Lost and Found: Summary and book reviews of Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst, plus links to an excerpt from Lost and Found and a biography of Carolyn Parkhurst.
Lost and Found A Novel
by Carolyn Parkhurst
Hardcover: Jun 2006,
304 pages.
Paperback: Jul 2007,
320 pages.
What do a suburban mom and her troubled daughter, two recently divorced brothers, a pair of former child stars, born-again Christian newlyweds, and a couple of young millionaires have in common? They have all been selected to compete on Lost and Found, a daring new reality TV show. In teams of two, they will race across the globe - from Egypt to Japan, from Sweden to England - to battle for a million-dollar prize. They must decipher encrypted clues, recover mysterious artifacts, and outwit their opponents to stay in play.
What starts as a lark turns deadly serious as the number of players is whittled down, temptations beckon, and the bonds between partners strain and unravel. Before long the question is not only who will capture the final prize, but at what cost.
Parkhurst could have played these characters for laughs but she doesn't. The low-level satire is directed at the concept of reality TV as a genre, not at the individuals whom she treats with respect. Having said that, she does have a wonderful way of skewing people's characters through a simple, throw away comment. (Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
Washington Post - Ron Charles
Parkhurst doesn't help her case by delivering all those familiar arguments about the cultural implications of reality TV ... But fortunately, what really interests Parkhurst is quiet, private agonies of love and shame, and on this score she delivers several surprisingly moving stories.
Library Journal
Parkhurst manages to make this a thoroughly enjoyable journey from its enticing start to its completely satisfying ending.
Kirkus Reviews
This novel manages, despite its madcap premise and full-frontal exposure of crass American greed, to deliver several sympathetic characters.... a funny second novel that surpasses her first.
Booklist - Kristine Huntley
Thoroughly original and inventive, peopled with engaging characters, and just plain fun, this second novel deserves to be as big a hit as the reality shows it genially pokes fun at.
Publishers Weekly
The producer asks [the characters], "What have you found?" The answer for readers: heart and wit to spare.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Sally Brown Very shallow I was astounded that BookBrowse recommended this book. I think it was a very "thin" book. Perhaps 12 to 14 year old readers would enjoy it as beach reading but adults would be sorely disappointed.
Rated of 5
by Oona Fun, engaging read Being a fan of "The Amazing Race", it was fun to read a novel about a similar type of show. I agree with Eric, you should not read this if you have an aversion to homosexuality, as it is a predominant theme. Having said that, there are many... Read More
Rated of 5
by Eric Lost and Found review The book lost and found is great-- if you like reality tv, AND don't oppose gays. The book tells about the struggles and highs of the contestants. The characters are especially well developed. The part that didn't work was the show itself. It... Read More
Love it or hate it, Reality TV looks like it's here to stay, but it is not the
new phenomenon that many imagine. In fact, Reality TV in the USA (as it
most resembles the current day format) dates back all the way to 1973 when PBS
debuted An
American Family which followed the Loud family for seven months (300
hours of film was shot of which only 12 made it to TV) - 10 million viewers
tuned in to watch the marital breakup of Bill and Pat Loud and the coming-out of
their son Lance.
In fact, the history of the genre goes back even further to programs such as
CBS's Wanted (a precursor to America's Most Wanted) which went on
air in 1955; and before that was the grand-daddy of all reality programs -
Candid Camera. Candid Camera started as a radio show, Candid Microphone, in
the 1940s, and transferred to the small screen in the 1950s.
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McDermott explores the mysterious depths of what seems like everyday life with unforgettable insight in this tale of a young girl's astonishing, poignant first look into the turbulent heart of things.
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