Went to London, Took the Dog cover art

Went to London, Took the Dog

The Diary of a 60-Year-Old Runaway

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.

Went to London, Took the Dog

By: Nina Stibbe
Narrated by: Nina Stibbe
Try for £0.00

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

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

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

This brilliant audiobook is wittily and hilariously read by the author, Nina Stibbe.

'Painfully funny, but also deeply moving' - Meg Mason

'Vulnerable, sharp, funny, wise' - Bonnie Garmus

'A unique comic voice, endlessly funny' - David Nicholls


Twenty years after leaving London, Nina Stibbe is back in town with her dog, Peggy. Together they take up lodging in the house of writer Deborah (Debby) Moggach in Camden for 'a year-long sabbatical'. It’s a break from married life back in Cornwall, or even perhaps a fresh start altogether.

Debby does not have many demands – only to water the garden, watch for toads, and defrost the odd pie – so Nina is free to explore the city she once called home. Between scrutinising her son’s online dating developments, navigating the politics of the local pool, and taking detergent advice at the laundrette, this diary of a sixty-year-old runaway reunites us with the inimitable voice of Love, Nina, as the writer becomes, as she puts it, 'a proper adult' at last.

As heard on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour

'The true heir to Sue Townsend' - Caitlin Moran


'An utter, UTTER treat! It was like spending time with my most clever, insightful, funny, FUNNY friend' - Marian Keyes

'No one writes heartbreak more hilariously, or hilarity more heartbreakingly' - Katherine Heiny

'So sharp and funny, blissfully gossipy, enviably well-observed . . . I loved it' - India Knight

©2023 Nina Stibbe (P)2023 Macmillan Publishers International Limited
Comedy & Humour Journalists, Editors & Publishers Marriage & Long-Term Partnerships Funny Inspiring Witty Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Comedy Dogs
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Alan Bennett: Diaries cover art
Comfort Eating cover art
The Stargazers cover art
My Lady Parts cover art
The Farmer's Wife cover art
Here Comes the Fun cover art
The Bad Mother's Diary cover art
Grumpy Old Women: The Official Handbook cover art
Nothing Left Unsaid cover art
Born to Be Mild cover art
The Marmalade Diaries cover art
The Gran Tour cover art
Annie Stanley, All at Sea cover art
One Summer cover art
Queen Bee cover art

What listeners say about Went to London, Took the Dog

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    70
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    6
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    69
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    7
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    64
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    10

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

Humour

I felt I had an old friend chattering away to me and keeping me company

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

Bliss!

I adored it. Thank you! Very funny, clever, insightful and poignant. Nina narrating it herself was a real treat. I just didn’t want it to end - more diaries please Nina! (Also re-focussed me on my pelvic floor exercises!).

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

I’ve been listening on repeat!

Loved it all! My favourite audiobook format, I love David Sedaris’ books and this feels a bit like those somehow but much more relatable to me.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

My book of the year!

Funny, insightful and at turns quite moving. Like hanging out with your besties. Listened twice. A joy!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Distinctive and dryly amusing

Nina Stibbe is a wonderfully eccentric yet down to earth writer who makes you feel like she has included you in her hilarious bunch of friends and their lives.

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

A very relaxing listen

I don't know why I liked this book, mostly just a list of random events and things others did, or said, (but then it does say it's a diary in the title!) but I did. Maybe it was because her life was so different to mine; whatever, it was very easy to listen to and if I fell asleep while listening in bed and went back the following day, it didn't matter if i'd heard some before.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

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

Highly amusing, great sense of humour

I really enjoyed this audio book. Superbly read by Nina herself. Her sense of humour is just brilliant and I’ve laughed out loud so many times. The perfect listen.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

A Collection of Bits

I love Nina Stibbe's work! This, however, just leaves me puzzled. I get that it is extracts from a diary, but did no-one edit it? It just rambles on and goes around and around an a, frankly, completely tedious way.

I was also in the dark about who most of the people are. The characters are all listed (and a long, boring list it is, to listen to) at the start, but whereas, in a book, you could quickly flick back to the opening page to check who someone is, it's not easy to do that in an audio book.

Oddly, even being read by its author, the narrator seemed often to leave no gap whatsoever between sentences, so that the meaning was sometimes completely lost. I am sorry to say that it was all completely disappointing.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Moving and Delightful

Funny and profound. This is Nina at her very best. A joy to listen to from start to finish.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Gentle and Uplifting

I love everything Nina Stibbe writes and especially love listening to her voice. Like other reviews have said it is just diary entries, but it’s captivating, I love the way Nina looks at life and didn’t want it to end. Would definitely love another.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!