The Trip of a Lifetime
- Downloads：4538
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-02 00:53:51
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Emma Kennedy
- ISBN：178746329X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Reviews
Lou Barber
，
A pure joy to read from start to finish。 This book helped me escape the stresses and strains of life。 It reminded me how much potential we all have to live the life we deserve to - by being bold and brave and never giving up on ourselves。The Never Ending Summer tells the story of Agnes and Bea， best friends and soul mates。 Nineteen and beyond fed up of provincial life， they embark on a four week adventure in London。 Whilst it doesn't really go to plan， it nevertheless changes them both in ways t A pure joy to read from start to finish。 This book helped me escape the stresses and strains of life。 It reminded me how much potential we all have to live the life we deserve to - by being bold and brave and never giving up on ourselves。The Never Ending Summer tells the story of Agnes and Bea， best friends and soul mates。 Nineteen and beyond fed up of provincial life， they embark on a four week adventure in London。 Whilst it doesn't really go to plan， it nevertheless changes them both in ways that allow their friendship to deepen despite a fracture。But perhaps the most interesting character in this book is Agnes' Mum， Florence。 Married to William she is leading a small and unsatisfying life。 When Agnes leaves for her holiday， Florence realises she is purposeless。 When William rejects her idea of a trip to Italy， she takes off without him， and sheds her old life with ease and splendour！ She comes back stronger， wiser and with sass a-plenty， and I adored her metamorphosis immensely。Gorgeous dynamics evolve throughout the story， and it truly is a testament to friendships， love and being true to oneself。Many many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this title in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Lesley Mcauliffe
，
Best friends Bea and Agnes are both a bit odd and immature。。They decide in the summer holidays they want to loose their virginity so plan a secret trip to London。The girls start working for a strange promoter who finds them work including cheering a musician on at Glastonbury。Meanwhile Agnes mum Florence，is a downtrodden housewife controlled and ignored by her husband。One day she ups and leaves and goes to France to find herself without telling anyone。There are no separate chapters for the diffe Best friends Bea and Agnes are both a bit odd and immature。。They decide in the summer holidays they want to loose their virginity so plan a secret trip to London。The girls start working for a strange promoter who finds them work including cheering a musician on at Glastonbury。Meanwhile Agnes mum Florence，is a downtrodden housewife controlled and ignored by her husband。One day she ups and leaves and goes to France to find herself without telling anyone。There are no separate chapters for the different characters which is a bit strange。。You get used to this and it doesn't spoil the story。I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it。 I don't want to give anything away so read it yourself to find out what becomes of the three of them。 。。。more
Helen
，
This book is set in the 1970’s and centres around Agnes and her mother， Florence。 It’s a coming of age story that shows change can happen in any decade。 It’s a story about throwing off the old and embracing the new。 It’s a story about how the grass isn’t always greener on the other side。 Ultimately though， it’s a story about finding yourself。This book only gets 3 stars from me because I thought the first third of the book dragged。 In fact I was dismayed to realise I was only a third in， because This book is set in the 1970’s and centres around Agnes and her mother， Florence。 It’s a coming of age story that shows change can happen in any decade。 It’s a story about throwing off the old and embracing the new。 It’s a story about how the grass isn’t always greener on the other side。 Ultimately though， it’s a story about finding yourself。This book only gets 3 stars from me because I thought the first third of the book dragged。 In fact I was dismayed to realise I was only a third in， because I was ready for it to end。 This just shows that sometimes you should preserve with these things， because it turned out to be a really sweet and inspiring story。“It’s not about liking ourselves。 It’s about believing we can be the people we are meant to be。”I think every woman will see some of themselves in both Agnes and Florence。 I definitely felt that I could sympathise with both of them on different levels。 The novel covers there adventures over a five week period in the summer of 1971。 The book is split into chapters， then days of the week， and then weeks of the year。 If also flicks between both women’s stories – it does flow well though – thankfully！I’m not sure those who experienced the 1970’s first hand would enjoy this book， as some of the observations Kennedy makes are very stereotypical。 Being a child of the 1990’s though， it didn’t bother me too much。 Give this one a go。 You will either love it hate it， but I’m erring on the side of love。 。。。more
Mabel
，
A warm， thought provoking book where the women all decide to change the way their lives are heading。 Some escapades turned out unsettling and not as they expected。 A book full of exciting hope and adventure。
Esther Peacock
，
The Never-Ending Summer by Emma Kennedy Pub Date 15/4/2021This is the story of Beatrice， Agnes and Florence discovering themselves in the summer of 1971。Agnes and Bea are best friends。 Their friendship is solid and energetic。 Now 20， they have finished secretarial school and do not want to work in an office; they want to have some fun before 'real life' intrudes。 Uncharacteristically， they plan in secret a trip to London to explore who they are and who they could be。 There is also the little mat The Never-Ending Summer by Emma Kennedy Pub Date 15/4/2021This is the story of Beatrice， Agnes and Florence discovering themselves in the summer of 1971。Agnes and Bea are best friends。 Their friendship is solid and energetic。 Now 20， they have finished secretarial school and do not want to work in an office; they want to have some fun before 'real life' intrudes。 Uncharacteristically， they plan in secret a trip to London to explore who they are and who they could be。 There is also the little matter of losing their virginity！ Agnes prim and proper mother， Florence， feeling unwanted， asks husband William to take her on holiday to Europe; when he refuses， she sets off alone。 How will William cope with tradition broken？When Agnes returns， she does so with big ideas and makes some significant decisions。 But when her mom returns from Italy， she is a strong， independent woman with her own changes to make。 I felt genuine compassion for the three and William when his emotional deficiencies and how others perceive him is explained。This story deals with growing up， patriarchy， feminism， individuality， and family issues。 The theme will appeal to all age groups with a coming of age story intertwined with a mid-life crisis。 It's never too late to be true to yourself， to be who you want to be， to reach your full potential， no matter your age。 I want to thank NetGalley， Random House UK， Cornerstone author Emma Kennedy for a pre-publication copy to review。 。。。more
Snezana
，
We're in the 70s， in England。 Agnes and Bea are best friends， who want more from life。 They want to discover who they are and what they could be。 And， also they both want to lose their virginity。 They plan a vacation in London in secret and manage to set off on the adventure of their lifetime， without their parents knowing。 Little did they both know， they are all going to learn of a new way of existing。 Agnes， Bea， Florence and even William are so very likeable and real。 They all go make massive We're in the 70s， in England。 Agnes and Bea are best friends， who want more from life。 They want to discover who they are and what they could be。 And， also they both want to lose their virginity。 They plan a vacation in London in secret and manage to set off on the adventure of their lifetime， without their parents knowing。 Little did they both know， they are all going to learn of a new way of existing。 Agnes， Bea， Florence and even William are so very likeable and real。 They all go make massive changes in their lives， and interesting to see how it all plays out。 Florence was a woman who didn't do things for pleasure。 Everything needed to have a purpose， the house needed to be neat and clean， and her hair all neat and done for when her husband comes home。 Agnes and Bea grew up wanting more， and slightly horrified by becoming their mothers。 When they go on their quest for sexual equality and step into a brave new world they learn a lot about themselves。 Their friendship is inspiring， strong and absolutely hilarious。 If I have to describe how they looked at the beginning of this story， I'd use this sentence from the book:''You look like a pair of librarians out for a walk with an owl''。Also， when Agnes was described dancing at a concert: ''I very much enjoyed the bit where you pushed all your hair over your face and swayed like something found in the attic in a Victorian novel''。 This book felt like one perfect summer day: Sunrise is our introduction to the characters， their adventures and growth happening right around noon， and then we slowly drift towards the sunset， a change and a resolution。 The characters all went through great changes， in ways that they didn't know they could。 I found this book emotional， fun， funny， interesting， thought-provoking， and just lovely。 I couldn't help but love the characters and root for them。Themes: The story deals with growing up， patriarchy and feminism， identity， and family issues。 Even tho it was set in a different time， it is still quite relatable。 And when the author referenced ''Bedknobs and Broomsticks''， I was sure I was going to pick up more of Emma Kennedy's books。 。。。more
Bri
，
It's the 60s/70s in England。 Agnes and Bea have finished secretarial school and do not want to go to work in an office。 They want to live a little and lose their virginity while they still can。 They concoct a plan to escape to London for a few weeks and have adventures。 Florence is Agnes mum， and Williams wife and now she has empty time on her hands she doesn't know what to do with herself。 Used to living within tightly controlled boundaries， with no thanks， she runs away to Europe to find herse It's the 60s/70s in England。 Agnes and Bea have finished secretarial school and do not want to go to work in an office。 They want to live a little and lose their virginity while they still can。 They concoct a plan to escape to London for a few weeks and have adventures。 Florence is Agnes mum， and Williams wife and now she has empty time on her hands she doesn't know what to do with herself。 Used to living within tightly controlled boundaries， with no thanks， she runs away to Europe to find herself。 William has never done anything for himself before and discovers he is completely helpless without Florence。 In the time where there are guidebooks to being the perfect housewife， the boundaries are challenged by The Female Eunich， and this family will never be the same again。 Will they break apart， or will this bring them together。 Fabulous characters and great plot。 Was sad when it ended。 。。。more
Tara Hyatt
，
Set in the the summer of 1971， this novel follows best friends Bea and Agnes for four weeks when， inspired by The Female Eunuch， they decide to go to London and have lots of sex and adventures。 Bea and Agnes are 20 years old， live in a small town and have just finished a secretarial course so want to have some fun before starting dull jobs for the rest of their lives。 At the same time， Agnes' mum Florence is having an existential crisis of her own and decides to holiday by herself in Italy and F Set in the the summer of 1971， this novel follows best friends Bea and Agnes for four weeks when， inspired by The Female Eunuch， they decide to go to London and have lots of sex and adventures。 Bea and Agnes are 20 years old， live in a small town and have just finished a secretarial course so want to have some fun before starting dull jobs for the rest of their lives。 At the same time， Agnes' mum Florence is having an existential crisis of her own and decides to holiday by herself in Italy and France， leaving her husband at home unsure of how to so anything or himself after taking his family for granted for years。 The novel covers each of the main characters every day across the four week period and at times the jumping between story lines can be a little distracting but I really enjoyed finding out what would happen to Bea， Agnes and Florence as they went on their respective journeys both physically and emotionally。 。。。more
Helen
，
Two twenty year old living an adventure in London。 Whilst mum rediscovers herself and look at her marriage。The story is driven by the characters and the time period of the 60s that it is set in。 I could not relate to any of the female characters。 If you grew up in the 60s this could be a walk down memory lane as you know doubt would recognise friends and family in the story。
Donna
，
The Never Ending Summer by Emma KennedyIt's the 1970s， Agnes and Bea have just finished secretarial college and are desperate for adventure。 Meanwhile Florence， Agnes's mum， is starting to think there may be more to life than cooking， cleaning and being a perfect wife to a man who doesn't even notice you。 Agnes and Bea move to London and become involved in all kinds of exploits， meanwhile Florence drives to Europe in her Morris Minor！I absolutely loved this book - I read it in one day and feel b The Never Ending Summer by Emma KennedyIt's the 1970s， Agnes and Bea have just finished secretarial college and are desperate for adventure。 Meanwhile Florence， Agnes's mum， is starting to think there may be more to life than cooking， cleaning and being a perfect wife to a man who doesn't even notice you。 Agnes and Bea move to London and become involved in all kinds of exploits， meanwhile Florence drives to Europe in her Morris Minor！I absolutely loved this book - I read it in one day and feel bereft now that I've left Agnes and Bea！ The characters are fantastic， the setting in the 1970s is both interesting and absolutely authentic （easy to forget how far we've come， especially when it sometimes feels that it's not far enough！） and the story is funny， touching and extremely poignant in places。 So many great things I could say about this book。。。。 VERY highly recommended！Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for an ARC of this book。 。。。more
Alayne Emmett
，
I enjoyed this book at the beginning but， halfway through it seemed to slow down and drag on and then picked up again towards the end。 I enjoyed reading about the fashions and how most families didn’t own a washing machine or a freezer in the 1070’s which was true in our house。 The book was good but not as funny as I’d hoped。 My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review。
Susan
，
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for a copy of this book in exchange for a review。Set in the summer of 1971 Agnes and Bea set out to lose their virginity and have some adventures。 Left at home Agnes' mum Florence begins to wonder about her life too。Bit of a slow burner to start with but I am so glad I persevered。 A wonderful story and I loved the addition of the epilogue！ Brilliant addition。 Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for a copy of this book in exchange for a review。Set in the summer of 1971 Agnes and Bea set out to lose their virginity and have some adventures。 Left at home Agnes' mum Florence begins to wonder about her life too。Bit of a slow burner to start with but I am so glad I persevered。 A wonderful story and I loved the addition of the epilogue！ Brilliant addition。 。。。more
Naomi Wellings
，
The Never Ending Summer is a book set in the 70s， and focusses on the adventures of 3 women during the summer of 1971。 It’s a book about the rise of feminism and explores both female relationships and relationships between women and men。 I was particularly drawn to the character of Florence， a housewife， and her journey through the book， and to her son-in-law Charlie – every bit a modern man。 The cultural references were well-researched and the Epilogue was a great addition。 A rather slow burn t The Never Ending Summer is a book set in the 70s， and focusses on the adventures of 3 women during the summer of 1971。 It’s a book about the rise of feminism and explores both female relationships and relationships between women and men。 I was particularly drawn to the character of Florence， a housewife， and her journey through the book， and to her son-in-law Charlie – every bit a modern man。 The cultural references were well-researched and the Epilogue was a great addition。 A rather slow burn to begin with but it picks up pace and I’m glad I persevered。 Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Cornerstone for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Julie
，
I thoroughly enjoyed this bittersweet look at life in the 70s – it brought back a lot of childhood memories。 It was at times joyously silly and heartwarming， but then reminded us it wasn’t all sherbet DipDabs and terrible fashion。 Emma Kennedy gently weaves in mysogeny， stifled ambitions， the perils of new-found freedoms and contraceptive issues （although even that was tackled with the odd giggle！） The main characters are likeable misfits and I loved the portrayal of their friendship。 The ‘suppo I thoroughly enjoyed this bittersweet look at life in the 70s – it brought back a lot of childhood memories。 It was at times joyously silly and heartwarming， but then reminded us it wasn’t all sherbet DipDabs and terrible fashion。 Emma Kennedy gently weaves in mysogeny， stifled ambitions， the perils of new-found freedoms and contraceptive issues （although even that was tackled with the odd giggle！） The main characters are likeable misfits and I loved the portrayal of their friendship。 The ‘supporting cast’ were also believable and help to shape a whole picture of the era - I’ve added Emma’s novel about the sister to my ‘to-read list’ now。Loved the epilogue notes at the end too。 Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Cornerstone for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Andrea Hicks
，
My thanks to Emma Kennedy， Random House and Net Galley for the ARC of THE NEVER ENDING SUMMER。 What a delight this book is！ I recognised so much within the characters， Florence， （I wish my mum had done what she did） Agnes， （yes I felt a bit like this in the seventies when everyone else seemed gorgeous and I was desperately trying to be。）。 Loved it。 Noting more to say except， read it。
Mavis
，
I raced through this book， transported back to the 70’s in vivid detail。 How things have changed！ Women’s lib and sexual revolution are on the agenda。 This is a coming of age novel but so much more; two girls on a voyage of discovery before life takes over， wanting to escape their dreary lives。 There is an unfulfilled housewife bored with routine and an arrogant husband who doesn’t even notice her any more as long as his meals are on the table。 She wants to change her life too as her youngest da I raced through this book， transported back to the 70’s in vivid detail。 How things have changed！ Women’s lib and sexual revolution are on the agenda。 This is a coming of age novel but so much more; two girls on a voyage of discovery before life takes over， wanting to escape their dreary lives。 There is an unfulfilled housewife bored with routine and an arrogant husband who doesn’t even notice her any more as long as his meals are on the table。 She wants to change her life too as her youngest daughter is ready to leave home。 The result is funny， sad， moving and beautifully written。 I loved it！Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Caroline Kerdouci
，
It’s approaching summer in the early 1970’s and the end of their time at secretarial college when best friends Agnes Ledbury and Beatrice Morgan make plans to fully embrace their womanhood and all that life has to offer。 They are both desperate for adventure， desperate to lose their virginity and for Agnes， desperate to live a life away from under the shadow of her talented artist sister Eleanor。 To escape the watchful eyes of her mother Florence and her uncommunicative father William also fuels It’s approaching summer in the early 1970’s and the end of their time at secretarial college when best friends Agnes Ledbury and Beatrice Morgan make plans to fully embrace their womanhood and all that life has to offer。 They are both desperate for adventure， desperate to lose their virginity and for Agnes， desperate to live a life away from under the shadow of her talented artist sister Eleanor。 To escape the watchful eyes of her mother Florence and her uncommunicative father William also fuels Agnes’s bid for freedom。 As soon as I began reading this latest novel from Emma Kennedy I thought the characters felt vaguely familiar。 The penny eventually dropped when I realised the author was revisiting the Ledbury family （from The Things We Left Unsaid） and had given Agnes， her own starring role。 I just knew I was going to be in for a real treat。 This is a brilliant， fascinating and pivotal era in which to set the Ledbury family mini saga。 Clearly well researched， the summer of 1971 is the starting point for the world changing in terms of greater freedoms and more choices for women in general。 The sexual revolution aided by the introduction of the contraceptive pill is in full swing， women everywhere are burning their bras， Germaine Greer is enlightening women with her controversial book The Female Eunuch and the patriarchy had better beware because the feminists are on the march！。 Thanks to advances in technology in the domestic sphere woman are suddenly waking up and realising they no longer need to resign themselves to a life of drudgery or tolerate their husbands having sole control of the purse strings。 Finally women have the opportunity to control their own destinies and Florence and her friends are relishing this new status quo。 It’s down with the Tupperware as the floodgates to freedom are well and truly opened。 I was only a babe in arms when these fictional events take place but the Tupperware scene in particular brought back fond memories。 We had tons of it in our house！ I think I was just as enthralled by Florence’s reawakening and bold decision to be as daring as her youngest daughter as I was Agnes and Bea’s own adventures into adulthood。 Florence and William’s marriage felt to me indicative of many marriages of this era; as this storyline highlights only those brave enough to break the mould initially benefit from the shift towards equality。 I’m sure there were many more who chose to remain chained to the kitchen sink。 That Florence is such an accomplished housewife like so many of her generation is also her downfall。 Catering to William’s every whim renders him completely useless in terms of domesticity but he did somewhat remind me of my own father when it comes to fending for himself！ Reading this I couldn’t help wondering how many marriages survived this seismic shift in the balance of power between husband and wife but that’s a question that can be answered by an entirely different type of book altogether。 As for Agnes and Bea I could rhapsodise about this pair at length。 They are an absolute hoot， their antics priceless， providing the reader with plenty of grounds for mirth。 I didn’t expect to find the storyline as gloriously funny as I did but boy did I enjoy laughing at these best friends。 The author has certainly enjoyed imagining the kind of scenarios to throw Agnes and Bea into ranging from defacing public property to joining the dubious sounding Mr Adlers agency for go getting ladies and who knew an avocado could be the source of wonderment and amusement？？ Just a few examples to whet your appetite and give you a taste of the sort of sights and strange behaviour these young women willingly expose themselves to living in a house share in Hampstead。 From small town life and secretarial college to a summer spent in the Big Smoke it is a giant leap for these gauche， naive， desperate to lose their virginity young ladies although what an era in which to come of age when the world is theirs for the taking。 Whether or not Agnes and Bea’s friendship， or indeed themselves as individuals， can withstand such a shock to the system remains to be seen but suffice to say it’s not all fun and games with a serious more sombre and reflective tone creeping into the narrative。The Never Ending Summer is a wonderful coming of age/period of enlightenment tale affecting not only Agnes and Bea but Florence too。 All three characters are fundamentally altered by the events of this one summer so that the whole Ledbury family will never be the same again。 It is also a glorious celebration of female friendship with superb characterisation （not just the main players） alongside a depiction of this period which is spot on。 I loved this book so much I’m hoping （fingers crossed） that there will be an audio version narrated by the author herself because I thoroughly enjoyed listening to The Things We Left Unsaid。 I recommend this author， especially her two books featuring this family but to be honest I rate all Emma Kennedy’s novels highly。 The Never Ending Summer in my opinion is BLOOMING MARVELLOUS！！ A sheer joy to read。 My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read。 I’d like to stress that the opinions and thoughts expressed here are entirely my own。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Trip of a Lifetime
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Trip of a Lifetime&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft