Book info

• Title Love, Nina
• Author Nina Stibbe
• Year 2013
• Genre Memoir

In 1982 Nina Stibbe, a 20-year-old from Leicester, moved to London to work as a nanny for a very particular family. It was a perfect match: Nina had no idea how to cook, look after children or who the weirdos were who called round. And the family, busy discussing such arcane subjects as how to swear in German or the merits (or otherwise) of turkey mince, were delighted by her lack of skills. Love, Nina is the collection of letters she wrote home gloriously describing her 'domestic' life, the unpredictable houseguests and the cat everyone loved to hate.

Thoughts

This is such a subtle, calm, slice of life style book - a series of letters that detail the mundanity of real life. Although it’s not quite real life, this is still high art London with people that can afford nannies and have Alan Bennett as a neighbour.

But still, the best part of the book is the snippets of conversation between Nina and the family she has become a part of - the boys, the sarcastic mother, the intellectual neighbour, and her future husband. It’s nice to see her evolving to become a student, too, whilst still keeping strong bonds with the family.

Rating: 4 / 5