I Laughed, I Cried

'The working mum's version of Eddie Izzard's 50 marathons in 50 days. Hilarious.' Sally Phillips

'Absolutely hilarious' Jennifer Saunders

'Brilliant' Jo Brand

'An amazing book about stand-up that's also about love, determination and pursuing your dreams' Lucy Porter

When is it too late to become the person you were meant to be? Viv Groskop is fed up, recession-scarred and pushing 40. She always wanted to be a stand-up comedian. But surely that's not advisable if you have three children, a mortgage and a husband who hates stand-up comedy?

With no time to waste, she attempts the mother of all comedy marathons - 100 gigs in 100 nights. She laughs. Sometimes at her own jokes. Occasionally the audience laughs too. Often they don't. And she cries. Tears of joy, of misery and of profound self-loathing.

This is an alarmingly specific and reckless experiment with a reassuringly universal and inspiring message. You CAN do what you want to do even if it's completely terrifying. You CAN try something new without giving up the day job. And you CAN go after what you really want in life without destroying everything around you. Well, not absolutely everything.

“Viv Groskop has paid her dues so you don't have to. The story of her whirlwind comedy apprenticeship is as funny as it is inspiring, and may also give you nightmares.”

A classic of the male midlife crisis genre but for one twist: she's a woman. A mother of three small children, she is constantly torn between defiantly chasing the dream and worrying that it will wreck her marriage - THE TIMES

I LAUGHED, I CRIED is essentially a mid-life crisis played out over 22 chapters. It is also about finding out what you're capable of at a time when your days revolve around school runs, daily deadlines, and uneventful evenings in front of the telly - INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

Viv Groskop is crazy, clever, brave and kind. But mostly she's crazy. A real insight into a secret world. I laughed, I cried, I dry-retched at her sheer balls

Brilliant

Viv Groskop is a journalist, broadcaster and stand-up comedian. She has written for publications such as the Guardian, The Times, Grazia and Vogue and has twice been short-listed for PPA COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR (Periodical Publishers' Association). She appears frequently on TV's SKY News as well as on BBC Radio 4's Front Row and Woman's Hour and is a regular panellist on Any Questions?

@VivGroskop

'The working mum's version of Eddie Izzard's 50 marathons in 50 days. Hilarious.' Sally Phillips 'Absolutely hilarious' Jennifer Saunders 'Brilliant' Jo Brand 'An amazing book about stand-up that's also about love, determination and pursuing your dreams' Lucy Porter When is it too late to become the person you were meant to be? Viv Groskop is fed up, recession-scarred and pushing 40. She always wanted to be a stand-up comedian. But surely that's not advisable if you have three children, a mortgage and a husband who hates stand-up comedy? With no time to waste, she attempts the mother of all comedy marathons - 100 gigs in 100 nights. She laughs. Sometimes at her own jokes. Occasionally the audience laughs too. Often they don't. And she cries. Tears of joy, of misery and of profound self-loathing. This is an alarmingly specific and reckless experiment with a reassuringly universal and inspiring message. You CAN do what you want to do even if it's completely terrifying. You CAN try something new without giving up the day job. And you CAN go after what you really want in life without destroying everything around you. Well, not absolutely everything.

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