[gmw]

I liked it. It was much lighter and easier than some of Verne's other work. I enjoy Verne much more when he lets his humour show, as he does here, and in "From the Earth to the Moon" (the first half of what is completed with "Around the Moon" - together called "The Moon Voyage").

There was some of the expected racism, sexism and classism - all coming together in the description our Princess Aouda: "from her manners and intelligence, would be thought an European." But no more than expected, it seemed to me.

As to the dénouement, with Verne being a science fiction writer, the missing day was most likely the starting point and raison d'être for the story. As for the common criticism that is should have been so obvious...

When in America, if Fogg saw a newspaper with what seems to be yesterday's date, is he necessarily going to question that? He is not familiar with America, so if he looked out the window and sees streets quieter or busier than might be expected for the supposed day of the week, how is he going to know it is unusual? And is he even going to look? Right from the start the author highlights how little interest Fogg has in being a tourist. Mostly Fogg locks himself away and pays little attention to what is going on outside. I thought the author was almost overdoing his hints in this regard, but then I already knew what was coming.

A missing day seems so unlikely to modern readers, we who live by the clock and the day of the week, but back then? I thought it was played quite well. An astute reader may have picked up on the hints and been laughing up their sleeve at Fogg, and for the others the back story seems to me, if not perfect, then good enough.