Around the World in Eighty Days

by Anna Lea (Adapter), Jules Verne

Embark on an epic journey in this all-star cast audio dramatisation of Around the World in 80 Days. This new Original drama features best-in-class performances from Golden Globe-nominee, Emmy-nominee and multiple BAFTA-nominee Toby Jones (The Girl, Directorists, The Hunger Games) as Phileas Fogg, George Blagden (Versailles, Black Mirror, Vikings) as Jean Passerpartout and Don Gilet (Eastenders, Dr Who) as Detective Fix amongst others.

One of the most celebrated tales of all time, Around the World in 80 Days is part high-octane thriller, part fascinating fantasy travelogue. Pragmatic gambler Phileas Fogg has made a gentlemanly wager to the members of his exclusive club: that he can circle the world in just 80 days, right down to the minute.

Fetching his newly appointed French valet, Fogg embarks on a fabulous journey across land and sea - by steamer, rail, and elephant - to win the bet of a lifetime.

Inspired by Jules Verne’s own sea travels and his fascination with circumnavigating the globe, the avid dreamer's picaresque voyage inspired generations of adventurers who were eager to best Verne's challenge - from 19th century journalist Nellie Bly to Monty Python's Michael Palin.

Featuring: George Blagden, Christopher Brandon, John Chancer, Scarlett Courtney, Josh Cowdery, Tim Delap, Sartaj Garewal, Don Gilet, Chris Grahamson, David Holt, Ryan Forde Iosco, Toby Jones, Peter Luke Kenny, Naveed Khan, Christos Lawton, Jack Monaghan, Raad Rawi, Vineeta Rishi, Luke Roskell, Richard Rycroft, Adam Sims, Thomas Stroppel, Homer Todiwala, Matilda Tucker, Amy Vicary-Smith, Julian Wadham, Georgia Warlow, Orlando Wells, Sarah Whitehouse and Sam Woolf.

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Literature, Historical

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

In the past few years, Anna Lea has adapted a number of classic novels into full-cast audio dramas, starring some of the UK’s leading actors.

Reviews

[Wee Lassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that has both aged terribly and was fair for its day. Excellent - I love books like that, the cognitive dissonance always wakes you up a bit. Yet the thing I found most shocking of all … not a hot air balloon in sight. And no, I’m not marking that as a spoiler, you should go in knowing that. Tv has lied to us.

[Alyson Walton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A firm favourite of mine that inspires many childhood memories. Fantastic audible dramatisation.

[Mahayana Dugast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun adaptation. Great acting and music.

[Jessica Buzzard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe it took me so long to read this (I've also never seen the movie). A charming little read

[Suhasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest I did not expect to like a classic so much. I always wanted to read Jules Verne's novels, having watched "Journey to the center of the earth" and "The Mysterious Island" adaptations.

This is an abridged, dramatised version of the original novel which is fast paced, engaging and captivating. All the narrators especially Passerpartout's narrator did an amazing job of bringing the characters to life. With background effects (including elephant, train and sea sounds) and mid-chapter music, this audiobook aces it all.

It starts off in a way that peeks your interest — a friendly wager of €20,000 against Mr. Fogg making a journey around the world. It then moves quickly with the journey from London to Bombay, then Calcutta, then Shanghai, then Hong Kong, then San Francisco, then New York, then Liverpool and finally back to London. I loved the India leg of the journey as it takes the longest and has a significant impact on the final act. Ending is really, really good, you will see it coming and won't see it coming.

Easily the best classic I've ever read and hope to read the original someday, as I seem to crave more of Around the World.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never read this original classic, but I thought the performances were excellent. I need to read the original now!

[Dhanush · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the first books I had read years ago. Even as someone who found it hard to concentrate on reading, I remember loving and enjoying this book immensely. I still feel the same if not more. It is one of those books which I could read again and again and still enjoy it just as I did each time. All the characters are so lovable, and I loved re-reading it.
The dramatised narration only added to the already fantastic story, and I loved the voicing and the quality production of this audiobook.
I would recommend it to anyone who wants a short and enjoyable story to get lost in it. Jules Verne and his stories are always a win. I would also recommend this audible production of it because of it elevates and adds to the experience.

[Helena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable narration and sound effects.

[Leanne Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgic, warm fuzzy feelings! Love the voyage, landmarks and the human and animal empathy and the ending. Well performed audiobook with great bavkground music, enjoyed it so much would listen again. Love Jules Verne, so far ahead of his time.

[Lisa Macklem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lives up to the hype. A very fun romp - but why is it always associated with a hot air balloon??? There isn't one in the book - Fogg never uses one to travel! This is quite a good adaptation - a lot of fun to listen to.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Audio version of one of my favourite stories. Really good performance and welcome addition to my library.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was fun!! Looking forward to more Audible Originals 😏😏😏

[Ellie Cripps · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look, this book has never exactly been a thrill ride, but it's a nice enough little jaunt that I never seem to mind too much.

[James Uscroft · Rating 1 out of 5]

Imperialist English Propaganda At Its Most Nauseating

From Philias himself being the idealised personification of English "Conservatism" and stiff-upper-lippedness, to his dedication to science, the celebration of British technology and colonialism and his heroic rescue of a dusky Hindu maiden from the Savage, uncivilised hoards, this audiobook is impossible to take seriously. Because if I were to write a satire lampooning English Imperialism, Colonialism and benevolent, "White Man's Burden" racism, then I would never have dared to write anything as unashamedly brazen as this.

Literally everything 'Good' in this story is English, or at the very least, 'European;' going out of its way to specify that the dusky, Hindu maiden who Fog rescues received an English, and therefore 'Civilised' education before falling back into the clutches of those savage, inhuman barbarians. And while a token Frenchman is allowed to tag along in the spirit of Pan-European supremacy, the snail eating, garlic reeking frog is still the incredulous and bumbling servant who suffers all of the comical mishaps which the story demands befall him for the crime of not being English. Even leading his master into trouble with the law, because surely the inferior and degenerate frog mind is too addled by blue cheese mould and lust to understand that for an English Gentleman, any wager is a matter of honour worth infinitely more than his fortune or his life. *Stands To Attention To Sing God Save The King.*

So given that this is a 'MODERN' adaptation of the original novel, I shudder to think how much worse the original was back when the British Empire actually 'Did' rule the waves and we weren't merely a nostalgia blinkered island full of Neo-Nazis and fast food chains screaming 'Invasion' because brown people are now considered human as well.

[Anastasiya M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I said I wanted to get into more of Jules Verne's books so here I am.

I've watched the movie adaptation of the story and I really loved it so when I found the book available for free on Audible, it was a good time as any to try the book version. It's important to remember that this was an adaptation too but I really enjoyed it. The cast was great and really brought the story to life. The only complaint I have was the excessive use of musical elements that weren't necessary.

The adventures were amazing and I couldn't figure out where the whole hot-air balloon idea came from in the movie when it wasn't mentioned even once in the book.

Read the more: https://sincerelyyoursannie.wordpress...

[Esther* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last year I went to watch this story as a Play in the Park in Lancaster (where the setting changes for each scene and you as the audience move around to each location) and I can’t think of a more perfect way to experience a story that is already so dynamic and full of life and adventure.

The book itself is a classic and a great idea for a story, especially back in the Victorian era as the invention of the railway opened up so many new possibilities for travel. It’s a really fun premise, with lots of twists, turns and near-misses on the way.

This adaptation is a dramatisation on audiobook so it had lots of energy and a good pace. I suspect a lot of the more colourful stereotypes may have been adapted too, which probably makes it a more comfortable read than the original!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid. Free on Audible. Short. Kept my easily distracted mind entertained while I was... what was I doing? Was I listening to this while I went to buy bread? Man, that was some GREAT bread. Forno - best sourdough in East London. You know what's really good on there? Halloumi. But also other cheeses. Comté. Manchego. Goat. Can't go wrong painting on that canvas. You could put an old man's cold spit on that bread and it would still taste like a warm day of spring in the park with your friends. De. Licious.

[Eileen Yu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah cute, and quietly clever. At its core, this is a story about control vs. surrender, privilege vs. connection, ego vs. transformation. More than a book about travel, it’s a book about growth.

The pacing is quick, the adaptation streamlined, but it’s all well-executed. A classic with more emotional depth than you'd expect—abandoning efficiency for meaning, with an ending that lands well.

I might check out the 2021 TV series with David Tennant next to compare. I really liked the concept of this story and the character arc as reflected in Fogg—understated but effective.

[Abdul Alhazred · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun adaptation of the book, complete with a cast of voices and diegetic sound to liven up everything from train rides to shootouts. It's roughly half as long as the audiobook, so there's a lot cut here, but it feels like a complete work (with some parts of the journey just hastily shortened). To their credit they didn't downplay or rewrite the proud colonialist tropes in the work. Stiff upper lips save gentlemen and ladies from the savage nature of lesser cultures, including the american. It's a bit funny this portrait of british exceptionalism was written by a frenchman.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, what a man does for honor...

I finished this within 24 hours!!! Excellent vocal performance, as per usual with Audible Originals! The casting for Passepartout was amazing and his bright personality shone through. I decided to listen to this book because of the Inkle game "80 Days." It was fun comparing the game to the source material, but I didn't know Detective Fix was such a huge plot point. Definitely didn't see that ending coming as well. But I'm really happy it happened!

[Jennifer Birmingham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This production was really great but the actual story line had some issues. I watched the movie version of this story many many times and the movie was different from the book in that he movie removed a lot of European colonialism and certain racist ideas which were considered normal in the late 18th century don’t fly on the 20th or 21st centuries.

[Mark Winchester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toby Jones is fantastic as the lead character in this adaptation of this classic story. The direction is good and the story keeps moving at a great pace. The detective doesn’t have the best actor and the characters will sometimes do stupid things to keep the story going. Overall though a really enjoyable book.

[Daniel Hurt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I've never read the original so cannot offer comparisons, Anna Lea's audible adaptation is wonderful in every way in its own right. Excellent narration, good music and sound effects without being distracting, and a great story.

[Stu! · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun ride! I don't know how accurate this was to the original, but seems pretty close.

It deffo brushes off some of the more colonial things of the time (such as one might expect, being written when it was) but the story itself remains an enjoyable light-hearted adventure

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really a very good story, I understandably wish I had read the original rather than listened to the adaptation. But it was very well done.

[Stephen Higham]

Big win, I adored the energy, gentle humour and engaging characters in this adaptation. Toby Jones is a perfect Fogg and I had a smile on my face start to finish.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining. This inspired me to plan a trip around the world in 80 days with my family. Too bad there won't be a $20,000 prize.

[Prayerpilgrim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wild, fun ride. The Audible Original performance was great!

[Lil Smiles · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyable romp! though I prefer unabridged audiobooks. Interesting to think how wild of an idea and exciting this would have been when it was originally published.

[Barbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super adaptation. Narration is fabulous.