This book was excellent. I expected it to be a typical chick-lit book (girl meets boy, girl frets, girl hits bars with friends, girl frets, girl gets boy) but it was not at all. Melissa's romantic problems are long-distance and not at ALL the focus of the novel. It really is the story of her au pair experience, how she interacts with the family and what she learns about Scotland and just about people along the way. The author is a good writer - I think she needs a little more cohesiveness as far as the plot is concerned, but she really makes you see the people and places in the story. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Released on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 at USPS mail to BookRelay in Boston, Massachusetts USA.

Sent as a book relay to Nolatari... enjoy!

This book has been on the fringes of my radar for over a year now, so I'm thrilled to see it come to the center. High on my TBR list!

This doesn't quite have the same "punch" as The Nanny Diaries, and its similar title is distracting as you first begin to read, but The Diary of an American Au Pair is enjoyable on a quieter, slower level and fully rewarding almost to the end. Had it not been retitled at its subsequent publishing, I think it would have been more impactful from the very first chapter. Something about the title Do Speak As We Do says all you really need to know at the onset. It sets the mood and gives the reader an indication of the world in which the protagonist will be housed. Still, it takes only a few pages to dive into the heart of the story, and the tale moves quickly and freely to the finish. It is not a funny story, as was Diaries, but there is great humor to be found in its subtlety. Whether you've experienced the life of a nanny or not.

Complete Commentary can be found at Nolatari's BookBlog.

RELEASE NOTES:

Releasing via USPS to SandDanz, as part of the Well Traveled Books relay.

Received this relay book in the mail today... thanks so much! :)