Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme centering on the subject of books which poses a question or a thought for participants to discuss. The question for this week is:
What’s the largest, thickest, heaviest book you ever read? Was it because you had to? For pleasure? For school?
That’s easy: the 1,463 page unabridged version os Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (linked to my review). I read it for pleasure. I had seen a recording of the 10th anniversary presentation of it and read two different abridged versions and wanted to read the whole thing in context. Normally I am a book purist who doesn’t like abridgments, but in this case I would definitely recommend an abridged version. I’m glad to have read the whole volume once, but if I read it again I will probably either skip over some of it (like the histories of convents and sewer systems) or go back to the abridged.
Stray Thoughts 
I definitely want to read Les Miserables … it’s on my wishlist … but you do have me wonder whether an abridged version would be more ideal than unabridged.
I’ve read that but I borrowed it at the library, I don’t remember if it was the unabridged version or not. I have some others on my list
http://dawntreader-island2.blogspot.com/2011/01/booking-through-thursday-largest.html
I never read Les Mis. Seen a couple versions of on the screen though. Here is my answer to this week’s Booking Through Thursday.
here’s mine http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2011/01/booking-through-thursday_27.html
I remember your review of Les Mis. That’s definitely an accomplishment!
I read War and Peace a few years ago and survived it, but if I return to it I’ll choose an abridgment. Back in 8th grade I read both Roots and Gone with the Wind, books the thickness of which I still remember. I was so proud of myself. 🙂