Lost Horizon: A Novel
by James Hilton
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| Flawed freedom or blissful imprisonment? | 2 | 3 | 02/19/2008 06:31AM |
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
Explorers/adventurers of any kind, anyone who wants to hear a damn good story
The last time I loved a book as much as I loved this one was when I read Dune. Even though Dune is considered one of the masterworks of science fiction, I'm not really a sci-fi kind of girl, per se, I just love places that are so well-imagined by the author that you can't believe they're not real SOMEWHERE. Lost Horizon presents Shangri-La as such a place.
More personally, though, I read this book at the precise right moment in my life. Conway, the main character, has a sort of dispassio...more
More personally, though, I read this book at the precise right moment in my life. Conway, the main character, has a sort of dispassio...more
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Read in April, 2007
Lost Horizon is a rather fascinating pulp novel. It is set in India and Tibet during the time of the British Colonial occupation of India, against the background of an uprising against the British. The protagonists are find themselves in a utopian lost community in the Himalayas where the people live extremely long lives. Clearly, this is based upon Chinese myth of Peach Blossom Spring, the lost land of Taoist immortals in the mountains, famously put into poetry by Tao Yuanming and by Wang Wei...more
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Read in September, 2007
currently rereading this book.
From "Reader's Digest article": Hilton believed..."that mankind was descending, slowly but steadily, from a pinnacle of freedom and progress reached in the Victorian era." He was called a sentimental writer but the label never bothered him. "I do not object to being called a sentimentalist," he once remarked, "because I acknowledge the passing of a great age with something warmer than a sneer."
When Hilton was writing ...more
From "Reader's Digest article": Hilton believed..."that mankind was descending, slowly but steadily, from a pinnacle of freedom and progress reached in the Victorian era." He was called a sentimental writer but the label never bothered him. "I do not object to being called a sentimentalist," he once remarked, "because I acknowledge the passing of a great age with something warmer than a sneer."
When Hilton was writing ...more
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Read in May, 2007
Not bad, but for some reason the story just seemed incomplete. I was drawn, naturally, to this book's introduction of the Shangri-La mythos as well as the prospect of a stand-alone, epic adventure novel that didn't span 800 pages. While I found the visuals stunning and the story gripping, everything came to a screeching halt as the book abruptly ended.
Four people--two British soldiers, a British missionary, and an American businessman--are kidnapped. Their plane crashes somewhere in the m...more
Four people--two British soldiers, a British missionary, and an American businessman--are kidnapped. Their plane crashes somewhere in the m...more
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Read in September, 2007
Ahh...Shangri-la. I've had this book for several years and never finished it. When I was younger, I attempted to read this, but had a hard time getting through the beginning. I admit, it's a little dry for the first chapter, but it's much more enjoyable after that.
*SPOILERS BELOW*
The concept of eternal life/youth is not a new one. While the lamas of Shangri-la do eventually die, they have amazing longevity and extended youth. It is attributed to the atmosphere and their philosoph...more
*SPOILERS BELOW*
The concept of eternal life/youth is not a new one. While the lamas of Shangri-la do eventually die, they have amazing longevity and extended youth. It is attributed to the atmosphere and their philosoph...more
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Read in January, 1992
My rating of this book is not wholly fair; it's skewed upwards. It gets an extra star for being the first paperback book ever published.
All in all, an o.k. read but nothing spectacular. I think it's interesting for its position in publishing history and as a source for the Shangri-La mythos. It's also a clear predecessor of the more or less common theme of enlightenment found in far off lands. I'm thinking, in particular, of books like The Third Eye, the Batman mythology, H.P. Lovecraft...more
All in all, an o.k. read but nothing spectacular. I think it's interesting for its position in publishing history and as a source for the Shangri-La mythos. It's also a clear predecessor of the more or less common theme of enlightenment found in far off lands. I'm thinking, in particular, of books like The Third Eye, the Batman mythology, H.P. Lovecraft...more
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Read in January, 2008
When I brought this home, my dad immediately was interested and said he had loved the film as a kid. So I had to read it right away!
The story was fairly fast paced, with interesting twists. One of those where you just couldn't wait to find out what happened next! Looked on Wikipedia, and apparently there were a few places like Shangri-La, a green valley surrounded by frosty mountains in the Himalayas. Would love to see them!
Also i never realized that "la" was Tibetan for Mounta...more
The story was fairly fast paced, with interesting twists. One of those where you just couldn't wait to find out what happened next! Looked on Wikipedia, and apparently there were a few places like Shangri-La, a green valley surrounded by frosty mountains in the Himalayas. Would love to see them!
Also i never realized that "la" was Tibetan for Mounta...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
adventure seekers, utopia
Shangri-La. I never knew that this was a fictional place from this novel. The wealthiest man in Asia got his hotel name from this book. As I like books and movies about seemingly Utopian, controlled societies (1984, Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, Thirteenth Floor, The Matrix, The Beach) and time (Momo, Siddhartha) this book is right up my alley.
A man suggested that we read it together. He got all excited and proud of his own idea, "It will be our first activity together!" Idea...more
A man suggested that we read it together. He got all excited and proud of his own idea, "It will be our first activity together!" Idea...more
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Still reading this, really rereading since I read it years ago -- but I know more now, about the British, about the world at that time and it is a fascinating glimpse into the mind view of a world that no longer exists imagining a world that never existed! So, taking my time and really exploring the complexity of the vocabulary and the layers of assumptions.
With all that, it's still a jolly good adventure.
Glad I reread this, was a very different book for me now that I'm older and I enjoy...more
With all that, it's still a jolly good adventure.
Glad I reread this, was a very different book for me now that I'm older and I enjoy...more
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Read in April, 2007
I didn't really expect to like this book, I read it as "research" for an article/essay I'm working on about my trip to Shangri-la, but I really enjoyed it.
It was a beautiful look at what is really important to people and what makes life worth living in the messy world we live in. I especially liked the contrast between the main character, Conway and the young'n M. Plus, for me the question of why exactly Conway left Shangri-la when he did, required some pondering and who doesn't l...more
It was a beautiful look at what is really important to people and what makes life worth living in the messy world we live in. I especially liked the contrast between the main character, Conway and the young'n M. Plus, for me the question of why exactly Conway left Shangri-la when he did, required some pondering and who doesn't l...more
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Read in May, 2007
The summary paragraphs on the back of the book called this a love story, but I didn't get that impression at all. I felt like it had many themes that only made it halfway into the open. I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be centered around a man chasing love, a man trying to find solace after tribulation, a man blinded by solace after tribulation, etc. Good story, though, and I have to agree about everything in moderation (including moderation).
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Read in January, 1994
Not a fast paced action adventure but I've loved this book since I first read it almost 15 years ago. I can't fully explain why, but it spoke to me. I felt, and feel, a connection with the main character. I identify with him more that any character in any other book I've read. I have underlined numerous passages in my copy that simply captured my being. (thats so sappy! but I just don't know how else to describe it).
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Read in January, 2007
This is a very odd book from the 1930s about a group of people who get lost and stumble upon the hidden world of Shangri-la, where everyone spends their days studying and improving their habits and where nobody ever grows old. Reading it is like reading a very long, very steadily narrated episode of the Twilight Zone so if you are a fan of that sort of thing (I am, indeed), it is definitely worth a good steady read.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in December, 2007
This is the book where 'Shangri-la' originated. That was a phrase I had always heard. After reading this book I get it. Ok, I get what Shangri-la means, but I did not get the book. I am still confused by the ending. However, it is a famous book worth reading.
I have a copy that has all of the pages, but they are rubberbanded together. Yep, it's old. You can have it if you would like.
I have a copy that has all of the pages, but they are rubberbanded together. Yep, it's old. You can have it if you would like.
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Its odd, but what I have to say about this novel is much like what I had to say about another Hilton novel Good-Bye Mr. Chips. It's a fun read to be sure, but I cant read it without hearing Ronald Coleman speak-and if you remember Ronald Coleman you know what a pleasant sound that is. As such the books doesnt stand on its own merits for me-Capra's film will always colour my judgement.
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
whoever
This was a good read. The story was mysterious, the pace was never dull, and the characters are well crafted and believable. Ideas about love and faith and devotion are incorporated into the story, but never in a way that makes it feel like the author is using the characters as a mouthpiece for an authors' mission statement. Short, sweet, and to no point. Which is just how I wanted it.
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Read in December, 2007
Este libro lo habia leido ya en mi adolescencia y lo retome recientemente. De vez en cuando releo libro q me impresionaron. Lo hize con El Exorcista y con Cien anos de soledad. El libro es bien corto y facil de leer. Es un libro de aventuras q se desarrolla en Shangri La donde la gente no se pone vieja y duran para siempre. El protagonista se escapa y nos cuenta su experiencia.
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I saw Frank Capra's movie first, which is why I wanted to read this. As usual, the novel was more substantive, but they are both cool. Who wouldn't want to hear the story of an englishman brought to a lamasarey in a hidden valley in Tibet that stays green year round? At least if you're curious where the name "Shangri-La" came from you should read this. A good adventure story.
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I walked into the bookstore in Lenox and inquired about a book I was looking for. The owner, seeing that they didn't have my book in stock. grabbed this one off the shelf and said. "I'll order your book for you, but in the meantime, read this one.....you'll love it. He was right.
I.
LOVED.THIS.BOOK.
It really made me stop and think about....well......everything.
I.
LOVED.THIS.BOOK.
It really made me stop and think about....well......everything.
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Read in August, 2008
recommended to Stacey by:
My Bookclubrecommends it for: Older teens and Adults
This book was intriguing once you get through the first few chapters. Kind of slow in the beginning. I found the beliefs of the people in the hidden city to be interesting. The thought of being forced to live somewhere and not having the choice is a little creepy. If felt sad for Connor because he loved it their and had to leave to help someone else.
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