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A Pocketful of Happiness: A Memoir

A Pocketful of Happiness: A Memoir

by Richard E. Grant

Simon & Schuster ·2022 ·336 pages ·Film & TV
Near the Top
Near the Top
I Index
69/99
Near the Top

52/99

Critics

Top of the Pile

86/99

Readers

n/a

Scholars

38/99

Rating

66/99

Volume

89/99

Rating

84/99

Volume

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About This Book

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.


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Reviews

"Grant's pain is still pushed right up against these pages ..."

Victoria Segal· The Times (UK) Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Grant is so likeable, heartfelt and open ..."

Hermione Eyre· The Spectator (UK) Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Grant's tender recollections effectively conjure on the page the couple's enduring connection."

Publishers Weekly Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"The book is not so much a memoir as it is the anatomy of a love story and partnership ..."

Cristina Jaleru· Associated Press Read review ↗ Near the Top

"The Hollywood sections take away from the intensity of the book ..."

Amy Bloom· The New York Times Read review ↗ Maybe Someday

"This territory is also, I think, somewhat uncomfortable for the reader, particularly since Grant pads out his narrative with glitzy memories of 2019 ..."

Rachel Cooke· The Guardian Read review ↗ Maybe Someday

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