Letters from Brenda cover art

Letters from Brenda

Two Suitcases. 75 Lost Letters. One Mother.

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About this listen

After her mother, Brenda, passed away and her father sold the family home, broadcaster and writer Emma Kennedy found herself floundering, unable to make peace with the complex, charismatic woman who had been her mum. And then they found the letters....

This heartbreakingly funny book about the impact of discovering lost letters is a celebration of correspondence; those lost acts of penned love, the vivid snapshots in time scattered back through a life.

It is also about a childhood shrouded in shame, the lies Brenda told her family, the madness that set in and ultimately, what it means to be a daughter and a mother. Finally, Emma allows herself to explore what she couldn't while she was growing up: the question of who her mother really was.

©2022 Emma Kennedy (P)2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Diaries & Journals Dysfunctional Families Letters & Correspondence Memoirs, Diaries & Correspondence Parenting & Families Relationships Funny Heartfelt Feel-Good Inspiring Thought-Provoking Witty Emotionally Gripping
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I had already read Ms Kennedy’s books so knew Brenda from old. This was at times an impossible listen yet I couldn’t stop. Brenda was funny, charismatic, hard work and clearly mentally ill. Yet she was loved and loved her family, this much is clear.

Her letters are a triumph and had me howling with laughter.

Listen. Please do. You won’t regret it. Both Ms Kennedy and Juliet Stephenson are brilliant in the reading of the book and the letters that form part of it.

Sad yet funny and uplifting

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Delightfully narrated. In turn sad, funny and surprising. I highly recommend it.
Makes me miss my mum.

A sumptuous, moving book.

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We all have a Brenda, mine was called, Alice aka Polly. This is a beautiful tribute to a Mother. Often when a Mother dies we only remember the better times and this book is very gently remembrance of the good and of the bad times. I would have loved to meet “our Brenda” if I may claim her as “ours”. She was a one off, this is clear. RIP Brenda. I will look into Emma’s other books. This was 10/10.

We all have a Brenda

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When I began this audiobook, I thought, ‘Is this my mother, Emma, has written about?’ I connected so strongly with the complicated Mother/Daughter relationship, the bad behaviour and huge love that was there too. But this is not my story simply one I understand and relate to. Well done, Emma for finding comfort and a greater understanding through the research and writing of this fantastic book and thank you for sharing your wonderful Mum with us.

At times sad but a fabulous story full of love

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Both heartbreaking and hilarious, "Letters from Brenda" is a beautifully written and moving memoir of the author's mum.
However, I found the book fascinating for a personal reason as well: my great-aunt, Hana, was feared and loathed by everyone in the family when I was growing up because she enjoyed nothing more than humiliating and embarrassing others, but as she was one of the family elders she had to be tolerated and treated with respect, however vicious she was to everyone. I still shudder to this day when I remember her remarks and behaviour - and I am sure I missed a lot witnessing this only as a child.
This book has made me think about my great-aunt differently. I think she must have had an undiagnosed mental illness and massive unprocessed trauma from WWII and later her imprisonment by the Communists. I now realise how little I know about her life and wonder who she was before the horrors she experienced turned her into a horrible person spewing nothing but poison and hate. Considering how she treated others, I dread to imagine her inner life and how she must have talked to herself.
So, Emma Kennedy's beautiful and moving but unflinching and brutally honest portrayal of her mother has also made me think about lots of things. The writing is excellent and hilarious. Also, this was my first book by Emma Kennedy and I can't wait to read more by her. What a treat!
Thank you, Emma!

I LOVE this book. Fantastic!

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