James Hilton (1) (1900–1954)

This edition includes three of Hilton's best and most famous novels: Lost Horizon; Good-bye Mr. Chips; and Random Harvest. All three were wonderful and highly recommended.

FROM AMAZON:
Lost Horizon: Lost Horizon is a masterwork of modern fiction and one of the most enduring classics of the twentieth century, thrilling and ageless. Hugh Conway experienced humanity at its worst while fighting in the trenches of WWI. Conway is now a British diplomat serving in Afghanistan, where he is caught in the middle of a civil war that compels him to evacuate the nation via plane. When Conway's (a British diplomat) plane crashes high in the Himalayas, a mysterious guide finds him and leads him to a breath-taking discovery: the hidden Valley of Shangri-La. Shangri-La, which has been kept hidden from the rest of the world for over two centuries, is akin to paradise—a location where people have lived for generations in peace.

Good-bye Mr. Chips: Mr. Chipping, known fondly to his students as Mr. Chips, is the beloved Latin master at a quiet boy’s school. For forty-three years he acts as the heart and the soul of his institution, proving that dedication, love and good sense of humor can make all the difference to generations of children.

Random Harvest: It is set in the period immediately after the outbreak of the first World War. It is told in the first person by Harrison, and by means of two extended external analepses tells the story of Charles Rainier, a wealthy businessman and politician, from the time he was invalided out of the army during World War I, his subsequent memory loss and partial recovery, his assuming control of the family business to his attempts to recover his memory just as Hitler invades Poland.… (mer)

I have not read a book this quickly in ages. This book is so good--That I want to keep it for myself and not share it with anyone--As if it was written just for me. "Lost Horizon" is a mainstream novel and a masterpiece making use of a succinct yet uncomplicated writing style. Recently I had a memory of Frank Capra's film version of this novel--That I first saw over 40 years ago--And I decided to watch it again. I was so impressed and moved by the picture that I decided to read the novel. The film captures the essence of the novel; although the on-screen characters were significantly changed by Capra--Presumably to pull at the heart strings more effectively. Yet despite the characters, and their relationships to each other, having been modified for the movie version of "Lost Horizon"--The film and its definitive message still end up resembling the book quite closely. This novel--That Amazon categorizes as "metaphysical"--Will melt any cynic's heart. The idea of living peacefully, serenely and stress-free may be compelling in theory to many Westerners--But their fascination would not be enough for them to give up their striving, competing, overworking and generally not enjoying life to the fullest. In Buddhism all suffering is created in the mind, and so the lamas of Shangri-La use their practice of clairvoyant meditation to keep it at bay. Yet ultimately what guides Shangri-La is the principle of moderation, where one avoids being "too virtuous" as well. Reading "Lost Horizon" I could not help but be reminded of Herman Hesse's "The Glass Bead Game"--Another masterpiece which also deals with the themes of a Utopia influenced, and intertwined with, aspects of Eastern philosophy / religion--In particular the practice of meditation. In closing--The idea of a "world apart"--Where mankind is encouraged to be the "highest possible version" of itself--Is a timeless notion that will always be seductive.… (mer)

Even if life seems like a random harvest between surprising positive and negative meaningless events, love can always find a way to have a life changing purpose. This is a very good novel that examined the peace culture in post World War I England.

Charles, a war veteran severely wounded in the trenches tried to find some sense in his life filled with shell shocked sporadic memory. Like James hilton's earlier novel, “Lost Horizon,” this novel is remarkably prescient considering today's seemingly chaotic peace between the wars.

The precarious peace that was achieved after World War 1 seemed to leave British citizens desperately yearning for return to a way of life that was more an illusion than a reality. Politics had became increasingly aggressive in European countries. One country after another was attempting to assert its former dominance whether large or small.

People seemed to wander here and there looking for some sort of purpose in the culture of Peace. Celebrations of peace were slowly but surely evaporating. The common reaction was to wait and see what happens and try to maintain a peace at all costs.
There was a rise of nations that had not learned anything from the horrors of the First World War. These European nations only needed a single world tyrant to raise the specter of aggression.
Just as we allowed the Vietnam War and our desert wars to spawn the current batch of sociopaths in government, European citizens relied on well-meaning optimists obeying the laws of a rational culture to magically return the world to peace and prosperity.
In Random Harvest Charles the victim of major injuries in the trenches of war wanders around Europe looking for the keys to his vague memory of a peaceful existence.
Sometimes peace on earth is measured in money and property, but these do not phase Charles. He is looking for something in his lost memory that perhaps was worth the risk of dying for in the past and living for in the present. He does not know that it will be a random meeting, a chance encounter with the love of his life that will be the treasure of the random harvest of his life.… (mer)