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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

I really wanted to love this one - but it is a slow mover. I was hoping for the story to hook me quicker than it did. If you don't mind a longer read - this might be your speed!

I found that this story was a bit slow in parts, but I was interested to see where it would go. I thought that Fredericks had an interesting take on what may have happened. I particularly enjoyed her author's note that explained what was true, what was made up, and what was based on rumor. It is always difficult to create a work of fiction that includes real people as character, particularly when you are guessing at who may have been involved in the kidnapping of a real life baby.

This is a brilliant novel about the Lindbergh kidnapping. Even though this is a work of fiction it does contain factual accounts of the kidnapping. The author focuses on the nanny of Charles Lindbergh: Betty Gow! The accounts of the true events experienced by Betty shows her courage and compassion towards the baby Lindbergh, and the aftermath of his kidnapping and murder. An excellent read!

Thanks so much to the author, Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog.

TW: death, kidnapping, injury to children, mention of violence

Of course we've all heard of the Lindbergh kidnapping, which happened in 1932 and went down in history. But how much do we know about the people involved in the baby's life, and in the trial that followed his disappearance?

This book takes a closer look at one particular member of this party - Betty Gow, the Lindbergh nanny. This book is a fictionalized view of the events, and her time with the family, from her perspective.

I listened to this book on audio, because I was worried that it would be a bit slow or dense, like some historical fiction can be. But this book really blew me away with how quickly it was paced, and how I wanted to hear and understand every little piece of it.
Like I said above, it is a fictionalized perspective on real life events, so it combines historical fiction with true crime, mixing the fictional moments and dialogue with direct quotes and statements and court transcripts - and I thought that it balanced that mix seamlessly.

I devoured this book on audio, listening to it fully over the course of two days. The voice acting in this book was wonderful (and come on, you can't go wrong on audio with a main character with a Scottish accent, right?) and made it feel like she was really just sitting there talking to me, and telling me her story. I'm glad that I listened to it on audio, but I'm also looking forward to coming back to it some time in the future and reading it in print, to see if there were any of those beautifully small details that I missed the first time around.

Overall I would definitely recommend this book to friends and fellow readers! Obviously there are some sensitive subjects and potential triggers talked about in this book, but if you're familiar with the real life case then you're familiar with everything discussed here as well. I think that the best way to read this book would be somewhere quiet with a roaring fire and a large glass of wine. And if you're anything like me, and you get as sucked in to the character and story as I did, settle in and get cozy - you might be there for a while.

This was a DNF title but not for lack of interest or quality of writing.

What I read of The Lindbergh Nanny was fantastic. The pacing of the first 100 pages was slow but steady. Sadly, I didn't get to where the baby was kidnapped but this is definitely on my list of NetGalley books to finish/read again.

The quality fo writing is solid and vivid. It really drew me in; I love the perspective of an event that is familiar. This definitely a great book and it makes me sad I ran out of time to finish it.

A very engaging work of historical fiction. The dialogue and characters are so well developed it was hard to discern the truth from what was fiction (the author did do a great job at the end of the book of discerning what was which. Rich characters, a historic famous murder case. I would definitely read this again!

I must admit I was not at all familiar with the Lindbergh kidnapping in 1932, other than knowing Lindbergh’s baby, Charlie, was taken. I had no idea that the story came to such a sad and violent end. This book is written from the perspective of Betty Gow, Charlie’s nanny, and takes place when she begins her position with the Lindberghs through the end of the trial.

The book is an excellent blend of fact and fiction. Fredericks clearly did her research while writing this one. We get to see how close Betty and Charlie become, partly due to the fact Charlie’s parents are often away. Seeing their relationship grow was quite poignant and tender. We get to know the other staff at the 2 homes the family frequents as well, many of whom come under suspicion during the investigation. Betty in particular because she was the one to leave the nursery window open.

This is an excellent read even if you have no prior knowledge of the kidnapping. As usual, I went and explored the case in more detail after I finished the book. A highly satisfying book!

4 ⭐️

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Betty Gow can’t believe her luck when she is hired to nanny for the most famous family in the world, The Lindberghs. Their son, Charlie is a joy whom she quickly grows to love, although the pressures from the press surrounding the family, as well as some secrets from her past, cause some challenges. When little Charlie is kidnapped, the police suspect an inside job. Betty works to clear her own name, as well as put the pieces together. Working inside the house, she doesn’t want to believe one of her colleagues is to to blame, but she’ll stop at nothing to get justice for Charlie.

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💭 Thoughts 💭

This book was so interesting! Although deeply sad (as a parent I could not imagine being in the Lindbergh’s shoes) it was not a topic that I knew much about so I enjoyed learning about this piece of history. The focus on the servants and people working for the family really helped to spotlight those who kept the day to day operations running and showed another side to the famous family.

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⏳ Favorite Moment ⌛️

When Betty speaks at the trial for the man who kidnapped Charlie. She remains poised, clear, and shares the truth despite her fears. Also, when at the trial she makes some revelations that help her figure out who helped on the inside.

This book starts off so slowly. It took me awhile to get into the story and characters - for a book about a kidnapping...the action didn't really take place until halfway through the book.

However, once it picked up, I really did enjoy The Lindbergh Nanny - and learned a lot about this piece of American history that I knew nothing about. I also really appreciated the author's note - making it clear what was entirely fictional, drawn from history, or a simple fact surrounding the case and trial.

Mariah Fredericks did a wonderful job with storytelling, characters, and details of The Lindbergh Nanny. The Lindbergh kidnapping of baby Lindbergh is one of the most mysterious cases, which made this a fascinating book to explore that topic. I enjoyed reading this book, I'm glad I requested it.

My thanks to St.Martin's Press and NetGallery for a digital copy of this book. Definitely recommended for readers to check out!

This is one of those mystifying cold cases that will never be solved, and yet it continues to intrigue and plague us mystery lovers. I really did not know half of the story and loved that the author wrote this from the nanny's point of view. It really amazes me how carefree they seemed to be with security around their houses, yet they were so strict about the public and photos of him. This really was a very interesting read into the lives of the Lindbergh's as well as what all went wrong in the aftermath of this terrible kidnapping. Although decades before technology and all of the advancements that have been made in the crime world, it still is eye opening that a lot of common sense went out the window (no pun untended) with the police and a lot of clues were potentially lost because of this. Very fascinating read and I feel terrible for the life that nanny had to live afterwards and the guilt she personally put on herself. Thank you to Netgalley for a complimentary ebook copy to review.

A wholly enjoyable read, which feels weird to write given the storyline. There were a few tics in the writing that forced me to double-back, and the semicolon abuse would have sent my high school English teacher into a nervous breakdown, but the story — and the author’s note in particular — struck me as profound, sad and beautiful.

New to The U.S. and after a bad breakup, Betty Gow lands the coveted role of baby nurse to the most famous baby in America. Betty quickly falls in love with baby Charlie, but finds Charles to be on the eccentric side and Anne, while sweet, troubled with her nerves. When Betty meets a sailor named Henrique and starts dating again, it’s not long before little Charlie disappears from his upstairs bedroom. Betty, is put under a microscope and soon is a suspect in everybody’s eyes. After all she was the last one to see little Charlie. With a $70,000 ransom, the public is sure that Betty was working alongside her new boyfriend to collect the exorbitant ransom. Betty must now set out to find out what really happened that night to set the record straight and to clear her own name. Fredericks cleverly mixes fact and fiction in this compelling story of the notorious kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh, Jr. in 1932. Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.