A Pocketful of Happiness

By: Richard E. Grant

Narrated by: Richard E. Grant

'A gorgeously candid account of acting and show business. And an intimate and heartfelt story of love, loss and a life spent together. It is an honour to be invited in on these diaries. I cannot remember being so moved by a book' Dolly Alderton

'Fascinating, funny and heart wrenching' Dame Julie Walters

'An emotional rollercoaster - profoundly moving and wonderfully entertaining. A brilliant memoir about living, loving and losing' Bernardine Evaristo

‘One of the bravest, strongest, funniest memoirs I’ve ever read’ Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry

An intimate and uplifting memoir by Richard E. Grant.

Born in Swaziland in 1957, Richard E. Grant moved to the UK to pursue his acting career, and has been a fixture on our screens since his breakout role in Withnail and I in 1987. When his beloved wife Joan died in 2021 after almost forty years together, she set him a challenge: to find a pocketful of happiness in every day.

The result is this book.

Set between the present day and flashbacks to delightfully indiscreet diary entries recalling landmarks from his remarkable life and glittering career, this is an immensely personal and profound memoir that celebrates and cherishes life’s unexpected joys.

Funny, moving and perceptive, A Pocketful of Happiness is an insight into the life of a much loved British actor.

Critic reviews

‘Fascinating, funny and heart wrenching. Ultimately uplifting because it’s a beautiful and honest celebration of a deep, deep love’

(Dame Julie Walters)

‘A gorgeously candid account of acting and showbusiness. And an intimate and heartfelt story of love, loss and a life spent together. I cannot remember being so moved by a book.’ (Dolly Alderton)

‘An emotional rollercoaster – profoundly moving and wonderfully entertaining. A brilliant memoir about living, loving and losing.’ (Bernardine Evaristo)

‘One of the bravest, strongest, funniest memoirs I’ve ever read’ (Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry)

‘A deeply moving memoir from one of our greatest actors’ (David Walliams)

Personal and beautiful narrated

It felt like he was talking to me. At times heartbreaking, and others really funny

Brilliant

So much truth and vulnerability of a precious and tragic time. Love how the stories of past and present were woven together so cleverly. The authors narration just tops it off. Like having a conversation with an old friend. Beautiful and full of love. Highly recommend.

Hilarious and Heartbreaking

I can’t begin to describe the experience of listening to this book read by the author, the magnificent Richard Grant.
The range of emotions and the stories shared by Mr Grant made me feel as if I was an intimate friend of the family. This is the audiobook of the year. Do not miss this.

Liked, didn’t love

Unlike all the other reviewers, I liked this book but didn’t love it. Mostly I didn’t like the narration by the author. Way too much breathing, it was very clear and drove me insane. It was a good story, but very sad.

Heart warming and heart breaking

Grant tells the story of his life with dialect coach Joan Washington while at the same time describing her last years battling cancer.
Grant is funny, and his love for his late wife radiates through his words. In the same way his grief and loss hits you like a punch to the gut.

Through the book he speaks of other famous people, but not a bad word is said about anyone you can identify. Actors Melissa McCarthy and Gabriel Byrne comes out of his story in a very positive way.

While Grant does not impersonate others he effortlessly swaps between different accents and dialects (maybe he learned from his wife:)).