While in the midst of a flight in the far east, the four passengers suddenly come to the realization that their small craft has veered off course, and that they are essentially being kidnapped. The flight eventually culminates in a landing in a desolate location high in the Himalayas and the pilot's death. The four are met by residents of a nearby lamasery, Shanri-La, and are hospitably invited to stay until another means of returning home presents itself. The lamasery offers delicious food, comfortable living, a vast library, natural beauty and stimulating conversation. The only thing it doesn't seem to offer is a way to leave.

I enjoyed this quasi-adventure story and appreciated some of the philosophical questions it provokes. Like others, I felt the last few chapters were somewhat weak, but they were marginally redeemed after I reread the first chapter over again when finished. The novel holds up fairly well for its time, and is the origin of the mystical place name Shangri-La. ( )

This novel is the original account of Shangri-La, a key instance of the trope of the secluded Asian mountain paradise. It sets up decently, with a great deal of mystery about the lamasery of Shangri-La itself, and a very gradual process of revelation to a well-drawn set of central characters.

Surprisingly, the story turns out not to be particularly Orientalist. There is nothing putatively "Eastern" about the mysticism and advanced powers of the lamas. In fact, transplanted Westerners seem to be the rule rather than the exception among them. Hilton does succeed in describing a rather appetizing micro-society of adepts in symbiosis with a secluded culture. The utopian philosophy of Shangri-La even lauds the virtue of Slack. (Praise "Bob"!)

I was enjoying it all tremendously until the final chapter and epilogue, in which it seemed that everything that had been so carefully set out was hastily cast aside. Plot details were provided that seemed intended to vouchsafe the genuineness of the Shangri-La adepts; but at the same time, it seemed wrong that people having such powers and purposes could err so dramatically. Perhaps the central character Conway was subjected by the lamas to a more refined mindfuck than a simple misrepresentation of their general program. But I feel like I'm stretching in an effort to save a story that its author failed to fulfill, and my lingering appraisal is one of faint disappointment.

Very good. About who visits a Heaven on Earth. Would it were possible. ( )

I read Lost Horizon some years ago as a young teen, and it made a strong impression on me then. I was pleased to remember certain phrases and characters from this deceptively simple little story, and it was a pleasure to revisit. Please be warned this review contains some spoilers.

A précis of the plot is this: after a hurried evacuation from Baskul, "Glory" Conway and three other passengers are shocked to realize their plane has been hijacked. There is no conceivable reason why someone would want to spirit away two subordinate government officials, a female missionary, and a businessman, but so it is. Their destination is a remote Tibetan lamasery, where Conway slowly pieces together the reasons for their kidnapping. Moderation in everything is the rule at Shangri-La, and their moderate freedom is bounded by a moderate captivity.

Though Hilton talks about plot being central to his work, as I read I couldn't help but think of the story as an extended character study of Conway. Everything that happens brings us in for a closer look at him.

For the most part, the characters are admirably drawn. But one thing that didn't quite work was Conway's liking for Mallinson. Maybe it's because we never see Mallinson except in his disagreeable unhappiness at the lamasery. I'm rather conflicted about Mallinson, actually. He represents what most of us would feel like in that situation — and he does make an unpleasant fuss with his insistence on leaving Shangri-La. He's always rocking the boat, and for people like myself who don't like confrontation, that makes him disagreeable. He comes across as uptight and angry, but what he says is really rather sane in a blunt way. At least to my Western sensibilities...

There is an afterword in my book in which the writer tries to convince us — and himself too, I suspect — that Conway really *did* do the right thing by leaving Shangri-La, that he realized in time that it was a "prison" and he escaped it. I think this is a very Western reaction; we feel the need to justify the way we think when confronted with a different worldview. The writer supports his contention with a few choice bits from the text, and it seems to make sense except that he never explains why Conway tried to go back to Shangri-La in the end. If it was a prison that he escaped, why would he return to it?

Although of course everything is up in the air at the end; no one knows what really happened to Conway, though it seems we are supposed to think he did indeed try to get back. And we're left with some tantalizing questions: Did he make it? What happened to Mallinson? Why did Lo-Tsen agree to leave with them when she knew it would kill her?

Though it really doesn't bring anything new to utopian thinking, this is a thought-provoking and well-written story. I recommend it. ( )

For the life of me, I have no idea why anyone dearly loves this book. The narrative is plodding, the characters boring and unsympathetic, and the ending--don't get me started on the ending. This was a book club selection that I was actually excited about since its setting is the mystical Shangri-La. I thought it would be an Indiana Jones-esque action and adventure in an exotic Asian setting. What I got instead was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Boring Tibetans. There's no action; all they do is prattle on about how perfect existence at Shangri-La is (so perfect, in fact, it's painfully boring to read about). The discussions are predictably didactic ("duh, duh, double duh" I thought as each new mystery of life was revealed). I am so glad that I checked this out from the library. Now I can't wait to go check it back in. ( )