How to be Good by Nick Hornby (November)
Book Description
After losing her advertising job in San Francisco and canceling her wedding
(though not her engagement) an unencumbered Melissa, who harbors grand illusions
about life in England, heads off to a new job as au pair to the family of
a Member of Parliament. But the minorly aristocratic Haig-Ereildouns’ household
falls far short of Melissa’s imaginings. Mrs. Haig-Ereildoun refers to Melissa
as "her American girl" with a mixture of pride and contempt, expects her
to share the children’s bathwater and, most importantly, entreats Melissa
to " try to speak as we do." Heaven forbid the children pick up an American
accent!
But then there is Nanny, the gloriously eccentric octogenarian who raised
Mrs. H-E, who offers comfort, and much comic relief; nine-year-old Trevor,
Melissa’s charge, whose wisdom and companionship redeem many a lonely day;
and her budding friendship with a mysterious Englishman who is miles from
her fiancé in every way. Melissa converses with Scotish fishermen,
breakfasts with a French Minister of Culture, frequents island castles and
sixteenth century manor houses, all the while straddling her ill-defined
role (somewhere between houseguest and servant) with humor and grace. Melissa’s
immersion in this unforgettable world teaches her more than she could possibly
have imagined not only about the culture she has come to inhabit but, most
importantly, about herself.
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