Around the World in Eighty Days

I read this because I watched a couple of episodes of the BBC version of the book.
It didn't sound very Verne like. It is another case where they took the title and character names and threw out the rest of the original material. The book was tedious as Verne like to list the names of towns they pass through, weather conditions etc. But I enjoyed it overall and don't see that the BBC improved anything with its changes.

Around the World in Eighty Days was my Classics Club spin pick this time. I had never read it before. I had never seen the movie. I actually knew nothing about the story.

The story takes place in the 1870s. Phileas Fogg bets his friends a boatload of money that he can travel all around the world in eighty days. Accompanying him on his trip are his valet Passapartout, a princess from India, and a detective, Mr. Fix. As they travel around the world, they are delayed by troubles on the railroad; a storm; the need to rescue the princess and the later legal difficulties this ensues; an attack by Native Americans; and other problems. But Passapartout is always instructed to reach deep into the money bag and this generally solves most of the problems. Most of the episodes along the way are not intended to be taken as realistic, I think; most of the adventures are simply that, adventures. The ending is quite satisfying, too, if you don't know what's coming.

I also watched the 1956 movie version with David Niven and acclaimed Mexican comic Cantinflas, and that was extraordinarily big, with a huge cast of characters (it's fun just trying to see who is in the movie) and sets and costumes. It won Best Picture and I think it holds up fairly well.

I keep forgetting to add this!

when I was a kid I loved a Great Illustrated Classics version of this that, it turns out, left out a TON OF WACK SHIT, YIKES

Anyway I still kind of like the old timey travelogue of it all, could have done without the racism, also I'm very mad that I had to miss the book club discussion of this because like is Phileas Fogg a sociopath or WHAT???

Книга понравилась больше, чем, например, “Таинственный остров”, но в целом много непонятного. Например, на протяжении всей книги делается акцент на том, что Фогг какой-то безэмоциональный и никогда не нервничает. К чему на это обращать столько внимания, если не будет этому объяснения для меня осталось загадкой.

Кроме того, герои проскакали вокруг света довольно шустро. На мой взгляд, здесь не хватает подробностей. Такое путешествие можно было расписать интереснее. Получается, что книга некий гимн британской транспортной системе и вовсе не о путешествии вокруг света.

Больше всего порадовала развязка и в целом иногда встречаются интересные фрагменты, которые хочется запомнить, что радует.

As with all classics, the style of writing can sometimes take a bit to get used too. I found my first foray into Jules Verne a very factual adventure, which is something I'm not used to, since most of what I read is very fantastical in nature and there is quite a bit less of a lay down of the facts, or they are smoothly incorporated into the story. Jules Verne enjoys giving facts on just about everything. From how fast a ship or train travels to its weight and dimensions. Every place we visit on the journey is described in a very almost travel book style, with facts on history and culture. He's more of a tell not show writer. Today's writing is very discouraged from doing that unless you're writing a non-fiction book, therefore it took a while to actual get into the ‘story' and characters between all the ‘facts'. I can see this being off putting for some, as it can be a bit of a slog to get through at first, until you realize that it's kind of part of the charm of the story. Phileas Fogg is a very factual and punctual man and how he sees the world is through that lense. Passepartout, his servant, is actual the heart of the story and the one I was most keen to follow. He is the ‘feeler' and the most moved by the experiences he has on the journey. Once I got past the initial reaction to the writing style, I quite enjoyed the journey and especially the culmination of it all in the end. Certainly a classic well worth giving a go, especially if you like a good adventure, you really can't go wrong!

My first Verne novel! I can't believe it took me this long to read one of Verne's amazing adventure novels. I'm happy I started with this one, as I think it was a good introduction to this author.

The story was light-hearted and fun throughout, with a cast of characters all quirky and endearing in their own ways. Mr. Fogg, the hero of this tale, was an interesting character with peculiar ways, but his cold, calculated way of thinking was nicely contrasted by his servant, Passepartout. The Frenchman was warm and friendly to compensate for his master, which made them a great fit for one another. The two made a wonderful pair as they worked together to traverse the whole world on a wager.

The narrative itself was interesting too, and the adventures (and misadventures) Fogg and his friends encountered were exciting and at times nerve-wracking. Though you expect Fogg to win his wager, the numerous obstacles he had along the way served to create moments of doubt as to his success.

All in all, I'm very pleased with this story, and I look forward to reading more Verne in the future. The rich descriptions of the places Fogg visited were a pleasure to read, and really gave off the feeling of travelling alongside him to all these wonderful places. Furthermore, I was pleasantly surprised to see how Verne treated foreign lands and peoples with great respect and admiration. Each culture was shown to be fascinating and worthy of discovering (this is a feat rarely accomplished in novels of the 19th century).

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to travel and dreams of going on an adventure of their own.

I really enjoyed this book. It's blend of action, scientific discovery, and thrills was really entertaining. Though the greatest theme out of this intrepid work is love. I don't think Jules Vern particularly had a high opinion of America, I know this is not helpful in the least, just an observation.