Member Reviews of forthcoming books.

Rated of 5

I highly recommend it for those who love to travel, arm chair travelers and for the historical information you learn about the 1890s in America. This book covers one of THE most revolutionary and inventive times in history.

I think Book Clubs would like this book. An interesting question to pose would be, "Which of these ladies would YOU like to travel around the globe with?"

Rated of 5

Nellie Bly initiated the idea of traveling around the world in less time than 80 days to give women journalists a boost away from the traditional social columns they wrote. She had to convince the editor of The World a NY newspaper to allow her to embark on such a trip alone, a definite step away from social convention. The editor of the Cosmopolitan heard what the newspaper was doing, so to boost readership he sent Elizabeth Bisland, a free lance writer for the magazine, to challenge Bly's attempt, but traveling the opposite direction. The two women and their outlook on the trips are very different and both have many adventures, but the reader gets to experience both.

Learning in a most readable narrative covering so much space is a pleasure. The book is full of surprises for the modern reader as it covers both custom, details of history, description of places and events of the 1880's. The journeys of both women are exciting. One highlight is that Nellie Bly gets to meet Jules Verne and his wife, but that is only one adventure of many during the historic race. Phileas Fogg was fictional and his adventures were fun, but Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland live in a real world the reader has the pleasure of visiting.

Rated of 5

Learning about life, issues, events and travel in the late 1800's is sure to stir the interest of the reader. This factual book reads like a well written novel and holds your interest totally, except for some parts when the author gets too in-depth with the miniscule facts that add nothing to the story.

One might think the author was being paid by the word, but since the story is so spellbinding, you don't realize it until you've finished the chapter. This book tells the modern reader what it was like for journalist, especially female ones, to cope with the editors, foreign countries and travel of yesteryear

Encourage your book club to read and share their thoughts on this book. Questions could include, would you have done it then and would you do it today and which woman did you find yourself cheering on.

But I still think it should have been about 50 pages shorter.

Rated of 5

My only criticism is that I wanted to know how the outcome would have changed had Bly waited for the rails to be cleared of snow. Regardless, a great read. Definitely recommended.

Rated of 5

Prompted by Jules Verne's fictional character Phileas Fogg, Bly sells the "World" newspaper on her imaginative story idea. Since Fogg circled the globe in eighty days; she explains that she can beat his record. At the "Cosmopolitan" magazine, Bisland's editor sees potential for a wager in the race, and he decides to sponsor her participation. But the real competitor in this race is time.

Newspaper and magazine readerships grow handsomely as the race begins and continues. Editors are pleased as Bly circles the globe from the east and Bisland from the west. But the ultimate winner today is the reader, who can follow such exotic travels from an easy chair at home.

The sights and sounds reported by these two amazing women offer excitement and insight as they open the door to the 20th century, and they find their way into the male dominated world of journalism.