A review by lindseysparks
Around the World in Eighty Days & Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne

2.0

I just read Around the World in 80 Days. It was okay, but I was surprised that the travels aren't described very well and the characters fell flat, although I liked Passeportout, the writing was clunky and some of the story just seemed absurd. I read the Wordsworth edition, which don't seem to usually have the best translations, so I did a little research and learned that most of Verne's works are poorly translated into English. They are usually abridged, whole passages are just summarized, dialogue is changed and the insults and commentary about the British removed. English readers view Verne as a writer of children's stories, while European readers view him as an avant garde absurdist. Maybe someday there will be better English translations and I'll give Verne another try.