Ill Wind: Contango

by James Hilton

From cocktail rooms to the depp jungles, Ill Wind: Contango will keep you entertain with the classic "What If" genere novel with each chapter leading to a new character being introduced. "A common soldier, a child, a girl at the door of an inn, have changed the face of fortune, and almost of Nature." "History seen from a distance produces the illusion that it is rational." "To reflect how easily the course of things might have been different is to learn perspective and humility." "The random element in the Universe always increases."

Genres: Fiction

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1932

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

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a series of short stories interconnected with each other.

3* Lost Horizon (1933)
3* So Well Remembered (1945)
5* The Passionate Year (1924)
4* Terry (1927)
4* Catherine Herself (1920)
4* Good-Bye, Mr. Chips (1934)
4* The Meadows of the moon (1927)
4* Morning Journey (1951)
5* Random Harvest (1941)
4* Nothing So Strange (1947)
4* Time and Time Again (1953)
2* Knight Without Armor (1935)
3.5* To You Mr. Chips (1938)
4* The Dawn of Reckoning (Rage in Heaven) (1925)
2* Contango (Ill Wind) (1932)
TR We Are Not Alone (1937)
TR Twilight of the Wise
TR Storm passage (1922)

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this little gem, and went straight back to the beginning and am reading it again, mostly for this review. Not many people have rated it and no one has reviewed, so here I go with plans to update this after the second reading. This. Is. An. Excellent. Book! (Are you getting tired of that "emphasis" punctuation? Me, too, but I wanted to make my point.) As I read from one short story to the next, I kept trying to find stand-out sentences that I could quote as examples of great writing. I gave up because there were too many. Here is a textbook on how to write such that each sentence contributes to moving the story along. I don't think there's a way to condense or summarize any of it. (Second reading - no updates, still a great book.)

[Gary Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite author of mine. A favorite book, Lost Horizon was also written by Hilton. And I've been looking for a good copy of this for years, finally settling for a cheap paperback from a US Army library. I have all his other books in hardcover and will still search for this one. A story of nine individuals linked together, their stories woven into a lovely narrative. Hilton is still a well deserved favorite. I wish he had lived longer, written more.

[Mike Barat · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF