Book Review

A Pocketful of Happiness: Glitzy and emotional memoir from one of showbiz’s most likeable stars

Actor Richard E Grant’s new book combines glamorous celebrity anecdotes with diary entries he made while his wife of 35 years was dying, while his enthusiasm and down-to-earth nature make it a charming, moving read

Actor Richard E Grant gives a candid account of showbusiness in his new book

“Find a pocketful of happiness every day.” This was the advice given to actor Richard E Grant by his wife, the renowned dialect coach Joan Washington, before she died last September just 60 days ahead of the couple’s 35th wedding anniversary. Grant’s new book is dedicated to their daughter Oilly, who he describes as a “supreme and perfect being”. It combines diary entries he made over Washington’s last months with a glitzy memoir of his ...