figure out what was going on, it was after and there was some kind of financial disaster with Nick's company and he was possibly going to prison. Then the book jumps to the past and you read about Ali starting to become a nanny.

Nick and Byrony are rich, but their life is fair from perfect.  The twins are attached to each other, speak in their own language, and don't like to play with other kids.  Their 14 year old seems to have an eating disorder, yet nobody seems to care much enough to actually help her.  Byrony is constantly flip flopping on what she tells Ali to do in between constantly claiming she is so busy because she works full time.  Plenty of mothers work full time yet still have time for their children.  

And Ali.  I want to like my main character and be rooting for her, but I didn't like her.  She just came across as self-centered, not caring, and she kept sleeping with men that weren't appropriate (either married or just too young without giving away too much of the plot.)

I felt bad for the five-year old twins, as they seemed to be the only decent characters in the whole book. 

Mixed feelings about this one.  It was okay, I have read another book by this author, so I was expecting it to be a little better than it was.  But at the same time it was a decent story too.