Around the World in Eighty Days Book Review

I finished reading Jules Verne's "Around the World in Eighty Days"  around a week ago and so I've had some time to gather my thoughts on it. This is a REVIEW so if you don't want to know what generally goes down in this book, stop reading now.

Phileas Fogg is the lead character, the Englishman who sets off on a journey circumnavigating the globe after a bet with friends who suggested it was impossible to be done in 80 days. He is the sort of character who is not troubled by anything, remains unbelievably positive in every situation, and somehow always finds a way around the tightest circumstance.

Personally, I don't like such characters, they are almost too good to be true, and as you read on, you just know that whatever happens, Mr. Fogg will come up with something to continue his journey around the world on schedule.

On the contrary, I can much more relate to those who have their frailties and human pitfalls. Passepartout, Mr. Fogg's French servant, is by far and away the star of the novel for me. He demonstrates passion, fight, ecstasy and despair. The reader can understand his emotions and actions. It was Passepartout who came up with the genius idea that saved Mrs. Aouda from certain death, and ultimately, it was this servant who realised at the end that they were in fact, one day ahead of themselves, a result of their eastward trek around the globe.

Around the World in Eighty Days gave a couple of interesting insights into Indian culture (the train and elephant journey across the country) and the Mormon religion (the train ride across Utah and the Mormon missionary's discourse). However, there were many parts of the story that seemed to pass by in a blur, which could possibly have been described in a lot more detail. Mr. Fogg and his accomplices did move on from one country to the next, one continent to the next, with alarming rapidity.

The best part of the book, however, was saved for the end, and for the first time, it showed emotion in the cold Mr. Fogg. Mrs. Aouda asks his hand in marriage, to which he replies with these legendary words:

"I love you. Yes, in truth, by everything most sacred in the world, I love you, and I am entirely yours!"

To say that was unexpected would be a gross understatement! It was a little masterclass from Jules Verne. The journey around the world didn't make Mr. Fogg much money in the end, but it did open his heart and he found true happiness and love.

Around the World in Eighty Days, Teaser Tuesday (14 Oct 2014)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish event held by MizB at should be reading

Anyone can join in – just do the following:

                               ·         Grab your current read

                               ·         Open to a random page

                          ·         Share two (2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page

                ·         BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

              ·         Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) lists if they like your teasers

My teaser today is taken from Jules Verne's "Around the World in Eighty Days."

"Mrs. Aouda thanked her deliverers profusely, by her tears more than by her words. Her beautiful eyes, rather than her lips, were the interpreters of her gratitude."

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

So I'm devouring my way through Jules Verne's "Around the World in Eighty Days" and enjoying it, but not as much as his "Journey to the Centre of the Earth." Not yet.

Phileas Fogg is the Englishman who talks very little and has a devoutly specific routine to his life. Until he takes on a challenge to travel around the world in just 80 days. 

Set in London in 1872, Verne continues his ahead-of-time storytelling as Fogg sets off by train, boat and elephant to accomplish his bet with his trusty servant, Passepartout.

Passepartout devised a plan to rescue an Indian lady who was about to be sacrificed, but it happened with minimal fuss or trouble, unlike the trials of life and death contained under Mount Sneffels in Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

Perhaps the more dramatic stuff will be coming soon . . .

Book Review: "A Journey to the Centre of the Earth" by Jules Verne

SPOILER ALERT!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure of Jules Verne's "A Journey to the Centre of the Earth."

A very well-written book, told from the point of view of Henry, Professor Hardwigg's nephew. They embark on a journey which sees them enter the crater of Mount Sneffels in Iceland, roam around in the interior of the earth, before exiting out of another volcano crater in Italy.

The story revolves almost exclusively around three main characters: 1) Professor Hardwigg - mineralogist, obstinate, determined, maybe a little crazy but ultimately right; 2) Henry - the Professor's nephew, analytical, level-headed; 3) Hans, the Icelandic guide who accompanies the Professor and Henry on their journey. Hans is perfectly disciplined, reserved and an immaculate handyman.

The characters compliment each other nicely and the narrative and dialogue flows smoothly throughout the story.

The three characters endure a few fascinating encounters with different sorts of weather and environment conditions below the earth, along with huge plants and animals and seas. The most interesting part of the story for me also turned out to be the most frustrating. 

Professor Hardwigg and Henry discover a cemetery of human bones and see in the distance another HUMAN living in the interior of the earth. Disappointingly for the reader, they freaked out and ran away and nothing more was mentioned of this. It seems that Jules Verne had this immense idea and then kind of backed out of it, and didn't quite know what to do from henceforth.

After that encounter the story rapidly closed up right at the time when I was just getting in to it and expecting the three of them to find a way to the very centre of the earth.

One more thing that irritated me was their exit from underground to ground level. Henry kind of passed out as they were accelerating on a man-made raft balancing on rushing lava, so as he is the one telling the story, he wrote how he didn't remember anything after passing out until they were lying on the side of a volcano in Italy! Man, that frustrated me so bad!

But nevertheless, it was a great read, very worthwhile and I definitely recommend this classic if you haven't as yet opened up its pages and joined the great adventure it is.

Teaser Tuesday with Jules Verne

MizB hosts a pretty good book event called Teaser Tuesday. We simply choose a couple of sentences from our current read and tease you all into reading the book yourself! Let's hope this works, then . . . 

You really should pick up Jules Verne's "A Journey to the Centre of the Earth" and read it. Here's a teaser: 

"When I at last began to resign myself to the fact that no further aid was to be expected from man, and knowing that I was utterly powerless to do anything for my own salvation, I kneeled with earnest fervor and asked assistance from heaven."

Me with the subject of this week's Teaser Tuesday

A great teaser, don't you think? I'm relishing each page of this adventure. Click here to read my latest review of the book. 

Have I persuaded you to read it?!

Jules Verne provides a great adventure

It was way back in 1864 that Jules Verne's "A Journey to the Centre of the Earth" was published and made available for public reading. At almost 150 years old, this work has stood the test of time and continues to charm its readers, particularly me!

Professor Hardwigg and his nephew Harry, accompanied by an Icelandic guide, Hans, descend into the crater of Mount Sneffels where the real journey begins. An intriguing tale of survival and discovery ensues. 

This book is written from the point of view of Harry and mixes great fiction with scientific fact and a whole barrel of thrilling discovery, which even in this year of 2013, still resonates as remarkable.

I have several more chapters to finish this delightful novel!

Teaser Tuesday (Sept 25th)

Welcome to my blog, and this week's edition of Teaser Tuesday. Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. It's a day late but anyway...

Rules:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser comes from Jules Verne's "A Journey to the 

Centre of the Earth"

"I wholly forgot who I was, and where I was. I became intoxicated with a sense of lofty sublimity, without thought of the abysses into which my daring was soon about to plunge me."

What are you reading?

Do you have any teasers worth sharing?