Every verdict checked against the same thirteen questions. No paid placements.The free app is coming soon. Get early access →
Read vs Listen
Christmas
Home › Verdicts › Literary fiction › Birnam Wood
Listen

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton: audiobook vs book, which should you choose?

Eleanor Catton’s eco-thriller about a guerrilla gardening group and an American billionaire on the same piece of New Zealand land.

Read vs Listen·Verdict last reviewed 2 November 2026·5 min read
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

Short answer: for the Birnam Wood audiobook vs book choice, we say listen on Audible (65% confidence, leaning). Kirkus praises the narration and the book runs to 432 pages, both of which favour audio. Reviewers describe several perspectives and a literary style, but no source pins either down, so only the listening side counts and confidence is held at 65%.

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. See how we decide in full →

Listen on Audible

Kirkus says “Maarleveld’s delivery is matchless”, and Saskia Maarleveld's reading was a 2024 Audie Award finalist for fiction, so it's a reading worth hearing. At 432 pages, it's a long read that goes further on audio.

Definitely readDefinitely listen
65%
Listen
Listen on AudibleOur pick · 12h 47m, read by Saskia MaarleveldKindle edition432 pages (Granta hardback)

Affiliate links: we may earn a small commission, at no cost to you. It never changes a verdict.

Confidence 65%, which puts it in the leaning band. Bands run from close call at 50 to 64, through leaning at 65 to 79 and clear at 80 to 94, up to clear cut at 95 and above. Is listening the same as reading? See what the research says.

The audiobook at a glance

RecordingUK edition, our verdictUS edition
NarratorSaskia MaarleveldSaskia Maarleveld
Length12 hours 47 minutes (12h 47m), unabridged12 hours 47 minutes (12h 47m), unabridged
At 1.5xabout 8h 31mabout 8h 31m
At 2xabout 6h 24mabout 6h 24m
Audio publisher and dateAudible Studios, 3 March 2023Audible Studios, 7 March 2023
Audiobook price£14.16 on Audible UK$21.91 on Audible US
Kindle price£6.99 on Amazon UKNot confirmed
PrintGranta hardback, 432 pages, 2 March 2023Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2023
Listener ratingPerformance 4.5 from 236 ratingsPerformance 4.5 from 734 ratings

Saskia Maarleveld reads both editions, with the same publisher and length. Whether they are one recording or two is not confirmed; the checks come out the same either way.

Ratings and prices checked 2 November 2026. They change often. Amazon US does not show Kindle prices outside the US, so US Kindle prices are not given.

Lengths checked 2 November 2026. Speed times are calculated.

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

Birnam Wood

Eleanor Catton

Genre
Literary thriller
First published
2 March 2023 (UK)
Length
432 pages (Granta hardback)
On audio
12 hrs 47 mins, Saskia Maarleveld
Shortlisted
Giller Prize 2023

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 criteria point to listening
✓
Award-winning or praised narrationKirkus, reviewing the audiobook (22 January 2026), says “Maarleveld’s delivery is matchless”, and the recording was a 2024 Audie Award finalist for fiction (Wikipedia).
✓
Long book432 pages in the UK Granta hardback and paperback, over 400.
–
Full cast or produced audioSaskia Maarleveld reads it on her own, with no cast or music listed.
–
Read by the authorIt is a novel, read by a narrator rather than the author.
–
Single point of view and narratorKirkus says “Catton swirls among perspectives”, so it is not one point of view.
–
Unfamiliar names or dialectThe New Zealand setting brings names such as Korowai and Thorndike, but no source says the names or speech are hard to follow, so it does not count.
No criteria point to reading
–
Narration criticisedThe Audible Performance rating is 4.5 on both stores, from 236 ratings on Audible UK and 734 on Audible US, and Kirkus praises the reading.
–
Jumping timelinesThe Conversation describes a chain of “increasingly dramatic escalations” after a landslide, which reads as one forward-moving story, so it does not count.
–
Three or more points of view, one narratorKirkus says the novel “swirls among perspectives” and The Conversation says the narrator comments on “each of her characters”, but no source names three or more viewpoint characters, so it does not count yet.
–
Story depends on images or layoutNo source mentions anything on the page that the story depends on, so it does not count.
–
Many similar-sounding namesNo source says the names are easy to confuse, so it does not count.
–
Literary or dense proseThe Conversation calls it “a novel of depth and complexity” but also “refreshingly unsubtle”, and NPR finds it “shapelier and more conventional” than The Luminaries, so it does not count.
–
Maps, family trees or footnotesNo source mentions a map, family tree or notes, so it does not count. No PDF comes with the audiobook.
How the score adds up
Listening 9 points, reading 0

Listening: award-winning or praised narration (6), long book (3), 9 points. Reading: nothing confirmed, 0 points. 100% of the confirmed points favour listening, so the verdict is listen on Audible at 65% confidence (leaning). Only 9 points could be confirmed, so confidence is held at 65% until more evidence is found.

The recording in detail

One narratorMulti-voiceFull castDramatised
Scored
Saskia Maarleveld, Audible Studios, 2023, 12h 47m, unabridged
Critic review
Kirkus (22 January 2026): “Maarleveld’s delivery is matchless”
Alternatives
None in English
What you miss
Nothing confirmed

What this book actually is

Birnam Wood is a novel by Eleanor Catton, author of the Booker-winning The Luminaries. Set in a fictionalised New Zealand after a landslide cuts off a mountain pass, it follows a guerrilla gardening group led by Mira Bunting and the American billionaire Robert Lemoine, who has his own plans for the same land.

It was shortlisted for the Giller Prize and a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, among others. The title comes from the wood in Macbeth, but the book is set in modern New Zealand. It includes violence, surveillance and threat. How the thriller plot resolves is not covered here.

The case for reading it

Kirkus says “Catton swirls among perspectives”, and The Conversation describes a narrator who comments archly on each character. In print it is easier to see whose chapter you are in, though no source counts the viewpoints.

The Conversation calls it “a novel of depth and complexity”, though it also finds the book “refreshingly unsubtle”.

The case for listening to it

Kirkus calls Saskia Maarleveld’s delivery “matchless” and says she takes on the voices of eco-warriors, a predatory billionaire and a New Zealand lord. The recording was a 2024 Audie Award finalist.

At 12 hours 47 minutes it comes down to about 8 hours 31 minutes at 1.5x.

The audiobook in detail

Audible Studios publishes the recording on both stores, read by Saskia Maarleveld at 12 hours 47 minutes (UK 3 March 2023, US 7 March 2023). Whether they are one recording or two is not confirmed.

No PDF companion is listed.

Who should ignore this verdict

Lean towards print if you like to keep track of who is speaking when a novel moves between characters. Lean towards audio if a long book is easier for you to finish by listening, or you want the reading Kirkus praises.

Get Birnam Wood
Both editions, so you can go with the verdict or ignore it entirely.
Our pick

Audiobook

  • Read by Saskia Maarleveld
  • 12h 47m, or about 8h 31m at 1.5x
  • Unabridged; 2024 Audie Award finalist
Listen on Audible

Kindle

  • 432 pages (Granta hardback)
  • Easier to see whose chapter you are in
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.

Read differently from most people? The app, coming soon, will let you switch off any of the thirteen checks. Get notified →

Related verdicts

Different verdict

The Secret History

Another literary thriller.

Different verdict

Wild Dark Shore

A literary thriller with a remote setting.

Opposite verdict

The Disappearers

Jamaican patois and a very long book, against a timeline from 1988 to 2005 and formally ambitious prose.

Same verdict

Gone Girl

A thriller that works on audio.

Start here

How we decide

The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.

Questions people ask

Who narrates the Birnam Wood audiobook?

Saskia Maarleveld reads the whole book on her own, in the UK and the US.

How long is the Birnam Wood audiobook?

12 hours 47 minutes, or about 8 hours 31 minutes at 1.5x.

Is it abridged?

No, it is unabridged.

How many pages is Birnam Wood?

432 pages in the UK Granta hardback and paperback.

Is it Birnam Wood or Birman Wood?

Birnam Wood. The title comes from the wood in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

Is Birnam Wood connected to Macbeth?

The title comes from the wood in Macbeth, and The Conversation notes references to the play, but the novel is set in modern New Zealand.

Is there a Birnam Wood film or TV series?

None found as of November 2026.

Should I read or listen?

Listen, at 65%, leaning. A praised reading and a long book point to audio, and nothing on the print side could be confirmed yet.

Do you agree with this verdict?

We said listen on Audible. One tap, no sign-up.

Spotted a mistake on this page? Tell us and we will fix it. Or tell us how the site could be better.

How this verdict was reached

Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions, set in advance and applied identically to every title. They are based on research into what readers and listeners generally find easier to follow in each format, not on personal preference, and they are published in full so you can check the reasoning yourself. Verdicts are never paid for, sponsored or influenced by affiliate partners.

Deciding about a different book?

Search for it. If we've written it up, we'll take you to the verdict. If not, we'll add it to our list of books to check.

← Angel DownThe Man Who Died Twice →
Birnam WoodOur pick: listen · 65%
KindleListen on Audible