The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan (Audiobook)
Harper Audio
Audible Release: September 10, 2019
Listening Length: 11 hours 6 minutes
Narrators: Clare Corbett, Patience Tomlinson, & Ben Eliot
Genre: Thriller
KKECReads Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
KKECReads Rating for Performance: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
KKECReads Rating for Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I purchased this audiobook on Amazon, and I leave my review voluntarily.
Gilly Macmillan grew up in Swindon, Wiltshire and also lived in Northern California. She studied History of Art at Bristol University and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. Gilly lives in Bristol, UK with her family and writes full time.
Thirty years later, Jo returns to the house and is forced to confront her troubled relationship with her mother. But when human remains are accidentally uncovered in a lake on the estate, Jo begins to question everything she thought she knew.
Then an unexpected visitor knocks on the door and Jo’s world is destroyed again. Desperate to piece together the gaping holes in her memory, Jo must uncover who her nanny really was, why she left, and if she can trust her own mother…
“Memories are less likely to arise if they aren’t prompted.”
After the death of her husband, Jo moved back home to Lake Hall with her daughter Ruby. Even though she and her mother have a tense relationship, Jo knows she has to make it work for now. With the past hanging over their heads, secrets threatening to be revealed, and a blast from the past who shows up suddenly, Jo may get more answers than she bargained for.
I enjoyed the build-up of this story. The pacing was calculated and well-controlled. And I enjoyed how the story was told, intertwining the past with the present.
Jo was a complicated character. She is likable, but there are moments I want to shake her. She refused to see so many things that were right in front of her, but she opened her eyes eventually.
Virginia was also a complicated character. She was trying to make up for a complex past without giving anything away, and her intentions were often misunderstood.
There were quite a few plot twists that made my jaw drop. The narrators were fantastic, bringing the characters to life beautifully.
I enjoyed how carefully crafted this story was. No details were dropped without intention, and I found the storytelling well done.