The Tent, The Bucket and Me . Emma Kennedy, Ebury Press, £7.99
A SEVENTIES childhood memoir of wet, windy and utterly disastrous family camping trips.
Whereas children today can look forward to a Tuscan villa, Greek isle or CentreParcs, actress Kennedy recalls packing up the tent, squeezing deck chairs and sleeping bags in the back of a cramped car and setting off around the UK in search of serenity and relaxation.
Unfortunately, that Holy Grail in reality saw her family bear the brunt of the holiday Gods’ cruel sense of humour, with force ten gales, food poisoning, rain and tears.
Disasters abound, but this is a tribute to stoicism and seemingly endless optimism on one family’s annual odyssey.
CHRIS BURGESS
