Good or Evil: Abridged editions.

I can't say I have come across a successful abridged edition, mostly because I refuse to read them. I can't imagine reading a book and purposefully selecting a copy that was not the whole thing... it would be like watching a film in fullscreen rather than letterbox, where so much of the picture is missing. In film the story is not the only important thing; there is also cinematography, art direction, etc. Likewise with books; there is language and structure and metaphor. I wouldn't be willing to rob myself of any of it.

I never read abridged versions of books, but I've been seriously wondering about my sanity because I am maybe a quarter of the way through Les Miserables... and have been for years. Maybe I should go to the abridged and then see if I can make my way back into the unabridged. Hmmm.

I once did, in high school, cause the book itself didn't really appeal to me. (Can't remember the title nor author. Something about South Africa.) I had higher grades than the girl who read the non-abridged book. Now I can't even watch a movie on a plane (which is always shortened, no?). Pisses me off.