Friday, October 26, 2007
My Delayed Post
I finished the book... finally. (not to whine but life has been CRAZY)
I like the idea of time, but not of moderation, especailly moderation of moral standards.
I would think a few monk scouts could find people enough to fill Shangri-la, and that they would have to resort to kidnapping and murder ( Chang implied it, for resistant ones)
I am glad Mallison escaped with the little manchu, and hope they were happy, and that he perished before he saw her age and his dreams go up in smoke...
I hope Conway found his way back, as he had a clear understanding of what he was after, i like to think after helping Mallison escape, he won't force people to stay in th future.
I wonder if Rutherford and Green, were intersted in an old friend and a good story, or in finding Shangri-La themselves.
I like the idea of time, but not of moderation, especailly moderation of moral standards.
I would think a few monk scouts could find people enough to fill Shangri-la, and that they would have to resort to kidnapping and murder ( Chang implied it, for resistant ones)
I am glad Mallison escaped with the little manchu, and hope they were happy, and that he perished before he saw her age and his dreams go up in smoke...
I hope Conway found his way back, as he had a clear understanding of what he was after, i like to think after helping Mallison escape, he won't force people to stay in th future.
I wonder if Rutherford and Green, were intersted in an old friend and a good story, or in finding Shangri-La themselves.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
My Recommendation...
is that perhaps Shyla should not treat people like they don't have feelings. Shy, just because you don't have feelings doesn't mean that other people don't. I want you to know that I feel hurt that you would try to ruin my good name with the Freestone's. I finally understand why Tecia doesn't like me and why Debs thinks I am a complete idiot.
In my defense I want to let everyone know that the only reason I don't like the book club is because for me it takes the enjoyment out of reading. Shyla says that I need to consider the fact that if I thought more about the author's intentions as well as the characters that it would enhance my reading experience. I am not sure that is how it is going to work for me but I will give the next book a chance.
In my defense I want to let everyone know that the only reason I don't like the book club is because for me it takes the enjoyment out of reading. Shyla says that I need to consider the fact that if I thought more about the author's intentions as well as the characters that it would enhance my reading experience. I am not sure that is how it is going to work for me but I will give the next book a chance.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Cylynn vs. Hilton
Since Cylynn has failed to contribute to the book club with a recent post, I have taken the following out of an email she sent me to use as her final post on this book:
"Lost Horizon has been out of my hands for at least 1 1/2 weeks now. I finsihed the book and got rid of it. I don't have any comments to make. It was an okay book and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone nor would I read it again so I have nothing to say besides that. I do agree with Tegan that the reason they were taken to Shangri-blah was because the people were trying to increase the population. I just think that the author could have thought of some better crap besides that. I mean hell even I could have thought of something."
"Lost Horizon has been out of my hands for at least 1 1/2 weeks now. I finsihed the book and got rid of it. I don't have any comments to make. It was an okay book and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone nor would I read it again so I have nothing to say besides that. I do agree with Tegan that the reason they were taken to Shangri-blah was because the people were trying to increase the population. I just think that the author could have thought of some better crap besides that. I mean hell even I could have thought of something."
Next Book
Well I am happy you all are already anticipating the next book. We are taking suggestions--so if you have any, just name them in a comment to this post. I can tell you that Karen is already pushing hard for "Northanger Abbey" though. Also, I feel constrained, but reluctant, to report that Cylynn is dropping out of the book club. She said being in the book club was like experiencing hell. However, I am hoping that soon she will be able to successfully complete a literacy program and then maybe she would like it a lot better (I'm not sure there is a lot of reading going on in Rock Springs, WY, you know what I mean?).
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Mallison-Gotta love him!
Thank goodness for the healthy dose of reality that Mallison brought to Conway!! Whew, that was a close one. Conway was almost stuck in Shangri-La forever!! I must admit that I was glad that Conway was happy and tranquil. But I am even more happy that he left. The place just kept getting worse (worse being more and more moderate). I like it when Mallison's answer to Barnard is "Possibly,if you happen to like prison." When I read that it struck me that that is exactly what Shangri-La is, a prison. I too am interested in all the details. I enjoyed the journey but I am glad it is over. I hope Conway is happy wherever he is and I feel that he harbors no regrets except the loss of Lo-Tsen. I feel as Mallison does that the whole place is evil. Too many drugs and too much open mindness. They are so open minded that they can't make any decisions or opinions about anything. Thanks for the good read Shyla, what is the next book?
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Mad, then Sane OR Sane, then Mad?
I have to admit that upon initially finishing the book, I felt let down. There is an intense build up, the High Lama dies, things come to a head with Mallinson, and then . . . nothing. We are abruptly left with incomplete knowledge, even more questions, and no way of getting them answered. Is Mallinson right, is he even alive, if he is not right does he ever discover he is wrong, is Conway sane, even if he can go back to Shangri-La can he still be the leader, does he make it back to Shangri-La, and what the hell is the deal with Lo-Tsen?
But now I have given it some thought and concluded that it is all beautifully a part of Hilton’s genius writing. At the end of the book, I was left feeling how Conway must have felt climbing the mountain with Mallinson and pondering all his unanswered questions. Was he a fool to blindly believe the High Lama on his word alone? Is the hot-headed, close-minded, self-important, antagonistic Mallinson the only one who managed to retain his sanity in the midst of a confusing, but enchanting place? Early in the book, Conway contemplates over the “will of God or the lunacy of man” or alternatively “the will of man and the lunacy of God.” Ch. 2. He observes that “[i]t must be satisfying to be quite certain which way to look at it.” Ch. 2. Perhaps Conway’s problem is that he is too philosophical and broad-minded. He can always see both sides so clearly, he is never quite certain which is “right.” His even bigger problem is that he is never certain which way to look at things—that would drive anyone crazy. When the High Lama dies and his story is challenged by Mallinson, suddenly Conway isn’t sure whether Mallinson is sane and the High Lama is a crazy, manipulative liar, or whether Mallinson is merely close-minded and a slave to tangible objects of proof and Conway is just a believer of something he never had any reason to doubt. Thus, Conway was a “wanderer between two worlds and must ever wander. . . .” Ch. 11.
What should Conway believe? Has he been so disillusioned by war and the political world that he cannot accept something too good to be true or has his disillusionment left him in the border-line sanity position of being too willing to accept what is impossibly too good to be true? I love it!
I am convinced that both Rutherford and the doctor believe the whole story. Of course, they try to act like they maintain a reasonable amount of doubt but they don’t have me fooled for a minute. They believe it because “certum est, quia impossible”—“it is certain, because it is impossible.” As well as because they are romantics and consumed by the beauty of the story. However, that is not why Conway became a believer. He became a believer for the opposite reason—because he saw it was possible. The valley opened up to him a world of possibilities he had never considered and was a place where he could feel himself changing and where he could focus on more dormant aspects of his personality, talents, and dreams. Like most beliefs that require faith, there is no reasoned answer to the questions put forth by Mallinson. Conway believed it because he believed it and Mallinson, who had nothing in actual contradiction to Conway’s assertions, didn’t believe it because he didn’t believe it. That is all there is to it—“the truth is when it comes to believing things without actual evidence, we all incline to what we find most attractive.” Ch. 11.
As my comment to Tecia’s post indicates, I believe that we are supposed to believe the entire story is true (although I have a nagging question left by Chang’s assertion that Mallinson would be able to talk to the porters when he was never able to), but I would have liked confirmation and more details recounting what happened from the “escape” and on. Nonetheless, once I put aside that disappointment, I realize the more interesting part of the story and a proper place for focus is whether Conway was sane or mad, and which, when. I hope that Conway was able to achieve that which he lacked most—the ability to be certain which way to look at things. If he achieves that, the rest doesn’t matter. He can love and live in Shangri-La because he is certain it contains everything the High Lama claimed, or he can love and live in Shangri-La because while he is certain it is not a “magical” place, he is certain it is a place where he feels fulfilled, happiest, and at peace.
But now I have given it some thought and concluded that it is all beautifully a part of Hilton’s genius writing. At the end of the book, I was left feeling how Conway must have felt climbing the mountain with Mallinson and pondering all his unanswered questions. Was he a fool to blindly believe the High Lama on his word alone? Is the hot-headed, close-minded, self-important, antagonistic Mallinson the only one who managed to retain his sanity in the midst of a confusing, but enchanting place? Early in the book, Conway contemplates over the “will of God or the lunacy of man” or alternatively “the will of man and the lunacy of God.” Ch. 2. He observes that “[i]t must be satisfying to be quite certain which way to look at it.” Ch. 2. Perhaps Conway’s problem is that he is too philosophical and broad-minded. He can always see both sides so clearly, he is never quite certain which is “right.” His even bigger problem is that he is never certain which way to look at things—that would drive anyone crazy. When the High Lama dies and his story is challenged by Mallinson, suddenly Conway isn’t sure whether Mallinson is sane and the High Lama is a crazy, manipulative liar, or whether Mallinson is merely close-minded and a slave to tangible objects of proof and Conway is just a believer of something he never had any reason to doubt. Thus, Conway was a “wanderer between two worlds and must ever wander. . . .” Ch. 11.
What should Conway believe? Has he been so disillusioned by war and the political world that he cannot accept something too good to be true or has his disillusionment left him in the border-line sanity position of being too willing to accept what is impossibly too good to be true? I love it!
I am convinced that both Rutherford and the doctor believe the whole story. Of course, they try to act like they maintain a reasonable amount of doubt but they don’t have me fooled for a minute. They believe it because “certum est, quia impossible”—“it is certain, because it is impossible.” As well as because they are romantics and consumed by the beauty of the story. However, that is not why Conway became a believer. He became a believer for the opposite reason—because he saw it was possible. The valley opened up to him a world of possibilities he had never considered and was a place where he could feel himself changing and where he could focus on more dormant aspects of his personality, talents, and dreams. Like most beliefs that require faith, there is no reasoned answer to the questions put forth by Mallinson. Conway believed it because he believed it and Mallinson, who had nothing in actual contradiction to Conway’s assertions, didn’t believe it because he didn’t believe it. That is all there is to it—“the truth is when it comes to believing things without actual evidence, we all incline to what we find most attractive.” Ch. 11.
As my comment to Tecia’s post indicates, I believe that we are supposed to believe the entire story is true (although I have a nagging question left by Chang’s assertion that Mallinson would be able to talk to the porters when he was never able to), but I would have liked confirmation and more details recounting what happened from the “escape” and on. Nonetheless, once I put aside that disappointment, I realize the more interesting part of the story and a proper place for focus is whether Conway was sane or mad, and which, when. I hope that Conway was able to achieve that which he lacked most—the ability to be certain which way to look at things. If he achieves that, the rest doesn’t matter. He can love and live in Shangri-La because he is certain it contains everything the High Lama claimed, or he can love and live in Shangri-La because while he is certain it is not a “magical” place, he is certain it is a place where he feels fulfilled, happiest, and at peace.
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