I've never read this classic adventure story before, and I enjoyed it way more than I expected. It really is a lot of fun; the deduction of one star from the rating is mostly due to the casual racism of its time. My enjoyment was enhanced by Jim Dale's excellent reading, but I think I would have enjoyed reading it just as much. (I was a bit distracted by the audio because I kept finding myself identifying which Harry Potter voice Dale was using for various characters in Around the World, and I didn't think the occasional musical sound effects added anything.)

I found the depiction of Americans pretty funny - apparently we've had our reputation for reckless behavior and gunplay a long time.

Somehow I thought this was more of a fantasy/science fiction novel, probably because of Verne's other works. Also, I find it very funny that many of the Around the World in 80 Days book covers show a hot air balloon, when there is no hot air balloon in the book. Hot air balloon is one of the few modes of transport Fogg and crew don't use to travel around the world.