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Five Weeks in a Balloon

Questions About Five Weeks in a Balloon

by Jules Verne

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Answered Questions (1)

Did any one else find this incredibly difficult to get through?
Farseer Not me, I found it very readable and entertaining, but you have to get used to the pace and style, which is not the same as in modern novels. It will …moreNot me, I found it very readable and entertaining, but you have to get used to the pace and style, which is not the same as in modern novels. It will help if you get a decent translation, the modern one, even though it's more expensive, instead of the public domain ones which are just not very good.

Also, try to get into the way of thinking of the time period, and appreciate the sense of wonder of that adventure. The exploration of the unknown regions of Africa and the search for the elusive source of the White Nile was the last frontier of the time, and really dangerous for explorers, and the idea of doing it by air was like out of a fairy tale. It was a time of exploration, discovery and optimism. It was also a time of colonialism, the modern woke ideas we have now did not exist, and a more advanced civilization was seen as better and more... well... civilized.

Apart from the interest in science and technical advances, Verne tells a good pulp adventure story.(less)
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