Lost Horizon by James Hilton

Lost Horizon is a novel by James Hilton, published in 1933. The story follows Hugh Conway, a veteran member of the British diplomatic service, who finds inner peace, love, and a sense of purpose in Shangri-La, a utopian lamasery high in the Himalayas in Tibet. The book deals with themes such as happiness, moderation, and societal responsibilities while also immersing the reader in a mystical and mysterious world.

The main themes of Lost Horizon are:

1. Philosophy of Shangri-La: The exhaustion of passions is the beginning of wisdom. This concerns the belief of the lamasery that only when you lose the foolish passions that hold you to the real world can you find wisdom to face the future.

2. Moderation: This theme is the heart and soul of “Lost Horizon,” and the key to its perpetual appeal. Most of us, continually overloaded by the excess of modern life, can relate to a fantasy about escaping to a place where, “Our prevalent belief is in moderation …

3. Uncontaminated society: The idea of a society untouched by the corruption and pollution of the outside world is a recurring theme in Lost Horizon.

What I Liked

It’s interesting, classic literature.

What I Did Not Like

It felt like one of those books where the idea has take on a life of its own apart from the book. The actual book is decidedly fine.