Clara’s Verdict
There are audiobooks you listen to whilst doing sensible things like commuting and washing up, and there are audiobooks that cause you to laugh so suddenly and so embarrassingly in public that you have to pretend you received a funny text. How to Survive Family Holidays is firmly in that second category. Jack Whitehall is one of the sharpest observational comedians currently working in Britain, and this book — read by Jack, his father Michael, and his mother Hilary — captures everything that made their Netflix series Travels with My Father such compulsive viewing, whilst adding the kind of material that no camera crew could quite capture. The exclusive blooper reel at the end is, frankly, worth the price of admission on its own.
At 7 hours and 38 minutes, this is perfect for a long journey. Preferably one you’re taking with your own family, so you can feel appropriately, uncomfortably seen.
About the Audiobook
Published by Little, Brown Audio in October 2021, this is part travel guide, part family memoir, and entirely a comedy. The Whitehalls pool their collective wisdom — such as it is — on the subject of travelling together as a family: the preparation, the inevitable disasters, the peculiar dynamic between people who love each other immensely and also know precisely which buttons to press for maximum effect. Jack provides the anarchic forward energy; Michael brings the magnificent combination of pomposity and genuine warmth that fans of the Netflix series will recognise immediately; Hilary’s contributions are dry, precise, and funnier than either of her men would comfortably admit.
The book doesn’t just tell stories — it offers advice, earnestly, in the manner of a Lonely Planet guide written by people who consistently ignore their own counsel. There are chapters on hotel survival, on airport etiquette, on the specific dynamics of beach holidays, on what to do when things go irrevocably wrong (answer: this is Michael’s department). The anecdotes are specific enough to be properly funny rather than merely amusing — the Whitehalls have evidently reached a point in their relationship where almost nothing is too embarrassing to be shared, which is a significant artistic resource. The memoir elements give the comedy genuine warmth: this is a family that clearly adores each other, even when — especially when — they are causing each other maximum inconvenience.
The audiobook also includes exclusive material not available in the printed edition. That’s not a throwaway marketing line; the recorded conversations between the three Whitehalls add something no page can replicate.
The Narration
This is one of those relatively rare cases where the audiobook is demonstrably superior to the printed version. Having all three Whitehalls in the recording studio means you get the banter, the interruptions, the barely suppressed laughter — the actual dynamic between the three of them — that the prose can only approximate. The interplay between Jack and Michael, in particular, comes through with far more texture in performance than it could on the page. Little, Brown Audio have done this format proud, and the blooper reel is a fitting finale.
What Readers Say
Holding a 4.6 out of 5 from 913 Audible UK listeners — one of the larger rating samples in this chunk — How to Survive Family Holidays is one of the most warmly received comedy audiobooks of recent years. « Absolutely brilliant, funny in places, and very easy to listen to — for anyone that has ever been on a family holiday as an adult, very relevant, » wrote one reviewer. Another found it « hysterical and so true, » recalling their own childhood holidays with something between nostalgia and mild trauma. Fans of the Netflix series have been unanimous, and even listeners unfamiliar with the Whitehalls’ television work have found the book entirely self-sufficient. The near-universal consensus is that it’s best listened to in immediate anticipation of, or immediately following, an actual family holiday.
Who Should Listen?
Essential for fans of Travels with My Father and Jack Whitehall’s stand-up specials. Also strongly recommended for anyone who has ever returned from a family holiday with war stories and no immediate desire to repeat the experience — which is, statistically, most of us. It would make a superb listen for a long road trip, particularly if accompanied by the very family members being discussed. Buy it for your parents. Buy it for yourself. Buy it especially if you are about to embark on a week in close proximity to people you love and occasionally cannot bear.
Ready to laugh? Listen to How to Survive Family Holidays on Audible UK.
