Small Man in a Book

By: Rob Brydon

Narrated by: Rob Brydon

Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Who is the man behind the many voices of Rob Brydon? Read by the man himself, this audiobook memoir will reveal the warm heart behind one of Britain's favourite impressionists.

A multi-award-winning actor, writer, comedian and presenter known for his warmth, humour and inspired impressions, Rob Brydon has quickly become one of our very favourite entertainers. But there was a time when it looked like all we'd hear of Rob was his gifted voice.

Growing up in South Wales, Rob had a passion for radio and soon the Welsh airwaves resounded to his hearty burr. However, these were followed by years of misadventure and struggle, before, in the TV series Marion and Geoff and Gavin and Stacey, Rob at last tickled the nation's funny bone. The rest, as they say, is history. Or in his case autobiography.

A Small Man in a Book is a funny, heartfelt, honest, sometimes sad, but mainly funny, memoir of how a young man from Wales very, very slowly became an overnight success.

©2011 Rob Brydon (P)2011 Penguin Audio

An Intimate Story...But Meandered A Bit

I am an American. So, I have had limited exposure to Rob Brydon until I started to watch "Would I Lie To You? (#WILTY)" on BritBox. I am - increasingly - a fan.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It's part tale of determination, where Brydon shares his path to show business success. It's part a tale of regret, where one is left with the feeling that he really wishes he was more of a comedic performer. It's part a compilation of stories about his life that provide great insights about the man.
First, I really like Rob Brydon. I think his work on #WILTY and his "Brydon &..." podcasts are where his natural strengths are. He really is a modern "Johnny Carson" with a Welsh accent. He has enough of a relationship with his interviewees - and an appreciation of them - to really draw out the most from his guests.
However, it seemed there was a sad thread of regret that he never became a Bob Hope, Ronnie Corbett, Peter Sellers...someone known for comedic acting and, perhaps, singing, too. I think if you asked him: #WILTY or being the most highly acclaimed showman, he'd take the latter (while being appreciative of his current fame). In short, there was a thread of lament throughout the book. Because I like Rob, it made me sad.
I think this was really two books:
1) A story of struggle to achieve success (peppering in the tales that provide context). Those tales were really well done and appropriate to the book.
2) A story about inner turmoil about the life you lived vs the life you wanted and the dynamic tension between the two -- with insights from someone famous.
The books should have been written separately to make it better. This book meandered between the two.
I concede, it could be me. But it seemed like it meandered as I noted above.
It IS a really good book. I recommend it highly. But if you only had five books to get, this would be #3 or #4. But still worthwhile!

Great listen

Have enjoyed Rob's work for a long time now - what a delight to hear his story in his own words and voice. Totally entertaining and engaging.

A good read

Very well read. I enjoyed hearing this in Rob's voice. It's interesting to hear of his struggles to make it

Brydon fan

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Certainly, because I had the time to.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The foundations of a successful comedian/actor's career....the hard work, persistence and luck involved.
I got a bit bogged down in some of the details prior to his breakthrough as I did not know many of the other persons he worked with as I live in North America.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Brydon's delivery was...well, Brydon and being a relatively new fan of his work I enjoyed getting to know him better through him.

You find out he was kind of a twat but you don’t mind at all

You get most of the impressions but nothing about WILTY but it was still charming as hell and very well written.

One of the best

I enjoyed this so much. I wish I could be friends with Rob; he’s such a treasure. What a voice!

Funny and Interesting

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to anyone with a sense of humour and perhaps knowing who Rob Brydon is might help. The story is both interesting and funny - not fits of laughter funny but warm chuckle funny. His reading and narration style is conversational and friendly and you feel like he's sitting talking to you - I don't think anyone else could have narrated his book. There are lots of things that you can relate to and have empathy for Rob. It is also a book I'd recommend to many people because it doesn't contain a lot of swearing or indecent jokes - he's classier than that.

What did you like best about this story?

It felt natural and honest.

Which scene was your favorite?

His birth.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but time didn't permit. It was fine listening to it in pieces - we were travelling in the car on a holiday.

Any additional comments?

Congratulations to Mr Brydon on a lovely book.

Cosy listening, easy on the ears but not great.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Not really, it has its moments but it's not a book I love.

What about Rob Brydon’s performance did you like?

Great, little hard to understand in the beginning, but once you get used to the accent, he has a lovely voice...