The premise of the story is this: Philleas Fogg a rich and reclusive Englishman, makes a bet with his companions at the Reform Club that he can circumnavigate the world in 80 days. In fact, he bets his entire fortune that he can do it. So, he sets off with his French valet Passepartout to win the bet. Hot on their trail is a police officer by the name of Fix, who believes that Fogg has committed a bank robbery only days before. He follows them around the world, waiting for the perfect opportunity to arrest Fogg.
Sounds like it has the makings of a potentially great story. Instead, what follows is a series of one-off adventures in the various countries that they find themselves. After a while, this just became too tedious to keep reading. Disaster after disaster which they miraculously manage to extricate themselves from before wandering into the next disaster.
My previous experience with Verne has been with his works of science fiction, some of which I have enjoyed and others that I haven't.
This adventure story just didn't have the tension or the excitement that it needed to keep me interested and so sadly I abandoned it at some point past halfway.
1 / 8
Abandoned.
I know that there are movie versions of this book that I haven't seen. Has anyone read the book or watched a movie? What did you think?
Originally posted 10 September 2011 Page Turners
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