A Class of Their Own

'A hilarious account of life with the children of the super rich...well written...and very funny indeed' - BOOK OF THE WEEK

Daily Mail

'A hilarious, behind-the-scenes memoir of the mad world of the very rich' Daily Telegraph

'Very funny...the book bursts with butlers, helicopters and Damien Hirsts' The Times

'There are so many laughs in this book, you almost forget how upsetting capitalism is'

Simon Amstell

A naked Russian oligarch is spanking me in his basement. His weapon is a birch branch, the setting his luxurious home sauna. Above us is 30,000 square feet of one of Moscow's most obscene private homes, an original Damien Hirst above the fireplace, a vacuum cleaning system built into the skirting boards. Invisible speakers serenade us with a desolate pan pipe cover of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'. A light display rotates kaleidoscopically, illuminating the oligarch's genitals in a variety of unexpected hues. Everyone is silent. Then the oligarch's son Nikita looks at me with a mysterious smile.

'Now my mother will bring us honey.'

Matt Knott spent over a decade traveling the globe as a private tutor. He has taught Shakespeare in Moscow, times tables in Tuscany, and is still trying to figure out how to explain long division.

With brilliant honesty and wit, he takes us inside a world most of us only glimpse speeding past in a luxury SUV. Unfolding across four continents and featuring a colourful cast of butlers, billionaires and yummy mummies, this is a hilarious and touching chronicle of an unforgettable time.

“There are so many laughs in this book, you almost forget how upsetting capitalism is - Simon AmstellDeliciously funny and very poignant - Amia Srinivasan, author of The Right to SexMatt Knott is a comic genius - Grace ChattoI howled with laughter throughout... touching and hilarious in equal measure - Amrou Al-Kadhi, Author of Life as a UnicornI laughed aloud. So many times. Finally a book that deconstructs the bizarre and grotesque world of the super rich and is funny, smart and moving while doing it - Tom Rasmussen, Author of Diary of a Drag QueenA hilarious and timely look behind the curtain of the international super-rich - Michael Walker”

A hilarious account of life with the children of the super rich...well written...and very funny indeed - BOOK OF THE WEEK Daily Mail
A hilarious, behind-the-scenes memoir of the mad world of the very rich The Daily Telegraph
Very funny...the book bursts with butlers, helicopters and Damien Hirsts The Times
Absurdist tales of tutoring the super-rich...a tongue-in-cheek observation of an unfamiliar side to London, entertainingly narrated...and full of farce Financial Times
An eye-opening insight into the mindset of the super-rich...sharp and very funny...the laughs come thick and fast...but Knott humanises them even while poking fun at their weirdness, giving the book a memorably melancholy bite Daily Mirror
There are so many laughs in this book, you almost forget how upsetting capitalism is Simon Amstell
Hilarious... bursts with splendid anecdotes... I nearly fell off my chair laughing The Spectator
Effortlessly funny. I inhaled A Class of Their Own. It's a cracking read Nick Pettigrew, Sunday Times bestselling author of Anti-Social
Extremely funny... fizzes with great one-liners Reader's Digest
I howled with laughter throughout... touching and hilarious in equal measure Amrou Al-Kadhi, Author of Life as a Unicorn
With his pleasing turn of phrase... Knott is a witty, observant guide The Week
Deliciously funny and very poignant Amia Srinivasan, author of The Right to Sex
An unputdownable outsider/insider account of the utter absurdity of the super-rich Reaction
Matt Knott is a comic genius Grace Chatto
I laughed aloud. So many times. Finally a book that deconstructs the bizarre and grotesque world of the super rich and is funny, smart and moving while doing it Tom Rasmussen, Author of Diary of a Drag Queen
A hilarious and timely look behind the curtain of the international super-rich Michael Walker
One to make you laugh out loud...Knott writes with comic genius...if you loved reading Adam Kay's "This is Going to Hurt", then you will also enjoy this Manx Independent
Amusing and a warning to parents who think parenting can be outsourced Money Weekly

Matt Knott is an award-winning filmmaker whose work has screened worldwide from London to Reykjavik, Moscow, Sydney and Berlin. He has written screenplays for Big Talk, Channel 4 and the BFI among others. He is also a songwriter and co-wrote the Gold-Certified Clean Bandit hit Baby. He is enjoying his retirement from private tutoring.

'A hilarious account of life with the children of the super rich...well written...and very funny indeed' - BOOK OF THE WEEK Daily Mail 'A hilarious, behind-the-scenes memoir of the mad world of the very rich' Daily Telegraph 'Very funny...the book bursts with butlers, helicopters and Damien Hirsts' The Times 'There are so many laughs in this book, you almost forget how upsetting capitalism is' Simon Amstell A naked Russian oligarch is spanking me in his basement. His weapon is a birch branch, the setting his luxurious home sauna. Above us is 30,000 square feet of one of Moscow's most obscene private homes, an original Damien Hirst above the fireplace, a vacuum cleaning system built into the skirting boards. Invisible speakers serenade us with a desolate pan pipe cover of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'. A light display rotates kaleidoscopically, illuminating the oligarch's genitals in a variety of unexpected hues. Everyone is silent. Then the oligarch's son Nikita looks at me with a mysterious smile. 'Now my mother will bring us honey.' Matt Knott spent over a decade traveling the globe as a private tutor. He has taught Shakespeare in Moscow, times tables in Tuscany, and is still trying to figure out how to explain long division.With brilliant honesty and wit, he takes us inside a world most of us only glimpse speeding past in a luxury SUV. Unfolding across four continents and featuring a colourful cast of butlers, billionaires and yummy mummies, this is a hilarious and touching chronicle of an unforgettable time.

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