Lostinabook Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 (edited) My high schoolers & I are reading aloud & discussing literature 2-3 hours/week. I want to do Monte Cristo next, but I am not sure if we want to read 1200 pages aloud vs. about 600. I did compare the first few pages of an abridged text with the unabridged and it does lose some richness of language, but it's not terrible. Anyone have any experience with both? Or have a child with an average-ish interest in great lit who really loved the unabridged? Edited February 16, 2017 by Lostinabook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forty-two Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 I've read the unabridged version and loved it. I do think you'd lose a lot of the intricacy of the plot with the abridged version - it would be very pared-down and/or confusing (because you missed the details that set the various bits in motion). The Count's plans have a lot of wheels within wheels, and are very far-flung (encompassing three families iirc), and all the bits are interrelated - I can't imagine everything coming together so well in the abridged version, where you are missing a full half of the words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 It took me a great length of time just listening to the audio unabridged Monte Cristo. It depends how much time you want to spend on it. In high school I want to cover a large number of books so we would probably go for the abridged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Elle Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 My dd14 just read the abridged version for fun and loved it. Since she was reading it outside of her heavy school load, I encouraged her to read the abridged. I didn't want her to get bogged down in such a long book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forty-two Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 It took me a great length of time just listening to the audio unabridged Monte Cristo. True - the unabridged audible audiobook is 57 hours and 18 minutes. I think it took me about 20 hours to read it silently. I'm very pro the unabridged version, as I loved it so much, how all the bits came together (and the questions it raises about the morality of vengeance) - cutting out half of it is going to lose so much, massively simplify the plot and/or make it confusing (as connecting bits were cut). But it's a lot to read, no doubt about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 I started out reading the unabridged aloud. After many weeks, I switched to the abridged version, but I kept the unabridged handy to refer to when the changes left out details we needed to understand. That seemed to work. I'm sure we missed a few important things that way, but it helped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 But, It is such a good book! If there were an Extended version, I would totally want to read that. Yes, it is a long book, but it finishes too early. Note, I think he is brilliant and easily the best French writer ever. When I got an e-reader, the first and still only thing(s) I downloaded from Gutenburg was ALL of his there in English. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 (edited) Here's my take. For a literature class, do not use abridged books. However, that particular book is so long, that you might have to pick a different one. I had wanted to read Cristo with my son (I read it when I was young and loved it.). But for my particular student, we chose to read The Three Musketeers instead. It's shorter, but still a huge book. He is not a natural reader and it was hard to get through the book. If he missed a day's reading, it was brutal to catch up. I am very, very glad that it's over with and we're back to reading normal sized books. If your kids are readers, and if you have a ton of time (especially if you're reading it out loud! Yikes! If the other posts are true, then it'll be about 60 hours just for reading, nevermind discussion), then go for it. If not, I wouldn't do the abridged version. I'd pick something shorter, like Les Miserables or War and Peace. (Ha ha. Literature humor there.) Edited February 16, 2017 by Garga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 But, It is such a good book! If there were an Extended version, I would totally want to read that. Yes, it is a long book, but it finishes too early. Note, I think he is brilliant and easily the best French writer ever. When I got an e-reader, the first and still only thing(s) I downloaded from Gutenburg was ALL of his there in English. Yes! This is one of my all time favorites, one that I read and re-read often. It will definitely be one that we read in full. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 If your kids are readers, and if you have a ton of time (especially if you're reading it out loud! Yikes! If the other posts are true, then it'll be about 60 hours just for reading, nevermind discussion), then go for it. If not, I wouldn't do the abridged version. I'd pick something shorter, like Les Miserables or War and Peace. (Ha ha. Literature humor there.) Ha! Now those are two that I'd consider the abridged versions for! Les Mis bogs me down every time I try it. I can't get much beyond the thirty pages on the history of convent architecture. War and Peace got the best of me last year about halfway through. Kudos to anyone who has made it to the end! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lostinabook Posted February 17, 2017 Author Share Posted February 17, 2017 Thank you all! Still not sure what I'll do. I may end up having each of them read it on his/her own over the summer & then we can come together to discuss weekly. Ugh. So many books; so little time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 True - the unabridged audible audiobook is 57 hours and 18 minutes. I think it took me about 20 hours to read it silently. I'm very pro the unabridged version, as I loved it so much, how all the bits came together (and the questions it raises about the morality of vengeance) - cutting out half of it is going to lose so much, massively simplify the plot and/or make it confusing (as connecting bits were cut). But it's a lot to read, no doubt about it. 57 hours? And 18 minutes? :svengo: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 57 hours? And 18 minutes? :svengo: It took a good chunk of a summer vacation as I worked in the garden. :001_smile: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 I started out reading the unabridged aloud. After many weeks, I switched to the abridged version, but I kept the unabridged handy to refer to when the changes left out details we needed to understand. That seemed to work. I'm sure we missed a few important things that way, but it helped. I did something sort of like this, too. I would read the abridged, and then look at chapter summaries online to fill in any missing pieces. My son had to read this book as part of the HOD curriculum, and I didn't realize at first that it was abridged since it was such a big book anyhow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hidoggos Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 Hello! I'm a little late to answer this question, but I'm going to do so anyways. DO NOT READ THE ABRIDGED VERSION. DO NOT READ IT. The abridged version is about 1/3 of the unabridged version. The story is simplified and leaves out so many important characters and plot. If you read the abridged version, you might be confused. Some things that are revealed early on in the unabridged version are revealed at the end of the story in the abridged. You miss out on all the details that make the story so much funner to read. If you buy and read the abridged version, you are wasting your time and money. Don't make the mistake I made. Seriously, do not buy the abridged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 Oh, the favorite book in our family. Read the entire thing!!!! Don’t butcher it please. Amazing ❤️❤️❤️❤️ book. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 Agree. Such a great book! Take the time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 After I posted, I read "The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo." Fascinating read, but then I'm a fan of Dumas. His dad was a total bad-ass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 1 hour ago, shawthorne44 said: After I posted, I read "The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo." Fascinating read, but then I'm a fan of Dumas. His dad was a total bad-ass. Yes, and Tom Reiss is a master! His Orientalist is also worth a read! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 Just now, Roadrunner said: Yes, and Tom Reiss is a master! His Orientalist is also worth a read! I was just looking to see if the library had that. So far I'm batting zero. But maybe it is worth an audible credit? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 1 minute ago, shawthorne44 said: I was just looking to see if the library had that. So far I'm batting zero. But maybe it is worth an audible credit? First read the love story Ali and Nino. It’s a beautiful love story set in Baku and every street described and every event, many characters are all historically true even if main characters are made up. You will come away with a good enough understanding of the Caucasus. The book (Orientalist) is about the author of that book. It is absolutely worth the read. To me it was worth the credit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdollenger Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 (edited) It's such a good book. My oldest and I both loved it and have read it a couple of times. My 10th and 8th graders just asked me to load up the audiobook version for them last week (our is 52 hours long) and they're both loving it. They're listening in free time outside of course work. This is one I wouldn't want to read abridged. Edited August 31, 2022 by hdollenger 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 (edited) On 2/16/2017 at 3:55 PM, ALB said: Yes! This is one of my all time favorites, one that I read and re-read often. It will definitely be one that we read in full. Ha! Coming back 5 years later to eat my words. I decided to do the abridged version as a family read aloud. I just couldn't bring myself to read aloud the entire thing, as much as I love it. We started it about two weeks ago and I've already noticed some details that were missing. After reading through this thread, though, I picked up the original and started where we had left off. The kids liked it much better and even my 3rd grader gets sucked in. I think this is different from Les Mis (which I do assign as abridged) in that so much of the book is the story line, packed with action and dialogue, and not just lengthy background descriptions. Edited September 20, 2022 by ALB Modified Comment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in VA Posted September 20, 2022 Share Posted September 20, 2022 On 7/27/2022 at 4:47 PM, shawthorne44 said: I was just looking to see if the library had that. So far I'm batting zero. But maybe it is worth an audible credit? I listened to The Black Count this summer as an audiobook and it was fascinating! After reading it, it made me want to read The Count of Monte Cristo so I am doing it as a read aloud this year with my teen. We are calling it his junior year read, haha, as it is so long it may take us the entire year! I highly recommend The Black Count if you can find it! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted September 20, 2022 Share Posted September 20, 2022 12 hours ago, Shelly in VA said: I listened to The Black Count this summer as an audiobook and it was fascinating! After reading it, it made me want to read The Count of Monte Cristo so I am doing it as a read aloud this year with my teen. We are calling it his junior year read, haha, as it is so long it may take us the entire year! I highly recommend The Black Count if you can find it! While reading it, I was forcing my friends to hear stories from that book. Makes me want to reread Count of Monte Cristo now that I know his dad's story. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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