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Author: Jules Verne Pages: 256 Publisher: Dalmation Press ISBN: 1403709122 Genre: Fiction |
Synopsis: Phileas Fogg is a mechanically immovable gentleman who follows a daily routine down to the second. So when a debate ensues as to how quickly one could traverse the globe, it is to everyone's astonishment when Phileas Fogg declares it can be done in eighty days and sets out that very evening to prove it. With his stunned servant, Passepartout, he must prove that all possible obstcles can be overcome. Including, but not limited to damsels in distress, overzealous detectives, maurauding Indians, ingorant servants, a warrant for his arrest, and inconveniences with trasportation.
Review: There's a reason novels like this are classics. Jules Verne beautifully and accurately combines history with adventure. The quick pace of the book allows for short, sweet, and to the point descriptions of various cultures and locations. The characters are distinct and well thought-out. The situations encountered combine exotic adventure with believability. The ability to suspend disbelief is a a credit to the author, since the solutions have great potential to be quite unrealistic, but the establishment of character traits from the beginning allows for the smooth flow of the book.
It's sad to think that books like The DaVinci Code are considered intelligent works of literature. It's nice to read a work of fiction that is abounding in historical detail and largely accurate. The greatest deviations from reality are acceptable in that they reflect the viewpoint of the majority of English society in the 1870s. I particularly like Phileas Fogg, whose precise manner and lack of socialization means that there isn't an overabundance of tedious dialog. In short, like the culteral descriptions, this is a fun story that gets straight to the point without long-winded, self-indulgent literary rubbish.
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