Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • The Face Pressed Against a Window

  • A Memoir
  • By: Tim Waterstone
  • Narrated by: Tim Waterstone
  • Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (8 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
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.
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.
The Face Pressed Against a Window cover art

The Face Pressed Against a Window

By: Tim Waterstone
Narrated by: Tim Waterstone
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

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

Buy Now for £13.99

Buy Now for £13.99

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.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Brothers and Sisters of Byland Crescent cover art
The House of Hardie cover art
This Much Is True cover art
The Unlikely Duke cover art
The Personals cover art
Jigsaw cover art
Ruskin Park cover art
Rich cover art
Storm in a D Cup cover art
The Making of Mr Irresistible cover art
Jane & Me: My Austen Heritage cover art
Confessions cover art
One Hundred Summers cover art
Haywire cover art
Terry Pratchett: A Life with Footnotes cover art
One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up cover art

Summary

Candid and moving, The Face Pressed Against a Window charts the life of one of our most celebrated business leaders. 

Tim Waterstone is one of Britain's most successful businessmen, having built the Waterstones empire that started with one small bookshop in 1982. In this charming and evocative memoir, he recalls the childhood experiences that led him to become an entrepreneur and outlines the business philosophy that allowed Waterstones to dominate the book-selling business throughout the country. 

Tim explores his formative years in a small town in rural England at the end of the Second World War, and the troubled relationship he had with his father, before moving on to the epiphany he had while studying at Cambridge, which set him on the road to Waterstones and gave birth to the creative strategy that made him a high street name.

©2019 Tim Waterstone (P)2019 W. F. Howes Ltd

What listeners say about The Face Pressed Against a Window

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

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

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Very decent listen

Firstly, Mr. Waterstone did a great job reading this. The book started with him describing his youth. I found it quaint and interesting. The second part of the book was about his business efforts and Waterstones. It was interesting to get his views, and also interesting to read ex Waterstones employees reviews online. I liked this book. The two short stories at the end of the book were a good closing section. I would recommend this book. Overall, i enjoyed it, kept an open mind on Mr. Waterstone, and still appreciate his stores. Long may good bookstores last.

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

An enthralling story, beautifully read.

This is the fascinating, exciting and moving story of a glittering jewel of a little boy, who from the moment he opened his mouth seemed to give far, far better than he got - how from childhood onward, he grabbed hold of the hand he'd been dealt with bravery, generosity of thought, imagination and brilliance, to fill his life - and the world - with goodness. How such a person could have sprung from such sickeningly disturbed and appallingly limited parents is a miracle. As his story unfolds, read so engagingly and warmly by Mr. Waterstone himself, one gleans that even as a small child, he seemed to possess the extraordinary maturity, emotional awareness and heart to understand and forgive, and to move forward devoid of bitterness. Throughout his life he embraces challenge after challenge, making the most of every moment, and as the story of Waterstones Bookshop opens out, one can almost hear a wave of film music! What a man – what a life – what an experience to sit across from him, so to speak, and hear his story, so beautifully written and artfully paced. Thank you, Mr. Waterstone.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!