Cover Image: The Lindbergh Nanny

The Lindbergh Nanny

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I had heard of the Lindbergh kidnapping/murder of Charles Lindbergh Jr. that took place on March 1, 1932, but this story was told from the perspective of Elizabeth Gow, Charlie's nanny/nurse. We learn a bit about her life in general, but the rest of the story is her caring for Charlie, the kidnapping, investigation and trial. Betty Gow was a suspect and the questioning of her was ruthless. They tried to make her confess to being immoral, associating with criminals and even harassed her about the death of her brother. She was the last person to be with baby Charles before his disappearance so I understand the suspicion, but both Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh were positive that she had nothing to do with the kidnapping. Of course, the suspicion followed her and forever changed her life.

The story is told in the first person through Betty Gow, and took me through the time leading up to the kidnapping; the kidnapping and, the subsequent police investigations afterward. Betty returns to Scotland and is unable to find employment. It is two years later before an arrest is made and Betty goes back to the US to testify at the trial. There are many secondary characters in the book that were also involved in the real case, and many that fleshed out the story. I did find the story dragged at times, especially with all these characters. I wanted to learn more about the case and I did, but it was not gripping or thrilling as other reviewers stated. Mariah Fredericks does a wonderful job of mixing facts with fiction. She has done a through job researching this case to present us with an interesting historical who done it. Included in the author’s notes, she differentiates between the facts and her added fiction element. Overall, this was an interesting book

Was this review helpful?

The Lindbergh Nanny by Marian Fredericks. Pub Date: November 15, 2022. Rating: 3 stars. A compelling story written about the famous kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's child, this novel is told through the narrative of the family nanny, Betty Gow. Based on facts interwoven with fiction, this novel was well researched and portrayed a famous family during a time of despair. Betty Gow was never presented as perfect, had flaws but did her job with grace and compassion. The author did a fabulous job with the research for this novel, but honestly due to the famous nature of the story I already knew what happened and found it interesting it took almost half of the book to get to the point/end result. Overall, I liked this story but did not love it. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley

Was this review helpful?

The author did a fantastic job with her research on this famous case. But unfortunately, for me, the facts were just not written in a way that intrigued me. I love this time period and still couldn't get into the story. I found myself skimming through parts in search of interesting chapters. It was a bit of a letdown for me, as I find this awful case in history quite interesting.

Was this review helpful?

The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks is a fascinating novel about a real woman at the center of one of the most infamous kidnappings. This book did an amazing job at bringing that time and the story to life. I found this novel highly engrossing and I think readers of historical fiction would enjoy this book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Was this review helpful?

This book is about the woman who would take care of the Lindbergh baby. She came to America for new life but everything changed when the baby was kidnapped. This book covers the aftermath of the kidnapping and how it effected so many people.

Was this review helpful?

This interesting take on what life was like behind closed doors of the Lindbergh’s staff, particularly the nanny of their son who ended up being kidnapped and murdered. The story follows Betty Gow, a Scottish immigrant who unexpectedly is given the job as nanny to baby Charles. Betty quickly learns the personalities of the Lindbergh’s and how to navigate their expectations. Betty is running from her own past and is trying to make a life for herself in the US like her brother. But when unexpected things begin to happen Betty must choose between living up to expectations or to live her life how she sees fit regardless of the consequences. I enjoyed how the book touched upon societal beliefs and behaviors back then, especially pertaining to the help was fascinating. This was a well written historical fiction book!

Was this review helpful?

The Lindbergh baby kidnapping captured the imagination of the world long before cell phones and computers.
Betty Gow was Charlie Lindbergh’s nanny. She cared for him for over a year while his parents traveled the world. One night someone snatches Charlie from the bedroom of the Lindbergh’s new home in Hopewell, NJ. Mariah Fredericks does an excellent job of describing the day to day life of the Morrow/Lindbergh family. She also makes it clear that the house staff, mainly made up of European immigrants, had their lives uprooted and destroyed by both the press and the police who were searching for someone to blame. I enjoyed this a lot. Fredericks has done the research that made this a very enjoyable read. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Was this review helpful?

THE LINDBERGH NANNY
By Mariah Fredericks

I just adore reading historical fiction, and this is why. A small piece of factual history context is taken and blended into a wonderful work of fiction that makes for wonderfully propulsive and gripping read. The Lindbergh name is well known, a celebrity in his own right for making the flight across the Atlantic. Betty Gow, a Scottish immigrant is the nanny for Charles Lindbergh Jr who disappears in the middle of the night.

I loved how thrilling this read was surrounding this mystery, and also reading the book from Betty’s perspective which touched upon the difference between the societal class – such as the life of the wealthy versus the help, expectations, and eccentricities. I found the book well written that captured my attention, as it was highly entertaining.

Was this review helpful?

I liked this book but didn’t love it in the way I had hoped. The first half dragged for me and I almost quit reading it. It just took too long to get to the actual crime and seemed to meander. Once it did get there, I enjoyed it. I liked the story being told through the Nanny’s eyes as she was the source of so much speculation during the actual events. And it was fun watching her come to her own conclusions of what actually happened on that catastrophic night. This is a case that has generated so much debate and speculation throughout the decades that it invites this type of book. In spite of the slow start, I ended up enjoying this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This was honestly too long. It was interesting to read about (and listen to) the background and story surrounding Charles Lindbergh’s son, but much of it felt like it dragged on too long and had so many details that weren’t necessary or beneficial to the story. While I did think it was okay, I would give it 3.5 stars.

Thank you to z NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed reading this story. I had heard about the Lindenbergs and their baby being kidnapped but not much more than that. It was interesting to read even though this book was fact and fiction blended. I think those who enjoy reading true crime will enjoy reading this story.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Was this review helpful?

Finally read this book. I started many times but it didn’t grab me, so I went on to something else. Turns out it was actually very good . The ending was interesting and I like how the author explained what was actual
and what was fiction. It did go through some slow spots and the character development could have been better. Thank you NetGalley for the prerelease copy. Sorry for lateness of the review .

Was this review helpful?

I tried on multiple occasions to connect with this story, but unfortunately was not able to do so. I could not become involved in the plot or with the characters. The novel did seem well researched, but it was not a book that resonated with me.

Was this review helpful?

Did not finish, found that the story did not engage me and I was frustrated by the decisions of the main character

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed The Lindbergh Nanny. Since this story is based off the real life kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, Mariah Fredericks has to fill the pages with lots of information and setting up the mystery. Some building can seem slow at times but stick with it, the story is so intresting. After I was done reading the book I wanted to do a deep dive in the real story of Charlie and the Lindbergh family.

Was this review helpful?

Interesting retelling of the Lindbergh baby's kidnapping from the nanny's POV. I enjoyed the mystery the author incorporated into the story and learning more about this famous historical case. Made me want to learn more about the case.

Was this review helpful?

In her novel, The Lindbergh Nanny, Mariah Fredericks recounts the crime of the century – the 1932 kidnapping of twenty-month-old Charles (Charlie) Lindbergh, the only child of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, who were considered American royalty and known throughout the world. The story unfolds through the eyes of Charlie’s nanny, Betty Gow, from the time she arrived at the Lindbergh home for her job interview through the infamous trial of the accused kidnapper.

The Lindbergh Nanny is a fictionalized account of the events that occurred but the narrative is based on facts found in documents, records, and other sources of information. In the notes found in the final pages of the book, the author explains the liberties she took and what portions of the story are fictionalized. Nevertheless, I’m somewhat conflicted about this book.

Historical fiction is fascinating but in the case of this book I was somewhat concerned to find that the chauffeur that figures prominently in Ms Fredericks’ story was given a fictionalized secret that the author explains would resonate with today’s readers. That may be true but, in the process, she has added something that is presented very definitively and some readers might not realize it is only her imagination, with no basis in fact (not everyone reads the author’s notes). This felt somewhat uncomfortable. The same could be said about other speculations. However, it is much clearer that it is speculation and not presented as absolute.

But, my main issue with this book isn’t the blending of fact and fiction. For the most part it was done quite well and it tied up some loose ends, especially with the addition of author’s notes. In addition, her descriptions of the personalities of the various characters is very well-done and she brings them to life. What I didn’t like was the pace of the book, which was quite slow and almost plodding at times. It also felt like it was missing something but I’ve had a hard time putting my finger on it. Maybe a lack of description of the setting, the political climate, or the social norms and everyday life? All of these things were mentioned but I would have liked more. Because of my reservations I give this book 3.5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Was this review helpful?

Historical fiction can be hit or miss in my experience. This was a decent average HF with lots of interesting things to look up along the way.

Was this review helpful?

From my blog: Always With a Book

As soon as I heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. I’ve heard about the Lindbergh kidnapping but have never actually read anything about it.

I loved how this story was told from the nanny’s perspective – who better to tell the story than someone who spent so much time with the child. Having been a babysitter for so long, my heart went out to Betty once the child had been discovered missing. Her devastation is so palpable and it is clear the love she felt for that child – something that when you are with children day in and day out, you cannot help but develop that kind of attachment, which I totally understand.

This book gave such an insightful look into the days leading up to the kidnapping and the time after. While it is a fictionalized story, it had a true crime feel and I loved how there were direct quotes and transcripts mixed in throughout the story. It all seemed to be perfectly balanced to tell a very captivating story that me completely invested in what was happening and left me wanting to read more – again, this is why I love reading in this genre. Because I wasn’t that familiar with all the small details of the case, I felt this book to have a bit of suspense in where it was ultimately leading to…and if you are not familiar with the case, I highly recommend not Googling anything before reading either.

This was a well-written and insightful account of such a famous kid-napping case and Mariah Fredericks clearly has done her research. I recommend this to anyone interested in true crime or this case in particular.

Was this review helpful?

I was very excited to get this Arc from #Netgalley and #Dreamscapemedia but I was kind of bummed once I started reading. This is based on a fictional account of the Lindbergh kidnapping - baby-CharlesLindbergh jr who was the baby of the well know pilot Charles Lindbergh. This book is the fictionalized telling of this event from the nanny (Betty Gow) pov. I did a capstone project on this kidnapping in college and thought it would be very interesting to read this one even if it was fiction.. However, reading the lead up to the initial kidnapping and the backstory of Betty Gow was a slog fest and I felt like Mariah Fredericks was taking way too long to get to the point of the story in many instances in the book. While I felt this was a exciting premise for a novel I think it didn't flow well throughout the book and the first person storytelling just didn't work. I would have loved to see a novel that was much, much further from non-fiction then this was. I was so excited for this book and unfortunately this one just fell flat.
Thank you #Netgalley and #Dreamscapemedia for this advanced reading copy that was provided to me in exchange for my unbiased and honest opinion.

#NETGALLEY
#DREAMSCAPEMEDIA

Was this review helpful?