The Diary of a Nobody cover art

The Diary of a Nobody

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Diary of a Nobody

By: George Grossmith
Narrated by: Geoffrey Palmer
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £11.99

Buy Now for £11.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Written as the diary of someone who would not normally merit a memoir but considers that he should have one written about him anyway, The Diary of a Nobody chronicles in agonizing but very funny detail everyday life in the lower middle class suburbs of Victorian England and the attempts of a social climber to better himself.

It was published in 1892. First published in the satirical magazine Punch as a serial between 1888 and 1889, with illustrations by the author’s brother, Weedon, The Diary of a Nobody did to late Victorian society what Alan Partridge has done for not-very-celebrated celebrities. The book coined the word Pooterism - the tendency to take oneself way too seriously - and helped to popularise a rather more familiar word from the name of one of its characters - Mr Murray Posh. But for all Mr Pooter’s petty snobbery and his tragic-comic social pretension, we love this character and even identify with him at some level, if we are honest with ourselves! This is the diary of someone who acknowledges that he is not a somebody but would dearly love to be!

Author George Grossmith (1847-1912) was born in London to a theatrical family. The comic genius which characterised his literary work was also evident in his approach to performance. He was noted for his ability to get laughs, sometimes at the expense of the show as a whole.

Public Domain (P)2007 Silksoundbooks Limited
Classics England Funny Witty
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

David Copperfield cover art
Alan Partridge: Big Beacon cover art
Ghost Stories: Stephen Fry's Definitive Collection cover art
From the Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast (Series 1) cover art
The Darling Buds of May cover art
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole cover art
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin cover art
The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency cover art
Middlemarch cover art
Barbara Pym: A BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art
The Diary of Samuel Pepys cover art
The Sun Also Rises cover art
The Pickwick Papers cover art
High Rising cover art
Love Among the Chickens [Classic Tales Edition] cover art
Cold Comfort Farm cover art

What listeners say about The Diary of a Nobody

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    35
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    42
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    30
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely Wonderful!

This is a joy to listen to, with many ‘laugh out loud’ moments. It’s an affectionate look at an ‘ordinary’ life and still surprisingly contemporary - human nature doesn’t change. Geoffrey Palmer’s reading is perfection; he is the voice of Mr Pooter forever! I will listen to this audiobook many times - it’s simply wonderful.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Really good fun & marvellously narrated.

Very funny & highlights how little has really changed over the years! Brilliantly narrated by Palmer.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Everyone should read or hear this!

A brilliant novel wonderfully narrated by the excellent Geoffrey Palmier!
Laugh out loud on many occasions
- Charles Pooter is what an elderly Adrian Mole would have turned into had the late great Sue Townsend still been with us!
Utter Briliance!!!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Review of The Diary of a Nobody

The voice of the late Geoffrey Palmer is perfect for this narration in a hilarious set of diary entries covering the daily events in the lives of a London clerk, Charles Pooter, his wife Carrie, his son William Lupin, and numerous friends and acquaintances over a period of 15 months. Highly recommended

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

brilliant

this is great, I have listened several times, it is so funny I love it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Geoffrey Palmer is the perfect narrator

Having read The Diary of a Nobody as a child, discovering this on Audible was a wonder. There are a few different offerings, but choosing Geoffrey Palmer as the narrator was by far the best choice. Palmer’s Mr Pooter is just brilliant. An absolute must-have for this classic book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What a find!!

It’s a brilliant listen, voices from the Victorian age that resonate today in 2024. A perfect buy. Thank you

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Diary of a nobody

It is read well but the story is lacking. Very easily forgotten. Don’t waste your credit.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!