By "editorialized" I think you mean something more like "abridged." But whatever you meant, the Cliff Notes is neither of those things.

It is a summary of the story with some analysis. It's good for faking essays, not so much for experiencing a piece of literature.

If you can't read it, you CAN just put it down. I recommend sort of doing a split between slogging through it and ditching it: power through it at a rapid pace, and don't stop to reread paragraphs and sentences. It's not really doing the book justice, of course, but you might jist find through doing this that you're actually into the story, and then you'll find that you're reading it with interest and pleasure. I experienced this minor phenomemon several times while cramming books as a undergrad with poor time management skills. And if you don't gain interest, at least you'll have learned to read a little faster.