And God Created the Au Pair

by Benedicte Newland and Pascale Smets

Book Overview

A hilarious novel that will make you think twice about being a) an au pair, b) a mother, or c) without an au pair ever againAnd God Created the Au Pairchronicles two years in the lives of Charlotte Bailey and Nell Fenton, sisters separated from each other by an ocean and from their sanity by their children. Nell, who has recently been uprooted to Canada, is awash in potty training, keeping up with the Stepford wife next door, and fantasizing about...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452287286
• ISBN13: 9780452287280
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Plume Books
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Laugh out loud funny funny take on family life

This book, written by two sisters, fittingly features two British sisters, Nell and Charlotte, both of whom are married with three children. Nell has recently relocated to Canada, whereas Charlotte is back home in a money pit-type house (complete with the ever-present handman) on the outskirts of London. The book consists mainly of email correspondence between the two of them, although letters to other family members and friends are mixed in occasionally. Perhaps a bit unrealistically, both Nell and Charlotte are endlessly witty, always quick with a return quip and eager to top each other's horror stories of child-rearing (in contrast with what the unlikely title of the book might suggest, only Charlotte actually employs au pairs). Yet surprisingly, both are eager to have a fourth child, and their struggles around this make for the book's few moments of seriousness. Although I don't have children myself, the humor of family surburban living is relatable to just about anyone, and thus I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this novel to anyone, singles and mothers alike. A great fun read!

Hysterical laughter when reading...

This book has now reached the UK (I note that previous reviewers were all the other side of the Atlantic) and has tickled this Brit's sense of humour. Best be alone when reading, as you simply cannot help laughing out loud at the antics of the irrepressible Hugh - and oh! did I ever relate to some of his misdeeds! You have to read the book to find out the trials and tribulations of the two sisters and how they deal with their little darlings - and the elusive Au Pairs of the title. Unputdownable!

Hilarious Must Read

I received this book as a birthday gift & devoured it. The format was refreshingly unique... email's between sisters who are separated by an ocean. The topics were relavent to everyday life (parenting & marriage in particular) but with a very humorous twist. Be perpared to laugh out loud...

A Laugh Yourself Silly Book

I absolutely love this book. A great modern twist on this writing style, but hysterically funny! Advise not reading in public as you may be committed for laughing like a lunatic. Truly the funniest book I may have ever read!

The laughs just keep on coming

I also picked up this book and thought it was about the life of an Au Pair, but it is about the life of two very close sisters who are living apart, one in Canada and the other in Britain. The book is written entirely in email form, and it is LAUGH OUT LOUD funny. The sisters each have 3 children, and their stories to one another about their day to day life is just classic. The book feels very real both through their relationship with one another and their friends. I HIGHLY recommend this book as a great summer read, esp. for those who need a good laugh.