I had never read Jules Verne until I picked up Around the World in 80 Days. I was very pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this adventure story. Set in the 1870s, the prosperous Englishman Phileas Fog makes a wager with his buddies from his club that he can travel around the world in 80 days or less. He then takes his man servant Jean Passepartout, a resourceful Frenchman, with him. As you can imagine, they end up in several unexpected adventures.
Around the World in 80 Days
The book spends a good chunk of time in India, where these two gentleman rescue a young, widowed lady from being burned alive. Unbeknownst to them, a further complication plagues them from England. Shortly before their departure, a large sum of money was stolen from an English bank by someone meeting Fog’s description. So, Fog now has Inspector Fix trailing after him, hindering him as he might, so long as he is within the English Empire. Keep in mind, this was written back in the days when colonialism was cool. The personalities of Fix, Fog, and Passepartout create a wonderful triangle of engagement.
The three of them continue on, and now include Mrs. Aouda, the rescued lady from the human BBQ who has joined them in order to eventually join the household of a distant relative that lives outside if India. Fog started off strong, gaining time on his trip. However, he has lost some time rescuing young ladies and arguing with Indian authorities. Inspector Fix continues to hinder his efforts from behind the scenes. But they all eventually end up in San Francisco where they embark on a train. While traveling through Utah there is a brief bit about the Mormon population. Later on, further east, the train is attacked by Native Americans and Passepartout is taken captive.
Once rescued, the four must rely on an unusual means of transport. A sail-powered sled. Awesome! They make it to the next train and eventually board a ship to take them to Ireland, the western edge of the then-English Empire. Anyway, if you haven’t read this classic yet, I will leave the story line there with plenty of unknowns and a few little twists for you to find on your own.
While this book didn’t go into great depth on any of the cultures encountered, the main characters Fog and Passepartout treat each with respect, if sometimes surprise. The widowed Mrs. Aouda doesn’t play a major role in dialogue or action, but she does get to travel with the guys without fuss. SPOILER I was floored when she proposed to Fog. Women didn’t do that! Heck, in today’s day and age folks are surprised when I recount how I proposed to M3 END SPOILER.
One thing that puzzles me – there is a hot air balloon on the cover of this audiobook. And I have always thought that a balloon was integral to the adventure. However, there is no hot air balloon used for transport in this tale – though the possibility is mentioned. Was anyone else laboring under this delusion?
The voice actor for this book was Jim Dale and he was a pleasure to listen to. Each character had a distinct voice and the foreign accents were done well. There was also music and sound effects that added to the listening experience.
