Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea
Jules Verne

The Amazon.com product description:

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is a book written by Jules Verne. It is widely considered to be one of the top 100 greatest books of all time. This great novel will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. For many, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless pieces of classic literature, this gem by Jules Verne is highly recommended. Published by Quill Pen Classics and beautifully produced, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea would make an ideal gift and it should be a part of everyone's personal library.

I was inspired to read the book because I watched the 1997 movie version of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea last week. I liked the movie (a lot), so, of course, I wanted to see how it compared to the book.

First off, concerning the book, my edition came with the Kobo e-reader and was originally done through the Gutenberg project. The downside is that I can't find a copyright date, and Amazon doesn't exactly give the original date on the various editions. Thus the lack of information at the top of the review.

One thing I found really neat on comparing the two is that everything in the movie does happen in the book, although it's not in the same order, for the same reasons, or even the same characters. They created some characters out of whole cloth and changed a number of others to add tension to the story.

Some examples of the changes include the pearl diver in Malaysia, the Antarctic race and Atlantis. Not to mention Captain Nemo's whole set of motivations. Completely different between the two. I actually liked that about the movie. It made sense. I'm still trying to figure out the Captain Nemo from the book - what he was doing travelling around under the ocean and even moreso the last attack in the book. It just doesn't make sense to me, or perhaps I missed something in my reading.

Even with that though, I preferred reading Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea to my read of Around the World In Eighty Days. It felt less like I needed cultural background notes to read and understand.

The book is definitely a good, family-friendly read which both kids and adults can enjoy.

Around The World In 80 Days - Jules Verne

Around The World In Eighty Days
Jules Verne
Signet Classics
978-0451529770

The amazon.com product description:

Take a journey of imagination.

In this all-time favorite, Phileas Fogg and his manservant set out to win a wager by travelling around the world in 80 days. They embark on a fantastic, action-packed journey into a world filled with danger and beauty, from India to the American frontier.

 Another classic novel, Around The World In Eighty Days is one that came with my Kobo Reader, just as my recently reviewed read of The Jungle Book did. Thing is, it's a version from The Gutenberg Project. All well and good, but those editions on the Kobo don't seem to have the copyright date, and Amazon.com gives the most recent printing date only.

Regardless of all that, the book Around the World in Eighty Days was an intriguing read. One that honestly left me feeling a bit lost at times, especially at the beginning of the story. Not because of the speed of the travel, but because I still don't understand the culture that Phineas Fogg lived in. Clubs? Uncut newspapers? But especially the clubs and organizations. They seem so important to the characters, but I just don't have the background knowledge to understand what and why.

Probably an edition such as this one with its introduction would be helpful in answering that. Either way, it's a very good read. One I wish I'd read much earlier in my life too. After the first few pages, the trip starts, and from there the action never stops. About the only form of "modern" travel not used in the story that I know of is hot air balloon. And the multiple points of view combined with the misunderstandings threading through the story make for some wildly amusing moments too.

If you haven't read this classic work yet, you should - both older children and adults will probably love it. I know that based on my enjoyment of Around The World In Eighty Days, I'm going to be giving Jules Verne's other books a try as well. Now I just have to see if I can get Journey To The Center of The Earth for my Kobo. I've already got his Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea.