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Before & Laughter
- Narrated by: Jimmy Carr
- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Self-help meets memoir in this deeply insightful, fascinating and entertaining audiobook about happiness by one of the country's most treasured comedians.
A memoir and self-help manual by one of the country's most treasured comedians - for anyone who feels stuck in a rut but doesn't have the tools or self-belief to shake things up
In his mid-20s, Jimmy was bored, boring, unfulfilled and underachieving. He wasn't exactly depressed, but he was very sad. Think of a baby owl whose mum has recently died in a windmill accident. He was that sad. This book tells the story of how Jimmy turned it around and got happy, through the redemptive power of dick jokes.
Written to take advantage of the brief window between the end of lockdown and Jimmy getting cancelled for saying something unforgivable to Lorraine Kelly, this book is as timely as it is unnecessary.
Because you might be interested in Jimmy's life but he's damn sure you're a lot more interested in your own, Before & Laughter is about both of you. But mainly him. It tells the story of Jimmy's life - the transformation from white-collar corporate drone to fake-toothed, donkey-laugh, plastic-haired comedy mannequin - while also explaining how to turn your own life around and become the you you've always dreamt of being.
Before & Laughter contains the answers to all the big questions in life, questions like:
- What's the secret to happiness?
- Is Jimmy wearing a wig?
- What happened with that tax thing?
- What's the meaning of life?
- Is Jimmy's laugh real?
- Can those teeth bite through vibranium?
And for listeners in the West Country: yes, there are pictures (actually, sorry, there are no pictures, but there's a book about a hungry caterpillar you'll love).
Because it's Jimmy Carr - recently scientifically proved to be the funniest comedian in the UK - there are jokes, jokes and more jokes throughout. If laughter really was the best medicine, the NHS would be handing out this book in Nightingale Hospitals.
Fascinating, thoughtful and insightful - are all words that appear in the book.
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What listeners say about Before & Laughter
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- Samuel P.
- 2023-11-26
Awesome
Great self help book, funny and witty. Jimmy Carr is one of the best in my opinion
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- Anonymous User
- 2024-03-05
Good advice from a good man.
I was able to retain stuff from this book and apply it to me!
Great job Jimmy.
Next book please?
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- Anonymous User
- 2021-12-07
Jimmy Carr is funny and smart.
I got this book because Jimmy Carr is funny. Thought he was joking around in interviews about it being a self help book. If you are looking to get into the entertainment industry or have a career not a job read this book.
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- James S.
- 2022-12-15
Enlightening
A funny antidote filled memoir on Jimmy's rose to success. All of the advice is transferable to our everyday lives.
I cannot wait to be as successful as Jimmy after reading this book.
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- andrei popescu
- 2023-01-23
dyslexic
it was alright , I like the guy so normally I liked his book but as far as books go it's more of the same about my life and advice that likely doesn't apply to your life
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- Darryl Montgomery
- 2024-05-31
Unexpectedly inspiring
Carr is at once funny while matter-of-fact about needing to find direction in one's own life. He shows that single decision is world changing.
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- Wes
- 2024-09-16
Not what I was expecting, but enjoyable
I wasn't expecting a self-help/motivation book, but that is what is woven throughout the narrative of Jimmy Carr's life. It is well put together, and well presented, though there isn't much in the book you won't find in a myriad of other self-help books. Regardless, to also quote Zig Ziglar, listening to motivational materials is like bathing, we recommend doing it daily, and as such, Jimmy Carr brings a fresh voice to the material by humanizing the concepts with his own his story.
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- Ali-G
- 2023-08-06
Hands down, the best self help book
This book is surprisingly helpful (and bloody hilarious), even though I was only getting a book that I thought was comedic. I'm going to listen to it again right now.
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- Ian Boothby
- 2024-03-02
Great advice delivered with laughs
Great advice for a life in comedy as well as in general delivered with constant laughs.
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- Anonymous User
- 2022-10-20
My favorite listen of the year
Brilliant! Surprisingly insightful for a guy with a Cambridge education. An elegant mix of stories, jokes, and a little wisdom. Warning - don't listen to it if you if you're offended by words like "dont be a fucking cunt". :)
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