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Summary: VERY GOOD BOOK
Review: A book that takes you away to a utopian way of life in Tibet. Recommended to me by an eccentric old gentleman in the Bahamas, this book delves into a culture and way of life many of us would like to experience at least for a little while.A good book for vacation.
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Summary: If you want to get "frozen in time," PLEASE read this book!
Review: This is one of the books that I thought to be "just an average book." But when I received, read it and understood it; it had much more meaning. It is about 3 men and 1 women who were kidnapped at Baskul and flown into a place in the distant reaches of Tibet known as Shangri-La. This is a book that gets you frozen in time so order it today and start reading it. I promise, you will not be disappointed!
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Summary: One of the best books I have ever read
Review: If you want to know what more there is to life, read this book. I first read it at 25 and thought it was okay. Then I read it at 41 and found so much more meaning in it.
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Summary: A great read even if you know the plot.
Review: Hilton's novel still has the power to take you away to a land frozen in time. Knowing the 'secret' as you read still doesn't diminish its impact, but I'm jealous of those readers in 1933 who had the advantage of mystery as they read on.
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Summary: Timeless!
Review: Wars do strange things to those who fight them. The trenches of the First World War have left Conway, James Hilton's most memorable hero, feeling himself old long before his time. When he and three others being evacuated from the British consulate at Baskul find themselves kidnapped - flown to a Tibetan monastery, instead of to safety as they expected - he accepts the situation with an ease that infuriates his hero-worshipping young colleague, Mallinson. Conway takes easily to Shangri-La's life of isolated serenity. When he learns why he and his companions were brought to that remote and secret valley, he's not angry. Instead, he feels so oddly at home that only for love's sake will he leave....
I first read "Lost Horizon" in Grade 8, and remembered it fondly enough to pick up a copy when it recently crossed my path again. I read everything else by James Hilton that I could find during the years between. Definitely, this book is a fine author's master work. Clear and beautiful prose, haunting themes, and - at the end - a twist that once you've read it seems inevitable. Like Shangri-La, this story is timeless.
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Summary: Shangri-La or Shambhala- I'd make the journey in a minute!
Review: What struck me most about this book is how non-dated it was for having been written in 1933. First of all, the story starts in Afghanistan during an airlift to evacuate foreign nationals during an anti-western revolution. Next, the main characters are essentially skyjacked to an unknown destination against their will for unknown purposes. As for the characters, they seem very familiar and contemporary also: a world-weary and burned-out government bureaucrat, a gung-ho and impatient young military officer, a business man that has stolen over 100 million dollars from investors through stock fraud, and a fundamentalist Christian missionary that believes in one "true" religion and holds all others in contempt. There is also the conviction among several of these characters that globally "the whole game's going to pieces."
However, there is also something hauntingly timeless about this story. It occurs to me that the hidden civilization of Shangri-La is based on the mythical kingdom of Shambhala, where immortal masters live that look after the evolution and welfare of mankind. The great mountain of Karacul that looms over the valley also seems symbolic of Mt. Meru- the axis of the cosmos- and where the gods are reputed to dwell. It is certainly no coincidence that most of the people that find Shangri-La are the world weary- and the journey comes close to killing them. That would seem to be a metaphor for spiritual enlightenment. For this is what the lucky and the worthy find in Shangri-La, all the time in the world, or rather out of the world, for contemplation, preservation of all the worthy attainments of the human race, and the pursuit of wisdom. Sounds pretty close to heaven to me....
An interesting side note is the fact that _Lost Horizon_ was the first paperback title ever published by Pocket Books in 1939. This particular edition bears the same classic cover art as the original.
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Summary: A Classic Story
Review: My interest in reading Lost Horizon came from having seen the Frank Capra film several times. I was aware that the produces of the film had tried to remain as close to the book as possible but I found the differences between the book and the film to be refreshing. Lost Horizon is a riveting book that is difficult to put down. One might classify the book as part adventure, part philosophy in the blending of the exotic location and Christian and Buddhist beliefs. It is needless to say that the book is well written; the chapter I found of highest interest is Robert Conway's conversation with the High Lama. The writing of that chapter was so very natural and the discussion of such interest it was like being an observer of the scene, and was a chapter I did not want to break. The characters of the four kidnapped people, Mallinson, Miss Brinklow, Barnard and Conway are subtly drawn and their different reactions to Shangri-La are interesting. Miss Brinklow wants to create a Christian mission, Barnard is eluding the law and happy to have found a safe haven and Mallinson cannot be reconciled with the peaceful paradise of the lamasery; but it is Conway, of course, who has center stage. The character of Conway, a world-weary man who discovers that Shangri-La as a place of destiny, must reflect much from the personality of James Hilton. Conway is very complex; a person who has wisdom beyond his years but is not, as he confesses, a hero and is partly a coward. Indeed, Conway's firm decision to remain at Shangri-La is successfully changed by Mallinson. The conversation between the High Lama and Conway expresses many ideas that applied to Hilton's time and also to the present day. The description by the High Lama of the "coming storm" struck me as appropriate for today. In Hilton's time there was the threat of war on a vast scale as Japan had its eye on occupying large parts of China and the rise of Fascism. Today, it is world terrorism and leaders that want to take us into war without having a clue to the consequences. In short, this is a marvelous tale that is fantastic to read; a book that one can re-read with great pleasure.
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Summary: Impressive
Review: For years I thought this novel was a second-rate pop thriller. Then, I
finally got around to reading it. It's a first-rate novel, indeed a classic. Hilton is a natural and very stylish writer. This is a very impressive book, about some people who accidentally stumble across
an Eastern version of the Garden of Eden. Recommended for everyone, children and adults.
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Summary: nick from Richview Middle School
Review: I first read Lost Horizon when I was twelve years old. It was my favorite book as a child. Years later I re-read it, a little apprehensive that I would find it dated and contrived. It is neither. Lost Horizon is, quite simply, a triumph of the story-teller's art. A simple tale of idealistic faith in the human spirit, James Hilton's famous novel is crafted in unadorned, crystalline prose. It is, by turns, moving, mysterious, surprising and, ultimately, profoundly inspiring. Lost Horizon may not satisfy those too sophisticated to allow themselves to give in to its sentimental simplicity. But I highly recommend it to readers willing to suspend disbelief and to surrender to the wonder of a transporting fairy tale as they take a magical and unforgettable journey to the Valley of the Blue Moon. I am fifty-four years old now and Lost Horizon is still my favorite book.
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Summary: Fill in the Unstated with Your Imagination!
Review: In the depths of the worldwide economic depression as the war drumbeats began in Germany, James Hilton wrote a quirky, imaginative book about the potential to escape the harsh reality. In so doing, he caused each reader since then to wonder what the right balance of tranquility and challenge really is. Like the best books about possible utopias, Lost Horizon leaves much to the reader's imagination. Undoubtedly, you will conjure up solutions to the riddles left open by the author that will be especially pleasing to you. Although the book is clearly set in the 30's with a British perspective, many of the themes struck me as universal. As the book opens, there's an intriguing prologue that sets just the right tone for the story. You are to read a manuscript about the experiences of one Hugh "Glory" Conway, H.M. consul. The manuscript opens with airplane hijacking that seemed all too realistic. Quickly, the hijacking turns into a surprising adventure as the passengers unexpectedly arrive in a little known part of Tibet and are escorted to Shangri-La, a lamasery sitting atop a hidden valley of peace and tranquility. While there, they await an opportunity to arrange passage with the bearers who are bringing a shipment that is expected in 60 days. Conway, however, learns the secrets of Shangri-La and finds himself faced with an extraordinary set of choices. To me, Shangri-La is a metaphor for the mental tranquility that many spiritual practices can bring. For anyone who has enjoyed these practices, you will know that it can be tempting to withdraw totally into them. To do so can be delicious, especially for the frazzled soul. At the same time, we are made of flesh, blood and boil with emotions that seek their venting through action. How can the two instincts be reconciled? You are left to come to your own conclusions, and that's one of the great beauties of this fine book. The book has several weaknesses that will bother most readers. Except for Conway, the character development is minimal. The book is too conveniently filled with people in Tibet who speak perfect English. Morality is held a little bit too much in suspense for the book to be as spiritual as it had the potential to be. There's a heavy overlay of British Empire perspective that will seem remote to current readers as well. The ideal reader for this book is someone who enjoyed Butler's Erewhon or H.G. Wells's The Time Machine. I was left thinking that we each need our own personal Shangri-La today more than ever. May you find a way to carry it with you!
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