A Pocketful of Happiness

Written by Richard E. Grant

Narrated by Richard E. Grant

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 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 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Aug 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781797161136

Richard E. Grant

Richard E. Grant was launched to fame in the 1987 cult classic Withnail and I. Since then, he has gone on to star in a wide variety of films, including his Oscar Award­–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.

Reviews for A Pocketful of Happiness

[Karen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As heartwarming as it is heartbreaking, this beautiful memoir takes the reader on a wandering journey through the highs and lows of a very deep love and the indescribable grief that is its inevitable end. Told with humor and blistering honesty. I cannot say enough good things about this book, so I will stop here...with love for both Richard and Joan.

[Virginia Stratton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful book. I loved it. So many times I felt I was right there with them.