I really enjoyed this book. I liked getting different perspectives from all the charachters and I really like the premise of the Reality Show. Great book! ( )

“A whole life lived on television, that's what I'd be good at.” — Carolyn Parkhurst, “Lost and Found”

Anyone who likes reality TV will probably like Carolyn Parkhurst's 2006 novel “Lost and Found.” This may be why I didn't care for it. I didn't find it nearly as compelling as either “The Dogs of Babel” or “The Nobodies Album,” Parkhurst novels that sandwiched this one.

The entire novel is a reality show called “Lost and Found” in which participants travel around the world following clues that lead them to objects, such as parrots and ski poles, they must then carry with them for the remainder of their journey. Several of these participants narrate their stories, although the main characters are Laura and Cassie, a mother and her teenage daughter. Cassie feels guilty about giving up her baby girl for adoption a few months before, while Laura feels guilty about not even noticing her daughter's pregnancy. The show's producers, feeling guilty about nothing, hope to expose their story to improve ratings.

Finding and exposing secrets, its own game of Lost and Found, seems to be what the reality show is really all about. A couple of Christian homosexuals, married to each other in hope of beating what they view as an affliction, are others with secrets just waiting to be found. Cassie, too, has lesbian feelings she tries to keep hidden.

The line quoted above, about "a whole life lived on television," comes from Juliet, a former child star who hopes to use the reality show to springboard back into the limelight. She's frustrated to discover the producers find others in the game more interesting than her.

The novel makes easy reading. We feel compassion for most of the characters and disgust at the way the mostly faceless producers manipulate them. Yet we sense Parkhurst doing the same with her characters, making her novel, like the TV show, feel like something less than reality. ( )

Lost and Found is a reality tv show, similar to The Amazing Race, where pairs of teams race around the world, in this case, on a giant scavenger hunt with extra challenges thrown in. The story is told from the point of view of various contestants, as well as the host of the show. Cassie and her mom Laura are racing together; Justin and Abby, an "ex-gay" married couple, now avid Christians; Juliet and Dallas are child stars; Carl and Jeff are brothers. Of course, most of the contestants have secrets they are hiding from the cameras.

This was really enjoyable. Especially for those who like reality tv, and The Amazing Race, in particular, this is fun. Laura and Cassie seem to be the best developed characters, though there was a lot of focus on Abby and Justin, and Juliet, as well. The relationships were enjoyable to "watch" - those already developed and those that developed throughout the competition. Even though fictional, the "behind-the-scenes" look at reality tv was interesting, as well. ( )

Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst is a satire about reality-TV shows. It alternates between comedy and tragedy while it explores the relationships between the various contestants of an Amazing Race type competition.

As the two person teams journey around the world from Egypt to Japan and Scandinavia, the producers, cameramen, editors and host try to expose the flaws in their contestants all in the name of making a “must-see” program. The raw emotions that they expose only encourage them to continue to dig deeper to unmask secrets and reveal hidden emotions. The teams are varied and interesting, in particular Laura and Cassie, a mother-daughter team whose prickly relationships hides a secret neither wants to publicly acknowledge; Justin and Abby, a married couple who have denied their gay history and have declared themselves born-again Christians but are constantly wrestling with their sexual orientation; Juliet and Dallas, former child stars who can’t seem to find the spotlight that they so desperately desire. The author employs a constantly shifting perspective that works really well in bringing this story to life.

At times heart-breaking but also at times very funny, these characters are pushed to the limit by the requirements of television with it’s relentless scrutiny and lack of privacy and while, the author didn’t break any new ground here, I thought the concept was clever and the story very interesting. The characters have depth and I was both intrigued and entertained by this story. ( )

Lost and Found feels like a light, beach read. I found the story concept interesting, but it lost me when it came to the characters. I didn't feel much connection to them, and much of the story felt quite unbelievable. There were definitely moments when it had me laughing and intrigued. I'm not a reality show fan, so that may have been one of the disconnects for me. If you like reality TV shows, and don't mind a story that is a bit outlandish, then this may be a book you enjoy. Well done to Parkhurst for creating something different. ( )