Friday, August 29, 2014

Around the World in 80 Days - Jules Verne

Free US/UK Kindle Classic
The 1873 novel, Around the World in 80 Days, by French author Jules Verne has been made into a couple of big budget films.  They are quite entertaining, but perhaps eclipse the book.  This is a neat little band box of a book.  It is an entertaining story that would make good vacation reading.  (US Edition)  (UK Edition

It is hard to argue that a book whose title everyone knows is forgotten, but this is a superior work of fiction that still entertains and was famous  long before there were movies.
A US Amazon Reader Reviewer agrees with me! 
"I can't believe that a 130+ year old book translated to English was good enough to keep me up half the night but this brilliant old gem did."
The protagonist (Phileas Fogg) hires a new manservant (Passepartout):
Hearing that Mr. Phileas Fogg was looking for a servant, and that his life was one of unbroken regularity, that he neither travelled nor stayed from home overnight, he felt sure that this would be the place he was after.
 Yes, a rude awakening is coming - as foreshadowed by the title!
"Passepartout!" repeated Mr. Fogg, without raising his voice. 
Passepartout made his appearance. 
"I've called you twice," observed his master.
"But it is not midnight," responded the other, showing his watch. 
"I know it; I don't blame you. We start for Dover and Calais in ten minutes." 
A puzzled grin overspread Passepartout's round face; clearly he had not comprehended his master. 
"Monsieur is going to leave home?" 
"Yes," returned Phileas Fogg. "We are going round the world." 
Passepartout opened wide his eyes, raised his eyebrows, held up his hands, and seemed about to collapse, so overcome was he with stupefied astonishment.
The reviewer is right, this book is a gem and I do not say that lightly.



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