27 review for Around the World in 80 Days

1. 

   5 out of 5

   Jason Williams – Jan 04, 2021

   Formulaic, yes. But more importantly, an engaging, well written, well paced adventure story with an excellent cast of well developed characters. And a time capsule at that! Jules Verne offers readers what today's historians and literary critics (think: Edward Said) will identify as a quintessential Anglo worldview of that era, which frames the world through which Phileas Fogg traverses and frames what we today recognize as a rather specific and defined period in time (not an empire sans sunset), Formulaic, yes. But more importantly, an engaging, well written, well paced adventure story with an excellent cast of well developed characters. And a time capsule at that! Jules Verne offers readers what today's historians and literary critics (think: Edward Said) will identify as a quintessential Anglo worldview of that era, which frames the world through which Phileas Fogg traverses and frames what we today recognize as a rather specific and defined period in time (not an empire sans sunset), punctuated by all of the assumptions and presumptions that make Verne's premise and plot completely realistic. If readers today paused for a moment to ponder the utter novelty in Verne's 1872 of long distance communication and travel, of true urbanization, the suddenness of the new industrial revolution's impulses and technology's ability to challenge people's understanding of what "noon" means and the new thing called **time zones**, I think that even the mundanity of Verne's details (e.g. Passepartout's pocket watch, gaining a day by traveling east, etc) can be made to feel more wondrous to us today. Marx had said not long before this that "all that is solid melts into air". Much of this modernity was decentering and frightening to its participants (not unlike today), and I think Around the World demonstrates much of what humanity found exhilarating about modernity. I'm very sorry it's taken me so long to read this classic. It was pure joy from page to page. I might be biased, since to me the general 1870-1920s belle epoch / high modernism is the most fascinating historical period, and now I think that Around the World offers a fantastic intro to that period both chronologically and topically.

2. 

   4 out of 5

   Erik Koster – Apr 28, 2020

   I read this book to my son because we had time due to The Rona. It's such a weird book. Parts that are really quite good, coupled with parts filled with endless paragraphs of boring details. I ended up having to skip over large parts of it just to keep him interested sorta like in the book version of Princess Bride. 3 stars because it's a "classic" and I love Jules Verne, but almost gave it two. Maybe I will one day, I don't know. I read this book to my son because we had time due to The Rona. It's such a weird book. Parts that are really quite good, coupled with parts filled with endless paragraphs of boring details. I ended up having to skip over large parts of it just to keep him interested sorta like in the book version of Princess Bride. 3 stars because it's a "classic" and I love Jules Verne, but almost gave it two. Maybe I will one day, I don't know.

3. 

   4 out of 5

   Sarah Humble – Mar 09, 2020

   While Around the World in Eighty Days felt long at times (what classic novel doesn’t?), it was a fascinating story, of which I liked the end the most! This is a colorful edition, newly translated and unabridged. I would definitely recommend it!

4. 

   4 out of 5

   Katie – Sep 27, 2020

   Slow and steady but kids and I all enjoyed this read aloud!

5. 

   4 out of 5

   Daciana Washburn – Jun 30, 2020

   Read this to the kids - they gave it 5 stars (they give every book we read to them 5 stars). It was enjoyable but more of a 3 star or even 3.5 star for me

6. 

   4 out of 5

   Grace Bell –

7. 

   5 out of 5

   Bill Sullivan –

8. 

   5 out of 5

   Kara –

9. 

   4 out of 5

   Lisa M. –

10. 

    5 out of 5

    Youan Wu –

11. 

    5 out of 5

    Kelli –

12. 

    4 out of 5

    Kerri –

13. 

    4 out of 5

    Jaime Hodges –

14. 

    5 out of 5

    Alexandria –

15. 

    4 out of 5

    Robbyn –

16. 

    5 out of 5

    Tonia –

17. 

    5 out of 5

    Rachel –

18. 

    4 out of 5

    Erin Carrington –

19. 

    5 out of 5

    Annette Williams –

20. 

    4 out of 5

    Hil –

21. 

    5 out of 5

    Laughingwater –

22. 

    5 out of 5

    Dawn Reser –

23. 

    5 out of 5

    Evie –

24. 

    4 out of 5

    Madison –

25. 

    5 out of 5

    Amy Harris –

26. 

    4 out of 5

    Audrey Pearson –

27. 

    4 out of 5

    Laura –