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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Interesting. Reads in a classic-for-the-time travelogue with some witty side stories at each location. There were a few things that popped out to me about the author's view points on certain areas or people's that struck me. Overall, a fine read read if not slightly dull.
This was dumb. I think it was so boring because there was nothing at stake, the only thing they really said about main character is he never lost his cool and didn't talk much, and you knew pretty soon that everything was going to work out in his favor
A few years ago, I read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, & I hated it. I was disappointed, as classics are my favorite genre. I'd seen the Around the World in Eighty Days miniseries (starring David Tennant) & liked it, so I was cautiously optimistic that I'd enjoy the novel.
I liked it more than 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but not by much. Phileas Fogg, despite his quirky name, is continuously described as "cold". He's not very likeable. He plans his trip across the world with mathematical precision. He spends most of the time playing whist. He's not much of an explorer or adventurer. He's never ruffled by any potential setback. He simply pays his way onto another conveyance & continues on like nothing happened. It made me feel like the stakes were low. He's made a financial wager that he can cross the world in eighty days, but there's never any doubt that he'll make up for delays, or never even fall behind. He travels across Europe, Asia, & America, & barely seems to notice.
I liked it more than 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but not by much. Phileas Fogg, despite his quirky name, is continuously described as "cold". He's not very likeable. He plans his trip across the world with mathematical precision. He spends most of the time playing whist. He's not much of an explorer or adventurer. He's never ruffled by any potential setback. He simply pays his way onto another conveyance & continues on like nothing happened. It made me feel like the stakes were low. He's made a financial wager that he can cross the world in eighty days, but there's never any doubt that he'll make up for delays, or never even fall behind. He travels across Europe, Asia, & America, & barely seems to notice.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I honestly cannot tell you what took me so long to read this book, not only for myself but also to my children. This would’ve been an excellent one for our read aloud times during our homeschool days. It checks the three e’s for me—engaging, entertaining, and educational. Seriously, that was my criterion for choosing books.
this was not at all what i expected *
idk what i expected
but not this
i had an audiobook and the speaker was SO enthusiastic, weirdly so, honestly
the story was surprisingly cool?
adventure genre obviously
but also kinda weird
* i dont read descriptions for classics (or many other books too. they usually make me like them less)
idk what i expected
but not this
i had an audiobook and the speaker was SO enthusiastic, weirdly so, honestly
the story was surprisingly cool?
adventure genre obviously
but also kinda weird
* i dont read descriptions for classics (or many other books too. they usually make me like them less)
Some people will tell you this book is not an adventure, and is in fact boring. But that's not true.
If your definition of "adventure" includes more to-the-minute scheduling than it does hijinks, you will find this book action-packed. And if your idea of a good climactic fight scene involves the entire thing taking place off-page, you're in luck too.
Some people will tell you that there's only one female character in this book, and she's extremely flat. But that's not fair, either.
Every character in this book is flat. It's not a misogyny thing.
And some people will tell you this book is slow-paced and weird. But they're forgetting something important.
This was published in 1874, and at the time watching a short film that involved a moving vehicle was enough to strike fear into the hearts of war veterans. Getting your picture taken was a harrowing experience that involved a solid chance the camera would eat your soul.
By these accurate standards, this is actually a surprisingly quick read for being 150 years old. I'll just say I'm glad I'm alive now, and not then.
And also that if someone roofied me with opium and made me miss my boat, causing a series of events that led to me wandering starved through Japan without money or knowledge of the language, ultimately forcing me to attempt to join an acrobatic troupe due to lack of options, I personally would not be their friend.
But Jules Verne characters are built different.
Bottom line: Yet another installment of my Buying Classics For Their Covers And Then Not Enjoying Them series. Another coming later today.
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pre-review
they just don't write adventure stories like this one anymore!
and that's a good thing.
review to come / 2.5 stars
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currently-reading updates
anytime i read a classic just because people say it's a must-read, i call it "assigning myself homework"
clear ur sh*t book 61
no quest, just seeing how many more i can finish
If your definition of "adventure" includes more to-the-minute scheduling than it does hijinks, you will find this book action-packed. And if your idea of a good climactic fight scene involves the entire thing taking place off-page, you're in luck too.
Some people will tell you that there's only one female character in this book, and she's extremely flat. But that's not fair, either.
Every character in this book is flat. It's not a misogyny thing.
And some people will tell you this book is slow-paced and weird. But they're forgetting something important.
This was published in 1874, and at the time watching a short film that involved a moving vehicle was enough to strike fear into the hearts of war veterans. Getting your picture taken was a harrowing experience that involved a solid chance the camera would eat your soul.
By these accurate standards, this is actually a surprisingly quick read for being 150 years old. I'll just say I'm glad I'm alive now, and not then.
And also that if someone roofied me with opium and made me miss my boat, causing a series of events that led to me wandering starved through Japan without money or knowledge of the language, ultimately forcing me to attempt to join an acrobatic troupe due to lack of options, I personally would not be their friend.
But Jules Verne characters are built different.
Bottom line: Yet another installment of my Buying Classics For Their Covers And Then Not Enjoying Them series. Another coming later today.
-----------------
pre-review
they just don't write adventure stories like this one anymore!
and that's a good thing.
review to come / 2.5 stars
-----------------
currently-reading updates
anytime i read a classic just because people say it's a must-read, i call it "assigning myself homework"
clear ur sh*t book 61
no quest, just seeing how many more i can finish
Classics can become less engaging over time as the motivation for the story loses impact. I found that The War of The Worlds was fantastic as a historical novel, but there wasn't any driving factor for me. Even though The War of the Worlds came first, there have been too many world-ending invasion stories that I didn't care about the well-being of the characters.
However, with Around the World in Eighty Days I most certainly was intensely worried about the well-being of the characters. I was trying to figure out why, and then I realised how--this book changes with age. Back when these old adventure stories were written, they were tales from another world, filled with daring escapes in foreign lands. The stories the members of the Reform Club would've read as boys.
To me, this book is so of its time it becomes an adventure in itself. The characters, settings, events are so wonderfully charming they become a portal to the nineteenth century. The little details especially add historical richness unthought of when it was written. It's so perfectly British that the adventure itself isn't what makes it great. Instead the brilliance comes because it's completely a Victorian gentleman's view of a daring adventure. It's so of its time, impossible to replicate today, and frankly quite perfect.
However, with Around the World in Eighty Days I most certainly was intensely worried about the well-being of the characters. I was trying to figure out why, and then I realised how--this book changes with age. Back when these old adventure stories were written, they were tales from another world, filled with daring escapes in foreign lands. The stories the members of the Reform Club would've read as boys.
To me, this book is so of its time it becomes an adventure in itself. The characters, settings, events are so wonderfully charming they become a portal to the nineteenth century. The little details especially add historical richness unthought of when it was written. It's so perfectly British that the adventure itself isn't what makes it great. Instead the brilliance comes because it's completely a Victorian gentleman's view of a daring adventure. It's so of its time, impossible to replicate today, and frankly quite perfect.
What had he brought back from this long and weary journey? Nothing, say you? Perhaps so; nothing but a charming woman, who, strange as it may appear, made him the happiest of men! Truly, would you not for less than that make a tour around the world?
Phileas Fogg is the only person, fictional or real, who could possibly be so unaffected by an 80-day world tour.
Phileas Fogg is the only person, fictional or real, who could possibly be so unaffected by an 80-day world tour.