abridged or unabridged?

[Sally, la reina]

I think I'm going to download A Tale of Two Cities to listen to on my iPod. I have the choice of unabridged, or regular. Which do you think I should pick?

[Jackie "the Librarian"]

I think Dickens is overwritten, so I'd go for the abridged, Sally.

[Sally, la reina]

hee - good call.

[RandomAnthony]

I hate anything abridged. I feel like I'm subject to someone's editing decisions, I guess because I am, and I don't trust them.

I also worry about translators/translations, so I'm very careful with which one I pick.

[Sarah]

On the other hand, sometimes you read the unabridged and say "Wow! This could have used a good strong-willed editor!"
Stephen King's The Stand comes to mind.

[Sally, la reina]

Wow. Well, now I'm sorry I downloaded the abridged, but it doesn't matter as I still can't get the &^$#@%##)A)$_%@ NetLibrary thingamajig to work.

[Youndyc]

Here's what you need to know: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. There was a French revolution (that's the kind where heads go rolling for no good reason)going on and all sorts of craziness. And this one dude did something really fantastic for this other dude.

[Félix]

It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done.

[Youndyc]

Larry, good addition to my summary! I had forgotten that quote.

[[deleted user]]

My initial reaction to this was that you should listen to the unabridged. But on second thoughts, there are some really brilliant Charles Dickens mini-series, so why can't there be brilliant abridged talking books? (I will leave the amusing comments to the rest of you. I am not feeling funny today.)
Hope you get it working, I love Charles Dickens.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Given a choice, I would always go with unabridged. Maybe the book will end up being too long, overwritten, flabby, etc., but I'd rather find that out for myself. And I don't know if the parts the abridger edits out would be the same parts I would. I can't avoid the feeling that an abridged edition is inauthentic.

[Auntie]

I prefer unabridged. I don't like missing out.

[Michael]

Sarah Pi wrote: "On the other hand, sometimes you read the unabridged and say "Wow! This could have used a good strong-willed editor!"
Stephen King's The Stand comes to mind.
"

I tell people I didn't like The Stand and I get really strange looks.

[Michael]

Sally wrote: "I have the choice of unabridged, or regular. Which do you think I should pick? "

It depends on whether or not the water is troubled. If it is, then I'd go with abridged.

[Jaimie]

I'd say unabridge, especially with RA's reasoning. There may be that one sentence that just sounds like music to your ears but it was cut out in the abridged version and you'll never hear it.

RandomAnthony wrote: "I also worry about translators/translations, so I'm very careful wi..."

That worries me too. I've been reading Dumas' Musketeer books on and off for a while. I picked up whatever was available in the library for "The Three Musketeers" but I was given "20 Years After" for Christmas in the Oxford edition because that one is harder to find. So, I decided to get the rest of them in the Oxford editions as well just to keep consistent. Plus my copy of "20 Years" had a great forward in it explaining how each of the three sagas came out in serial and why it is a common misconception that "The Man in the Iron Mask" is the third book when in actuality it is only the third piece of the third saga, "The Vicomte de Bragelonne."

[Gatorman]

I go with unabridged so I can read it the way the author intended.

[Joanne]

I don't want anyone else deciding what should be cut from a book. I can skip a paragraph or a few pages. My choice.

[Sarah]

I dunno, Joanne. Do you want the first draft? Sometimes stuff is cut for good reason.

[Joanne]

Not asking for the first draft, just don't want the Reader's Digest version.

[Sarah]

Ah, I see your point. I was picturing the choice as original version vs. ultra-huge unabridged author's ramblings version, not original version vs. Reader's Digest version. I'm with ya there.