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.
MY THOUGHTS
I had heard good things about this book so when I saw it at the library I had to grab it to borrow and I am so glad I did this book is beautifully written and you can see how much he loves his wife. This book tells you how they met when he came to Britain from Swaziland as he wanted to be an actor which I never knew I thought he was British so I learned something new from reading this. The book is written as diary entries so you find out when his wife finds out she has terminal lung cancer right through with him caring for her every step of the way and while doing it you can see how much he loves her. There are a couple of pages at the back with tributes from celebrities his wife worked with as a vocal coach and from other people in the industry. Overall this is one book I would highly recommend reading for everyone.
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