Audiobooks - Abridged vs Unabridged

[SippinSoma]

I'm browsing through Audible.com for some books and I noticed that most books come in two forms. Where an unabridged version might last over 10 hours, an abridged may be as short as 2 hours (and also cheaper). Based on your experience, what's the difference? And is it worth paying twice as much for the unabridged version? Kelly Monaco appreciates your help.

http://www.maximonline.com/girls/kelly_monaco/kelly-monaco-gm_l7.jpg

[RunDownHouse]

Abridged is just that: abridged. They cut out lots of stuff. If you haven't read an abridged version of a book, you might want to pick up a relatively short one of something you've read unabridged just to get a feel for how much they cut out, and then decide if that's acceptable.

Personally, I hate it. It really takes away from the book.

[SippinSoma]

Are the audiobooks just copies of the abridged and unabridged paperbacks? I wasn't aware of this possibility.

[RunDownHouse]

I have never both read and listened to the abridged version of a particular book, so I don't know. I'm not really sure what else it would be though, right?