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Either

A Gentleman in Moscow audiobook vs book: which should you choose?

In 1922 a Bolshevik tribunal sentences Count Rostov to spend the rest of his life inside a Moscow hotel. It’s close to even: a praised reading against polished prose and footnotes that suit the page.

Read vs Listen·First published 6 November 2026·Last edited 6 November 2026·5 min read
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
The verdict
The same thirteen checks for every bookSix checks point to listening, such as a full cast or produced audio, the author reading their own memoir, or one narrator for a single viewpoint. Seven point to reading, such as jumping timelines, three or more viewpoints, or a story that depends on images or layout. Each check has a weight, and the weighted total sets the verdict. Verdicts are never paid for. The percentage rises with the gap between the two sides and with how much evidence there is, so a couple of small checks can’t make a book clear cut on their own: 50 to 64 is a close call, 65 to 79 is leaning, 80 to 94 is clear, and 95 or more is clear cut. See how we decide in full →

Either works

Either works for A Gentleman in Moscow, so pick the format you enjoy. Kirkus calls Nicholas Guy Smith’s reading “a master performance that engages the listener from the start”, and it makes a 462-page novel easy to fit around the day. On the page you can take Towles’s polished, mannered prose at your own pace and see the historian-style footnotes that reviewers point to.

Audible listeners rate the narration 4.7 out of 5 (3,927 ratings)

Definitely readDefinitely listen
52%
Either
Get it on Kindle462 pages (UK paperback) · about 7½ hours to readListen on Audible17h 52m, read by Nicholas Guy Smith

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The audiobook at a glance

RecordingUK edition, our verdictUS edition
NarratorNicholas Guy SmithNicholas Guy Smith
Length17 hours 52 minutes (17h 52m), unabridged17 hours 52 minutes (17h 52m), unabridged
At 1.5xabout 11h 55mabout 11h 55m
At 2xabout 8h 56mabout 8h 56m
Audio publisher and dateAudible Studios, 18 October 2018Penguin Audio, 6 September 2016
Audiobook price£16.51 on Audible UK$22.50 on Audible US
Kindle price£5.99 on Amazon UKNot listed
PrintWindmill paperback, 462 pages, 2017 (UK)Viking hardcover, 480 pages, 2016 (US)
Listener ratingPerformance 4.74 from 3,927 ratingsPerformance 4.83 from 42,850 ratings

Nicholas Guy Smith reads both the Audible Studios (UK) and the Penguin Audio (US) listings, at the same length, so the UK listing is the one scored. We couldn’t confirm whether they are the same master recording.

No other English recording and no abridged edition was found. Ratings and prices checked 6 November 2026. Prices change often. US Kindle prices are left out, as Amazon only shows them to US visitors.

Lengths checked 6 November 2026. Speed times are calculated.

Why this verdictWhat it isCase for readingCase for listeningThe audiobookWho should ignore itQuestions

A Gentleman in Moscow

Amor Towles

Genre
Historical fiction
First published
September 2016
Length
462 pages (UK paperback)
On audio
17 hrs 52 mins, Nicholas Guy Smith
On screen
TV series, 2024, with Ewan McGregor

On this page

  1. Why we reached this verdict
  2. What this book actually is
  3. The case for reading it
  4. The case for listening to it
  5. The audiobook in detail
  6. Who should ignore this verdict
  7. Questions people ask

Why we reached this verdict

Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.

Two checks point to reading
✓
Literary or dense proseBooklist calls it a “polished literary foray into a bygone era”, the Washington Post says it “stretches out with old-World elegance”, and NPR’s Annalisa Quinn finds it “undeniably mannered but also undeniably pleasant”. Prose this crafted rewards reading at your own pace.
✓
Maps, family trees or footnotesChristine Pivovar (Kansas City Star) points to “authorial footnotes in the voice of a historian-cum-Russian-novelist”, and Steve Nathans-Kelly (Paste) to “a handful of razor-sharp footnotes”. No PDF comes with the audiobook, so print is the sure way to see them set out as footnotes.
Two checks point to listening
✓
Award-winning or praised narrationKirkus calls Smith “A gifted narrator” who “captures scene and character with expressive shadings of voice and tone”, and the recording “a master performance that engages the listener from the start”. A reading that shades each character this well brings the hotel and its people to life by ear.
✓
Long bookThe UK Windmill paperback runs to 462 pages (Penguin New Zealand lists 512), and the audiobook lets you get through a long novel on commutes and walks.
Checked, not a factor here (9)
–
Narration criticisedPerformance 4.74 from 3,927 ratings on Audible UK and 4.83 from 42,850 on Audible US, and no critic criticises the reading.
–
Jumping timelinesThe story mainly follows the Count’s years in order; only one critic, Bill Daley (Chicago Tribune), describes it moving “backward and forward in time”.
–
Three or more points of view, one narratorNothing we found says the narrator moves between three or more characters’ viewpoints.
–
Story depends on images or layoutNothing we found mentions illustrations or a special layout.
–
Many similar-sounding namesNo reviewer says the names are hard to tell apart.
–
Full cast or produced audioNicholas Guy Smith reads it alone, with no cast or music.
–
Read by the authorIt is a novel, so the author-reading check doesn’t apply.
–
Single point of view and narratorThe book follows Count Rostov, but its narrator is an outside, historian-like voice, and we couldn’t confirm that it stays with him throughout.
–
Unfamiliar names or dialectThe setting and names are Russian, but no reviewer comments on how they sound in this recording.
How the score adds up
Listening 9 points, reading 10

Praised narration (6) and the book’s length (3) give listening 9 points, while the polished literary prose (7) and the footnotes (3) give reading 10. That’s close to even at 52%, so either format works.

Every book gets the same thirteen checks, set in advance. Verdicts are never paid for or influenced by affiliate links. Last edited 6 November 2026, and rechecked every year as editions and narrators change. Read the checks in full · Is listening the same as reading? See what the research says.

The recording in detail

One narratorMulti-voiceFull castDramatised
Scored
Nicholas Guy Smith, Audible Studios, 2018, 17h 52m, unabridged
Critic review
Kirkus: “a master performance that engages the listener from the start”
Alternatives
None: one Nicholas Guy Smith reading, sold by Audible Studios (UK) and Penguin Audio (US)
What you miss
The footnotes as printed: we couldn’t find how the audiobook handles them

What this book actually is

A Gentleman in Moscow is Amor Towles’s novel about Count Alexander Rostov, sentenced by a Bolshevik tribunal in 1922 to spend the rest of his life inside Moscow’s Metropol Hotel. The story follows him across four decades, told by a witty, knowing narrator who adds footnotes and digressions along the way.

A TV series starring Ewan McGregor as the Count, with Mary Elizabeth Winstead, began on 29 March 2024. Soviet-era political repression sits in the background of the story.

The case for reading it

Towles’s prose is the main draw for print. Booklist calls the novel a “polished literary foray into a bygone era”, the Washington Post says it “stretches out with old-World elegance”, and NPR’s Annalisa Quinn finds it “undeniably mannered but also undeniably pleasant”. Writing like this rewards a pace you set yourself.

The print book also has a handful of footnotes in the voice of a historian, which reviewers in The Kansas City Star and Paste point out. No PDF comes with the audiobook, and we couldn’t find how the recording handles them. BookBrowse’s Kim Kovacs says getting into the book “requires some patience”, and on the page it is easy to go back over an opening chapter.

The case for listening to it

Nicholas Guy Smith’s reading is the reason to listen. Kirkus calls him “A gifted narrator” and the recording “a master performance that engages the listener from the start”, and listeners rate his performance above 4.7 on both Audible stores.

The book mainly follows the Count’s years in order, so it is easy to follow by ear, and at almost 18 hours the audiobook makes a long novel easy to fit around commutes and chores.

The audiobook in detail

Nicholas Guy Smith reads the whole book alone, unabridged, in 17 hours 52 minutes. The UK listing is from Audible Studios (18 October 2018), and Audible US sells his reading through Penguin Audio (6 September 2016) at the same length.

Kirkus praises his “expressive shadings of voice and tone”. No award was found for this recording, and no PDF comes with either listing.

Who should ignore this verdict

If a praised reading and a way to fit a long novel into busy days matter most, choose the audiobook. If you like to savour sentences and see the footnotes on the page, choose the book. The gap between them is small.

Get A Gentleman in Moscow
Both editions, so you can go with the verdict or ignore it entirely.

Audiobook

  • Read by Nicholas Guy Smith
  • 17h 52m
  • Unabridged
Listen on Audible

Kindle

  • 462 pages (UK paperback)
  • See the footnotes on the page
  • About 7½ hours to read (our estimate)
Get the Kindle edition
Affiliate links. If you buy through one of these we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, and with no influence on the verdict above.

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Start here

How we decide

The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.

Questions people ask

Who narrates the A Gentleman in Moscow audiobook?

Nicholas Guy Smith reads the whole audiobook on his own, on both Audible UK and Audible US.

How long is the A Gentleman in Moscow audiobook?

17 hours 52 minutes, unabridged. That is about 11 hours 55 minutes at 1.5x speed and 8 hours 56 minutes at 2x (calculated).

Is the A Gentleman in Moscow audiobook abridged?

No. The audiobook is unabridged, and no abridged edition was found.

How many pages is A Gentleman in Moscow?

The UK Windmill paperback (ISBN 9780099558781) has 462 pages according to Browns Books and Open Library; Penguin New Zealand lists 512. The US Viking hardcover has 480.

Is there a TV series of A Gentleman in Moscow?

Yes. The series, starring Ewan McGregor as Count Rostov with Mary Elizabeth Winstead, began on 29 March 2024 on Paramount+ in the UK and on Paramount+ with Showtime in the US.

Does A Gentleman in Moscow have footnotes?

Yes. The print book has a handful of footnotes written in the voice of a historian, as reviewers in The Kansas City Star and Paste point out.

Is A Gentleman in Moscow slow to get into?

Some critics say so. BookBrowse’s reviewer found that getting into the book “requires some patience”, and NPR called it “undeniably mannered but also undeniably pleasant”.

How much time does A Gentleman in Moscow cover?

About four decades of Soviet history, from the Count’s sentence in 1922 onwards.

What should I read after A Gentleman in Moscow?

Kirkus’s audiobook review suggests Amor Towles’s first novel, Rules of Civility, which is also on Audible.

Should I read or listen to A Gentleman in Moscow?

Either works. Kirkus calls Nicholas Guy Smith’s reading “a master performance”, and the long, mostly chronological story is easy to follow by ear. Read it if you want to savour the polished prose and see the footnotes set out in print.

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A Gentleman in MoscowOur pick: either works · 52%
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