2008-08-13 Too Flat To Be A Classic

The tale of an Englishman who bets he can travel the world in eighty days, and the adventures had in this tight time limit.

I found the language extremely lacklustre, and so the story didn't grab me. However, I don't know if this is the fault of Verne or of the translator Jacqueline Rogers. Unless you can learn French and read the original, I would suggest trying to find a different translation.

However, this isn't the only problem. It isn't very exciting for two thirds of the book. It isn't until the characters begin crossing America that it finally becomes compulsively readable.

My main issue was with the unlikeable characters. Verne never shows us what is going on in Mr Fogg's mind, so we can't connect with him, and since he is so emotionless, we cannot sympathise either. Mrs Aouda, the romantic interest, is completely flat, and only exists to idolise Fogg. The main character is Passepartout, Fogg's servant, but I found him annoying due to his short temper and ignorance, and I couldn't believe his deep loyalty to Mr Fogg, because they have only just met and their relationship is never developed.

Fix, the detective who is pursuing Fogg, is by far the best character. For most of the book he is intelligent, witty, irritable and noble, although his characterisation is a little contradictory at first. What doesn't work here is the plot. Fix thinks Fogg is a bank robber, but we know he is after the wrong man. This makes the quest pointless to read. The only way to solve the issue would be if a) we didn't know if Fogg was a criminal or not, or b) if Fix could at least catch the real thief, or some other criminal in the story. Unfortunately, Verne does not deliver.

In conclusion, the final third is exciting and Fix is likeable, but the dull beginning and other flat characters outweigh what works and this just isn't as good as it could be.

Also, in usual Penguin Classic style, this edition just isn't very pleasant to look at and read, due to yellow pages and thick print.