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The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore
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A group of young girls descend on Camp Forevermore, a sleepaway camp in the Pacific Northwest, where their days are filled with swimming lessons, friendship bracelets, and camp songs by the fire. Filled with excitement and nervous energy, they set off on an overnight kayaking trip to a nearby island. But before the night is over, they find themselves stranded, with no adul
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Hardcover, 249 pages
Published
February 13th 2018
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
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This book didn’t work for me at all, mainly due to structural issues that took an interesting premise and turned it into an unnecessary (and ultimately unsatisfying) mystery for this reader. Keeping many of the details from the reader until the end, not providing near enough details, and weaving stories in between select pieces of information about what happened on the island caused the backstory to feel like a separate, unrelated story. That is the opposite of what was intended. The book attemp
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Okay, here is my main opinion on this book: It should have been a novella.
Basically this book is a collection of vignettes collected together to create a novel. And it just doesn't work. We start the book following a group of five 9-11 year old girls at a summer camp called Camp Forevermore. They are going on a kayaking trip where they will be camping overnight on an island, and then returning to the camp the next day. Something awful happens during this trip, and the girls are stuck in a life a ...more
Basically this book is a collection of vignettes collected together to create a novel. And it just doesn't work. We start the book following a group of five 9-11 year old girls at a summer camp called Camp Forevermore. They are going on a kayaking trip where they will be camping overnight on an island, and then returning to the camp the next day. Something awful happens during this trip, and the girls are stuck in a life a ...more
I made it through.
Raise the flag. I feel like that is an accomplishment.
I am glad this was so short, otherwise I would have had to DNF it and I HATE having to do that.
Guys, I really struggled with this one.
It was so all over the place for me, just not my style at all. It was nothing like what I expected and I'm not sure what exactly the author was trying to get across. I thought, going in, that I did but my expectations of a modern, girl version of Lord of Flies was completely off base.
The w ...more
THE LOST GIRLS OF CAMP FOREVERMORE is a sensitive, evocative exploration of how the past threads itself through our lives, reemerging in unexpected ways. Kim Fu skillfully measures how long and loudly one formative moment can reverberate.
Hmm...this book was not at all what I expected from the synopsis, so I'm having a hard time being objective about it. The synopsis makes it sound like a traumatic childhood experience shared by 5 girls, and then following those girls through their lives and seeing how that incident shaped them. Instead it is a Chekhov-level-depressing collection of short stories that are loosely connected by a central narrative. There is no exploration of how the camp incident changed their lives (unless, maybe,
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I can’t resist a book with an ensemble cast, especially if the characters are thrown together into an unusual or high-stakes situation. I love trying to get into each character’s head and analyzing the group dynamics, the allying and backstabbing. And my favorite part, picking which character I relate to the most and rooting for them (and maybe actively pulling against the characters I don’t like). The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore is thus, of course, right up my alley. Five tweens at sleepaway
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3.5 stars
See me discuss this briefly in my March wrap up: https://youtu.be/4yQLSgVJtSo?t=4m32s
See me discuss this briefly in my March wrap up: https://youtu.be/4yQLSgVJtSo?t=4m32s
The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore is structured so that we have The Incident at camp, alternated by snippets of the lives the girls have led since their time at Camp Forevermore.
You would think that this Incident would play a huge role in the future point of views of these girls. I was really expecting it to be intensely amplified, for Kim Fu to go heavy with her strokes and consequently alter the lives of her characters based on the one shared but very individual experience. What we get is a s ...more
You would think that this Incident would play a huge role in the future point of views of these girls. I was really expecting it to be intensely amplified, for Kim Fu to go heavy with her strokes and consequently alter the lives of her characters based on the one shared but very individual experience. What we get is a s ...more
Review soon.
Kim Fu's novel has a somewhat unusual structure, weaving back and forth from the past to the future life of one of the characters, then back to the past, then on to another girl.
In the past, a small group of girls at Camp Forevermore experience something traumatic, which is revealed partway through the novel; though the incident, I found, was of less import than the ways the girls coped immediately afterwards. Because we know each of them survived the incident, this removes a little of the tens ...more
In the past, a small group of girls at Camp Forevermore experience something traumatic, which is revealed partway through the novel; though the incident, I found, was of less import than the ways the girls coped immediately afterwards. Because we know each of them survived the incident, this removes a little of the tens ...more
Five girls on a camping trip suddenly find themselves stranded in the middle of a dense Pacific Northwest forest. This survival story alternates with stories from the girls' lives in the aftermath, as teenagers and adults. The idea being, I think, that they are just as much lost souls as grownups as they were when literally lost in the bush as kids. THE LOST GIRLS is a character-driven novel first and foremost, but it also boasts an interesting structure. It's even a bit suspenseful at times --
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It's been a while since I DNF'd a book. I hate doing that because I keep thinking, "what if it had gotten better?"
But I just couldn't read this one anymore. The story starts with these four girls who are in a camp together. And then the next chapter goes on to tell the future of one of those girls. Then another 'in the camp' chapter followed by another girl's story.
I read half of the book before finally giving up. I just couldn't see the point of reading all of it. The past and the future, there ...more
But I just couldn't read this one anymore. The story starts with these four girls who are in a camp together. And then the next chapter goes on to tell the future of one of those girls. Then another 'in the camp' chapter followed by another girl's story.
I read half of the book before finally giving up. I just couldn't see the point of reading all of it. The past and the future, there ...more
Some pre-teen girls have a bad camping trip then go on to live fairly normal lives. That’s the gist of this book. It would have made more sense to me if their lives had been impacted more significantly by the camping experience or if the girls had interacted as adults. I was pretty disappointed with the ending too.
Feb 01, 2018
Arrington (agirlandher_books) Moore
rated it
liked it
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A huge thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the free review copy!
After finishing this book it took me a while to decompress and gather my thoughts about this book. It tells the story of five girls who go to summer camp together and how their lives go on after their summer together. The girls are left to fend for themselves on a kayaking trip which leads to many of their life choices later in life.
While I did enjoy the book I sometimes found it confusing as it would jump from the summer at ca ...more
After finishing this book it took me a while to decompress and gather my thoughts about this book. It tells the story of five girls who go to summer camp together and how their lives go on after their summer together. The girls are left to fend for themselves on a kayaking trip which leads to many of their life choices later in life.
While I did enjoy the book I sometimes found it confusing as it would jump from the summer at ca ...more
May 07, 2018
Rebecca
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-via-netgalley,
unfinished
(2.5) I read the first 66 pages, skimmed to p. 86 of 190, and gave up. Camp Forevermore is a Pacific Northwest getaway for nine- to eleven-year-old American and Canadian girls. We get a brief introduction to a set of campers from the early nineties on an isolated overnight adventure – they’re pretty hard to keep straight – before diving deep into one’s life for the next 20+ years. First up is Nita: her love for her childhood German shepherd, her medical training and sudden career-ending accident
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In The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore, five girls set out with their camp leader on a kayaking and camping excursion. Their leader decides to push the girls even harder, rowing for a farther, more secluded island for camping. No one from camp knows where they went, and no one from camp knows that these girls are stranded and alone. There is a pivotal point in these characters’ lives that changes the course of their adulthoods.
The novel is told in vignettes, back and forth in time from the adoles ...more
The novel is told in vignettes, back and forth in time from the adoles ...more
This book was intriguing and immersive. Multiple storylines and perspectives are sometimes done poorly, but in this case they were well balanced and complimentary. Structurally, it alternates between quick snippets of the disastrous summer camp trip, and longer novella like stories about the girls lives, mostly after their fateful summer. I actually preferred the self contained stories of the girls lives.
The "lost" from the title refers as much to the adult women trying to find their way in tod ...more
The "lost" from the title refers as much to the adult women trying to find their way in tod ...more
I'm not exactly sure what exactly The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore is about. I understand the plot, but it is cobbled together in chapters (arguably this is a short story collection with linking sections that take place in the same chronology) that are very void of any thematic heft. I have an issue with the cover of the book (not Kim Fu's fault) and the title (Kim Fu's fault), which make this seem like a YA novel. But I think the author was going for something more mature than that with this
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The only thing lost was the accolades of this book.
NEXT!
NEXT!
If you’re looking for a good “lost in the woods adventure story” don’t be fooled by this book. A very small portion involves any kind of outdoors adventure, and of that small part, it’s mostly girls crying.
The 4 back stories are pointless to any kind of plotline, and although the backstories are suppose to highlight the different personalities of the girls, when they’re in the woods, they’re girls are indistinguishable.
There is one girls’ backstory completely missing. There are 4 rushed pages d ...more
The 4 back stories are pointless to any kind of plotline, and although the backstories are suppose to highlight the different personalities of the girls, when they’re in the woods, they’re girls are indistinguishable.
There is one girls’ backstory completely missing. There are 4 rushed pages d ...more
BEWARE of SPOILER
To make it easier for me, what I did was read all the chapters with Camp Forevermore in it. Do not fear because those chapters were the only connected one. The chapters referring to the girls, were kind of like a filler that much or less can be a standalone.
Camp Forevermore was told in Siobhan's pov. The camp was for girls between the age of nine to eleven years old. The point of the camp was to teach this girls to be independent and knowledgeable when it come to safety and surv ...more
To make it easier for me, what I did was read all the chapters with Camp Forevermore in it. Do not fear because those chapters were the only connected one. The chapters referring to the girls, were kind of like a filler that much or less can be a standalone.
Camp Forevermore was told in Siobhan's pov. The camp was for girls between the age of nine to eleven years old. The point of the camp was to teach this girls to be independent and knowledgeable when it come to safety and surv ...more
The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu weaves together a tale of 5 girls from their time at a sleep-away camp all the way through to adulthood. After an incident at Camp Forevermore, these girls have only themselves to rely on in order to make it home.
Initially I had musings of this being akin to Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants but I came to realize that The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore is an entirely separate entity. Upon being introduced to our main characters, Fu is able to capture ...more
Initially I had musings of this being akin to Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants but I came to realize that The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore is an entirely separate entity. Upon being introduced to our main characters, Fu is able to capture ...more
I’ve seen mixed reviews for this book, but I enjoyed it! It explores the way in which a traumatic experience at Camp Forevermore impacts and shapes the lives of five young girls. I found some of their stories more interesting than others, but overall, I thought it was well written and engaging.
Dec 14, 2018
Greg at 2 Book Lovers Reviews
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
2018,
contemporary-adventure
Sometimes I’ll read a synopsis and get a specific idea in my head. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, but it’s the reality of what I do.
When I read the synopsis of The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore, I thought: Awesome! This sounds like a West Coast, female version of The Troop meets Stand by Me (tell me that doesn’t sound fabulous). But when I got into the story I realized that wasn’t the case. I had to push my own reset button, get over my own disappointment and immerse myself in the sto ...more
When I read the synopsis of The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore, I thought: Awesome! This sounds like a West Coast, female version of The Troop meets Stand by Me (tell me that doesn’t sound fabulous). But when I got into the story I realized that wasn’t the case. I had to push my own reset button, get over my own disappointment and immerse myself in the sto ...more
4.5
I received an ARC from Netgalley in return for a review.
I neither loved nor hated this book. There were moments where I really enjoyed it and then moments where I couldn’t focus to save my life, which is why it took me so long to finish and write the review, missing the release date.
I wanted this book to be a lot more about the experience at Camp Forevermore and less about the present day. I felt myself having to keep referring back to the beginning to keep my characters and their past persona ...more
I neither loved nor hated this book. There were moments where I really enjoyed it and then moments where I couldn’t focus to save my life, which is why it took me so long to finish and write the review, missing the release date.
I wanted this book to be a lot more about the experience at Camp Forevermore and less about the present day. I felt myself having to keep referring back to the beginning to keep my characters and their past persona ...more
This was my first venture into the "New Adult" genre, and I'm so glad that I decided to give it a try. I suppose that New Adult explores themes that Young Adult books will shy away from, although I have to admit that I've read some YA that leaned quite heavily into mature subject matter. In The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore, we read about five young girls go through a traumatizing event during a summer camp, interspersed with snippets about their adolescent and grown-up lives. Most of these gir
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Yet Another Update: Kim Fu wrote about her inspiration and guiding thoughts for LOST GIRLS, in particular what happens when the body remembers but the mind forgets. (You didn't seriously think I was over this book yet, did you?)
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Update: Here is an actual review that captures so much of what I couldn't say.
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I finished this book the other night and I have no idea what I'm thinking so I'm just going to write things down.
I read ...more
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Update: Here is an actual review that captures so much of what I couldn't say.
-------------------------------------
I finished this book the other night and I have no idea what I'm thinking so I'm just going to write things down.
I read ...more
While this book is very well written, it was not a book that appealed to me. I enjoyed it while I reading it, but then it abruptly ended and I felt cheated.
The story centers around five young women who were part of an “incident” at their summer all-girls camp. I know the story was about the young women, and not the incident, but I really needed more information about it. I needed some backstory.
Each girl had her “story,” while young, and then while older. Again, the stories were well written, bu ...more
The story centers around five young women who were part of an “incident” at their summer all-girls camp. I know the story was about the young women, and not the incident, but I really needed more information about it. I needed some backstory.
Each girl had her “story,” while young, and then while older. Again, the stories were well written, bu ...more
Structure is a curious thing. It can cover many sins, or it can emphasise them. The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore is a book that presents itself as a novel, but it’s secretly a collection of short stories or, if you’re being generous, novellas. There’s enough sinew to connect them, but for someone wanting a meaty character driven work, you may be left hungry.
In 1994, five girls attend “upper-middle-class” summer camp Camp Forevermore. Something goes awry on their kayaking adventure day. The Gir ...more
In 1994, five girls attend “upper-middle-class” summer camp Camp Forevermore. Something goes awry on their kayaking adventure day. The Gir ...more
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Kim Fu is a Canadian-born writer, living in Seattle, Washington. .
Her first novel FOR TODAY I AM A BOY won the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. It was also a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and long-listed for CBC’s Canada Reads. Fu's debut poetry collection HOW FESTIVE THE AMBULANCE received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, a ...more
Her first novel FOR TODAY I AM A BOY won the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. It was also a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and long-listed for CBC’s Canada Reads. Fu's debut poetry collection HOW FESTIVE THE AMBULANCE received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, a ...more
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“She turned and pressed her face into his back until his warmth and smell blotted out all thought, until she stopped wondering how long love could be enough, how long it could count as meaning, how long it could structure her days.”
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