NOTE
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.”
I don’t read a lot of autobiographies. This was my second for the year after The Happiest Man on Earth and ironic that both have happy in the title. Grant’s book made my wishlist after seeing him mention it on TV.
One statement struck me enough to note as an acknowledgement of the Legitimate other.
Hospice care at the end is the most civilised and loving decision to take, rather than endlessly pursuing chemo and medical options that won’t alter the inevitable. The common denominator is that people all want to die at home
My wife and I have been together almost as long as Richard and his wife Joan were. I cried several times as I read this caring love letter to his wife.