Lost Horizon, GoodBye, Mr. Chips and Other Stories

by James Hilton

Genres: Fiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1933

About the author

James Hilton was an English novelist and screenwriter. He is best remembered for his novels Lost Horizon, Goodbye, Mr. Chips and Random Harvest, as well as co-writing screenplays for the films Camille (1936) and Mrs. Miniver (1942), the latter earning him an Academy Award.

Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this lovely used volume of both Lost Horizon and Goodbye. Mr. Chips. I had already read Lost Horizon, so this is my review of Goodbye, Mr. Chips.

This covers a historical period of time at an English boarding school at the cusp of the 20th century and the impact that a quiet endearing school teacher had during his 40 year tenure.

This is a slow and cozy read like a cup of tea in front of a fire and I enjoyed how Mr. Chips got his nickname, how he learned to be open to love, a broadening perspective, and becoming the beloved 'Mr Chips' to generations of schoolboys.

There is a sadness in that period of history where so many young men were casualties of war across four decades, from the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s to Hitler's rise to power in the 1930s.

I admit, I teared up at the ending. It was so sweet.

“I thought I heard you-one of you-saying it was a pity I never had-any children ... eh? ... But I have, you know ... I have ..." The others smiled without answering, and after a pause Chips began a faint and palpitating chuckle. "Yes-I have," he added, with quavering merriment. "Thousands of 'em ... thousands of 'em... and all boys.”

[Appu · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Hilton was a popular English author who later made a name for himself in Hollywood as a scriptwriter.
Lost Horizon is a novel about a dystopian community called Shangri-La located in an inaccessible Himalayan valley. Four men. fleeing a political upheaval in China, escape in an aircraft bound for Peshawar. But the aircraft is hijacked. It eventually crashes in the high Himalayas and the pilot dies but not before directing the survivors to Shangri-La. The leader of the team is Hugh Conway, the British consul in Afghanistan who is wise and courageous but wary of the world thanks to his experience of the first world war. Others are, Mallinson, Conway’s young deputy; Bernard, a shadowy American businessman and Miss Brinklow an American missionary woman.
Shangri-La is dominated by a lamasery, which looks out to a fertile valley. High mountains protect the valley and lamasery from outsiders.
Visitors find to their surprise that the lamasery has all the modern amenities. It has central heating, running water, sumptuous dining options, well-stocked library and music room. The valley supplies all the food needed. There are large deposits of gold which is exchanged for worldly conveniences.
The visitors meet only Chang a noviciate monk and Lu Tsun an attractive Chinese woman of indeterminate age. The latter speaks no English but plays all the masters on harpsichord.
The newcomers are keen to get porters and leave. But Chang dissuades them and turns down all their pleas. Meanwhile, some of the visitors grow to like Shangri-La. Miss Brinklow starts learning Tibetan so that she can convert the locals to Christianity. Bernard is actually an American businessman fleeing the law. He is therefore not very keen on going back to the civilised world. Moreover, he has plans to exploit the gold deposits. Conway has grown tired of the world after his bitter experiences of the war and takes a liking to the unhurried pace of life in Shangri-La. Only Mallinson is restless and keen on an escape.
Meanwhile, Conway gets an invitation to meet the High Lama who slowly reveals to him all the secrets of the place. Shangri-La is a place where there are are no ailments and where ageing has been reversed. So inmates live to very old age without any sign of ageing. It is a sanctuary where the finest achievements of all civilisations are preserved. It is revealed that the monastery was set up in the late 18th century by a Catholic missionary from Luxembourg by name Perrault. Conway gets the shock of his life when it is revealed that the High Lama is Perrault himself. Other lamas are people from various countries who joined the monastery at some point or the other. It is revealed that the hijacking was carefully planned and executed by the High Lama himself. In a later meeting, High Lama reveals that he is about to die and Conway has been identified as the successor.
When Conway conveys these to Mallinson, the latter is incredulous. He is desperate to escape. Conway is torn between his fraternal affection for Mallinson and a life of contemplation in Shangri- La. Finally, he makes up his mind to leave. Making use of commotion following the death of the Lama, Mallinson, Conway and Lu-Tsun, leave.
The novel has a prologue and an epilogue. In the prologue, three childhood friends meet again and they end up talking about the sudden disappearance of Conway. One of them claims that he met Conway in a hospital in China. The actual novel is his story about Conway’s experiences. In the epilogue it is revealed that Mallinson died during the escape from Shangri-La and Conway was brought to the hospital by a very aged Chinese woman who died soon thereafter. Clearly the old woman was Lu-Tsun who had aged to the actual age one she left Shangri La.
Why is Shangri-La a dystopia and not a Utopia? Human life is attractive precisely because it is uncertain, dangerous, risky and above all, brief. A society where everything is taken care of and where you can live for centuries in quiet contemplation is not an attractive prospect. Besides, any society that aspires for perfection after a model will be autocratic. So Mallinson’s escape from Shangri-La is symbolic of a fundamental streak in human nature for freedom. This escape is also a restatement of man’s flight from Paradise. To be human is to be a rebel and to be a struggler.
The second book in this volume is “Good Bye Mr Chipps”. This is a curious novel about the life of a Public School teacher, Mr Chipping, who spends virtually his whole life in a public school called Brookfield. Without doing anything dramatic or visibly impressive, he leaves an indelible impression on his wards and grows to be much loved. The novel lovingly describes various incidents of his life. It is a slice of England that no longer exists. I guess, the novel is popular because of the nostalgia it evokes. In Mr.Chipps, Hamilton has created a truly memorable character.

[Rhys · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this volume, an omnibus containing three of James Hilton's books.

First up, I shall say that I read Goodbye Mr Chips years ago and liked it. I can't say it absolutely enthralled me, but I liked it sufficiently to want to check out more James Hilton in the future. It was a long time before I did so. I picked up this omnibus volume from Blossom Book House in Bangalore after a boozy afternoon with my girlfriend in a microbrewery (where I finally learned that India Pale Ale can be tasty).

I had long wanted to read Lost Horizon. I am an admirer of those 1930s adventure novels that aren't pulp fiction but have some literary merit too, Somerset Maugham at his best being one of my favourites. James Hilton is now also one of my favourites. This is a great 'lost world' story but unlike so many other similar tales by so many other writers, there is a crucial difference here and it's a difference that gladdened my heart. Conway, the 'hero' of Lost Horizon isn't a gung ho adventurer at all. Quite the contrary. He is brave, certainly, and imaginative, yes, but he also happens to be a slacker. In fact the novel is partly about the superiority of the slacker lifestyle over the go-getter lifestyle. This is refreshing and marvellous. There is something rather zen or tao about Conway. He goes with the flow and when the flow is slow he stays right where he is, much to the annoyance of his more proactive companions.

I devoured Lost Horizon and felt hugely elevated by it. Then I reread Goodbye Mr Chips and liked it again. Then I progressed to the third book in this omnibus, a collection of short stories that was originally called To You, Mr Chips, which Hilton wrote because Chips had become such a popular character among readers. It's a good collection and Chips himself sometimes plays only a minor role in the stories. This is especially true of the best story in this third part of the omnibus, 'Gerald and the Candidate', which I found utterly beguiling.

I am now a big James Hilton admirer.

[Amanda M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost Horizon was very interesting. Goodbye, Mr. Chips was like reading a 1940's movie. Both are pretty decent stories...