Eighty Days Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Jules Verne: A Man Ahead of His Time and our BookBrowse Review of Eighty Days.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. In the book's prologue Matthew Goodman writes, "Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland were not only racing around the world; they were also racing through the very heart of the Victorian age." What do you think he meant by this? In what way did Bly and Bisland's race illustrate some of the larger social issues of the time?
2. In what ways were Elizabeth and Nellie similar, and in what ways were they dissimilar? Did they have differing views of themselves as women, as writers, as Americans? How might this have colored their attitudes about the around-the-world race?
3. Almost every story of the time mentioned the fact that Nellie Bly carried only a single handbag for her trip around the world. How do you think you would pack for such a trip? What would you consider the essentials to bring along?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Ballantine Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.