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The Department of Lost & Found
by
Allison Winn Scotch (Goodreads Author)
Natalie Miller had a great life: good boyfriend, great job, a life that was really going somewhere. But then came that dreaded word––cancer. And nothing will ever be the same again. Her boyfriend dumped her, her job as a Senator's aide is going down the tube due to some nasty leaks to the press, and her body has become a slave to the whims of chemo. Natalie is not sure how
...moreKindle Edition
Published
(first published May 1st 2007)
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Ever since I heard about Allison Winn Scotch's debut novel, The Department of Lost and Found, I've been looking forward to reading it. It's about Natalie Miller, political assistant to the senator of New York (shades of Hillary Clinton!) who's a total workaholic. Then one day her boyfriend Ned discovers a lump in her breast and... I'm trying not to use a cliche like 'her whole world turns upside down' but honestly, her whole world does go A over T.
Not only does Ned pick the time immediately post...more
Not only does Ned pick the time immediately post...more
While I appreciate the author's attempt at melding a chick lit scenario with the harsh realities of coping with cancer, I wasn't charmed enough by the heroine to invest her recovery or indeed her journey. I felt that the author had stretched my sympathies too far asking me to care about her recovery, her relationship with her mother, her devotion to her career, as well as the men she found her self drawn back to. I abhor that all female writers of a certain age are classified as chick lit, and w...more
After reading "Time of My Life" by Scotch a few months ago, I was anxious to get my hands on this, her first book. Scotch manages to take a very serious subject, cancer, and develop a story that is at times touching, at times hilarious, and at times achingly raw. In her book jacket bio, the author says that she lost a close friend to breast cancer and wanted to write a book with a happier ending. She accomplishes what she set out to do, but the reader is not spared any of cancer's wrath in the p...more
This book really upset me, but not at all in the way most of those who wrote reviews here were upset by the book.
What upset me was the attitude of 'entitlement' that permeates the entire book. The idea that someone who has an almost perfect life for 30 years, but who then has it a little bit tough for a short period of time is hard done by... just left me really shocked.
It made me wonder if the author has any idea that for a huge percentage of the world's population...well, they would give anyth...more
What upset me was the attitude of 'entitlement' that permeates the entire book. The idea that someone who has an almost perfect life for 30 years, but who then has it a little bit tough for a short period of time is hard done by... just left me really shocked.
It made me wonder if the author has any idea that for a huge percentage of the world's population...well, they would give anyth...more
Natalie Miller is faced with fighting breast cancer. She’s in her 30s, a successful aide to a NY senator and recently single after her boyfriend admits he’s involved with someone else days after her diagnosis. Initially, I found Natalie very selfish and angry about her illness disrupting her career. As the book progresses she makes not only physical healing progress, but also she is able to be more giving and psychologically well balanced. Her threat with death made her a better person.
While ma...more
While ma...more
Initially, I didn’t really like the main character’s personal or professional behavior. She was far too self absorbed in her personal relationships and unethical in her professional. The book open with the main character’s dealing with breast cancer treatment and follows her treatment of almost a year. The description of her cancer treatment reflected the author’s personal experiences with a close friend and substantial medical research. And that, dear reader, roped me in. While I have witnessed...more
Dec 04, 2012
Anastasia Cynthia
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
own-a-copy,
chicklit
Well, gue review kilat aja ya. Chicklit satu ini lagi-lagi berbeda dengan buku-buku yang gue pernah baca sebelumnya; pada umumnya chicklit punya pembawaan yang mengusung tema ceria, tapi "The Department of Lost and Found" ini malah mengusut perjalanan dari seorang penderita kanker bernama Natalie Miller (Nat). Dikisahkan pada sinopsis bahwa Nat memiliki sebuah kehidupan yang sempurna. Nyaris sempurna tentunya, pacar yang memiliki pekerjaan yang aneka ragam. Sebuah kedudukan yang keren, yang memi...more
I LOVED this story! I wasn't sure I was going to like it in the beginning, because the story focused not only on Natalie's cancer, but her job and love life also. The story comes together nicely, it is not all doom and gloom about her illness.....there is even romance thrown in for good measure.
When Natalie is given her diagnosis, her current boyfriend dumps her. She sets her sights on contacting the five true loves from her past, to find out why their relationships didn't last. I thought that t...more
When Natalie is given her diagnosis, her current boyfriend dumps her. She sets her sights on contacting the five true loves from her past, to find out why their relationships didn't last. I thought that t...more
When your whole world turns upside down with three little words, you'd think that nothing else can affect you so deeply. But after her cancer diagnosis, Natalie Miller's boyfriend Ned is out the door so quickly, it's almost as if he wasn't ever there. Plus, her high-powered job with a senator is "on hold" while she recovers, and then over the months that follow, with the ravages of chemotherapy and all the accompanying side effects to being ill, Natalie begins to look at everything in her life w...more
I am seriously indecisive when it comes to rate this book. On the one hand, it has a flawless writing style and you could read it fast and easily. But on the other hand, something was just missing. Because I found myself skipping some pages towards the end. Not because it was really boring and all but some things just bugged. Plus, the whole ex-boyfriend thing annoyed me. I am still not sure why that part needed to be in that book after all. I just didn't get it.
Also, I found it hard to like the...more
Also, I found it hard to like the...more
I'm not trying to judge the novel based on my initial reading cause turned out my e-book only consisted of 30% of the novel when I read on my Kindle, which I didn't know why. Weird, huh? I can read all the pages on my laptop but I just can't stand the screen's light. Having a little problem on the back of my neck, I'd better skip the risk and just read what available on my Kindle instead.
So, it's going to be very shot and brief: the story is very slow and I never felt any kind of up-and-down emo...more
So, it's going to be very shot and brief: the story is very slow and I never felt any kind of up-and-down emo...more
I probably should have written this review a lot sooner. Several weeks have passed, and I've read a few other books between then and now so those intricate details that made up the book have been forgotten...but I do recall that this book (especially being a debut) was definitely a lot better then a lot of my recent reads.
One thing I clearly remember about this book was finding it somewhat unique that Natalie Miller was not quite 30 years old, yet, was facing stage 3 breast cancer...a cancer tha...more
One thing I clearly remember about this book was finding it somewhat unique that Natalie Miller was not quite 30 years old, yet, was facing stage 3 breast cancer...a cancer tha...more
I loved this book. It was well written and I became attached to the characters and the story. At points I couldn't put the book down because I was entangled in the anticipation of what was going to happen. The writing was so clear I could visual the plot as if I were watching a movie.
I must say that the plot line wasn't that unsurprising and the ending was as expected but it didn't matter because what was taken most from the book was lessons about life, love and finding yourself and what is rea...more
I must say that the plot line wasn't that unsurprising and the ending was as expected but it didn't matter because what was taken most from the book was lessons about life, love and finding yourself and what is rea...more
It is difficult to write a novel that is poignant and funny about a young woman who has breast cancer but Allison Winn Scotch has done it. The Department of Lost & Found has all the elements that makes it stand out in its genre: two-timing boyfriends, BFFs, Bergdorfs,destination weddings and adorable dogs but it also has so much more. Beneath the emails, and the shopping trips and the off again on again lovers is the story of young woman engaged in a pitched battle against a virulent foe try...more
This is a story about a young woman with breast cancer. It is a disease that has touched my family. I fear it like most women do. This story brought to life some of the struggles that women have while going through treatment, but I liked it best because it explored the fact that even though the main character has what may be a fatal disease, she still has to deal with the everyday parts of life like job, relationships, parents. It baffles my mind that people can just go on in the face of that. S...more
I put this book on reserve at the library many weeks ago. Last week I received word from a friend and former co-worker that she has stage 3 breast cancer. The protagonist in this book has stage 3 breast cancer. From the fresh wound of knowing that my 44 year old friend is facing the greatest battle of her life--this book hit me hard. What a "timely" read for me. I felt that the story was very realistic as to what a person goes through when facing the diagnosis of cancer. It is very well written...more
You'd think a book about a woman with cancer would be very sad and depressing but this book was anything but! You actually start out with a not too nice impression of Natalie, she's an assistant to a Senator and she pulls no punches in getting her job done, making the Senator look good, even when it comes to spreading rumors about opponents. She is surrounded by female support, her friend, Lila, who previously dated Natalie's gynecologist, Zach, and her best friend, Sally, a reporter, who is get...more
Book is about a 30 year old who is diagnosed with breast cancer and is evaluating the five loves of her life as she goes through chemo. She ends up evaluating more than just her loves, she also takes a look at her career with a high profile Senator.
Started this book on Friday night and finished it Saturday morning. I love Scotch's writing style...easy to read, fluid, quick. Book is somewhat predictable, but I was okay with that! Book club books have been a bit more on the serious side lately, s...more
Started this book on Friday night and finished it Saturday morning. I love Scotch's writing style...easy to read, fluid, quick. Book is somewhat predictable, but I was okay with that! Book club books have been a bit more on the serious side lately, s...more
Allison Winn Scotch is one of my favorite chick lit authors (even if I think she gave me a Twitter virus right after I started following her recently), and this one was the only one of hers I haven't read yet. Even thought it was fairly predictable and tied things up a little too neatly, it still was a good read. She nails what it's like to work in politics (which is why I don't) and it feels like she nails what it's like to have cancer at a young age (although I haven't experienced that myself,...more
I really enjoyed this book. I knew of the author Allison Winn Scotch, but I'd never read anything by her. The subject of the book is heavier for sure, but the story pulls you in, and you feel the highs with Natalie, and the lows.
I'm learning to appreciate more and more as a reader, especially the perspective it provides. For awhile you get to be an observer of another life - you can sometimes anticipate things they cannot. This is what I found during this story. I could see where there the story...more
I'm learning to appreciate more and more as a reader, especially the perspective it provides. For awhile you get to be an observer of another life - you can sometimes anticipate things they cannot. This is what I found during this story. I could see where there the story...more
Natalie Miller loves her life. Why shouldn’t she? She’s the top aide to a senator, young and determine and has a great political career ahead of her. The world Natalie carefully built comes crashing down when her doctor informs her, she has breast cancer. In an instant, her live-in boyfriend breaks up with her, her career is in jeopardy and whether she wants to or not, Natalie is forced to reflect on her life as she confronts her own mortality while fighting this life-threatening disease.
As Nata...more
As Nata...more
I started reading this book during the waiting periods of my pre-op appointment for my own cancer-related surgery. I was a bit nervous that it would freak me out more than calm me down, but I quickly found myself engrossed in the story itself. Sure, the main character is going through her own cancer fight, but the story was good in and of itself. It's well written and accurately describes a lot of the feelings I've had myself. I'd recommend it on the plot alone, but the rest was a bonus for me.
I wanted to like this book more but it fell a little flat for me. Being a recent cancer survivor, I thought I would relate more to the main character but found her pretty thinly depicted and not really someone I could empathize with or pull for.
I also thought the depiction of cancer in the book was more a convenient plot device than a real life or death struggle, as it is in most real lives. Not that I haven't had many moments of black humor about my own cancer but it didn't really work here.
I also thought the depiction of cancer in the book was more a convenient plot device than a real life or death struggle, as it is in most real lives. Not that I haven't had many moments of black humor about my own cancer but it didn't really work here.
I love Allison Winn Scotch's other novels, but I'd never read her first. So when she announced that it was on sale on Amazon for $1.99 (Kindle), I jumped at the chance.
The message of this novel was to find it within yourself to become the person you are meant to be and not let anything get in your way, even yourself. I can absolutely relate to the message, which made the reading more meaningful to me.
Winn Scotch's best friend died of breast cancer, which is why she chose her protagonist to hav...more
The message of this novel was to find it within yourself to become the person you are meant to be and not let anything get in your way, even yourself. I can absolutely relate to the message, which made the reading more meaningful to me.
Winn Scotch's best friend died of breast cancer, which is why she chose her protagonist to hav...more
I loved Allison Winn Scotch's novel, Time of My Life, so I grabbed her first novel, The Department of Lost & Found. I can definitely see the progression as a writer from this novel to her sophmore effort. The plot wasn't quite as tight and the characters not quite as well-explored. Otherwise, this was a great read. I had a strong reaction to the main character, and not in a good way. She's not someone I would befriend, but sometimes that makes for good reading. Overall, enjoyable.
While I'm the kind of person who cries at sappy commercials, it takes a lot for a book to get me to that point. The last time I even got close to weepy was at the end of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Well, not only did Allison Winn Scotch's book make me cry (more than once, mind you), it made me laugh out loud as well. Her writing is so breezy and enjoyable that, before you know it, you will have read the entire book. I miss the book's characters already!
I actually am giving the book 3 1/2 stars...cause I more than 'liked it', but didn't completely 'really like it'. The book is an authentic look at a 30 year old woman faced with breast cancer. Her character is well written & down to earth. Her reactions to her cancer & the people around her are easy to understand. I didn't care for her use of weed, plus of all people to get it for her...it was a doctor. Not cool! Of all of Allison Winn Scotch's books this is the one I liked the most. Not...more
I just couldn't get into this book because the main character was just so unlikeable. How do you invest in the cancer recovery of a bitter, hard-driven senator's aide who doesn't care about ethics (her own or the senator's)? I read 60 pages and actually reread the back of the book to see if the book I was reading and its description matched. They didn't. Now, if someone would write the book described on the back, I'd read that. The actual book wasn't worth it.
Jun 30, 2009
Liberty
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Liberty by:
book club suggestion
Natalie gets diagnosed with breast cancer and then her boyfriend leaves her. Sounds depressing but its not. Natalie, under the advice of her doctor starts a journal to work out all her feelings. She does this then sets out on a journey to track down all her old boyfriends to find out why it didn't work. We get to laugh with her while she explores her past and future self. A fun book and I look forward to reading more of Ms. Winn Scotch's work.
I cried by pages 53, 99, 123 and others. Scotch's novel tells the story of chemotherapy treatments and showed the feelings of the main character. Her characters are well developed: their professions, actions, living situations ... suited plot development. I do feel that the conclusion of the story was rushed, but to be even handed, there were enough clues along the way to anticipate the story's end. I'd like to read another book by Scotch.
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I'm the author of a bunch of novels, including The Song Remains the Same (April, 2012) and Time of My Life.
As an author, I know how brutal reviews can be, so I'll only post about books I've enjoyed. (Just in case you're wondering why all of my reviews are positive!)
More about Allison Winn Scotch...
As an author, I know how brutal reviews can be, so I'll only post about books I've enjoyed. (Just in case you're wondering why all of my reviews are positive!)
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“There's no time to hold grudges when you've seen how fragile things can really be.”
—
17 people liked it
“There is a moment in every relationship when one of the parties senses its imminent demise. There's a moment of incredible clarity when your stomach drops with a heavy sense of dread, and you feel like control is slipping through your fingertips even as you try to hold on. ”
—
9 people liked it
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Oct 24, 2008 10:22am