The Tent, The Bucket and Me, is the true account of Emma Kennedy's 1970s childhood and the camping holidays that she would take with her parents, Brenda and Tony. But these are no cosy tales of family life - oh no - these are horrific stories of a family cursed by the very worst holiday disasters you could imagine suffering.

You have to keep reminding yourself that all of this is true, as it's hard to believe that three people could have so much awful stuff happen to them. They are nearly killed More...

This is almost like a blog: it's a set of true stories from the writer's youth, about the disasters that happened each year when she went on holiday with her family. It's very funny, although I think it will only appeal to people from a certain background. She was born in 1967, so she was a young child in the 1970s and the family holiday involved taking a tent to Wales. I was born in 1974, and I went camping with the Cubs/Scouts in the 1980s, so I can appreciate what she's talking about. If you More...

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.

However... last year I received an advance copy of her second book, The Tent, The Bucket and Me - an extremely funny book following Emma's family camping holidays in the 1970s.

It's rare that I laugh out loud whilst reading but the first family holiday had me in stitches. More...

I quite enjoyed this book, It was a good book to have lying around sor the simple fact its like a book of short stories.. ok so the characters stay the same and age as you go along crashing from one mishap to the next disaster.. rather funny in places,

I know some folk think that the stories have been wildly embelished or even untrue, however my view is they are pretty true to what would have happened, there will have been a lot more to thier holidays than just the disaster parts but it would se More...

For the Seventies child, summer holidays didn't mean the joy of CentreParcs or the sophistication of a Tuscan villa. They meant being crammed into a car with Grandma and heading to the coast. With just a tent for a home and a bucket for the necessities, we would set off on new adventures each year stoically resolving to enjoy ourselves. 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 More...

The expression 'Laugh Out Loud' is probably a little overused nowadays, but this book will make you LOL yourself silly, and may even make you ROFLAO. Acronyms aside, Kennedy's book is an account of family camping trips from the '70's. I bought the book in a charity shop on a camping holiday as it seemed appropriate, and it ended up being read out loud to the other family staying at the micro campsite we were staying at, as they were wondering what on earth was making me and my partner hoot with More...

‘The Tent, the Bucket and Me’

I don’t usually contemplate this… writing my book review so early as I’ve only managed to read the first three chapters!

Seriously… this book should come with a Health Warning:

Do not attempt to wear mascara or any eye makeup whilst reading this story and ensure that you have ready to hand a constant supply of clean hankies (you will need these I promise) oh and should you suffer from a weak bladder (sorry to bring this up) I would strongly recommend you consider we More...

One from the left-field. A friend from college sent it to me on the basis that when she'd read it, she immediately thought of me. This was a brave call as based on the cover, Dawn French's recommendation and the blurb, I would've NEVER have read it in a million years.

Luckily for me I felt duty-bound to read it, and I'm freaking glad I did. I basically spent eight days snorting with laughter in various parks around central London, on the tube and at home, recommending it to anybody who'll listen. More...

You know how it's often claimed that books are "laugh out loud" and then when you come to read them they're nothing of the sort, not even a snigger? This book actually did make me laugh out loud. And I was on the train at the time. And I got some very odd looks. But anyway, if these stories are true then they must have been just about the unluckiest family to ever go on holiday anywhere. I've never been camping but as a kid I was forced to spend many summer holidays stuck in a tiny caravan with More...

First of all, other reviews are true. This book is laugh out loud funny. There are 10 chapters and each chapter got at least one or two audible laughs out of me. Some got a lot more.

Emma Kennedy writes about a decade's worth of annual camping trips with her parents. She states in the book that all the stories are true and if that really is the case then the Kennedy family must have truly wronged the Holiday Gods. My childhood family holidays weren't a patch on the hell Kennedy went through. I've More...

Although this book was set slightly before my time (I was born in 1979) I recognised a lot of the situations that happened to Emma from my own childhood. I experienced camping in Wales and the extremes of weather encountered there and could sympathise with being embarrassed by parents (sorry mum.) There were many funny moments in the book and some loveable characters (Emma herself for one) and it was extremely easy to read and to get carried away with the story, with the unfolding horror. I thou More...

Emma Kennedy presents the 1970s as her family's disastrous summer holidays. It's written with the kind of dry wit that can really only be funny after the event - it is hard to believe that one family encountered so many disasters in their camping trips. You can't help admire their resolve, though - every year after a disastrous holiday, they were determined to try again, and hoped that this time would be different.

As a child of the 1970s I can relate to the world in Emma's book, and also to camp More...

If you ever went camping as a child, this book will remind you of those days. Though I don't believe many of us had the same misadventures as in this book. I was laughing along with Emma's memories as well as remembering things I experienced as a child. Like the bucket or potty that was stored in the tent or camper van. The first time of seeing those weird french toilets that were basically a hole in the ground of what looked like a shower cubicle. Sunburn and travelling in a make shift seat as More...

I'd wanted to read this for ages. Written by Emma Kennedy of TMWRNJ fame, (sorry, that reference is pretty obscure - but it had to be done.) Emma comes from the comedy stable that houses the likes of Lee & Herring, Mel and Sue, having written for both double acts in the past. She brings the same amount of comedy affect to her book.

Having spent my childhood holidays in a caravan with my family, pootling round North Wales and the Lancashire coast, I thought I would be able to recognise some o More...

Had to stop reading this several times because I couldn't see or breathe properly from laughing so much. I hate camping, but had no idea how terrible it could be. Why on earth did they keep going? I'm glad they did, so this book happened, but I think there should be some kind of warning on the news any time they go camping again just so the rest of us know to avoid the entire area. A wonderful book, just don't read it in public unless you want to look a bit mad.

Apart from falling into a rotting sheep and a French latrine, I can empathise with Emma's childhood camping experiences from the similar ones I endured. Unreliable cars (ours was an ex mail van), storms blowing the tent around, no privacy, poor rations, home-made sleeping bags, and of course - the dreaded bucket! Obviously exaggerated in parts but a very entertaining read with 'laugh out loud' moments.

An easy going look at a family history. Disaster follows their 1970's camping trip, with the certainty of a ships wake. Interesting fears of early travellers in foreign food, which we seem to no longer accept. Travel was much more of an adventure than the benign experience of Ryan Air. Memories of my own travel in Spain and France. Got this book for mum but she never got time to read it.

Amusing, if slightly unbelievable account of holiday after holiday that goes disasterously wrong.

Seriously - how could you let this happen to you?

What kind of daft choices did your parents make each year?

And why didnt you bother to learn some French if you were going
to France every year?

Its funny though, taking pleasure in other people's misery... Schaudenfraude I think is
the word.

For someone of a certain age (I think EK is a couple of years younger than me) this was entertaining and reminiscent reading. Lots of the culture references brought back memories, and also the camping trips of course, although none of ours were quite so disastrous. Brenda and my Mum sound quite similar! A great little light read- not too taking on the brain and plenty of smiles.

A really fun book written by Emma Kennedy about her family's camping adventures in 1970s Britain. Much of this is "laugh out loud"and brought back some memories of our own camping adventures, both our camping trip across Europe to Turkey/Cyprus and back in 1986 but also the Stragnell Family's well-documented travails at Oak Creek Canyon. Light but hugely entertaining.

Hilarious. Completely hilarious.
However, Emma Kennedy loses the impact of her childhood observations with some very adult interpretations; amusing for the reader at times but in so doing, she lost the sense of four year old innocence which would have been funnier and less contrived to read.

If you want a laugh without too much brain power this is the book for you.

Got to page ~200 of ~350 before felt I'd had enough of the camping disaster stories! I am sure Emma Kennedy's family are glad she has put them all into a cute wee book for them to reminisce over- oh the laughs they must have had (if indeed the disasters are all true?!).... shame the reader feels more & more out of it and exhausted by tale after tale.
Not sure a book of this kind was the best format to showcase these stories- better to have been a serial column or on radio; certainly breaking More...

This is, by no means, high literary fiction. It is an easy holiday read, but also fantastically funny, and I mean belly-laughing funny. I took it on holiday with me a couple of years ago and since then it has done the rounds on holiday with pretty much everyone else I know. If you want something fun give this a try.

Very enjoyable and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny (and I don't often laugh out loud when I'm reading a book). Anyone with any recollection of the 70s will enjoy the nostalgia for a simpler time that was from a 21st century perspective crap. As will anyone who was ever embarased by their parents.

This book was so much fun to read! I actually laughed out loud and cried all at the same time! Hilarious from the start. A perfect summer vacation trip read - especially if you go camping. A good one to also read out loud to others as each chapter is sort of a mini-short story. Loved it!!

Absolutely loved this book. Not my usual reading choice at all but it made me giggle all the way through. Occasionally erred on the side of unbelievable, made even more so from prologue's claim at everything but the truth, but a small point that was far more enjoyable to forget.

Absolutely loved this. Warning - if you read this in on public transport you are in danger of looking like a lunatic as you struggle not to laugh out loud. Ostensibly about a series of disastrous holidays it's also very evocative of 60/70's childhood.

Another book club read. Started well, ended up fairly revolting, and almost unbelievable. I recall family holidays in the 70s as being pretty grim but honestly, if they'd really been as bad as this I can;t imagine why anyone would keep repeating the torture.

I started reading these in a tent in Somerset and can honestly say it was laugh out loud funny. Even if you have never experienced camping, you can still appreciate the comedy of Brits holidaying inb France in the 70s! A great holiday read.

Very very funny. Hard to believe one family could be this unlucky, or still be together come September each year. It descends into a bit of shit/vomit nightmare at times and laughing at someone else's misfortune can only be stretched so far before you wish they would have a nice time on holiday just once, or feel a little like shaking them when yet again they don't!