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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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...

Mind Numbing

I just couldn't keep listening, Robs life although I'm sure very interesting doesn't share very well and just comes across slow and boring.

Disappointing

I've always enjoyed Rob Brydon's work, he's a great writer and a funny man... but wow, was this boring. Far too much detail of his early life, un-funny anecdotes and a very, very great need for editing!! The last hour, when we got more up to date, was by far the most interesting section with some useful insights, but even that was laboured in parts. Half the length would have been better... and quite appropriate given his fixation on his height. Or lack of...

Stick to comedy and acting

Started well but goes on too long. I love rob Bryson but found him boring as a writer

Enjoyable.

Any additional comments?

I absolutely love Rob Brydon so was excited to get listening to him narrate his own book. Unfortunately I did find it a little boring but maybe that's because I had high expectations to begin with perhaps. It still was enjoyable and entertaining to listen to but maybe wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Boring

I'm sorry - I just didn't find this very good at all - compared with the books I've recently listened to by Jack Dee and (even funnier) Michael McIntyre. I was almost falling asleep at the wheel. Maybe it was just Rob's voice I don't know. It wasn't for me. I stopped listening after 90 minutes.

Laugh a lot

Superb book, made even better by Rob reading it. His impressions are superb and will really make you chuckle. A great read to see how he has made it when a lot of people would have given up. Highly recommend.

Love him even more now.

This was the type of book I wished could have gone on for every I know I little about him before and now know more and like him more wonderful reading and the voices are great. One of my best books
You will be happy with this one

Quietly Entertaining

Rob delivers this story with relaxed and entertaining style. Not too much from his childhood as other autobiographies but enough to paint a picture of his life. I found it an entertaining and enjoyable book

A funny man

So much better hearing the actual man read his own story and use his different voices. He is so easy to listen to. Want to learn about what happens next.

Interesting look behind the scenes

Would you consider the audio edition of Small Man in a Book to be better than the print version?

Yes. It is the sort of book that benefits from the narration: it is an easy listen.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I was interested in the process by which Brydon and Davis developed 'Human Remains'.