Fun adventure romp, with a twist ending that you kinda see coming. Lukewarm cultural commentary that is kinda interesting. ( )

Lost Horizon is about a man who flees war to find himself in a mysterious monastery where everything is perfect and time stands still. His compatriots want to leave while he befriends the llamas and finds himself quite at home. This novel coined the term Shangri-La (the name of the monastery), which seems to have become incorrectly conflated with Xanadu in the modern western lingo. I loved the very 1930s Colonial Era Britishisms in the novel and liked the story itself. I thought the end could've gone further and brought the reader around more to contemplating whether or not extreme moderation in all things and near immortality are actually desirable. I thought Conway would come to this realization himself but he didn't. Still, a notable work that has stood the test of time and worth reading. ( )

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. ( )

I really didn't want this to end. I felt there was so much more to still find out. I find I still think of Shangri-La every so often and I'm still unsure as to whether it was real. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. ( )

I picked this up on a lark at my local library book sale. I hadn't read it since high school...a very, very long time ago. At that time, I found the tale of a utopian city in the clouds a bit too dense for my tastes. In fact, I probably never got through the book, as I recall looking for the Cliff's Notes on it to finish my 11th grade English book report.

Fast forward a lot of years--and a lot of experience--and the book takes on a whole different meaning. I found myself sucked into the story of Hugh Conway and his companions as they explore, and (in 2 of 3 cases) learn to appreciate the value of living life a more intentional, purposeful life. Of the book: the imagery is superb, the backstory is well-developed, and its message is very well sent. But the ending...completely unsatisfactory. I hate cliffhangers, and not knowing whether Conway ever made it back to the fabled lamasery bothers me!

That said, I highly recommend this book. Take lots of time to read it. It isn't a regular novel that you can digest without thinking, as the themes are dense and thought provoking.

Key Themes and Useful Lessons (My Interpretation)

• An absence of passion enables a more harmonious life. This is definitely not the path I took growing up; nor is it the path that we (society) feed to our children day in and day out ("To be successful/happy, you must find your passion!"), but it is most certainly worth contemplating. Would a more carefree attitude toward life and life's goals make living easier? Would it better enable (as Steven Covey points out) to ability to "live, love, learn, and leave a legacy"? On the other hand, would a passionless life allow me to provide for myself and my family ? I imagine there is a fine balance somewhere between the two.
  
  
• Wealth is a means to an end, not an end in itself. The lamasery and village are rich in gold...but the inhabitants don't exploit those riches for personal gain; they are used simply to enable trade and encourage learning. This brings to mind a quote by Captain Picard in Star Trek: First Contact, "The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force in our lives. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity." Noble...and perhaps something to strive for (but not to mean that one shouldn't be fairly compensated for the use of his/her abilities or intellect).
  
  
• Time is never of the essence -- everything is done in moderation (as a way to live a balanced and simple life). Somewhat the same as the first theme/lesson above, but not.... I see this more as slowing down to smell the roses, while the first is more focused on finding and driving action to achieve a specific purpose. It took me 20 years to learn to slow down.

Interesting Quotations

On confronting the unknown:

"If you'd had all the experiences I've had, you'd know that there are times in life when the most comfortable thing to do is nothing at all. Things happen to you and you just let them happen."

-- Hugh Conway to Mallinson, on the ascent to Shangri-La

On living a purposeful life...in moderation:

"If I were to put it into very few words, my dear sir, I should say that our prevalent belief is in moderation. We inculcate the virtue of avoiding excess of all kinds -- even including, if you will pardon the paradox, excess of virtue itself. In the valley which you have seen, and in which there are several thousand inhabitants living under control of our order, we have found that the principle makes for a considerable degree of happiness. We rule with moderate strictness, and in return we are satisfied with moderate obedience. And I think I can claim our people are moderately sober, moderately chaste, and moderately honest."

-- Chang to Conway

On patience and politeness:

"To your friend's attitude there was no answer, but to the demand of a wise man there is always a response."

-- Chang to Conway on his request for an answer, after Mailinson's gruff attitude.

On passion and wisdom (or contentment):

“The exhaustion of the passions is the beginning of wisdom”

-- Conway to the High Lama

(I'm sure there are more I will pick out on my next reading....)


Finally, a note (and a warning to any prospective students writing a book report): Read the book. Don't base your report on the 1937 Frank Capra movie. Trust me on this one.

And, as to whether Conway ever made it back to Shangri-La? I'm of the camp that thinks he did.