BOOKISH FRIDAY: “THE PERFECT NANNY”

Welcome to another Bookish Friday, in which I  share excerpts from books…and connect with other bloggers, who do the same.

Let’s begin the celebration by sharing Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and let’s showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.

To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.

Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists!

What a great way to spend a Friday!

Today’s feature is a recent download:  The Perfect Nanny, by Leila Slimani.  “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.”

 

 

Book Beginning:  The baby is dead.  It took only a few seconds.  The doctor said he didn’t suffer.  The broken body, surrounded by toys, was put inside a gray bag, which they zipped shut.

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Friday 56:  Everyone in Paul and Myriam’s inner circle ends up knowing about Louise.  Some of them have seen her in the neighborhood or in the apartment.  Others have only heard about the feats of this legendary nanny, who seems to have sprung straight from the pages of a children’s book.

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Synopsis: 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.

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What do you think?  Do you want to keep reading?

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