So Well Remembered

by James Hilton

1945 Hardback edition. VERY GOOD to LIKE NEW. Very slight bumps to corners, small signature on first page. Same day shipping from AZ.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Classics, 20th Century, Novels, Literary Fiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1945

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

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my fourth James Hilton novel, and I’m getting wise to some things. First off, his women are either perfect wives or bad wives, and that defines them as women. I seem to remember maybe a spinster in _Lost Horizon_, but she had such a faint presence and served no purpose in the plot. My favorite character is, of course, Paula in _Random Harvest_ (my favorite of his books). The thing about this book, I think Hilton wants you to be sympathetic to the main character -- but I hated him! The woman he portrayed as hard-boiled, a real menace to her husband’s career -- she was fascinating! I could read another book just about her. Great characterization, as always with Hilton.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note to self: Be a George in a world full of Livias.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free download available at FadedPage

This book is in the public domain in Canada, and is made available to you DRM-free.

I made the proofing of this book (F1) for Distributed Proofreaders Canada and it will be published by FadedPage.

[Dr.J.G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

.................................................................................................
................................................................................................
SO WELL REMEMBERED, by James Hilton.
................................................................................................
................................................................................................


What a pleasure this is, revisiting Hilton, even if - to begin with - one has forgotten if one read this one amongst the various loved ones by Hilton. It isn't until the revelation to the protagonist that one knows one has, definitely, read this half a century ago, because that sentence is unique : "I hope I haven't been so damned tactful that you're going to ask me what all this has got to do with you. . . ."".

Perhaps it's obvious to everyone else, but one didn't quite ask until now, and so sees only now what could be said to be a common factor, a key, so to say, that connects very diverse works of Hilton. Apart from a sense of a vast, lofty space of consciousness, it's a point of earthly loss for the protagonist that stands as a key point.

As normal with Hilton, the reader is all with the men he begins with, without a negative for the missing wife of Boswell, until one turns the page and it's her story; and then one's with her, wondering - when finally Hilton turns to Boswell again - why the inhabitants of their small town found her story not credible.

It isn't until much later in the story that a succession of revelations, made amongst conversations between relative strangers, begin to give a very different perspective. One then wonders if the work began with sympathy for a character, and thereafter changed, because the author knew someone.

As one progresses reading, one is continuously amazed at how beautifully Hilton writes, and how imperceptibly gentle his empathy with such diverse characters whom he lets the reader get close to, as not only the Boswell couple but most of everyone else as well. George Boswell with his seemingly solid persona is yet idealistic, naive, and more - Livia with her sharp sensitivity is nevertheless much less empathetic to everyone than George but capable of managing quietly, and so on.

But it's descriptions of earlier stages of WWII where Hilton excels, even for a reader who's read considerably extensively on the topic, including dozens of holocaust memoirs and the thoroughly exhaustive Shirer.

As one finishes, though, one wonders if the two main characters represent the opposing forces of WWII, not so much in political sense as in a primal one - George, naive and dedicated to making things better while he thinks well of everyone; Livia, a force that stops at nothing for its own aims?
................................................................................................


"Altogether the scene was typical of many a quietly happy English occasion during those distant years when Englishmen could be quietly happy."

""You were better off than my father, then, because he had a lifetime in it. From the age of ten to the day he died—fifty years, and for half of every year, except on Sundays, he only saw daylight through the mill windows."

""Ah, terrible—terrible," murmured the Bishop. George chuckled.

""Maybe, but he didn't feel that way. I don't believe it ever occurred to him. He was quite content all week looking forward to Sunday."

""When he enjoyed his preaching, no doubt."

""You bet he did, and he was a dab hand at it too. I've heard him last a couple of hours, without a note, and fluent all the time."

"The Bishop sighed. "Ah, that's a wonderful thing—to possess the gift of tongues, so that one never has to think for a word—"

""Maybe that's it," said George. "It's the thinking that spoils it." His eyes twinkled and his voice, as nearly as a voice can, nudged the Bishop in the ribs. "Once I remember my father started off a prayer with 'Oh God, if there be a God'—but he said it in such a grand booming voice that nobody noticed it any more than he had.""

"Winslow, of course, was a much better speaker by any erudite standards. To the acceptable accent of English aristocracy and officialdom he added an air of slightly bored accomplishment that often goes with it, and the chiefly working-class audience gave him respectful attention throughout an address that was considerably above their heads. Had he been of their own class they might have shouted a few ribald interruptions, but they would not do this to a stranger so clearly of rank; indeed their patient silence implied a half-affectionate tolerance for 'one of the nobs' who eccentrically chose to interest himself in Browdley affairs instead of in the far more glamorous ones they imagined must be his own—the sort of tolerance that had evoked an audible exclamation of "Poor little bugger!" from some unknown citizen when, a few years back, a royal prince had passed through the town on an official tour. To Browdley folk, as they looked and listened now, it seemed that Lord Winslow was all the time thinking of something else (as indeed he was), but they did not blame him for it; on the contrary, the cheers when he finished were a friendly concession that he had doubtless done his best and that it was pretty decent of him to have bothered to do anything at all."

" ... George then confessed that during the first six years of his life he was rarely if ever told to do anything without being threatened with what would happen if he didn't or couldn't; and the fact that these threats were mostly empty did not prevent the main effect—which was to give him a first impression of the world as a piece of adult property in which children were trespassers. "Only they weren't prosecuted," he added, with a laugh. "They were mostly just yelled at. . . . D'you know, one of the biggest shocks of my life was after my parents died and I was sent to live with an uncle I'd never met before—to find out then that grown-ups could actually talk to me in a cheerful, casual sort of way, even though I was only a boy!""

" ... One of George's numerous prides was in having the finest personal library in Browdley, and probably he had; it was a genuine collection, anyhow, not an accumulation of sets for the sake of their binding, such as could be seen in the mansions of rich local manufacturers. ... "
................................................................................................


""Why don't you go out and talk to him personally as soon as you have the time?"

""Yes, I shall do that—I wired him today about it. But somehow I'm not sure that I can do much on my own—that last telephone talk was simply shattering—the most I could get was a promise that he'd think it over, but he can't think, that's the trouble—he's in a world utterly beyond logic and argument—you can't prove anything to him—he just believes this woman's a sort of martyr-heroine and her husband's an impossible brute and—"

""How do you know he isn't?"

"Winslow got up suddenly, walked to the window, then came back and touched George on the shoulder with a queerly intimate gesture. "I didn't know—definitely—until today. But I'm a bit positive at this moment. . . ." And after a second pause, standing in front of George, he stammered unsurely: "I hope I haven't been so damned tactful that you're going to ask me what all this has got to do with you. . . .""

"George's face was haggard as he replied: "I wouldn't call my own knowledge so very reliable—not after this.""

"Then he took Winslow to the train, and only in the final minutes before its departure did they refer to the personal matter again. Winslow muttered, leaning out of a first-class compartment: "I—I must say it, Boswell—I—I really don't know how to thank you for—for taking all this in the way you have. . . ."

""What other way was there to take it?""
................................................................................................
................................................................................................

[Nancy]

i started reading this in the brandywine library and couldn't stop.
what a great old-fashioned storyteller hilton was!

[Shelly K Kowalski · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Grandma Freeman gave me this one. Not a bad read

[Joe Boenzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother had this book, "So Well Remembered" by James Hilton, among the books that she had kept from before she got married. She was a member of the "book-of-the-month club" in the years after the war. When my father bought the World Book Encyclopedia in 1960 placed them in the shelves within a china cabinet in our living room, my mother put her books in there too. The title of this book fired my ten-year-old imagination and I tried to read it, but the vocabulary was too difficult for me and I set it down, promising to read it when I had learned rough words. This year I found a copy at a used book shop, and bought it. The vocabulary was not so difficult after all.

The book was first published in 1945, while the War in Europe was still raging. Most of the action takes place between World War I and World War II, but it remains a war novel in many respects. The central character is George Boswell, the orphaned son of mill workers who is an idealistic newspaper man and social reformer, working hard to provide better housing and better job opportunities for the people of his town. His efforts cost him much sacrifice and seems to even cost him his marriage. In spite of all the setbacks and difficulties, he continues to look out for the poor and the young, not only of his town, but of England during World War II. In the end he is able to make a difference for those who need it most.

When I was a child, my mother had told me that this was one of her favorite books. Now I can see why.

[Mariangel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is hard to put down.

Part 1 starts introducing the main character, George, whose dream is to improve the living conditions of the cotton mill workers in his small town, and ends with a (somewhat) unexpected revelation.

Part 2 switches back to the family of the cotton mill owners, whose last owner ends up in jail for causing the ruin of the mill workers's savings. His only daughter Livia (who was only a baby at the time) grows up isolated, hated by townsfolk, yet she is not told anything about her father.

Part 3 drags slightly because we already know most of what happens to George and Livia, having been anticipated in Parts 1 and 2.

In Part 4, WWII has changed the lives of all the characters and the mill town, but they still need to come to terms with their past actions, and think about the future. The end of the novel is open, since the war is still not finished, but provides hope.

[Jim Dooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I think of James Hilton, the first book that will likely always come to my mind is LOST HORIZON. For me, it is a masterful work that calms my soul with every rereading.

SO WELL REMEMBERED didn’t have that impact, but it is a beautifully-crafted tale of relationships won and lost (yet never abandoned), purpose versus responsibility, and the amazing quirks of Fate ... and what we choose to do with them.

It is so difficult to tell much of the story because there are fascinating twists and turns throughout. I recall that I was fairly early in the book, wondering if the staid life of newspaper editor (and would-be politician), George, was going to maintain its leisurely pace consistently through the book when a visiting dignitary to the town drops a bit of news that ... quite literally ... caused me to gasp. Suffice it to say that I was hooked for the remainder.

The narrative is a bit uneven from time to time. However, it rewards the Reader with explorations of perspective ... those that we have of ourselves and those that others have of us. It is also about Life choices that are made and how those choices have a rippling effect through many other people. We may decide not to sweat the small stuff, although some small stuff may have greater meaning than we think.

SO WELL REMEMBERED is a very thoughtful book that may trigger personal reflection. (It did in me.) I'll admit that in a world that has grown to appreciate finer televised narratives like DOWNTON ABBEY, DOCTOR THORNE, and BLEAK HOUSE, I'm surprised that this one hasn’t made the transition. I'd watch.

[May_njah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book tell us the story about a couple and how their lives were deeply marked by their childhood. The men, whitout the education he always wanted, the women with any friends aroud her. He grew up into a good and political-bored man with his town always in his mind. She, just wants to feel part of something, somebody and someplace.
The couple found, separated and for things of destiny, found again. Never friends, never lovers, just to known people.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as sucessful as Random Harvest, but a generous, serious novel about a working-class idealist. In this case, I felt the film with John Mills achieved greater depth, mostly because of the sensitivity that Mills brought to the protagonist.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was all over the place. But I really enjoyed it.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fifth Hilton book I have read in a month (sort of a binge) and I enjoyed it and admire his great facility at spinning a tale with lots of plot twists (some plausible, most not) and interesting characters. I disliked the didacticism and the reverse snobbery. I realize that Hilton was writing for a readership weary of World War II and hoping for better times ahead - thus a mood none of us today can quite recapture. Maybe his lecturing came across as hopeful. It certainly seems sincere. Toward the end of the book, the character-driven plot which has been coherent up until then seems to collapse under his use of characters to represent various factors in society. I felt that the young wounded airman was particularly wooden in having to represent the future of Britain - good-hearted but cynical, personally upstanding while dismissing the integrity of the older generation. Hilton meant him to be attractive but he came across as a facade. The most interesting character was Livia, whose strange upbringing can explain a lot of her unpleasant personality traits, but in attempting a psychoanalytic portrayal, I thought Hilton was out of his depth. Too many inconsistencies and abrupt changes of behavior. I think Hilton had a very interesting story to tell and he should have been content to tell it without trying to bring in issues which only get in the way of the narration. And of course at this late date, a lot of his obsessive musings about class and patriotism are just boring.

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Rounded up from 4.5*]
There was not a more elegant British novelist than James Hilton, and this one is a beautifully told tale of a small town politician named George Boswell whose marriage to, and subsequent divorce from, a much younger woman (Livia) shortly after World War I has a profound effect on George and those in his orbit. As always with Hilton (except, ironically, for his most famous work - the adventure Lost Horizon), this is a closely observed character study in which Hilton allows us to gain a full understanding of Livia (who also serves as a brilliant metaphor for ambition), who appears mostly through the eyes of other characters, while delivering a study of responsibility, parenthood and strength (and its converse, fear and weakness) of character.

[Tirzah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my third Hilton read. It is well-written like his Lost Horizon and Random Harvest. I wearied a bit over the philosophizing, which I did not experience whilst reading the other two; I think after reading three books of characters trying to find truth and never reaching it is getting old for my taste. I have to be in the right mood for those kinds of books and I don't think I was in the right mood when I read So Well Remembered. But to reiterate, the book's well-written. I flew through the pages with my cups of tea, thoroughly swept in George's world. The ending is typical Hilton and I wish we'd been given more reason behind Livia's actions unless Hilton purposely left it up to interpretation.

*There is profanity throughout.

[Veronica Gliatti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this book and the slower pace was fine because the writing was so good! His style is so polished that it outs so many other authors to shame. The story had so much non-fictional descriptions of the times too so it was reading historical things as well as the novel. Not a comp!scared story but not real predictable either.

*****Spoiler Alert *******
I did not totally get the ending, felt rushed habit like the author just wanted to end the story there and felt he had taken it as far as it would go. Nevertheless, I would still have read the book knowing that and not felt it was a waste of time.

[Clark Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic worth the read

Written at the very tail end of WW II, this book offers so much hope, so much simple pleasure in the common decencies of life. Wonderful characters. Helped me to better understand the silent, stodgy Englishman. Salt of the earth, indeed, even in little townships. They're still there today. Just as Hilton describes them. He was a great writer with a unique, hugely optimistic vision (Shangri La). Makes me want to reread others of his books and the ones I never did.

[Meredith Bagby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked the story but was disappointed with its abrupt ending. As for the rest of the novel, I enjoyed the insights & tidbits of wisdom dispensed by the Mayor. The characters were interesting & the storyline wasn’t like anything else that I’ve read. I am surprised that more people have not read this book. My only complaint is that the ending felt rushed, like the author just wanted to be done. The ending was not up to the standards of the rest of the story. Other than this, my reading experience was enjoyable.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

So well written! What a pleasure to read a book from a somewhat earlier time - the tone is so relaxed, even though the plot is complex and full of twists. I noticed a couple of other reviewers didn't like the abrupt end, but that didn't bother me. I only felt the sadness of having to leave behind these people who were so interesting. And yes, everything isn't resolved by the end, but that was part of the charm...life goes on.

[Katherine Padilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Boswell, an idealistic small-town politician in post World War 1 England, is delighted to entertain Lord Winslow in his home—until he learns that Winslow is there to deliver some disturbing news about George’s cryptic, unforgettable wife Livia. What follows is an interesting and complex look at both George and Livia, their relationship over many years, and the conflict between idealism and untamed passion.

[Lora]

No rating because I didn't finish.
But this was too all-over-the-road for me. And watching the train wreck come as their individual characteristics made their marriage and life more difficult- i decided to just look away. Call me coward. But I like some of his other books. Just not this one.
I need a palate cleanser now before I move on.
Maybe North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell. There's a book to love!

[Mark Rabideau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another wonderful human interest tale from James Hilton. Like many of his stories this takes place between the World Wars. He did not author a ton of books, but to my mind, he authored wonderful 'books'. This is one of them.

[Tamartime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent as he was however, I had an ending made up in my head before I finished the book and was dissapointed in the ending because I thought mine was so much better, and I couldn't believe that he dint think of it first. :)

[Beth Harbaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but I found the ending rather abrupt.

[Franziska Self Fisken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated and nowhere near as good as Lost Horizon or Goodbye Mr Chips.

[Andy Plonka · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters with their standout personalities are what make this book.

[Ptjerónimo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romance relativamente datado e de certo modo ingénuo mas não desprovido de interesse. Dois ou três momentos narrativos muito conseguidos. Tradução de qualidade (o que faz toda a diferença…)

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the day that World War II ends in Europe, Mayor George Boswell
recalls events of the previous 25 years in his home town of Browdley.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sweet story, though it sort of rambled. There was no sweeping storyline or grand view, though the theme of life's purpose against a backdrop of war seemed to sort of tie the different character's lives together.

[Margaret Norwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wonderful novel was in a box of books from my Grandmother's estate. I picked it up on a whim. The characters were really fun to live with and some of the ideas of ambition vs contentment spoke to me a great deal.