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A Pocketful of Happiness

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A Pocketful of Happiness

By: Richard E. Grant
Narrated by: Richard E. Grant
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About this listen

'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.
©2022 Richard E. Grant. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, UK. All Rights Reserved.
Entertainment & Celebrities Celebrity Funny Feel-Good Career Heartfelt Inspiring Witty Happiness Thought-Provoking

What listeners say about A Pocketful of Happiness

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As lovely as I had hoped for

Richard E Grant does not disappoint. He has written a honest and beautifully real account of his life and love with Joan. I enjoyed every minute of the book.

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A pocketful of happiness

Deeply personal account of a beautiful marriage and career. Enjoyed listening to Richard share his remarkable story.

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Thoroughly beautiful memoir

I loved this beautiful, intimate story of great love and loss. Richard E Grant narrates his own book, telling the story of his 38 year relationship with his wife, Joan and his devotion makes you hope for yourself that you might be lucky enough to find that sort of love.
At times, the book slips into flowery language which I found a little uncomfortable but I can forgive that because the universality and ordinariness of loneliness in the face of loss resonated deeply with me. I highly recommend this beautiful and beautifully read memoir.

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Emotional Rescue

A beautiful portrait of love and loss exquisitely told in magnificent style by Mr Grant with a certain amount of panache.

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Warm, hilarious and love filled

Absolutely beautiful story, I loved the weaving in and out of times gone by and the present. Wonderful

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Amazingly written

As an Australian I have all my life had a hate for those with pompous English accents, but within a chapter or two found Richard so amazing, he really is an incredible story teller and quite obviously an amazingly beautiful human being. This book in a small way changed how I look at the world and people, in a small but lasting way.

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Gut-punchingly stunning portrayal of love and loss.

A genuine love story. Both highly entertaining and insightful and a very real examination of nursing a loved one to their death. Deeply moving and powerful.

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Heartfelt and touching

What a love story. So relatable to all of us who have lost loved ones. Memorable and inspiring how Richard has handled this devastating loss. My heart goes out to him and his family and friends.

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Wow. What a touching taribute

This is a book oozing with delicious love. A fascinating tale of an amazing woman.

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Beautiful

A beautiful love letter to the center of their world and love of his life. Funny - his undying devotion to Barbara Streisand, hart warming- a family living large in the English and American arts, two talented people: one known and larger than life - Richard, and lesser known but internationally respected talent Joan. A love letter to the love of his life.

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