heartofdakota.com

I just realized that the audio book of The Cat of Bubastes used in CTC is an abridged version. I'm just wondering why an abridged version was chosen?? Is it because of the length of the full version or are there content issues? Also, could a 7th grader who is a very strong reader just read the book instead? My son has never read any of Henty's books but I thought I'd like to have him do so. But, I don't want to get bogged down in a book that is too long or not appropriate for some reason.

I do not know the answer to your question. I just wanted to say that we all listened to The Cat of Bubastes going to and from our vacation this past year and ALL of us loved it! Even my dh (who doesn't do any school time with us), was hanging on every word.

I did not realize it was an abridged version, and know nothing about the original. But it was definitely good listening

Hopefully someone can actually answer your question....I just had to chime in

Thank you! I guess it doesn't really matter. I'm just curious. I bet the unabridged is really long. I'm glad to hear that you liked it!

I read the book a few months ago and it took me about 1 week of before bed reading (1 hour or so at a time) I will try to listen to the audio and see if there are any glaring differences and check the time.
I don't remember anything that was inappropriate other than the beginning when the Egyptians attack the Rebu and kill their king, the idea of slavery, and the Egyptian culture of false god''s. I believe the age for this book however makes it appropriate material to be discussed.

I just checked and the cd's are 6 hours long abridged so I am guessing it is only an hour or so missing. I will let you know what I find.

Thanks, Mandy! That is really helpful.

DHT1999 wrote:I just realized that the audio book of The Cat of Bubastes used in CTC is an abridged version. I'm just wondering why an abridged version was chosen?? Is it because of the length of the full version or are there content issues? Also, could a 7th grader who is a very strong reader just read the book instead? My son has never read any of Henty's books but I thought I'd like to have him do so. But, I don't want to get bogged down in a book that is too long or not appropriate for some reason.

My son is 12 and we are starting CtC this week. I plan on having him read The Cat of Bubastes. He's a strong reader and the book isn't that long. Also, I checked on audible.com to see how long the unabridged version of the audiobook is and it says 11 hours and 25 minutes.

Um WOW I am sure it did not take me that long to read it but I am a fast reader so...perhaps the reason for the abridged version is time constraints then? Maybe Julie or Carrie will chime in on this specific topic too.

I think reading anything outloud just takes longer than silent reading. I think I will get a copy of the book and pre-read it.

Ladies,

Great discussion! Henty's books are often pretty wordy, as he has a habit of meandering in his descriptions to the point that at times you can lose focus. I am totally an unabridged gal in almost all areas, as CM herself was! However, in this case we made an exception. I actually read the book, then listened to the abridged version first, and then the unabridged and preferred the abridged version for a child's first introduction to Henty. Henty also is not an easy read for students, with some of his books being much more difficult than others. So, the audio version, especially done by Jim Weiss is a welcome introduction to Henty. It makes him accessible. This is why we schedule the Weiss abridged version. It truly makes the time period come alive. As a professional storyteller, Weiss carefully abridged this book, removing redundant wording while still keeping the flavor and original meaning and feeling to the book. We loved it and pray you will too!

Blessings,
Carrie