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Jun 02, 2011

Charity rated it:

I finished Around the World in 80 Days today and it was even better than I remembered from my childhood. Admittedly, the version I had read as a child was the Great Illustrated Classics edition that was, unfortunately, abridged. I felt that a reading of the unabridged classic was long overdue. Shockingly enough, I still remembered the ending 20 years later.

Just the task Phileas Fogg faces in traveling the world in 80 days (in the 19th century) and the obstacles that pop up to delay h More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

May 29, 2008

Mark rated it:

Really neat story. It was a fun view into life about a century ago.

My only nit with it was with the particular audio book I heard: an annoying afterward that publisher felt he had to append. In it, he explained to us how Mr. Verne's views of other cultures are simply not acceptable to modern people such as ourselves, and although he has transgressed and used stereotypes of different cultures the book still has some value.

I found it unfair and unnecessary. Verne's depiction More...

1 comment like (7 people liked it)

Jan 04, 2008

Eva rated it:

The writing in this book was quite bad, although it may be unfair to blame Jules Verne for that since he wrote it in French and this was an English translation. But the story was totally ridiculous and quite upsetting. Verne's portrayal of Native Americans and South Asians borders on lunacy. His characters are all ridiculous stereotypes and are completely unbelievable. But the twist at the end...loved it. I thought it was really smart and surprising, especially for the target audience, which I'v More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 11, 2009

David rated it:

Whether or not you've read the novel or watched the movie, Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days is so embedded in Western culture that just about everyone knows the basic plot premise: wealthy and reticent Englishman Phileas Fogg makes gentlemanly bet with his chums that he can travel around the world in 80 days and then sets off with his temperamental French servant to do just that.

The idea for the story came from the actual journey of eccentric Bostonian George Francis Train. More...

3 comments like (9 people liked it)

Dec 28, 2009

Ernest rated it:

Definitely classic! My girlfriend bought me this book about two years ago, considering my fondness of adventure story. I wasn't really have a chance to read it at that time, thus I had just recently read it a few days ago–and to my surprise I did "round the world" in merely less than three days.

The story sets itself in the middle of 19th century, in the very capital of England, London, where Phileas Fogg and his loyal French servant Passepartout set off on a race to round t More...

2 comments like (7 people liked it)

Jan 27, 2009

Jamie rated it:

This was fun to read out loud. The phrasing was strange sometimes, possibly due to this being a translated work, but I thought it only contributed to the book's charm. My older son particularly enjoyed Passepartout's character. We discussed suttee, opium dens, Mormons, and extradition laws, among other things.

I confess to being a little disappointed that Fogg's success was mostly due to his wealth. He essentially bribes his way around the world; a poor man couldn't have made it.

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

Mar 05, 2009

Kathryn rated it:

NOTE: I "read" the audiobook version of this, narrated by the fabulous Jim Dale. I think this definitely added interest to the story, which did begin a bit dull, but ended splendidly! Dale is REMARKABLE at the characterization and voices and I think this tale is especially well suited to being read aloud by someone who can do all the accents! ;-> This version also sometimes plays music in the background, suited to the setting/culture and that was a nice touch and helped set the ri More...

11 comments like (4 people liked it)

Sep 07, 2010

Daniel rated it:

The most enjoyable book I have read in a long time, I was enthralled from the first chapter.

Some complain about the stereotypes and racist/xenophobic undertones of some parts, but in the context of Victorian-era Europe, this was how much of the population though, much as some of our attitudes today will seem inappropriate or offensive to future readers.

My one criticism is the pace change. The early parts of the journey are described in the finest detail, pairing a perfect More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 17, 2009

Kevin rated it:

This book kind of categorize itself into the adventure, action, and mystery genre. It's about a rich man who made a bet with other rich people at his reform club, about whether if it is possible to travel around the world in 80 days. During his journey, he was followed by an English detective who thought he was a burglar that stole a great sum of money from the Britain Bank(that is now escaping to some foreign land). So he had to deal with the detective's tricks and overcome the obstacles tha More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Jan 29, 2012

Tyler rated it:

Synopsis: Phileas Fogg is a man that does everything with exactness. He makes a bet of 20,000 pounds with his friends that he can travel around the world in eighty days. In just over an hour he departs London for Dover with his newly hired French servant Passepartout. In Suez, a detective thinks that he recognizes Mr. Fogg as a notorious bank robber and begins to follow him and try to hinder him on his journey while he waits for a warrant to arrive from London. Amazingly, Phileas Fogg and his se More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 29, 2010

Jess rated it:

While playing cards, a rich Englishman takes a bet, insisting it is possible to circle the globe in 80 days. And away he goes...

This is one of those books where I like the idea behind it more than the actual text. A race around the world with a deadline of 80 days? That sounds like fun.

As a British armchair traveler in 1872, I would have adored this. As Jess in 2009, it drags a bit. I simply don't care for long multi-paragraph descriptions of places. Frankly, I w More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 23, 2011

Anila rated it:

So after reading an atrocious abridged version in my French class, I went down to the library and got the original. (Which, by the way, got short shrift on cover. Have you SEEN the Apple Classics version? I don't think they could have made it look lamer if they tried.)

This book is frustrating and fantastic at the same time. When I finished it, I was beaming. Jules Verne is, IMHO, one of the first science fiction authors and this book is nonetheless half romance. No, not kidding More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 21, 2008

Kazza rated it:

This is the first time I've actually read this book and I am very much influenced by the movies! I was expecting hot air balloons and kept looking for the 'balloon ride' part in the book. I was very much surprised when I reached the end of the book and there was ONLY 1 mention of 'balloon'. It was only mentioned in passing. Well...

I did enjoy the book. Phileas Fogg is totally & completely OCD however I like the ending where he does show that he is not completely absent of feeling More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jan 08, 2009

Cheri rated it:

I enjoy Jules Verne and the plot is, of course, jam packed with adventure, but Verne's old colonialist attitudes are truly annoying and left me rolling my eyes at many of the character descriptions. Once I was past them though, it was just a good old fashioned yarn.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 21, 2011

Murray rated it:

It seems a shame to read about about travelling the world and not learn much about the culture, but I imagine that if he'd tried, Verne would have ended up describing buildings in tedious detail to create a book as difficult to read as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Taken as it was meant - as an adventure story - it's fast paced with great characters. Around the World deserves its status as a classic.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 22, 2008

Miranda rated it:

Fabulous read! I actually laughed out loud on a regular basis while reading. It's slightly anti-climatic but it fits the character of Phileas Fogg.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 24, 2008

Shannon rated it:

I randomly picked this book up and was really presently surprised. It is about a man in England in the 1870s who attempts to travel around the world in 80 days. It takes you through Calcutta, India, Hong Kong, Japan, then across the ocean to San Francisco, passes through good old Utah (It was really interesting hearing a description of Mormons at the time) and finally ends back in England. A very entertaining book with a sweet (meaning sentimental not cool) ending. Tyler stole the book from me w More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 10, 2011

Sonia rated it:

Cap. 1-12
A vedere la città non ci pensava neppure, che egli apparteneva a quella categoria di inglesi che fanno visitare dai loro domestici i paesi che attraversano.

Leggendo non posso far altro che ricordare il cartone animato che accompagnava la mia infanzia: i personaggi rappresentati da animali e la storia che mi convolgeva ogni giorno di più.
Fogg mi è sempre piaciuto nella sua impassibilità, Passepartout ne rappresenta l'aspetto umano. Sembrano due metà della stessa persona. Forse è questo i More...

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Feb 06, 2012

Ben rated it:

A truly famous story: Everyone knows of it – they know the name Phileas Fogg, and of his bet to circumnavigating the globe in 80 days. Many even remember the name of his loyal companion, Passepartout… there have been film versions, TV versions, spoofs, animations: Around the World in 80 Days, then, is a beloved classic, and one I thought I knew, until I decided to read it.

“Why you are a man of heart!”
“Sometimes,” replied Phileas Fogg, quietly, “When I have the time.”

The More...

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Dec 30, 2011

Stephanie "Jedigal" rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Dec 19, 2011

Damian rated it:

By far the greatest fascination in reading this book -- a contemporary thriller to Verne's late 19th-century audience -- is the portrayal of the book's hero Phileas Fogg. This is, remember, the portrayal of the quintessence of "Englishness" as viewed by a Frenchman, Verne himself. It is telling then, that Fogg is a man of pure reason, of perfect mathematical precision, of schedules and logs, chronometers, barometers and accounting. He is also a man of unquestioned nobility and boldness More...

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Nov 14, 2011

Mark rated it:

Though I do not much remember the story of this book or even the characters all that well, I do remember that the story was a grand adventure, if a bit on the light side. The real influence this story had on me throughout the years was from the reputation and references made to it in other works I have seen and read throughout the years before and since I have read it. The main thing remembered by myself is the basic premise of the story, a trip by air balloon around the world in eighty days More...

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Oct 20, 2011

Chris rated it:

With modern means of transportation, it is hard to imagine how centuries ago, circumnavigating the globe was such a big feat. The conveyances then were for sea and land use only, not to mention it took months or even years to complete a single journey and the path can even be treacherous.

Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days was written in such time. The novel has been so popular after its first release up to this day, and is best remembered as one of the best adventure ficti More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 18, 2011

Kathryn rated it:

I've been reading a lot of Victorian-era books lately, and so far this one is my favorite. Not that the others were bad; Lousia May Alcott's novels are lovely children's or young-adult-coming-of-age stories, and "Dracula" is a passionate over-the-top drama. But "Around the World in Eighty Days" is a flat-out adventure story, and it was fun! I was midway through the book before I realized what the phrase was that I was looking for: travel-porn. You can imagine some travel-star More...

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Aug 28, 2011

Amweird rated it:

Saya baca buku terjemahan bahasa indonesia edisi penerbit IQRA yang terbit tahun 1983.

Saya yakin tak ada orang yang bisa mengontrol ekspresi wajah dan kemampuan berpikir cepat sehebat Philleas Fogg. Setiap menemui sebuah permasalahan sepanjang cerita dia bisa dengan cepat membuat sebuah rencana atau menentukan keputusan dengan disertai ketenangan tingkat tinggi. tapi pada beberapa bagian sebelum akhir cerita, diceritakan dia akan melakukan bunuh diri karena kalah taruhan. tentu saj More...

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Aug 01, 2011

Matti rated it:

Jules Vernen tunnetuimpien romaanien joukkoon lukeutuva ""Maailman ympäri 80 päivässä"" ilmestyi ensimmäisen kerran vuonna 1872. Englantilaisen herrasmiehen huimasta vedonlyönnistä kertova kirja oli noin 115 vuotta ilmestymisensä jälkeen ensimmäisiä aivan itse lukemiani kirjoja, joten sillä on tietynlainen erityisasema henkilökohtaisessa kirjallisuushistoriassani. Niinpä kirjan objektiivinen arvosteleminen onkin käytännössä mahdotonta.

Lapsena kirjan luki kivuttomast More...

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Jun 02, 2011

Patricia rated it:

I read this book as soon as I was able to read, which was later than most as I was a slow learner. One of my aunties bought this book for me at a market in Doncaster. It was a going away present only months before I set sail on a ship when I left England and moved to Australia with my family. I remember carrying it with me everywhere and reading it over and over. I would lie in my bunk on the ship and imagine I was in Jules Verne's story. I still have it and treasure it. Now my little grand chil More...

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May 15, 2011

Erica rated it:

Around the World in Eighty Days was more or less entertaining. I did not read any Jules Verne books as a child--I think if I had, I would have enjoyed this a lot more for its nostalgic value (or had one of those experiences where you read something you loved as a kid and are appalled by it). As it was, since I'm 26 and not 6, and know about the international date line, I guessed the "twist" at the end from the beginning and so had only to endure the travelers' many misfortunes and ac More...

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May 03, 2011

Emily rated it:

This was the first Verne book I have ever read, and it did not disappoint. I enjoyed it from start to finish, and whenever I had to set it down in the middle of reading it, I was quite disappointed. The story races along, and so did I. I found myself in great suspense as to whether the loyal Passepartout and his determined, unflappable master, Phileas Fogg, would complete the wager that Fogg, perhaps too brashly, made to his fellow members of the Reform Club - 20,000 pounds! (Which, today, trans More...

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May 02, 2011

Stephanie rated it:

This review originally appeared at www.readinasinglesitting.com
I’m the type of reader who prizes style, theme, and characterisation over plot–a page break is all that’s needed for me to be convinced that there’s some action going on. But there’s something to be said for those rollicking adventure stories of old: those where a hapless individual chases after a questionable end goal whose purpose is minimal at best. The type of narrative I’m talking about is that were each chapter might well More...

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