Posted by Adam Quinan on April 29, 2012 at 04:58:44 user Adam.
In Reply to: Re: New 5-part adaption of Swallows & Amazons on BBC Radio 4 Extra posted by Mike Field on April 28, 2012 at 20:31:15:
I was just reporting the experience, not commenting on its quality or excusing the decisions made in the production. Books are long compared to cinematic or theatrical productions. I gather Gabriel Woolf's reading of S&A takes six hours of CDs. Radio productions can be straight readings but only if they think that people will hang in there for a full series of episodes.
The question of how much to abridge while retaining the main elements and charm of the original book is a continual problem for those who try and bring books to other forms. For the aficionado and enthusiast, any abridgment will probably leave out some favourite passage, for the casual listener or viewer that may be seen as distracting or confusing padding.
Really you have to decide as a fan whether any exposure of the general public to Ransome is better than none.