
The Art of Failing
Notes from the Underdog
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $18.12
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Alexander Doddy
-
By:
-
Anthony McGowan
About this listen
HAUNTED! By endless tiny humiliations.
STRUGGLING! To resurrect the corpse of his literary career.
ENSNARED! In a loving yet bamboozling marriage.
A man at odds with the universe, Anthony McGowan stumbles from one improbable fiasco to the next. On the mean streets of West Hampstead he reflects upon all that is at the heart of life itself - socks with holes, underwhelming packed lunches, broken washing machines, Kierkegaard, liver salts, British Library eccentricities and disapproving ladies on trains. In this chronicle of one man’s daily failures and disappointments, McGowan can’t help but speak his mind - with cringe-worthy and hilarious results.
©2017 Anthony McGowan (P)2019 W. F. Howes LtdListeners also enjoyed...
-
Born to Be Mild
- Adventures for the Anxious
- By: Rob Temple
- Narrated by: Mathew Baynton
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this hilarious and life-affirming memoir, Rob explores what it will take for him to become a little less Bear (Pooh) and a little bit more Bear (Grylls) and how mild-mannered, anxious rule-followers can get their own share of (gentle) adventure from time to time.
-
-
This is all around amazing
- By Erin Johnson on 01-11-22
By: Rob Temple
-
Too Close
- A Novel
- By: Natalie Daniels
- Narrated by: Clara Salaman, Sara Stewart
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Working as a dedicated forensic psychiatrist for many years, Emma is not shocked so easily. Then she is assigned to work with Connie, a wife and mother accused of a despicable crime. Connie is suffering from dissociative amnesia - or at least seems to be. Now it is up to Emma to decide whether Connie can stand trial for her sins. But there is something about Connie that inexorably pulls Emma into her orbit. Too Close is a masterfully written riveting listen about the powerful - yet dangerous - closeness between women.
-
-
Absolutely worth it!
- By PollyAnna2 on 09-17-19
By: Natalie Daniels
-
Alan Partridge: Big Beacon
- By: Alan Partridge
- Narrated by: Alan Partridge
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Big Beacon, Norwich's favourite son and best broadcaster, Alan Partridge, triumphs against the odds. TWICE. Using an innovative 'dual narrative' structure you sometimes see in films, Big Beacon tells the story of how Partridge heroically rebuilt his TV career, rising like a phoenix from the desolate wasteland of local radio to climb to the summit of Mount Primetime and regain the nationwide prominence his talent merits.
-
-
Rhinocerene
- By Anonymous User on 10-12-23
By: Alan Partridge
-
How to Be a Woman
- By: Caitlin Moran
- Narrated by: Caitlin Moran
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Though they have the vote and the Pill and haven't been burned as witches since 1727, life isn't exactly a stroll down the catwalk for modern women. They are beset by uncertainties and questions: Why are they supposed to get Brazilians? Why do bras hurt? Why the incessant talk about babies? And do men secretly hate them? Caitlin Moran interweaves provocative observations on women's lives with laugh-out-loud funny scenes from her own, from adolescence to her development as a writer, wife, and mother.
-
-
Hysterical manual for the 21st century woman
- By Brendolynne on 11-05-12
By: Caitlin Moran
-
The Authenticity Project
- A Novel
- By: Clare Pooley
- Narrated by: Anna Cordell
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Julian Jessop, an eccentric, lonely artist and septuagenarian believes that most people aren’t really honest with each other. But what if they were? And so he writes—in a plain, green journal—the truth about his own life and leaves it in his local café. It’s run by the incredibly tidy and efficient Monica, who furtively adds her own entry and leaves the book in the wine bar across the street. Before long, the others who find the green notebook add the truths about their own deepest selves - and soon find each other In Real Life at Monica’s Café.
-
-
Sweet, easy listen
- By Benhandel on 04-23-20
By: Clare Pooley
-
Everything I Know About Love
- A Memoir
- By: Dolly Alderton
- Narrated by: Dolly Alderton
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The wildly funny, occasionally heart-breaking internationally best-selling memoir about growing up, growing older, and learning to navigate friendships, jobs, loss, and love along the ride. When it comes to the trials and triumphs of becoming an adult, journalist and former Sunday Times columnist Dolly Alderton has seen and tried it all.
-
-
Loved it
- By Jessica on 04-02-20
By: Dolly Alderton
-
Born to Be Mild
- Adventures for the Anxious
- By: Rob Temple
- Narrated by: Mathew Baynton
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this hilarious and life-affirming memoir, Rob explores what it will take for him to become a little less Bear (Pooh) and a little bit more Bear (Grylls) and how mild-mannered, anxious rule-followers can get their own share of (gentle) adventure from time to time.
-
-
This is all around amazing
- By Erin Johnson on 01-11-22
By: Rob Temple
-
Too Close
- A Novel
- By: Natalie Daniels
- Narrated by: Clara Salaman, Sara Stewart
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Working as a dedicated forensic psychiatrist for many years, Emma is not shocked so easily. Then she is assigned to work with Connie, a wife and mother accused of a despicable crime. Connie is suffering from dissociative amnesia - or at least seems to be. Now it is up to Emma to decide whether Connie can stand trial for her sins. But there is something about Connie that inexorably pulls Emma into her orbit. Too Close is a masterfully written riveting listen about the powerful - yet dangerous - closeness between women.
-
-
Absolutely worth it!
- By PollyAnna2 on 09-17-19
By: Natalie Daniels
-
Alan Partridge: Big Beacon
- By: Alan Partridge
- Narrated by: Alan Partridge
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Big Beacon, Norwich's favourite son and best broadcaster, Alan Partridge, triumphs against the odds. TWICE. Using an innovative 'dual narrative' structure you sometimes see in films, Big Beacon tells the story of how Partridge heroically rebuilt his TV career, rising like a phoenix from the desolate wasteland of local radio to climb to the summit of Mount Primetime and regain the nationwide prominence his talent merits.
-
-
Rhinocerene
- By Anonymous User on 10-12-23
By: Alan Partridge
-
How to Be a Woman
- By: Caitlin Moran
- Narrated by: Caitlin Moran
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Though they have the vote and the Pill and haven't been burned as witches since 1727, life isn't exactly a stroll down the catwalk for modern women. They are beset by uncertainties and questions: Why are they supposed to get Brazilians? Why do bras hurt? Why the incessant talk about babies? And do men secretly hate them? Caitlin Moran interweaves provocative observations on women's lives with laugh-out-loud funny scenes from her own, from adolescence to her development as a writer, wife, and mother.
-
-
Hysterical manual for the 21st century woman
- By Brendolynne on 11-05-12
By: Caitlin Moran
-
The Authenticity Project
- A Novel
- By: Clare Pooley
- Narrated by: Anna Cordell
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Julian Jessop, an eccentric, lonely artist and septuagenarian believes that most people aren’t really honest with each other. But what if they were? And so he writes—in a plain, green journal—the truth about his own life and leaves it in his local café. It’s run by the incredibly tidy and efficient Monica, who furtively adds her own entry and leaves the book in the wine bar across the street. Before long, the others who find the green notebook add the truths about their own deepest selves - and soon find each other In Real Life at Monica’s Café.
-
-
Sweet, easy listen
- By Benhandel on 04-23-20
By: Clare Pooley
-
Everything I Know About Love
- A Memoir
- By: Dolly Alderton
- Narrated by: Dolly Alderton
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The wildly funny, occasionally heart-breaking internationally best-selling memoir about growing up, growing older, and learning to navigate friendships, jobs, loss, and love along the ride. When it comes to the trials and triumphs of becoming an adult, journalist and former Sunday Times columnist Dolly Alderton has seen and tried it all.
-
-
Loved it
- By Jessica on 04-02-20
By: Dolly Alderton
-
The Lonely Life of Biddy Weir
- By: Lesley Allen
- Narrated by: Bríd Brennan
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Biddy Weir is a quirky girl. Abandoned by her mother as a baby, and with a father who's not quite equipped for the challenges of modern parenting, Biddy lives in her own little world, happy to pass her time painting by the sea and watching the birds go by. That is, until she meets Alison Flemming. Because there are a few things about Biddy that aren't normal, you see. And Alison isn't afraid to point them out to the world. All of a sudden, Biddy's quiet life is thrown into turmoil. If only there was someone to convince her that, actually, everyone's a little bit weird....
-
-
The Lonely Life Of Biddy Weir
- By George Criticos on 08-10-20
By: Lesley Allen
-
Windswept & Interesting
- My Autobiography
- By: Billy Connolly
- Narrated by: Billy Connolly
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his first full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy Connolly reveals the truth behind his windswept and interesting life. Born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, orphaned by the age of fourth and a survivor of appalling abuse at the hands of his own family, Billy's life is a remarkable story of success against all the odds.
-
-
brilliant read, loved every second
- By Amazon Customer on 10-21-21
By: Billy Connolly
-
Is It Just Me?
- By: Miranda Hart
- Narrated by: Miranda Hart
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Well hello to you dear audiobook browser. Now I have your attention it would be rude if I didn't tell you a little about my literary feast. So, here is the thing: is it just me or does anyone else find that adulthood offers no refuge from the unexpected horrors, peculiar lack of physical coordination and sometimes unexplained nudity, that accompanied childhood and adolescence? I am proud to say I have a wealth of awkward experiences - from school days to life as an office temp - and here I offer my 18-year-old self (and I hope you, too, dear listener) some much needed caution and guidance on how to navigate life's rocky path.
-
-
Cackle Worthy
- By Lily on 10-26-12
By: Miranda Hart
-
The Rachel Incident
- A Novel
- By: Caroline O'Donoghue
- Narrated by: Tara Flynn
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rachel is a student working at a bookstore when she meets James, and it’s love at first sight. Effervescent and insistently heterosexual, James soon invites Rachel to be his roommate and the two begin a friendship that changes the course of both their lives forever. Together, they run riot through the streets of Cork city, trying to maintain a bohemian existence while the threat of the financial crash looms before them.
-
-
Best narration
- By LG on 01-12-24
-
Geraldine Verne’s Red Suitcase
- By: Jane Riley
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jack had two dying wishes: that his wife scatter his ashes somewhere "exotic", and that she not give up on life once he was gone. He intended to spur her on to new adventures, but despite clinging to her red suitcase, Geraldine Verne hasn’t left the house for three months. It takes an accident for Geri to accept help from her friends, but when Meals on Wheels arrive she is mortified. Yet heartbroken volunteer Lottie brings with her more than cottage pie and custard. Like Geri, she too is struggling to cut loose.
-
-
Geraldine Verne’s Red Suitcase
- By Patricia on 09-09-22
By: Jane Riley
-
How to Build a Girl
- By: Caitlin Moran
- Narrated by: Louise Brealey
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's 1990. Johanna Morrigan, 14, has shamed herself so badly on local TV that she decides that there's no point in being Johanna anymore and reinvents herself as Dolly Wilde - fast-talking, hard-drinking gothic hero and full-time Lady Sex Adventurer. She will save her poverty-stricken Bohemian family by becoming a writer - like Jo in Little Women, or the Brontës - but without the dying-young bit.
-
-
Get This Book!
- By David Shear on 10-06-14
By: Caitlin Moran
-
How to be Champion
- An Autobiography
- By: Sarah Millican
- Narrated by: Sarah Millican
- Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Part autobiography, part self-help, part confession, part celebration of being a common-or-garden woman, part collection of synonyms for nunny, Sarah Millican's debut audiobook delves into her super normal life with daft stories, funny tales and proper advice on how to get past life's blips - like being good at school but not good at friends, the excitement of IBS and how to blossom postdivorce.
-
-
Disappointing but probably my fault
- By David on 03-02-18
By: Sarah Millican
-
The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman
- By: Julietta Henderson
- Narrated by: Katherine Parkinson
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twelve-year-old Norman Foreman and his best friend, Jax, are a legendary comedic duo in waiting, with a plan to take their act all the way to the Edinburgh Fringe. But when Jax dies, Norman decides the only fitting tribute is to perform at the festival himself. The problem is, Norman’s not the funny one. Jax was.
-
-
Loved it !
- By babybird on 05-31-21
-
Something to Live For
- By: Richard Roper
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
All Andrew wants is to be normal. That's why his coworkers believe he has the perfect wife and two children waiting at home for him after a long day. But the truth is, his life isn't exactly as people think...and his little white lie is about to catch up with him. Because in all of Andrew's efforts to fit in, he's forgotten one important thing: how to really live. And maybe, it's finally time for him to start.
-
-
Funny and touching
- By Ceclila on 05-31-19
By: Richard Roper
-
No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club
- Diary of a 60th Year
- By: Virginia Ironside
- Narrated by: Sian Phillips
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Don't harass her about parasailing or taking Italian language courses. Forget about suggesting she join a gym. Marie Sharp may be a little creaky in the bones as she heads toward the big 6-0, but she's fine with it. She would rather do without all the moving-to-Florida-bicycling-across-Mongolia-for-the-hell-of-it hoopla that her friends insist upon. She's already led an exciting life: she came of age in the 1960s, after all.
-
-
Telling it like it is
- By Barbara on 12-14-07
-
A Thousand Roads Home
- By: Carmel Harrington
- Narrated by: Jill Crawford, Frank Grimes
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meet Tom. Or Dr O’Grady, as he used to be called. When you pass him on the street, most people don’t even give him a second glance. You see, Tom isn’t living his best life. Burdened by grief, he’s only got his loyal dog, Bette Davis, for company and a rucksack containing his whole world. Then there’s Ruth and her son, DJ, who no longer have a place to call home. But Ruth believes that you can change the world by helping one person at a time - and Tom needs her help. There are a thousand ways to find your home - you just need to be brave enough to look for them.
-
-
Couldn't put it down
- By Allison Swart on 09-22-19
-
The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes
- A Novel
- By: Ruth Hogan
- Narrated by: Elaine Claxton
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once a spirited, independent woman with a rebellious streak, Masha's life was forever changed by a tragic event 12 years ago. Unable to let go of her grief, she finds comfort in her faithful canine companion Haizum and peace in the quiet lanes of her town's swimming pool. Almost without her realizing it, her life has shuddered to a halt.
-
-
Sweet Story
- By Nancy Briggs on 12-14-19
By: Ruth Hogan