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ratings: ★★★★★ (4.5/5)
Genre: Adventure, Classic Literature, Fiction

Book Review:
Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days is the original race-against-time adventure, a story that has thrilled readers for over a century and inspired countless imitations. It is a book of pure, unadulterated fun, a journey across the globe that will leave you breathless and smiling.

The hero of the story is Phileas Fogg, a man of such precise and regular habits that his servants must know exactly the temperature of his shaving water. He is the epitome of the unflappable English gentleman, a man who never shows emotion, never hurries, and is never late. When he bets his fellow club members that he can travel around the world in eighty days, he does so with the same calm certainty with which he orders his breakfast.

He sets off immediately, accompanied by his new French valet, Passepartout, a man of great energy and enthusiasm who is the perfect foil to his master's imperturbability. Their journey is a whirlwind of trains, steamships, and even an elephant. They race across Europe, through the Suez Canal, across India, through the jungles of China, over the Pacific to America, and then back across the Atlantic.

Along the way, they encounter a series of thrilling obstacles. They rescue a beautiful Indian princess, Aouda, from being sacrificed. They are pursued by the bumbling but persistent Detective Fix, who is convinced that Fogg is a bank robber trying to escape justice. They are delayed by storms, by a lack of transport, and by an attack by Native Americans on a train.

Around the World in Eighty Days is more than just an adventure story. It is a celebration of the spirit of exploration, a testament to the power of human ingenuity, and a love letter to a world that was, in Verne's time, just beginning to seem smaller and more connected. It is also a surprisingly funny book. Fogg's deadpan reactions to the chaos around him, and Passepartout's frantic efforts to keep up, are a constant source of delight.

The novel's ending is one of the most satisfying in literature. Fogg believes he has lost the bet by a single day, only to discover that, because he has traveled east, he has actually gained a day and arrived on time. The moment is a perfect fusion of suspense and joy.

Around the World in Eighty Days is a book for all ages. It is a story that will transport you, that will make you cheer for its heroes, and that will leave you with a smile on your face. This Penguin Popular Classics edition is a perfect way to experience this timeless classic. Highly recommended.