The Impossible Journey: A Book Reviw of Jules Verne's "Around the World in Eighty Days"

The Whole Story edition

A French servant is hired by a wealthy British man. Very soon after, they embark on a ridiculously impossible undertaking: to go around the entire world in just eighty days. The author of Around the World in Eighty Days, Jules Verne, is one of the greatest science-fiction writers of all time. With such classics as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth published under his name, it is no wonder that he still to this day has millions of readers...almost 110 years after his death in 1905.

SUMMARY

   Since this masterpiece was first published in 1873, it would have been seen as an extremely difficult task to travel the whole globe in just eighty days, at that time! Today, of course, we have the modern conveniences of airplanes which make it possible to go to the other side of the world in just a matter of hours. This does not make Verne's classic any less exciting, though! 

Original edition (on Amazon Kindle)

   The story begins with the French man Passepartout being hired as a servant to Englishman Phileas Fogg. Later, at a club, Mr. Fogg makes an enormous bet that he can travel the entire globe in just eighty days. He does the equation on paper, but the other men are still not quite convinced. They do, however, let him go ahead with the bet. He and his servant rush to leave and thus begins their great adventure. From India to the USA, the two have many adventures in their three months abroad. While in India, they rescue a princess and escape (while a sneaky detective named Fix is on their trail). 

   Mr. Fogg, Passepartout, and the princess Aouda do eventually reach London unharmed. The story has a bittersweet ending (which I will not spoil!).

CONTENT

   There is some minor violence throughout the book. In India, the princess Aouda is going to be sacrificed to the Hindu goddess Kali (there are a some Hindu religious references during these parts). Fortunately, she is rescued. There is adventure violence in other parts, but they are not all that descriptive.

   Aouda is described as "a celebrated beauty." There is a little romance between her and Mr. Fogg, but there is nothing inappropriate or descriptive.

   In the way of language, I recall no swear words used in any part of the book.

   At the end of the book, Phileas Fogg realizes he does not need material things to be happy. He does not find happiness in God or anything like that, (I do not believe Verne was a Christian, but rather an atheist) but instead in his love for and marriage to Aouda. There is still a good lesson to be learned here, though.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Number of pages: 156 (original version), 296 (The Whole Story series edition, due to illustrations)

Author of book: Jules Verne

Published in: 1857 (original version), 1994 (The Whole Story series edition)

Primary readers: Children, Pre-teens (though teens and adults may enjoy it)