Search - Lost Horizon

I first read this book when I was in my teens, and I continue to read a copy at least once every 5 or 10 years. Part of me connects with the protagonist's desire to get away from it all, and I feel the magic that's Shangrila wash over me every time I reread it. As I get older, as my tastes and desires mature, as my goals change to reflect my changing lifestyle, the book affects me differently, but with no less intensity. The magic is always there, and my imagination is given free reign to again fly up into the mountains...

"Welcome to Shangri-La high in the distant reaches of the Tibetan mountains where a group of worldly men and women have stumbled upon a land ofmystery and matchless beauty, where life is lived in tranquil wonder, beyond the grasp of a doomed world. And a great secret is kept hidden."

A Masterpiece, November 28, 2001
Reviewer: Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA)

The story of a group of people who survive an airplane crash in Tibet and find shelter at a mysterious monastery is extremely well known, but unlike most novels, Lost Horizon is less about its characters and their situation--interesting though those elements may be--than it is about their thoughts and ideas. Written as it was on eve of World War II, these thoughts and ideas center upon developing a way of life that preserves, rather than destroys, that which is finest in both humanity and the world in general.
The novel is elegantly and simply written and possesses tremendous atmosphere. Although enjoyable as a purely "fun" read, it is also thought provoking, and the thoughts it provokes linger long after the book is laid aside. I can not imagine any one not being moved by the book, both emotionally and intellectually, regardless of their background or interests. If such a person exists, I do not think I would care to meet them.

Although James Hilton wrote a number of worthy novels, Lost Horizon is the novel for which he is best remembered, a great popular success when first published and a genuine masterpiece of 20th Century literature.