"Jules Verne's classic novel featuring Phileas Fogg, a wealthy gentleman who makes a bet that he can travel around the world in just eighty days." Audio version narrated by Jim Dale.
The Excellent, the bad and the ugly. Dale's audio interpretation is truly fabulous. I also thoroughly enjoyed the character of Phileas Fogg, a man whose calm demeanor and impeccable character remain constant in the face of disaster. The story is an excellent window into many aspects of technology and travel in the 1870's. I could not help but compare our wired world today with Verne's world. What stories could he have imagined today? That's the excellent.
The Bad and the Ugly. Jim Dale brought the book alive, but I would only give the printed version - although a great adventure - to a patient reader. Teachers could use parts of this book very effectively in terms exploring and comparing technology's impact on society then and today, or, now here's the ugly - the shallow stereotyping of world cultures from a white European 19th century perspective: Native Americans as "enraged monkeys" or the emphasis on the white skin of a beautiful Indian woman, thereby making her an acceptable companion for Fogg.
The publisher addresses these issues in an afterward. The bottom line for me is that this is a great adventure reflecting a historical perspective. How far we have come. I would highly recommend it as a teacher directed class read or as a family listening experience.
Booklist starred (August 2007 (Vol. 103, No. 22))
