Biography

By James Hilton

Reviewed by Caroline Durand

5 out of 5 stars

Good-bye Mr. Chips, by James Hilton, is a biography about a man whose life greatly affects the lives of the people around him. The book teaches the virtues of loyalty, respect, and kindness. Touching the life of all readers, this great novel is an exciting and, at the same time, a sad piece of literature.

            The book Good-bye Mr. Chips is the life story of a man, Mr. Chips, and his memories as a teacher working for Brookfield University. Not long after Mr. Chips starts his job, he becomes hopelessly in love with an energetic, bright woman. After marrying her, Chips decides to retire. After this sudden twist in Chip’s life, he experiences Hitler’s rise to power and finds himself in the middle of World War II. The school, having a shortage of teachers, asks Mr. Chips to return. Soon after the war ends, his wife dies and he himself takes a turn for the worse.

            This novel teaches the virtues of respect, kindness, and loyalty. Because Mr. Chips respects the people at Brookfield, whenever he finds himself in trouble, the whole school rallies behind him.  As Mr. Chips finds out, a little kindness can go a long way. Mr. Chips, finding trouble-makers in his class, soon realizes the best antidote is kindness. When Chip’s wife dies, he finds out who his truly loyal friends are, as they come in his hour of need.

            The book is an exciting piece of literature as well as well as an emotional novel. The setting ranges from the nineteen-thirties to the late nineteen-forties. Despite the fact this novel was written in only three days, James Hilton did a spectacular job with characterization. The events James Hilton chooses to write about convey this character well. Although having many flashbacks, Good-bye Mr. Chips is easy to read. I recommend this book to teens, young adults, and teachers.

Tags: Fiction, moving, Realistic