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A Pocketful of Happiness: A Memoir
Academy Award–nominated actor Richard E. Grant’s “genuine and compelling” (The New York Times), “moving and entertaining” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) memoir about finding happiness in even the darkest of days.
Richard E. Grant emigrated from Swaziland to London in 1982, with dreams of making it as an actor. Unexpectedly, he met and fell in love with a 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 honor of that challenge—Richard has faithfully kept a diary since childhood, and in these entries, he shares raw details of everything he has 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 and I to his thrilling Oscar Award nomination thirty years later for Can You Ever Forgive Me?.
In “one of the bravest, strongest, funniest memoirs I’ve ever read” (Bonnie Garmus, New York Times bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry), A Pocketful of Happiness is a powerful, funny, and moving celebration of life’s unexpected joys.
Richard E. Grant emigrated from Swaziland to London in 1982, with dreams of making it as an actor. Unexpectedly, he met and fell in love with a 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 honor of that challenge—Richard has faithfully kept a diary since childhood, and in these entries, he shares raw details of everything he has 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 and I to his thrilling Oscar Award nomination thirty years later for Can You Ever Forgive Me?.
In “one of the bravest, strongest, funniest memoirs I’ve ever read” (Bonnie Garmus, New York Times bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry), A Pocketful of Happiness is a powerful, funny, and moving celebration of life’s unexpected joys.
335 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 29, 2022
309 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 694 reviews
November 29, 2023
Speechless. Poignant. Spellbinding. Could not put down.
Richard E. Grant's wife, Joan, was diagnosed with lung cancer and brain lesions after they had spent almost 40 years together. Grant has kept a diary since he was 10 years old when he awoke in the backseat during a car ride to find his mom bonking a family friend. Grant's memoir highlights daily diary entries during his wife's illness as well as flashbacks to earlier years.
Their approach to the reality of Joan's demise and death is heartfelt, compassionate, and endearing as well as frustrating and humorous at times. Grant shares some of his acting career experiences as well as Joan's career coaching top notch actors on accents.
Highly recommend!
Richard E. Grant's wife, Joan, was diagnosed with lung cancer and brain lesions after they had spent almost 40 years together. Grant has kept a diary since he was 10 years old when he awoke in the backseat during a car ride to find his mom bonking a family friend. Grant's memoir highlights daily diary entries during his wife's illness as well as flashbacks to earlier years.
Their approach to the reality of Joan's demise and death is heartfelt, compassionate, and endearing as well as frustrating and humorous at times. Grant shares some of his acting career experiences as well as Joan's career coaching top notch actors on accents.
Highly recommend!
June 3, 2023
I went to "An Evening with Richard E Grant", in which Grant talked for over an hour about the book's content, answered audience questions for another hour, and sold and signed copies of the book afterwards. This is a review of his performance of the book.
It's is a remarkable mix of humour and tragedy, sprinkled with name-dropping, and delivered with insight and charm.
I knew he had an "interesting" life and was reputed to be an excellent raconteur and writer (The Wah-Wah Diaries: The Making of a Film), but he exceeded those expectations. Grant is an actor who found fame in "Withnail and I" and recently won best-supporting actor awards for "Can You Ever Forgive Me?". He was born and raised in Swaziland but has been based in the UK for most of his adult life.
Grant has a kept a diary since the age of ten, when he was shocked to witness something wrong and disturbing, but didn't feel he could tell anyone, so he wrote it down. Not long after, he experienced something far more shocking and, you'd think, traumatising. It's amazing he turned out so apparently well-balanced.
That's just background. The book and tour are a tribute to his beloved wife of 38 years, Joan Washington, who died only 18 months ago. How they met, how they got together, their devotion, quirks, and teasing, including her acceptance of his odd and ongoing obsession with Barbra Streisand (he commissioned a huge statue of her head for their garden!).
Image: Richard E Grant and Joan Washington on their wedding day and on their 34th anniversary (Source)
Then, a terminal diagnosis and her death, surrounded by love. Before she died, she instructed him and their daughter Oily (Olivia) to find a pocketful of happiness every day. The book, which he started while she was alive, and tour are part of that, as are his Twitter (https://twitter.com/RichardEGrant) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/richard.e.g...) feeds.
Talking about her keeps her memory alive, and is a vital part of his journey with grief, enabling him to continue living.
If you've been bereaved, you may find this helpful.
If you know someone who's been bereaved, believe the adage that you should talk about the dear departed. You're not reminding the grieving person of the death, but showing that you love and remember the both dead person and those left behind.
It's is a remarkable mix of humour and tragedy, sprinkled with name-dropping, and delivered with insight and charm.
I knew he had an "interesting" life and was reputed to be an excellent raconteur and writer (The Wah-Wah Diaries: The Making of a Film), but he exceeded those expectations. Grant is an actor who found fame in "Withnail and I" and recently won best-supporting actor awards for "Can You Ever Forgive Me?". He was born and raised in Swaziland but has been based in the UK for most of his adult life.
Grant has a kept a diary since the age of ten, when he was shocked to witness something wrong and disturbing, but didn't feel he could tell anyone, so he wrote it down. Not long after, he experienced something far more shocking and, you'd think, traumatising. It's amazing he turned out so apparently well-balanced.
That's just background. The book and tour are a tribute to his beloved wife of 38 years, Joan Washington, who died only 18 months ago. How they met, how they got together, their devotion, quirks, and teasing, including her acceptance of his odd and ongoing obsession with Barbra Streisand (he commissioned a huge statue of her head for their garden!).
Image: Richard E Grant and Joan Washington on their wedding day and on their 34th anniversary (Source)
Then, a terminal diagnosis and her death, surrounded by love. Before she died, she instructed him and their daughter Oily (Olivia) to find a pocketful of happiness every day. The book, which he started while she was alive, and tour are part of that, as are his Twitter (https://twitter.com/RichardEGrant) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/richard.e.g...) feeds.
Talking about her keeps her memory alive, and is a vital part of his journey with grief, enabling him to continue living.
If you've been bereaved, you may find this helpful.
If you know someone who's been bereaved, believe the adage that you should talk about the dear departed. You're not reminding the grieving person of the death, but showing that you love and remember the both dead person and those left behind.
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January 18, 2023All I want is a love like he and his wife had 💜
So beautiful, melancholic and sad.
So beautiful, melancholic and sad.
July 7, 2023
4.5 Stars
I first saw the actor Richard E. Grant in a movie called "Warlock" back in 1989 and was instantly smitten. More recently, I saw him portray the character of Bob Crachit in Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" starring Patrick Stewart as Scrooge. In both these roles Richard was tall, dark and handsome, yet evoked a certain sadness, further endearing him to me.
I knew next to nothing about this actor until reading this book, but now having done so regard him as being even more beautiful on the inside than he is on the outside. The book is comprised of a dueling timeline of diary entries telling stories about his career in the entertainment industry, while also sharing the story of his wife's diagnosis of Stage 4 lung cancer and their journey navigating her illness and eventual death. Theirs was a marriage whose love defied mortality, and it was she who urged Richard to "Find a Pocketful of Happiness in Each Day" after she was gone. Richard shares love letters they wrote to each other which are so touching and profound. They were in a relationship for 38 years and married just shy of 35 when wife Joan Washington (a much celebrated vocal dialect coach in the entertainment industry) died in 2021. Richard is utterly open and honest confiding his unabashed love for his wife. He is also self-deprecating in his fandom among his fellow entertainers in Hollywood, most notably his idolatry for Barbra Striesand! One can't help but be charmed by this fellow's down to earth personality. He has many stories to tell involving other actors and actresses, but there's never a snarky moment in the book. Instead, there's a joviality, a child-like wonder of it all, a great sense of humor- and mostly just being a good bloke.
Richard's detailed diary entries enlist us all on a private journey through his loving relationship with wife Joan, the turbulent road of medical treatments, hospice, death and funeral, ending with tributes from her colleagues in the entertainment industry who thought the world of her. There's even a visit from the then Prince of Wales Charles in Joan's final days. This was a lovely memoir which I highly recommend.
Thank you to the publisher Simon & Schuster for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
I first saw the actor Richard E. Grant in a movie called "Warlock" back in 1989 and was instantly smitten. More recently, I saw him portray the character of Bob Crachit in Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" starring Patrick Stewart as Scrooge. In both these roles Richard was tall, dark and handsome, yet evoked a certain sadness, further endearing him to me.
I knew next to nothing about this actor until reading this book, but now having done so regard him as being even more beautiful on the inside than he is on the outside. The book is comprised of a dueling timeline of diary entries telling stories about his career in the entertainment industry, while also sharing the story of his wife's diagnosis of Stage 4 lung cancer and their journey navigating her illness and eventual death. Theirs was a marriage whose love defied mortality, and it was she who urged Richard to "Find a Pocketful of Happiness in Each Day" after she was gone. Richard shares love letters they wrote to each other which are so touching and profound. They were in a relationship for 38 years and married just shy of 35 when wife Joan Washington (a much celebrated vocal dialect coach in the entertainment industry) died in 2021. Richard is utterly open and honest confiding his unabashed love for his wife. He is also self-deprecating in his fandom among his fellow entertainers in Hollywood, most notably his idolatry for Barbra Striesand! One can't help but be charmed by this fellow's down to earth personality. He has many stories to tell involving other actors and actresses, but there's never a snarky moment in the book. Instead, there's a joviality, a child-like wonder of it all, a great sense of humor- and mostly just being a good bloke.
Richard's detailed diary entries enlist us all on a private journey through his loving relationship with wife Joan, the turbulent road of medical treatments, hospice, death and funeral, ending with tributes from her colleagues in the entertainment industry who thought the world of her. There's even a visit from the then Prince of Wales Charles in Joan's final days. This was a lovely memoir which I highly recommend.
Thank you to the publisher Simon & Schuster for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
December 10, 2022
I can only begin to imagine the emotional strength it must take to write, publish and promote a book within a year of the death of your life partner. And Richard E Grant’s love and admiration for his wife, Joan Washington, shines though every paragraph.
The details of Joan’s diagnosis with lung cancer, the various tests and treatments she undergoes, how she and her family come to terms with her terminal prognosis, and her death are all described with an honesty that I know many readers will appreciate. It is great to hear that they were so well-supported by the NHS and by their friends so that Joan could die at home.
However, if you’re looking for any biographical depth to this book you’ll be a little disappointed. There are lots of anecdotes and a deluge of names dropped. The couple are obviously well-respected in their industry and very well-connected (Prince Charles and Camilla both pop in to say farewell to Joan in her final weeks of life) but I found the endless listing of celebrity friends quite tiresome by the end of the book. I realise that the author is reflecting on their life together, hence jumping back to earlier decades when they met and significant life events occurred, but a few more details would have helped me understand Joan a little better. For example, it’s mentioned early on that she was married with a son before partnering with Richard but no other mention is made of her son in any part of the book. Confounding!
I listened to the audiobook version which I do recommend.
The details of Joan’s diagnosis with lung cancer, the various tests and treatments she undergoes, how she and her family come to terms with her terminal prognosis, and her death are all described with an honesty that I know many readers will appreciate. It is great to hear that they were so well-supported by the NHS and by their friends so that Joan could die at home.
However, if you’re looking for any biographical depth to this book you’ll be a little disappointed. There are lots of anecdotes and a deluge of names dropped. The couple are obviously well-respected in their industry and very well-connected (Prince Charles and Camilla both pop in to say farewell to Joan in her final weeks of life) but I found the endless listing of celebrity friends quite tiresome by the end of the book. I realise that the author is reflecting on their life together, hence jumping back to earlier decades when they met and significant life events occurred, but a few more details would have helped me understand Joan a little better. For example, it’s mentioned early on that she was married with a son before partnering with Richard but no other mention is made of her son in any part of the book. Confounding!
I listened to the audiobook version which I do recommend.
November 7, 2022
This brilliant actor who I enjoyed in The Scarlett Pimpernel, the animated Doctor Who (sadly never got a chance in the flesh which is a missed opportunity IMHO) and one of my favorite shows Hotel Secrets comes with a heartbreaking autobiography about the loss of the love of his life. It is a book that certainly shows the love and torch he carried for his wife Joan.
It is not a book for those who can keep dry eyes, it is a book one puts away in order to have a go with the content of the tissue box.
Thank you Richard E Grant for sharing your pain and yet give us the occasional loud laugh in writing.
May I offer my condolences on your loss and compliments on an exceptional piece of written words. I will now look for the audiobook in which you narrate this story.
An excellent in memoriam for a woman who was the person behind her man's succes.
It is not a book for those who can keep dry eyes, it is a book one puts away in order to have a go with the content of the tissue box.
Thank you Richard E Grant for sharing your pain and yet give us the occasional loud laugh in writing.
May I offer my condolences on your loss and compliments on an exceptional piece of written words. I will now look for the audiobook in which you narrate this story.
An excellent in memoriam for a woman who was the person behind her man's succes.
July 9, 2023
Richard E Grant's memoir With Nails was an excellent read & I was really pleased to see that he had released another collection of his diaries.
A Pocketful of Happiness is made up from diary entries leading up to the death of his beloved wife, as well as looking back to when they first met in the 1980s, his Oscar nomination, meeting his life long idol Barbra Streisand and so much more.
Grant's memoir flows beautifully & covers the highs & lows of his life in a truthful & straightforward way.
A Pocketful of Happiness is made up from diary entries leading up to the death of his beloved wife, as well as looking back to when they first met in the 1980s, his Oscar nomination, meeting his life long idol Barbra Streisand and so much more.
Grant's memoir flows beautifully & covers the highs & lows of his life in a truthful & straightforward way.
September 26, 2022
Was able to read this for work, was shocked to have to wipe away tears reading at my desk, so moving and amazingly written. My heart feels impacted for a lifetime by this book - I’ll have to revisit when I’m strong enough to go through the emotional parts more thoroughly.
January 2, 2023
I entered into this book under the notion it would be solely focussed on Grant’s experience of losing his wife. Understandably so, given the memoir’s title is the parting advice upon her death, in addition to Grant’s press tours where he continually touted this as a memoir on Joan’s terminal cancer.
I therefore found this read somewhat jarring.
Grant jumps from vulnerable journal entries on Joan’s palliative care to recounting his glory days of ‘Withnail and I’, his 2019 Oscar nomination, glitzy party mentions and celebrity name drops. While his wife features in these chapters as a byproduct of their marital entwinement, Grant has made himself the star of the show in these scenes in true thespian style.
This resulted in experiencing ‘literary whiplash’ - pulled around from an emotional chapter to subsequently being regaled with glossy celebrity tales in the next one, and feeling slightly uncomfortable about how they could be within such close proximity of one another.
That said, there’s personality, poignancy and vulnerability in the way Grant writes about his wife’s final months. He writes how he speaks, and the book oozes his natural wit and eloquence that we have to come to love from him. There are laugh out loud moments from his and Joan’s quips and admirably he doesn’t skip over the tougher parts of her last moments nor does he glorify her response to battling cancer whilst immortalising her in written form. For that he should be applauded.
I therefore found this read somewhat jarring.
Grant jumps from vulnerable journal entries on Joan’s palliative care to recounting his glory days of ‘Withnail and I’, his 2019 Oscar nomination, glitzy party mentions and celebrity name drops. While his wife features in these chapters as a byproduct of their marital entwinement, Grant has made himself the star of the show in these scenes in true thespian style.
This resulted in experiencing ‘literary whiplash’ - pulled around from an emotional chapter to subsequently being regaled with glossy celebrity tales in the next one, and feeling slightly uncomfortable about how they could be within such close proximity of one another.
That said, there’s personality, poignancy and vulnerability in the way Grant writes about his wife’s final months. He writes how he speaks, and the book oozes his natural wit and eloquence that we have to come to love from him. There are laugh out loud moments from his and Joan’s quips and admirably he doesn’t skip over the tougher parts of her last moments nor does he glorify her response to battling cancer whilst immortalising her in written form. For that he should be applauded.
January 3, 2023
An absurdly bizzare read and listen.
In the Audiobook version Grant takes on the voices and accents of absolutely everyone he is talking as. This ranges from the celebrities that engulf the annecdotes in this book (shamelessly namedropped as friends consistently) or the australian doctor diagnosing his late wife with terminal cancer. Although this could be a tribute to his late wife who was an accent coach, and as such his way of showing her effect on him, it is very strange for a prose dealing with such real and heavy matter and sometimes borders on comical at points where it is definitely not supposed to be
Whilst you do feel sympathy and empathy for Grant and his experience, the author seems obsessed and entranced by the world of celebrity and class in a way which seems tone deaf to the scenario that he is describing. It is hard to come away from this without feeling like you have learnt as much about Grant's celebrity lifestyle and friends, and Grant and his wife's worth to these celebrities which he is een to stress, as you have about the love story that supposedly works as this book's spine.
As with all celebrity autobiography, Grant is a victim of his own success. My mind wandered to other people who have experienced what Grant has without the exuberant wealth and high society support network that reaches the echelons of King Charles. Whilst you feel for Grant as a human, the way in which the book darts between trivial celebrirty anecdote and personal moments is emotionally draining and confusing.
I was moved to read this book due to Richard E. Grant being an absolutely fascinating character online. A man who on social media I am never sure where he is being intentionally or unintentionally funny. There were parts of this book that, mainly due to his performance on the audiobook, I laughed out loud when it definitely wasn't appropriate. After reading this book I feel like I am no closer to understanding the man himself.
In the Audiobook version Grant takes on the voices and accents of absolutely everyone he is talking as. This ranges from the celebrities that engulf the annecdotes in this book (shamelessly namedropped as friends consistently) or the australian doctor diagnosing his late wife with terminal cancer. Although this could be a tribute to his late wife who was an accent coach, and as such his way of showing her effect on him, it is very strange for a prose dealing with such real and heavy matter and sometimes borders on comical at points where it is definitely not supposed to be
Whilst you do feel sympathy and empathy for Grant and his experience, the author seems obsessed and entranced by the world of celebrity and class in a way which seems tone deaf to the scenario that he is describing. It is hard to come away from this without feeling like you have learnt as much about Grant's celebrity lifestyle and friends, and Grant and his wife's worth to these celebrities which he is een to stress, as you have about the love story that supposedly works as this book's spine.
As with all celebrity autobiography, Grant is a victim of his own success. My mind wandered to other people who have experienced what Grant has without the exuberant wealth and high society support network that reaches the echelons of King Charles. Whilst you feel for Grant as a human, the way in which the book darts between trivial celebrirty anecdote and personal moments is emotionally draining and confusing.
I was moved to read this book due to Richard E. Grant being an absolutely fascinating character online. A man who on social media I am never sure where he is being intentionally or unintentionally funny. There were parts of this book that, mainly due to his performance on the audiobook, I laughed out loud when it definitely wasn't appropriate. After reading this book I feel like I am no closer to understanding the man himself.
April 13, 2024
Although this memoir/diary is chiefly about the 8 months following his wife’s diagnosis of terminal lung cancer, this book reads like a love letter. Richard E Grant and his wife Joan Washington had an extraordinary marital rapport.
Between them, they seemed to have known nearly everyone in the theatre and film industry: Grant, through his decades as an actor, and Washington, because of her long career as a distinguished vocal coach. The richness and variety of their many friendships is obvious, and yet what comes across even more strongly is the mutually supportive bond that they shared.
Grant is a terrific and talented writer and he doesn’t hold much back: whether in his incisive character portraits, or in the description of his own welter of emotions. He is honest about the difficulty of being a carer and having to emotionally prepare for his wife’s death, and some of the most affecting scenes in the book take place between him and his daughter. Anyone who is dealing with the death of a loved one will probably find this book comforting. Those of who haven’t experienced this difficult life challenge could learn something about how to respond to someone in this kind of situation. There is at least one memorable incident in which Grant shows how a presumably close friend is horrendously insensitive.
As a consummate storyteller and raconteur, Grant knows how to balance his story between the tragic and the comic. He throws in plenty of good gossip, and some descriptions of work assignments, including his Oscar-nominated performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me?
But in an important sense, this book is really about his wife - and not just about HIS loss of his wife. His admiration and respect for her shine through every page, and as if to underline the point, he ends the book with a series of tributes to Joan Washington from the famous people (mostly well-known actors) who worked with her over the years.
I just loved his voice: warm, witty, self-deprecating, loving, tender. Fabulous.
Between them, they seemed to have known nearly everyone in the theatre and film industry: Grant, through his decades as an actor, and Washington, because of her long career as a distinguished vocal coach. The richness and variety of their many friendships is obvious, and yet what comes across even more strongly is the mutually supportive bond that they shared.
Grant is a terrific and talented writer and he doesn’t hold much back: whether in his incisive character portraits, or in the description of his own welter of emotions. He is honest about the difficulty of being a carer and having to emotionally prepare for his wife’s death, and some of the most affecting scenes in the book take place between him and his daughter. Anyone who is dealing with the death of a loved one will probably find this book comforting. Those of who haven’t experienced this difficult life challenge could learn something about how to respond to someone in this kind of situation. There is at least one memorable incident in which Grant shows how a presumably close friend is horrendously insensitive.
As a consummate storyteller and raconteur, Grant knows how to balance his story between the tragic and the comic. He throws in plenty of good gossip, and some descriptions of work assignments, including his Oscar-nominated performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me?
But in an important sense, this book is really about his wife - and not just about HIS loss of his wife. His admiration and respect for her shine through every page, and as if to underline the point, he ends the book with a series of tributes to Joan Washington from the famous people (mostly well-known actors) who worked with her over the years.
I just loved his voice: warm, witty, self-deprecating, loving, tender. Fabulous.
April 23, 2023
*** Do not read if you have someone very ill in your life just now but for me despite losing many family members and friends in death, two this year, it’s such a wonderful book.
Basically Richard’s diary entries about his true love of his wife and daughter and all they went through on a daily basis during his wife Joan Washington’s fight with the big C word! It’s such a beautiful love story between two people and even though you only know them through their acting or in Joan ‘s case her voice coaching you actually feel so drawn into the story that you get to ‘know’ them.
Joan was born in Aberdeen, Scotland which shows in her determination to try to keep on going as Scottish are well known for their stubborn look on life and their ‘fight to the end’ on life as a whole. I’ve seen this in family members and friends as we do not like to wear our feelings on our sleeves so to speak and keep a lot hidden from family for fear of worrying them yet we can offload to complete strangers!
Joan voice coached so many people from Kate Blanchett to Dame Julie Waters and so many many others there were literally thousands. A voice coach is someone you’d rarely think of while watching a film yet they are one of the most important to an actor to just ‘get it right’.
I laughed at some of Joan’s words (oxster) and actions then cried too at her suffering. Richard was so great with her and so patient and their daughter Oilly was the backbone in keeping it all together for both of them. I do hope they find a pocketful of happiness in every day’ without Joan as they definitely deserve it. Thank you Richard E. Grant for sharing your most intimate time and words in creating this book which I’m sure will help many as it did with me.
Basically Richard’s diary entries about his true love of his wife and daughter and all they went through on a daily basis during his wife Joan Washington’s fight with the big C word! It’s such a beautiful love story between two people and even though you only know them through their acting or in Joan ‘s case her voice coaching you actually feel so drawn into the story that you get to ‘know’ them.
Joan was born in Aberdeen, Scotland which shows in her determination to try to keep on going as Scottish are well known for their stubborn look on life and their ‘fight to the end’ on life as a whole. I’ve seen this in family members and friends as we do not like to wear our feelings on our sleeves so to speak and keep a lot hidden from family for fear of worrying them yet we can offload to complete strangers!
Joan voice coached so many people from Kate Blanchett to Dame Julie Waters and so many many others there were literally thousands. A voice coach is someone you’d rarely think of while watching a film yet they are one of the most important to an actor to just ‘get it right’.
I laughed at some of Joan’s words (oxster) and actions then cried too at her suffering. Richard was so great with her and so patient and their daughter Oilly was the backbone in keeping it all together for both of them. I do hope they find a pocketful of happiness in every day’ without Joan as they definitely deserve it. Thank you Richard E. Grant for sharing your most intimate time and words in creating this book which I’m sure will help many as it did with me.
October 16, 2022
I am so glad I experienced this particular book in the audio form, so that I can hear Richard read his own lines, full of sincere emotions about both most recent events and older times. He laughs, he gasps, doesn't hold back. This really is his story, and he really is one of the most honest, charming, well mannered and well meaning people. The love he has for his wife is so admiring, it's so heartwarming. Thank you Richard for sharing your story, and share your happiness on every step of the way, as you have been years ago, as you are now. I am hoping to shake your hand one day and exchange smiles. Thank you for your gift of enthusiasm!
October 14, 2022
What a wonderful book. I’ve laughed and I’ve cried by just hearing the love and pain that Richard E Grant conveys and the way he tells his book. You can’t help but feel the love between Richard and Joan and is a love story you wish to have. Cannot recommend enough. You can’t help but hold on to every word and realise “Time makes fools of us all. Our only comfort is that greater shall come after us.”
May 1, 2023
I have read Richard E Grant before so I knew he’d write some amusing anecdotes and tell some great stories, but I was unprepared for how deeply this, written after the death of his wife Joan, would move me.
What a beautiful relationship they had, and how honestly he conveys the pain following her diagnosis. Incredibly sad and so, so relatable. I particularly connected with the passages where he feels hurt by her outbursts, but understands where that pain and anger comes from, so he just has to bear it.
Beautiful. Heartbreaking.
What a beautiful relationship they had, and how honestly he conveys the pain following her diagnosis. Incredibly sad and so, so relatable. I particularly connected with the passages where he feels hurt by her outbursts, but understands where that pain and anger comes from, so he just has to bear it.
Beautiful. Heartbreaking.
January 21, 2023
Richard E Grant seems like a very warm, kind gem of a human and absolutely someone you would want at your dinner table. A Pocketful of Happiness is based on diary extracts, which makes it a very quick read. I enjoyed some of his gossipy insights into showbusiness, but the best bits were also the most poignant, about documenting the mad journey of grieving when someone you love (and whose love has defined your life and even your very identity) is dying. Very well done.
September 3, 2025
Need someone who loves me as much as Richard loves Joan 🥲 he literally adores her. Some people really are meant to be together, like one person in two bodies. There’s a harmony and peace in those relationships that no one else can understand, it’s like a secret language. How amazing they got that for as long as they did 🥹 #crying. And how much he loves Oilly makes me so happy, he writes about her like he still can’t believe she’s real.
April 24, 2024
This book has been such an anticipated read. I saw Richard.E.Grant talk at my local theatre last week , so I knew what the book was about , plus hearing him on desert island discs.
I loved his easy writing style , I could hear his voice when I was reading it . I got to part that I wasn’t wanting to happen, and all I have to say is that the emotions hit me hard even though I was prepared for the loss of his wife . I was crying before the sad moment happened and for a good five minutes afterwards.
This has been such an emotive , open read interspersed with Richard trying to continue life in the acting world, including going to the Oscar’s with his daughter Oilly.
What I loved most was the relationship between Joan and Richard , you could feel the utmost love throughout and respect for each other . His devotion to her was so lovely to read about , and following his journey through social media afterwards he has kept up with the promise of trying to find a pocketful of happiness everyday .
I loved the friends that were so supportive during that time not only focusing on Joan but also Richard and Oilly.when they needed them most.
All in all Richard.E.Grant is such a lovely , warm hearted man and despite being through the hardest time possible during lockdown and afterwards he has remained strong despite the grief that he has been going through. For him to share this with everyone is astonishing and only makes you adore him more.
I loved his easy writing style , I could hear his voice when I was reading it . I got to part that I wasn’t wanting to happen, and all I have to say is that the emotions hit me hard even though I was prepared for the loss of his wife . I was crying before the sad moment happened and for a good five minutes afterwards.
This has been such an emotive , open read interspersed with Richard trying to continue life in the acting world, including going to the Oscar’s with his daughter Oilly.
What I loved most was the relationship between Joan and Richard , you could feel the utmost love throughout and respect for each other . His devotion to her was so lovely to read about , and following his journey through social media afterwards he has kept up with the promise of trying to find a pocketful of happiness everyday .
I loved the friends that were so supportive during that time not only focusing on Joan but also Richard and Oilly.when they needed them most.
All in all Richard.E.Grant is such a lovely , warm hearted man and despite being through the hardest time possible during lockdown and afterwards he has remained strong despite the grief that he has been going through. For him to share this with everyone is astonishing and only makes you adore him more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2023
Must be something wrong with me. reading all these positive reviews. I didn't like this book at all. It seemed to me to not so much a tribute to his wife but rather a resume of his own achievements and his connection to so many famous people, constant name dropping. I gave up when Joan died, didn't think I could cope with any more self promotion
July 31, 2024
This was nice.. the love between Richard and his wife 🥹
There were some really enjoyable anecdotes, but this was less an autobiographical tale than a detailing of the final year of his wife, Joan Grant. At times I felt the book heavily relied on name dropping other celebrities with little substance. 2.5 stars
There were some really enjoyable anecdotes, but this was less an autobiographical tale than a detailing of the final year of his wife, Joan Grant. At times I felt the book heavily relied on name dropping other celebrities with little substance. 2.5 stars
October 10, 2022
The book is very upsetting and well written. The name dropping and his too-muchness with everything that the Guardian reviewer mentioned is very true. Why is Joan's son Tom from her first marriage not mentioned anywhere? I googled this matter but couldn't find any recent information about him.
March 1, 2024
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!!
Fascinating, funny and heart breaking, so touching and told with tremendous feeling and honesty.
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?
You will not read many books with this amount of depth, humour, sadness and honesty.
A heart breaking read, but also a MUST Read !!
Clear four stars. Richard E Grant, please find that "A Pocketful Of Happiness", you deserve it !
Fascinating, funny and heart breaking, so touching and told with tremendous feeling and honesty.
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?
You will not read many books with this amount of depth, humour, sadness and honesty.
A heart breaking read, but also a MUST Read !!
Clear four stars. Richard E Grant, please find that "A Pocketful Of Happiness", you deserve it !
Read
July 24, 2023An incredibly emotional and moving read, have tissues at the ready! It's clear from his warm and tender words that REG and his late-wife Joan, had a beautiful relationship and that he absolutely adored her - Twas an honour to read about such a special kind of love ❤️
December 28, 2022
Reflections and lessons learned:
“In sickness and in health had suddenly been reversed… in health and then in sickness… that’s what we now were”
Part autobiography, part analysis of the preparation for grief and loss, but all with heart wrapped around everything. I picked this up excitedly after a library reservation coming in, but knew that I couldn’t shoehorn it in on the usual parts of life, and instead needed to give it the time to properly listen to the pain - essentially the dismantling of a man’s love/life. Having had good friends go through a large part of this in the last twelve months, I needed to listen to perhaps try and answer some of the questions that I couldn’t yet ask of them. But is it that simple? Definitely not…
“In sickness and in health had suddenly been reversed… in health and then in sickness… that’s what we now were”
Part autobiography, part analysis of the preparation for grief and loss, but all with heart wrapped around everything. I picked this up excitedly after a library reservation coming in, but knew that I couldn’t shoehorn it in on the usual parts of life, and instead needed to give it the time to properly listen to the pain - essentially the dismantling of a man’s love/life. Having had good friends go through a large part of this in the last twelve months, I needed to listen to perhaps try and answer some of the questions that I couldn’t yet ask of them. But is it that simple? Definitely not…
July 10, 2024
An ace listen. I just wanna give the guy a hug. Part memoir, part tribute to his late wife Joan Washington, this is an in incredibly generous insight into their love and their loss. Flitting between key moments in Grant’s acting career - from Withnail to Star Wars - and Joan’s final months struggling with cancer, I’m grateful to have been let in to such a personal story.
As the months go on, and I’m invited further and further into their lives, I found myself constantly on the verge of tears for a woman I never knew and a couple I never met.
The way this memoir intimately describes grief is a devastating gift that has kept me present in my own life here and now, and I’m sure will come in handy later down the line when I experience more of my own.
Here’s to Joan and Richard for winning at life.
As the months go on, and I’m invited further and further into their lives, I found myself constantly on the verge of tears for a woman I never knew and a couple I never met.
The way this memoir intimately describes grief is a devastating gift that has kept me present in my own life here and now, and I’m sure will come in handy later down the line when I experience more of my own.
Here’s to Joan and Richard for winning at life.
March 5, 2024
A genuinely great read. Inspiring, sad and moving in equal parts. A really powerful and poignant read, this has been one I've wanted to read for a while as I have always thought Richard E Grant comes across as very genuine and this transpires in the book through his diary entries and flashbacks to the past.
June 21, 2023
Do not read this book. You have to listen to it! Richard E Grant tells his story with love, compassion and true heart break. Taking us through his wife, Joan’s, cancer journey he reminisces of better times. Add to this tantalising glimpses into the acting world, and the ultimate tribute to Joan in his pinpoint accurate accents, this book is glorious to listen to in a way that reading it will never do it justice.
January 11, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
November 7, 2023
How dare REG make me feel this much. We can all only dream of a love so deep and so all consuming, yet we all understand the frustrations and anger and helplessness he has experienced. 5 stars.
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