- Author: Jules Verne
This was one of the free books given away by audiobooks.com during Audiobook Month.
I’m glad I listened to the audiobook rather than experience Around the World in Eighty Days in any other format. I don’t think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much as I did. Jim Dale did a fantastic job of providing distinct voices for every character no matter how small a part they play in the story. Also, with every new location that Phileas Fogg and his servant, Passepartout, come to, music from that place plays briefly in the background.
The only drawback to this book is some of the language and viewpoints on different cultures and races, which was at times full of stereotyping and at other times glossed over the very brutal history of colonization. However, considering when this book was written (1873), I can’t really blame Jules Verne for keeping with how Europeans believed anyone that wasn’t European to be and overlooked the personal and political atrocities caused by Imperialism.
Overall, this book was well written, fun, and entertaining enough to keep me happy during my commute. As far as Classic Literature goes, it’s a new favorite, and one I recommend to anyone who wants to read more of the Classics.
#COYER Scavenger Hunt #29: Read a book with no magical or futuristic elements.