Summer of Reading: The Lost Girls- three friends, four continents, one unconventional detour around the world
The Lost Girls- Baggett, Corbett and Pressner
This book falls between the genres of memoirs and travel writing. Three women, all in their mid to late 20s, decide to quit their increasingly stressful and depressing lives in Manhattan to travel the world for a year. They travel through South America, Kenya, India, Laos, Thailand, Bali, New Zealand, and Australia in total.
What Oread Enjoyed: I appreciate that the authors did not shy away from sharing their experiences that were not “PG” or actions that showcased their flaws. Backpacking is tough and they were honest in their struggle to handle living out of a backpack for a whole year. They focused a lot of the quirkiness of cultural exchange and the struggle of learning to live with yourself- warts and all- before you can really grow as a person.
What Oread Disliked: It was sometimes difficult to remember who was speaking in the current chapter as all three have similar writing styles. Sometimes the experiences they chose to write about compared to the ones they only mention in passing did not make sense to me, but I assume they had reasons for it.
In Conclusion: Overall, I feel confident recommending this book. It’s a quick read for when you’re craving an Adventure Lite and dipping your toes into cultures and societies you may not have otherwise encountered.