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Table of Contents
About The Book
'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
‘A deeply moving memoir from one of our greatest actors’ David Walliams
Richard E. Grant emigrated from Swaziland to London in 1982, with dreams of making it as an actor, when he unexpectedly met and fell in love with renowned dialect coach Joan Washington. Their relationship and marriage, navigating the highs and lows of Hollywood, parenthood and loss, lasted almost forty years. When Joan died in 2021, her final challenge to him was to find ‘a pocketful of happiness in every day’.
This honest and frequently hilarious memoir is written in honour of that challenge – Richard has faithfully kept a diary since childhood, and in these entries he shares in raw detail everything he has experienced : both the pain of losing his beloved wife, and the excitement of their life together, from the role that transformed his life overnight in Withnail & I to his thrilling Oscar nomination thirty years later for Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Told with candour in Richard’s utterly unique style, A Pocketful of Happiness is a powerful, funny and moving celebration of life’s unexpected joys.
'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
‘A deeply moving memoir from one of our greatest actors’ David Walliams
Richard E. Grant emigrated from Swaziland to London in 1982, with dreams of making it as an actor, when he unexpectedly met and fell in love with renowned dialect coach Joan Washington. Their relationship and marriage, navigating the highs and lows of Hollywood, parenthood and loss, lasted almost forty years. When Joan died in 2021, her final challenge to him was to find ‘a pocketful of happiness in every day’.
This honest and frequently hilarious memoir is written in honour of that challenge – Richard has faithfully kept a diary since childhood, and in these entries he shares in raw detail everything he has experienced : both the pain of losing his beloved wife, and the excitement of their life together, from the role that transformed his life overnight in Withnail & I to his thrilling Oscar nomination thirty years later for Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Told with candour in Richard’s utterly unique style, A Pocketful of Happiness is a powerful, funny and moving celebration of life’s unexpected joys.
About The Author
Photograph by Pip
Richard E. Grant was launched to fame in 1987 cult classic Withnail and I. Since then, he has gone on to star in a wide variety of films, including his Oscar nominated performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me? in 2018. An avid reader, in 2021 he hosted the BBC's literary travel series Write Around the World with Richard E. Grant. He married Joan Washington in 1986, and has a daughter, Olivia. You can find him on Twitter @RichardEGrant and Instagram at @richard.e.grant.
Product Details
- Publisher: Gallery UK (September 29, 2022)
- Length: 336 pages
- ISBN13: 9781398519473
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Raves and 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
'My friend has written a most remarkable book. Love, loss and the story of an extraordinary marriage. Heartbreaking and uplifting in its honesty'
– Rob Brydon
'A very special, profoundly affecting read. 5 stars'
– Gyles Brandreth
'What a book! To put it one way, you could describe the lovely Richard E. Grant's A Pocketful of Happiness as love, death, and showbiz stories - and while accurate, that would be to miss out both its fierceness and tenderness.'
– Nigella Lawson
‘A Pocketful of Happiness documents the head and heart exploding overwhelm of grief … brutal but necessary’
– Sunday Times
‘Grant’s profoundly moving book, part love letter to his beloved wife, part gossipy memoir about his life and times, will resonate with anyone who ever lost a loved one’
– Daily Express
‘Richard E. Grant’s heartbreaking memoir recalls a long, happy marriage – and leaves us shattered for his loss’
– The Spectator
‘A touching account’
– The Observer
‘Incredibly moving’
– Daily Telegraph
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): A Pocketful of Happiness Hardcover 9781398519473
- Author Photo (jpg): Richard E. Grant Photograph by Pip(0.1 MB)
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