A gently heartbreaking tale, And Now Good-bye (1931) foreshadows the tone, features, and storyline that may be found in James Hilton's more well-known novels, like Goodbye, Mr. Chips, and Lost Horizon (published in 1933 and 1934, respectively). The London-Manchester train struck a wagon that had strayed onto the main line from a siding on that chilly November morning, which was dazzling with sunshine and covered the fields in a light dusting of snow. The engine and the first two coaches derailed; cinders that were thrown from the debris started a fire that killed 14 people in the first coach. Sadly, some were not immediately slain. It was odd that there were still two burned bodies of women, both utterly unaccounted for, even after all the identities of those who might have been on that specific train on that particular morning had been gathered and scrutinized. But the book's mournful beauty is more about the atmosphere than what actually occurs. It is, unfortunately, what does not occur. As with Howat's intimidating sister-in-law, who has "a threatening optimism that was not quite matched by a sense of humor," he expertly evokes his minor characters in one or two telling existences.
As an author, James Hilton contributed to various books among them ''And Now Good-bye'' can be the first choice for readers. James Hilton was born in England in 1900 and passed away there in 1954. More than 20 novels, including ''And now Good-bye,'' Mr. Chips, were written by him. He has created various screenplays for traditional films including "Camille," and "Mrs. Miniver '' which won the 1942 Academy Award for Best Screenplay. The dialogue for Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent was likewise written by Hilton. James Hilton arrived in the country in the late 1930s and later attained naturalization status. While still a student, Hilton's first book, Catherine Herself, was published in 1920. He struggled for the following 11 years, and it wasn't until 1931 that his book, ''And Now Good-bye'' brought him success. He completed his education at the Monoux School in Walthamstow up until 1914 before moving on to Christ's College in Cambridge, where he authored his first novel and received an honors degree in English literature. After receiving his degree, he began writing a twice-weekly column for "The Dublin Irish Independent," which he did for a while. He published the book "And Now Decent-Bye" in 1931, which was highly popular and gave him, as he once said, "a good return."
