My French Life™ BOOK CLUB - The Perfect Nanny: Warming up before reading, about the book and the author

[Judy, MyFrenchLife™ French Book Club]

MyFrenchLife™ French Book Club discussion
Invitation to read first book of 'French newly-translated books reading challenge'
The Perfect Nanny by Leïla Sleimani

We all have preconceived ideas on subjects that matter.

When the subject, or issue, concerns the very people who played a major part in the first years of our life or the life of our children, we all have emotional stories and experiences to share.

This is why, before reading, I suggest we pause momentarily and focus on on the two quotes of the epigraph of The Perfect Nanny and in particular on a sentence in the quote by Kipling that drew my attention and provoked a chain reaction of memories - memories of nannies attached to personal, public or fictional stories:

'[...] it never struck her that Miss Vizzis had her own life to lead [...]’

Assuming you also have your own testimonies on this topic, I’d like us to share them before reading.

***The following questions are included in the attached google form I invite you to complete.

Have you had or have you employed a nanny?

Do you have in mind titles of films/series/documentaries/fictions with a nanny in major role?

Do you recollect any nanny-related scandal that made the headlines in the last decades? (examples: kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby in the 30s/ famous men cheating with the children's nanny)

Which title do you like most at first sight (will be discussed after reading)? the UK one (Lullaby) or the American one (The Perfect Nanny)?

Thank you and now Let's read!
https://goo.gl/forms/Yn3n2t3lABntj5Oq1

[Jacqueline]

Article in Le Monde on Leïla Slimani's 's writing process
Leïla Slimani : « La mort de mon père m’a désinhibée »
Keith Van Sickle‎ to MyFrenchLife - MaVieFrancaise Community Page

For Jacqueline Dubois and those of you who enjoyed Lullaby/The Perfect Nanny, there was a long and interesting interview with the author, Leïla Slimani, in yesterday’s Le Monde.
The interview starts with the question, “You would not have become an author if not for…” Slimani explains that it was the tragic death of her father that led her to write. He was an important man in Morocco who was falsely accused of misappropriating funds at the bank he ran, losing his job and eventually being imprisoned, which led to his early death.
Slimani, who had been on a path towards a safe career, decided to make a radical change. If her father—a good man who had done everything right—could have his life collapse around him, was there really such a thing as a safe career? She decided to pursue her dream of writing, rather than “becoming 50 years old and still saying that one day I’ll write a book.”
With the support of her husband and mother, she quit her job and determined to write eight hours a day for two years. If nothing came of it, she’d go back to her regular life and never again speak of writing a book.
Luckily, things turned out rather well for this talented author.