In my challenge post I predicted this book would be a ripping yarn, and I was right! This was indeed a fun adventure story. It's funny now, knowing that I could go around the entire planet in just over 2 days using airplanes, to realize that at this time it would have taken at least 80 days to make the same journey. On the other hand, assuming one was more interested in the local surroundings than Mr. Fogg, I would rather travel the same route in 190 days in order to have some fun experiences (that preferably didn't involve an overeager cop) along the way. I liked the character of Passepartout and although I kind of came to an understanding of Phileas Fogg he was sort of unknowable throughout the book - it wasn't a problem but at the same time a part of the ending made less sense without any character development. I think Verne did a good job of creating suspenseful situations that left us wondering how the characters could get out of them - and then resolving them in a fairly logical way. All in all, I see why this is a classic, and I look forward to reading more Verne.
As a note, I happened to read Penguin's Michael Glencross translation, and it was excellent, complete with interesting notes, as well as an introduction and other good info - if you're looking for a well-done edition of this book.
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