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107th out of 780 books
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1,335 voters
The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World.
Jen, Holly, and Amanda are at a crossroads. They're feeling the pressure to hit certain milestones—scoring a big promotion, finding a soul mate, having 2.2 kids—before they reach their early thirties. When personal challenges force them to reevaluate their lives, they decide it's now or never to do something daring. Unable to gain perspective in fast-paced Manhattan, the t...more
Hardcover, 538 pages
Published
May 11th 2010
by Harper
(first published April 22nd 2010)
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Someone rec'd this book to me because I'm off on my own backpacking journey in a few weeks... And I bombed through it in a couple days but it doesn't really seem to resonate with me.
It was enjoyable and I loved the travel parts of the book. The parts where they talked about their experiences, good and bad, were fun to read and I was particularly moved by the chapters in Kenya. A lot of that portion showcased the guilt they feel but it was their interactions with the girls at Pathfinder and the o...more
It was enjoyable and I loved the travel parts of the book. The parts where they talked about their experiences, good and bad, were fun to read and I was particularly moved by the chapters in Kenya. A lot of that portion showcased the guilt they feel but it was their interactions with the girls at Pathfinder and the o...more
I was attracted to this book because I love traveling and I thought it would be fun to read about other young women's adventures around the world. I enjoyed the book and added some places I would like to go to my very long list! The book was a collection of stories written from the point of view of each of the girls. I liked one of the author's style of writing and point of view over the other two. Sometimes I felt like the descriptions and the adjectives used were right out of the thesaurus. It...more
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I'm sure the girls who wrote this had an amazing trip...and I enjoyed hearing about a lot of it. So being critical of the book feels a bit like insulting someone who is excitedly showing you their vacation photos. For the most part, I liked hearing about their travels, though they had such similar voices in their storytelling, I gave up trying to remember who was narrating...it wasn't relevant most of the time anyway. There were quite a few moments where they were so intent on telling a "story"...more
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Story Description:
With their thirtieth birthdays looming, Jen, Holly, and Amanda are feeling the pressure to hit certain milestones-score the big promotion, find a soul mate, have 2.2 kids. Instead, they make a pact to quit their jobs, leave behind everything familiar, and embark on a yearlong round-the-world search for inspiration and direction.
Traveling 60,000 miles across four continents, Jen, Holly, and Amanda push themselves far outside their comfort zones to embrace every adventure. Ultima...more
With their thirtieth birthdays looming, Jen, Holly, and Amanda are feeling the pressure to hit certain milestones-score the big promotion, find a soul mate, have 2.2 kids. Instead, they make a pact to quit their jobs, leave behind everything familiar, and embark on a yearlong round-the-world search for inspiration and direction.
Traveling 60,000 miles across four continents, Jen, Holly, and Amanda push themselves far outside their comfort zones to embrace every adventure. Ultima...more
Mind candy, now with fewer calories! I think I burned some just reading about Holly, Jen & Amanda trekking across mountain trails, jogging on beaches, & bungee jumping in New Zealand, from the comfort of my soft, 10 year old couch! Three young, gorgeous, ambitious, athletic women decide to take a break from their high-stress careers in NYC & travel around the world together for a year. I didn't learn a thing but had fun laughing at the girls. The place where they seemed to slow down...more
Publisher's Book Summary: Jen, Holly, and Amanda are at a crossroads. They're feeling the pressure to hit certain milestones—scoring a big promotion, finding a soul mate, having 2.2 kids—before they reach their early thirties. When personal challenges force them to reevaluate their lives, they decide it's now or never to do something daring. Unable to gain perspective in fast-paced Manhattan, the three twenty-somethings quit their coveted media jobs and leave behind their friends, boyfriends, an...more
This book is just what I needed to inspire me to make my 40 before 40 list ( a list of 40 things I want to do before I turn 40 ). Its a book about friendship, travel, inspiration, and discovering who you are.
Three friends (Jennifer, Holly and Amanda) are on vacation in Brazil talking about all the dreaded work that they have to face once they return to NYC and they are most definitely not looking forward to any of it. Jokingly, they discuss what it would be like to take off for one whole year an...more
Three friends (Jennifer, Holly and Amanda) are on vacation in Brazil talking about all the dreaded work that they have to face once they return to NYC and they are most definitely not looking forward to any of it. Jokingly, they discuss what it would be like to take off for one whole year an...more
“Three friends, four continents” is the cover tagline of this rewarding, if lengthy, account of modern independent travel – our guides Amanda, Jen and Holly launch themselves several zip codes outside their comfort zones, then write it all down.
The eponymous lost girls are three New York-based media sector worker-bees whose (frankly scary) ambition has perceptibly shifted into promotion and career success, but share a nagging worry that the corporate hamster wheel might not be the One True Path....more
The eponymous lost girls are three New York-based media sector worker-bees whose (frankly scary) ambition has perceptibly shifted into promotion and career success, but share a nagging worry that the corporate hamster wheel might not be the One True Path....more
These three girls, all in their late 20's, are feeling the pressure. Working at high-stress jobs in NYC, they're on the road to adulthood (husband, promotions, kids, etc) and they're freaking out. So, after a girl-bonding trip to Argentina, they decide they want to ditch it all and travel the world, so they can find themselves. In honor of this search, they dub themselves "The Lost Girls".
Traveling 60,000 miles across four continents and through dozens of countries (many of which have never been...more
Traveling 60,000 miles across four continents and through dozens of countries (many of which have never been...more
Doing what most people talk about but never actually do, Holly, Jen and Amanda quit their jobs, give up their New York City apartments and embark on a year long trip around the world. They party it up in South America, work at a school for young women in rural Kenya, study yoga in an Ashram in India, bum around on beaches in South East Asia, bungee jump in New Zealand, and drive a van around Australia. In between and in the midst of their adventures, the girls get to know one another on a level...more
The Lost Girls is the personal story of three young women who quit their jobs in New York City to travel around the world.
After taking a trip to South America, Jen, Holly and Amanda discuss the possibility of quitting their jobs for a year. A few years later and that discussion becomes a reality. Leaving their careers, their families and some serious relationship baggage, Jen, Holly and Amanda plan for a year of adventure.
The chapters alternate between each woman and focus on a different city or...more
After taking a trip to South America, Jen, Holly and Amanda discuss the possibility of quitting their jobs for a year. A few years later and that discussion becomes a reality. Leaving their careers, their families and some serious relationship baggage, Jen, Holly and Amanda plan for a year of adventure.
The chapters alternate between each woman and focus on a different city or...more
These three girls, all in their late 20's, are feeling the pressure. Working at high-stress jobs in NYC, they're on the road to adulthood (husband, promotions, kids, etc) and they're freaking out. So, after a girl-bonding trip to Argentina, they decide they want to ditch it all and travel the world, so they can find themselves. In honor of this search, they dub themselves "The Lost Girls".
Traveling 60,000 miles across four continents and through dozens of countries (many of which have never been...more
Traveling 60,000 miles across four continents and through dozens of countries (many of which have never been...more
I have a love-hate relationship with travel writing. Either it's so detailed about the landscape that I'm not interested because the details take out the human experience - or it's so personal that the writer forgets to mention the details of the landscape and the events of traveling. Few writers have been able to satisfy my standards for travel writing, which is why I only read it when my book club ladies tell me to.
This book was very well-balanced. As a mid-30s woman, I'm beyond all the questi...more
This book was very well-balanced. As a mid-30s woman, I'm beyond all the questi...more
I picked up this book from another of my travel-happy sisters after hearing it was about three girls doing a year-long round-the-world trip. Sounds amazing, right?
The writing leaves something to be desired, though. I had trouble discerning the authors' voices, and it seemed like the same person wrote the book, rather than shifting between the three women. I kept glancing at the inside back cover to match names with faces to help me keep their unique stories apart.
I loved hearing about the plac...more
The writing leaves something to be desired, though. I had trouble discerning the authors' voices, and it seemed like the same person wrote the book, rather than shifting between the three women. I kept glancing at the inside back cover to match names with faces to help me keep their unique stories apart.
I loved hearing about the plac...more
As a big fan of the "self-discovery"/"self-adventure"/ "Eat, Pray, Love"-esque movement, this book didn't fail in giving me that sense of adventure, thrill, and motivation for travel. From page one I was desperate to read more and by page 32, I was cheering along with the women when faced with a difficult career challenge. With this story and the tale of these three women, it's easy to relate with at least one (if not all) of them because of the different character traits and personalities that...more
Wow. This book infected me with a serious traveling bug. It also gave me an appreciation for memoir-style books, a genre in which I had never taken much interest before now.
Extreme Cliffnotes:
All approaching their twenty-eighth birthdays, Jennifer Baggett, Holly Corbett and Amanda Pressner quit their gruelling New York journalist/marketing jobs and planned a year long trip that covered four continents. Quirkily calling themselves the "Lost Girls", the goal of their journey was to become "un-lost...more
Extreme Cliffnotes:
All approaching their twenty-eighth birthdays, Jennifer Baggett, Holly Corbett and Amanda Pressner quit their gruelling New York journalist/marketing jobs and planned a year long trip that covered four continents. Quirkily calling themselves the "Lost Girls", the goal of their journey was to become "un-lost...more
Note to readers: If you are having trouble keeping the three authors apart (as not only are their writing styles seemingly identical, but their introspective monologues similar enough to have to flip back to the chapter heads to figure out who is talking), go to their website and look at their pictures. Visualizing them helps sort each one out.
I sort of love these ladies, not only because taking on backpacking projects is a neat way to travel, but because between the three of them they had enoug...more
I sort of love these ladies, not only because taking on backpacking projects is a neat way to travel, but because between the three of them they had enoug...more
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I was wary of the "author has one year to fulfil their objective" angle, since it's been popularized by titles like Eat, Pray, Love and The Happiness Project. I found, however, that it didn't feel as "stunt-like" to me as those other books. Most importantly, unlike Elizabeth Gilbert and Gretchen Rubin, I found these girls (women, sorry) relatable. I liked them. There was no pretension, no moral platitudes, no whining about the wonderful things and/ or peo...more
I really enjoyed this book. I liked seeing the countries through the eyes of the authors and the lessons they learned. I would have liked to read more about their lives after the trip and how they applied the lessons they learned to their lives. A section/chapter of that and reflections would have been nice and brought my rating up to a five.
Favorite Quotes:
"I'd never realized how many opportunities I'd been given simply because I'd been born an American."
"I thought about how most Kenyans would...more
Favorite Quotes:
"I'd never realized how many opportunities I'd been given simply because I'd been born an American."
"I thought about how most Kenyans would...more
Started this book four days ago and am halfway through (542 pages in all). I can't put it down. Being a wanderlust myself, thus one reason why I have a maison secondaire in France, I've been anxious to read this one. The way the girls bring their personal issues into the mix of the experience with their travels keeps it very real. Often people say that three is not a good mix of friends but Jen, Amanda, and Holly prove that it can be a great combination as they all have assets to strengths to br...more
I really enjoy reading travel journals. They give me a look at parts of the world I will probably never see. I was excited to read this one when I found it, but it's taken me over a month to slog through it reading it bits and pieces at a time.
The Lost Girls (Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, and Amanda Pressner) decide in their late 20's to put their "real" lives on hold and spend a year traveling around the world. They do this the backpacker way staying in hostels and seeing the real deal r...more
The Lost Girls (Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, and Amanda Pressner) decide in their late 20's to put their "real" lives on hold and spend a year traveling around the world. They do this the backpacker way staying in hostels and seeing the real deal r...more
I really liked the idea of this book: three women in their 20s who are all feeling like something is missing from their lives. And here's the kicker, they actually do something about it. They take a year off from work and leave their homes and families to travel the world. I identified with this book because as a women in her late 20s (and a woman who can't quite believe she is already in her late 20s) I understand the feeling of something being missing. For me this is a career that I love. I th...more
One of the things I like best about this book is that the women aren't afraid to admit their own biases and mistakes when traveling around the world for a year. My eyes were opened by their struggles and I added a few places to my life travel list. I also crossed a few places OFF my list (I'm looking at you, India!).
Great for women who have cases of wanderlust (as I often do!).
Great for women who have cases of wanderlust (as I often do!).
This book was more of a travel memoir than actual fiction, although there were some sub-stories and self-realization moments that I found thought-provoking. Amanda, Holly, and Jen described their adventures so vividly evoking all senses making me feel like I was traveling along side of them. Many people love to travel, but they aren't so interested in hearing about someone else's travel. If this is you, this probably isn't the book for you. I love to travel AND I love to hear about anyone else t...more
I was attracted to this book because it brought back memories of my own youthful travels, but once reading it, I found more differences than similarities.
The three women who wrote this book took months to plan their trip (which was really trips as they returned to New York at least once each during their travels), they preplanned a lot of it, their travels took them to South America, Asia, New Zealand, and Australia. The thing that made the biggest difference between their experience and mine wa...more
The three women who wrote this book took months to plan their trip (which was really trips as they returned to New York at least once each during their travels), they preplanned a lot of it, their travels took them to South America, Asia, New Zealand, and Australia. The thing that made the biggest difference between their experience and mine wa...more
Taking a sabbatical and traveling sounds fun. Any traveling is fun, I can attest to that. And, taking a year off of work and life could be a fascinating experience. Jen, Holly and Amanda did just that and traveled the world, seeking adventure. This memoir is told from their alternating perspectives and narratives. The book is refreshingly honest and they hold nothing back when it comes to conflicts and issues between them.
There are some fun anecdotes and a lot of drama. I would have liked less d...more
There are some fun anecdotes and a lot of drama. I would have liked less d...more
I enjoyed this book because I love travel writing, although I think a much more apt title would be "The Guilt Trip," in both the literal and figurative sense. Instead of including some of the more adventurous elements of their around the world trip, there was way too much focus on the girl's relationships and the "humanitarian" parts of their trip. The latter was fine, but you got the sense that instead of learning and absorbing their experiences in developing countries, they instead felt overwh...more
The book is interesting in that it’s written from three points-of-view, and each of the “The Lost Girls” has her own travel personality and life issues to deal with on the road. Jen, for example, is a thrill seeker, Jen and Amanda enjoy the backpacker party scene, and Holly is into experiential learning. Almost immediately into reading the book, I identified with Holly, and especially enjoyed reading about her connection with an orphan in Kenya and her yoga teacher training course at an ashram i...more
The Lost Girls was a breezy and effortless read; a light hearted book that you could put down and pick up quite easily. I think it would be a great summer beach read. But it also was a great way to distract my mind from some gray November days.
This is story of the three girls who pretty much live the good life of traveling the world. By painting pictures of landscape and cultures, they made me quite envious of their journeys. They also addressed some of the troubles they faced as normal people w...more
This is story of the three girls who pretty much live the good life of traveling the world. By painting pictures of landscape and cultures, they made me quite envious of their journeys. They also addressed some of the troubles they faced as normal people w...more
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“Floating there I held onto faith. Because you can't know who might cross your path or who will take your breath away. You can't know what friends might actually become sisters because they stayed by your side. You can't know when there'll be an unexpected detour that'll take you to the place where you were always meant to be.”
—
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