Why not "unabridged"

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I hate when publishers only support a summary of the book or an "abridged" version. It's offensive to people with reading disorders who will not receive the full benefit of the book.

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ARE YOU KIDDING ME? NO UNABRIDGED VERSION?

What would have made Blonde better?

If I could have listened to the entire darned thing, instead of quitting 1/10 of the way through to read the REAL book. The narration was fantastic, and this is an incredible work of literature. WHY it had to be ruined...I have no idea.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved everything about it...too bad I was missing a HUGE part of the point.

Which scene was your favorite?

The one that I read afterwards when I had to RE READ THE BOOK to get the whole story. Possibly the one with Norma in the car, since THAT WAS COMPLETELY LEFT OUT AND CHANGED THE MEANING OF EVERYTHING.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I absolutely adore this book. It's just too bad that it has been decided for us that we aren't intelligent or patient or deep enough to listen to the entire thing. JCO, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING????

Any additional comments?

I am so disappointed. I'd love a refund since I had to stop listening and buy the book anyway, once I realized all that I was missing out on.

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Seriously need to redo the audio!!!

The narrations jumps all over the fucking place, skips some chapters and hundreds of paragraphs!? This seriously annoying and horrible, the book is great though the audible narration is a hot fucking mess omg!!!

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This bombshell keeps making her way into my heart!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! the author of this book and narrator really brought you close to Marilyn. It was a pleasure to listen to. I couldn't put it down.

What did you like best about this story?

The intimacy you got to share with marilyn from her fist moments to her last.

If you could rename Blonde, what would you call it?

i Wouldn't i think this title was perfectly chosen. it really is a metaphor for the story.

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My Own Fault for Not Noticing

I finished this audiobook thinking, "man, that book could have been awesome, but it felt like the skeleton of an amazing book." It was only then that I saw the word, "abridged," on the file. Curse me for being stupid and curse the monster who invented abridgments and curse the punk who thought this book should abridged.

As it stands, this abridgement was fine. JCO makes a few speculative leaps about the inner workings of Norma Jean cum Marilyn, that feel spot-on. It was the first book I've read where someone really tried to understand the mechanisms of Marilyn's genius. ...and she as a genius at what she did, unquestionably. She was just so good; so talented; so funny.

When JCO comes to Marilyn's sing-song at JFK's birthday I stopped listening and watched the footage on Youtube. She's clearly a little tipsy, and perhaps out of her league in that den of Ivy League privilege, but they were only more educated than Marilyn. They were not smarter, and they might scorn her, but they absolutely bowed to her genius too. All she does is take off a coat and take a breath, and the room is hers. It's incredible.

Anyway, I don't know if I'll go back and read the unabridged version now. Marilyn had a hard life, and this is an equally hard book. It's brilliant, but not pretty.

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Great but wish it wasn’t abridged

This is an amazing book and very well done but it was abridged and I didn’t know that

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5 stars

The narrator's smoky, Peggy Lee voice pairs perfectly with JCO's emotional, sinister, always real take on Marilyn's life. A must read.

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Couldn't stop listening

Rarely write a review, but the melding of prose and reader was so perfect. I don't care about the historical accuracy ... it was psychologically convincing and mesmerizing.

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Interesting take on Marilyn

Overall, this book was a good listen. It was for my book club and was my first time to listen instead of read a fiction book. I definitely had a different take on the story compared to the ladies who read the book. I liked it a lot more than they did, but I think it's because the audio version is abridged. The narrator's imitation of Marilyn was annoying at times, but the story was great to listen to and kept me interested.

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Amazing writing and narration, what a treat!

I've never read a real biography written this way before. Blew me away, so fun. Loved the narrator making the story come to life In a whole new way with her changes in tones and voices.

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