Memoir · 2024 · Travelers' Tales / Solas House
Paris Lost & Found
A Memoir of Love
Foreword Indies Prize — Humor
Midland Authors Award — HM
Midwest Bookstore Bestseller
Nerdection Best Memoir 2024
What to do when life smacks you down? Head for Paris, of course. In this sequel to French Like Moi, Carpenter returns to the scene of the crime — this time reeling from loss as his wife struggles with Alzheimer's, then finding himself alone in a capital blighted by the pandemic.
From bizarre encounters on the Métro to comical clashes with authority figures, and a quixotic battle against a flock of migrant parrots, Paris Lost & Found unveils sides of the city that are as quirky as they are authentic. With his unique blend of wit, insight, and wistfulness, Carpenter charts a path through a labyrinth of solitude — only to emerge on the other side, squinting into the bright light of hope and new beginnings.
Praise & Reviews
"Honestly, the funniest book I've ever read that also made me cry."— Heather Stimmler, editor of Secrets of Paris
"The best travel book I've read all year."— Gillian Kendall, Perceptive Travel
"Carpenter takes us on a deeply personal journey, illuminating with poignant humor the City of Light, and loss, and love."— Don George, author of The Way of Wanderlust
"Almost all stories set in Paris benefit from the reflected glow of the City of Light. But Carpenter has a unique way of seeing the world around him that elevates even the most mundane encounters with curiosity, tenderness, and humor. He writes with a seemingly effortless lightness that's deceptively hard to achieve in memoir writing, making the reader laugh out loud, even as he shares his journey navigating the sorrow of his own loss."— Heather Stimmler, Secrets of Paris
"Directed by his Midwestern sense of delight, Carpenter adopts the role of an American observer, making keen observations about language and about the fact that human vulnerability makes people more alike than they are different. A nuanced memoir about loss, starting over, and embracing a new home abroad."— Foreword Clarion Reviews
"Paris Lost and Found is not only the best travel memoir I've seen in years; it's one of the best books I've read in a decade."— Gillian Kendall, Perceptive Travel
"I laughed until my sides hurt at Carpenter's lighthearted and self-deprecating take on living in l'Hexagone."— Kimberley Lovato, author of Walnut Wine & Truffle Groves
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