The Best Autobiographies To Listen To On Audible

Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Lady Anne Glenconner

As Lady Anne Glenconner said on her memorable appearance on the Graham Norton Show in 2019, this is not a “lavender-scented memoir”. Instead, this recounting of the remarkable life of Princess Margaret’s lady-in-waiting is full of humour and sordid detail. Lady Glenconner has been close to the royal family since childhood. The eldest child of the 5th Earl of Leicester, she was described as “the greatest disappointment” by her family because, as a daughter, she was unable to inherit. She married the charismatic but highly volatile Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner, who became the owner of Mustique. Together they turned the island into a paradise for the rich and famous, including Mick Jagger and David Bowie. But beneath the glitz and glamour there also lurked tragedy. Lady Glenconner writes with extraordinary wit and courage, and she exposes what life was like in her gilded cage, revealing the role of her great friendship with Princess Margaret and the freedom she can now finally enjoy in later life.

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Me by Elton John

We all know his songs, but what do we know about the star behind the piano? Christened Reginald Dwight, the man who would become the 70s rock icon Elton John was a shy boy who grew up in the suburbs of London. From quiet beginnings, he burst onto the music scene, resplendent in sequins, silver hot pants and decorative glasses. Me, which was released last year, is his first official autobiography. It’s a joyous, moving account that reveals candid details about his life – including his friendships with the likes of Freddie Mercury, George Michael and John Lennon, and his drug addiction. He writes honestly about getting clean, finding love and becoming a father. It’s a touching book and the messages inside will stay with you.

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Things I Learned From Falling by Claire Nelson

In 2018, Claire Nelson made international headlines. Feeling incredibly anxious and at breaking point, she decided to take some time off and travelled alone to Joshua Tree Park in California to hike and clear her head. But during the hike, Claire fell 25 feet, gravely injuring herself, miles away in the desert from any trail, without phone signal and fighting for her life. She lay exposed to the elements for four days until she was miraculously found. In Things I Learned From Falling Claire tells her incredible story and what it taught her about loneliness, anxiety, transformation and how to survive it all.

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The Salt Path by Raynor Winn

Just days after Raynor Winn learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, the couple lose their home and their livelihood. With nothing left and little time, they make the impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset via Devon and Cornwall. They have almost no money for food or shelter and must carry only the essentials for survival on their backs as they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea and sky. Yet through every step, encounter and test along the way, their walk becomes a remarkable journey. The Salt Path is an unflinchingly honest, inspiring and life-affirming true story of coming to terms with grief and the healing power of the natural world. Winn’s 2020 follow-up, The Wild Silence, is also well worth a listen.

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Educated by Tara Westover

Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and then Cambridge universities. In doing so she discovered the transformative power of education as well as the price she had to pay for it.

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Diary of an MP’s Wife by Sasha Swire

What is it like to be a wife of a politician in modern-day Britain? Sasha Swire lifts the lid. For more than 20 years she kept a secret diary detailing the trials and tribulations of being a political plus-one; now she gives us a ringside seat at the seismic political events of the last decade. A professional partner and loyal spouse, Swire has strong political opinions herself and smashes the stereotype of the dutiful wife. From state banquets in Buckingham Palace to dinners in Downing Street, shenanigans in Devon hedges and partying with City ‘hedgies’, she observes the great and the not-so-great at the closest of quarters. Here are the friendships and the fallouts, the general elections and the leadership contests, the scandals and the rivalries. Diary of an MP's Wife is an honest, wildly indiscreet and often uproarious account of what life is like in the thick of it.

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Quite by Claudia Winkleman

Claudia Winkleman’s warmth, humour and no-holds-barred attitude have made her a favourite broadcaster of millions and a much-loved household name. In her first book, Claudia invites us into her world. She shares observations on topics such as the importance of melted cheese, why black coats are vital, why it’s never okay to have sex with someone who has an opinion on your date outfit, how nurses are our most precious national treasure, and why colourful clothing is only for the under-tens. This is a love letter to life – the real, sometimes messy kind. Quite celebrates friendship, the power of art, the highs and lows of parenting and, of course, how a good eyeliner can really save your life. Heartfelt, wry and unmistakably her, this book gets to the heart of what really matters.

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Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion

From one of America’s most influential writers comes this timeless collection of Joan Didion’s early pieces written from 1968 to 2000. They offer an illuminating glimpse into the mind and process of a legendary figure and showcase Didion’s incisive reporting and her empathetic gaze. Pieces include her writing about a Gamblers Anonymous meeting, a visit to San Simeon's Hearst Castle, a reunion of World War Two veterans in Las Vegas, and famous folk from Nancy Reagan to Robert Mapplethorpe and Martha Stewart. Each piece is classic Didion: incisive, bemused and stunningly prescient.

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The Glossy Years by Nicholas Coleridge

Over his 30-year career at Condé Nast, Nicholas Coleridge witnessed it all. From the anxieties of the Princess of Wales to the blazing fury of Mohamed Al-Fayed, his story is also the story of the people who populate the glamorous world of glossy magazines. Having cut his teeth on Tatler, then as editor of Harpers & Queen, he became the Mr Big of glossy publishing for three decades. With surprising candour, he offers the inside scoop on Tina Brown and Anna Wintour, David Bowie and Philip Green, Kate Moss and Beyonce, while discussing Margaret Thatcher's clothing legacy, and a surreal weekend away with Bob Geldof and William Hague. Packed with hilarious anecdotes, The Glossy Years also provides perceptive insight into the changing and treacherous worlds of fashion, journalism, museums and a whole sweep of British society. A fascinating listen.

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An Improbable Life by Sir Trevor McDonald

Now in his 82nd year, Sir Trevor McDonald is known and loved by people the world over for his humility, charm and natural ease. In An Improbable Life, Sir Trevor recounts his personal experience of world events and interviews with globally famous – and notorious – figures. He has witnessed war and death, as well as risked his own life to meet and talk with despots and liberators. We hear about his first trip to South Africa and obtaining the first British television interview with Nelson Mandela; his reflections on the Windrush generation; and experiencing Barack Obama's momentous inauguration as US president. Listeners are also present at his dramatic meetings with Saddam Hussein (the first and only one by a British television correspondent) and Muammar Gaddafi. Engaging, intimate and moving, this is the life story of an exceptional journalist and broadcaster.

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The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris

Discover vice-president Kamala Harris's Sunday Times bestselling book about the core truths that unite us and the shared values that will see us into the future. The daughter of immigrants and civil rights activists, Harris was raised in a California community that cared deeply about social justice. As she rose to prominence as a political leader, her experiences would become her guiding light as she grappled with an array of complex issues and learned to bring a voice to the voiceless. In The Truths We Hold, published in 2019, Harris reckons with the big challenges we face together. Drawing on the hard-won wisdom and insight from her own career up until this point, and the work of those who have most inspired her, she communicates a vision of shared struggle, purpose and values.

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