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An hilarious spoof self-help book from the star of MARION & GEOFF and host of the new hit BBC comedy THE KEITH BARRET SHOW. "I don't feel like I have lost a wife but that I have gained a friend. I would never have met Geoff if Marion hadn't left me." MARION & GEOFF was one of the most-loved and most-acclaimed BBC comedies of recent years. Rob Brydon wrote and starred as cuckolded Welsh cabbie Keith Barret, recording a hopelessly optimistic video diary about his life as a divorcee. It was a heartbreaking show; darkly comic and brilliantly written. The series won Best Drama at the South Bank Awards, and Rob Brydon won a British Comedy Award for his performance as Keith. Last summer Brydon took his character Keith Barret to the Edinburgh Festival with a show (or rather a 'talk' or 'therapy session') entitled MAKING DIVORCE WORK, which drew on all of Keith's experience as a divorcee. It was a sell-out, and the Daily Telegraph declared it 'More outright hilarious than the TV series'. Now, with a new primetime BBC TV series in the pipeline, Keith Barret has settled down and written an indispensable Self Help guide to surviving relationship break-ups. In MAKING DIVORCE WORK Barret offers advice for the broken-hearted on everything from getting access to the kids ("my little smashers") to dating again. It is a brilliant parody of the Self Help genre (although Barret has written it with all sincerity), and an intimate portrait of Keith Barret; our favourite eternal optimist.
Keith Barret, a perpetually optimistic Welsh cabbie, attempts to navigate the wreckage of his marriage by offering unsolicited, earnest advice to others facing relationship dissolution. The protagonist operates from a position of profound, if misguided, resilience, viewing his own painful divorce as a gateway to new friendships and personal growth. His objective is to provide a comprehensive guide for the broken-hearted, utilizing his own life as a case study for survival. The narrative is presented as a sincere, albeit darkly comic, self-help manual that reflects the character's unique, limited perspective on his own domestic failures.
This work is widely regarded as a successful extension of the character established in the acclaimed BBC series Marion & Geoff. Critics and audiences have noted that the book functions effectively as both a character study and a sharp parody of the self-help industry. The humor relies heavily on the reader's familiarity with the protagonist's specific brand of optimistic delusion. By maintaining the character's voice with complete sincerity, the text achieves a level of dark comedy that resonates with fans of the original television performance.
Page Count:
224
Publication Date:
2004-01-01
Publisher:
Fourth Estate Ltd
ISBN-10:
0007193866
ISBN-13:
9780007193868
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