Stand aside literary men of my heart, there's another Englishman joining your elite company ~ Mr. Phileas Fogg! I did not mind in the least that Mr. Fogg was stingy with conversation, not when he could list among his qualities those of being considerate, chivalrous, philanthropic & even keeled. A gentleman first and foremost. It was so impressive that he kept his composure no matter the positive or negative events unfolding around him. I felt there was a lesson in that for all of us: stay calm and carry on, after Plan A there's a Plan B, etc. These classic books are awesome in the way they contain an instructional message all within a delightful story. One of these years I'm going to devote a whole year to reading nothing but them!
The only puzzling thing about the book to me was the seemingly impulsive leap into the 80 day journey in the first place? It was so out of character for the man we were introduced to ~ that lived his life in such a structured and punctual manner ~ to just jump at the challenge. Maybe even he hungered for a change from his highly scheduled, predictable routine? If ever I undertake such a journey tho, I need to do it just as he did so as to cheat time out of an extra day on earth.
I loved this book, and because I loved it, I have to learn more about its author, Jules Verne. For starters, how did he get to be so freaking smart? There was no "google" in the late 1800's for him to cross reference and yet, as I read, I learned about shipping schedules, how the American railway system was built, where the tracks ran and a whole sundry of information from the country of India to British Hong Kong, etc., etc. Pretty incredible. If you want to read it, you may want to schedule time. I literally started it of an evening, got so engrossed, I couldn't put it down until I finished!
It's interesting how I came to this book too ~ never thumb your nose at a historical romance because the last one I read (Chasing Cassandra) mentioned a smattering of classic literature within its pages of which this 'Around the World in Eighty Days' was one. Another thing I love ~ when I learn about new books thru reading a book or better still, being introduced to a fellow book lover (real or imaginary) because of words sandwiched between a front and back cover. Truly a treasure.
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