Used book - MY LIFE WITH THE RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRES, Marie Freyssac

"Under a scorching sun, I catch sight of the boat. The competition is fierce. Just under sixty meters long, with its black hull and white decks, the Sokolovs' floating pied-à-terre only ranks second or third in terms of size among the private yachts moored in the port. But honor is saved: privileged, my boss benefits from a berth charged at 2,000 euros cash per day instead of the 1,000 indicated on the price list."

Luxury? A pleasure. A routine. Perhaps even an obligation when one becomes a billionaire in Russia. Devouring caviar for breakfast, taking a golf lesson at sea, making multiple trips by private jet and owning property on every continent in the world, that's the bare minimum.

Marie Freyssac lived as a French governess in Moscow. Scene after scene, she opens the doors to an opaque world, one that provokes as much revolt as it fascinates, that of oligarchs proud of their success, who readily display their wads of cash and pay top dollar for everything, never satisfied after having been brought up on the bottle of communism. And when she leaves the vicinity of Rublyovka, it is to return to the street, the babushkas selling on the sly, the Caucasians not always in good standing, vodka less festive than a weapon of mass destruction, in short, the sometimes harsh daily life of Muscovites, which the young nanny sketches with the right combination of impertinence and humor.