This is an hilarious book written by Emma Kennedy about her and her parents calamitous camping holidays in the UK and France. they were raw with grief and disappointment, and they had nothing to scratch up against except each other.”

I love camping! Relive the experience with Emma et al - you can almost taste the smell of the damp canvas JO BRAND Whenourtramperscome,lateintheafternoon,tothebankofalovelylakewheretheypurposetoentertheprimitivelife,everythingiswaitingfortheminvirginexpectation.Thereisalittlepromontoryjuttingintothelake,andslopingdowntoasandybeach,onwhichthewatersidlylapse,andshoalsofred-finsandshinerscometogreetthestranger;theforestisuntouchedbytheaxe;thetendergreensweepsthewater'sedge;ranksofslenderfirsaremarshaledbytheshore;clumpsofwhite-birchstemsshineinsatinpurityamongtheevergreens;thebolesofgiantspruces,maples,andoaks,liftinghightheircrownsoffoliage,stretchawayinendlessgalleriesandarcades;throughtheshiftingleavesthesunshinefallsuponthebrownearth;overheadarefragmentsofbluesky;undertheboughsandinchanceopeningsappearthebluerlakeandtheoutlineofthegraciousmountains.Thediscoverersofthisparadise,whichtheyhaveenteredtodestroy,notethebabblingofthebrookthatflowscloseathand;theyhearthesplashoftheleapingfish;theylistentothesweet,metallicsongoftheeveningthrush,andthechatteroftheredsquirrel,whoangrilychallengestheirrighttobethere.Butthemomentofsentimentpasses.Thispartyhascomeheretoeatandtosleep,andnottoencourageNatureinherpoeticattitudinizing.Emma Kennedy's hilarious memoir of wet and windy family trips , NOW ADAPTED FOR THE MAJOR BBC ONE SERIES THE KENNEDYS. Offers all you could ask for in terms of lovingly remembered period details, comical pratfalls and well-justified swearing Daily Mail The era of playschools (not such thing as OFSTED), the start of holidays abroad, Biba being the sort after fashion label, stay at home mum's and the new towns of the 1970s. It's rare that I laugh out loud whilst reading but the first family holiday had me in stitches. I'm astonished that they tried again - but they did. And I'm glad. If they hadn't this would be a much shorter book. If you've ever been camping, or had holiday disasters, read this. You'll know exactly where she's coming from! She writes with a real flair for comedy and I finished it in a couple of days as I just couldn't put it down for very long. For Emma Kennedy, and her mum and dad, disaster always came along for the ride no matter where they went. Whether it was being swept away by a force ten gale on the Welsh coast or suffering copious amounts of food poisoning on a brave trip to the south of France, family holidays always left them battered and bruised.

Like Emma Kennedy I suffered the indignities of camping all my young life and teenage years, oh the ignominy of it. She has successfully helped me to access and remember many incidents mostly hilarious, and some rather painfully embarrassing moments that I may choose to share in later blog posts. can’treallyrememberbutIput“Areyoulivingthroughyourscreens?”andtalkedabouthowfalseadvertisementscanleadtospendingmoreonfarawayholidays.Foragainstiputthatsomearelivingthroughtheirscreensbyjustwatchingtheseplacesonatravelshowwhenyoucangooutandseethemforlifeexperience Rain!'hesaid,wipingthewetfromhiseyebrow.'Let'sgetthetableandchairsinsidebeforeitreallycomesdown.Emma,yougetthecupsandplates.Andbecareful,Brenda.Don'tupendthetomatoes.Allthetunawillfallout.'

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Jaw achingly funny from cover to cover ... it will strike a chord with seasoned campers everywhere Caravan, Motorhome and Camping Mart A couple of years ago, I went to the launch of Emma Kennedy's first book; How To Bring Up Your Parents. I had a great time and got drunk with the stars of stage and screen. Emma was absolutely lovely and the book was very funny.

The book is about her camping holidays from between the ages of 4 and 13 years old. A lot of the stories involve poor young Emma falling into toilets or being covered in poo or vomit. I loved her parents Tony and the long suffering Brenda who dreamed of a glamorous, normal holiday. For Emma Kennedy, and her mum and dad, disaster always came along for the ride no matter where they went. Whether it was being swept away by a force 10 gale on the Welsh coast or suffering copious amounts of food poisoning on a brave trip to the south of France, family holidays always left them battered and bruised. But they never gave up. I like listening to an audiobook while dropping off to sleep, I find it impossible to sleep while laughing out loud. Therefore I'm glad I've finished the book, as I am shattered! I just loved this book. It was set in my era, and my mum is not that different to Brenda, so I could totally 'get' that.

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Hadmymotherlearntnothing?Holidayswerenotwhatyoumadethem.Holidayswereinthehandsofmalevolentforceshell-bentonwreakingchaosateveryturn.Holidayswereassaultcoursesofthemindandbody,endurancetestsdesignedtobreakspiritsandshatterspleens.InmynineyearsontheplanetIhadlearntonething:goingonholidaywasawful.Itwasasmallcrumbofcomforttomethatmyfatherwasnowcomingroundtomywayofthinkingandaswesat,chuggingalongdownthenowfamiliarpoplar-linedroads,sunflowersinthefieldsoneithersideofus,Ithought,'Yes,itISnicetolookat.Butinthesamewaycheeselooksniceinamousetrap.' It'sbecausewe'resoclosetothelake.Andbecauseit'sbeensohot,'explainedmymother,returningtoherbook.'Still,ifitrains,thenthey'llclearaway.Solet'shopeitdoes.Oh,Emma!Whydon'tyougetoutthecards?They'reintheactivitybox.Wecanhaveagameaftersupper. Absolutelyterrible,nevercapitulatedonatestsohardinmylife.Spentwaytoolongplanningallofmyanswers,4wasrushedandundetailed.5wasrushedandundetailed.2wasunanswered😐🔫 The tone of this story is brilliant and I can promise very accurate. I HATE, LOATHE and DETEST Camping. iknowforafactthegradeboundariesaregonnabesolowthisyearforEnglishlanguagebeforeyouaskmewhy,thinkwhy.

As an actress Emma has appeared in many award-winning comedies including Goodness Gracious Me, People Like Us and Miranda. Emma won Celebrity Masterchef in 2012 and is a Guinness World Record holder. So my recommendation is quite simple: If on an overcast January day when the sky is filled with scumble glazed clouds that are certain to deliver a deluge then I would suggest you find a quiet spot, curl up in an armchair, with a hot chocolate and a box of tissues. And if you dare to read this in a coffee shop then other customers will want to know why you are in fits of giggles. And there is an added and significant danger… you may end up snorting rather loudly too!

I loved every minute of this book, it eked out the last drops of Summer for me (I realise I'm in denial there!). There were many times reading this book, where I irritated my husband by actually guffawing!