Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies: audiobook vs book, which should you choose?
Kris Kringle says he is the real Santa Claus, and a New York court has to decide. This is the 1947 novella published alongside the film, and the audiobook is a full-cast production.
Short answer: for the Miracle on 34th Street audiobook vs book choice, we say listen on Audible (100% confidence, clear cut). The recording we scored is a full-cast dramatised adaptation, 1 hour 35 minutes, with 17 named performers and four roles stated. A full cast is the highest-weighted listening criterion, and nothing confirmed points to print. It is an adaptation, though: if you want Valentine Davies’s own words, read the novella. No unabridged reading of the novella was found.
Listen on Audible
A named full cast performs it, and nothing confirmed points to print.
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Confidence 100%, which puts it in the clear cut 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.
The audiobook at a glance
| Recording | Our verdict: full-cast adaptation (NYS Theatre Institute) | Also on Audible UK: Carl Reiner (Phoenix Books) |
|---|---|---|
| Performed by | Full cast of 17, including John Romeo (Kris Kringle), Alyson Lange (Susan), Elsabeth S. Rogers (Doris), Timothy Booth (Fred) | Carl Reiner |
| Length | 1 hour 35 minutes (1h 35m) | 1 hour 31 minutes (1h 31m) |
| At 1.5x | about 1h 3m | about 1h 1m |
| At 2x | about 48m | about 46m |
| Type | Dramatised adaptation, “adapted from the novel by Valentine Davies” | Abridged reading |
| Audio publisher and year | NYS Theatre Institute, © 2002, released 20 December 2005 | Phoenix Books, (P) 1994 |
| Listener rating | 4.0 from 5 ratings on Audible UK; 4.3 from 37 on Audible US | Not checked |
| Price (snapshot) | £5.71 on Audible UK; $6.35 on Audible US | £7.59 on Audible UK |
The full-cast production is second in Audible UK search; Carl Reiner’s abridged reading is first. We score the full cast because it is the highest-production edition and no unabridged reading of the novella was found. Audible UK also has Lux Radio Theatre episodes (59 minutes, and 1 hour 5 minutes with a commentary) and a 51-minute dramatisation with Maureen O’Hara. The 1994 film novelisation is a separate book by Todd Strasser.
Lengths checked 23 October 2026. Speed times are calculated.
Miracle on 34th Street
Valentine Davies
- Genre
- Novella; Christmas
- First published
- 1947, at the film’s release
- On audio
- 1 hr 35 mins, full cast (dramatised)
- On screen
- Miracle on 34th Street (1947 and 1994)
On this page
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.
Listening: full cast or produced audio (10), 10 points. Reading: nothing confirmed, 0 points. 100% of the confirmed points favour listening, so the verdict is listen on Audible at 100% confidence (clear cut).
The recording in detail
- Scored
- Full cast (17 performers), NYS Theatre Institute, 2005, 1h 35m, dramatised adaptation
- Critic review
- None found
- Alternatives
- Carl Reiner, abridged, 1h 31m (Phoenix Books)
- What you miss
- Valentine Davies’s own text (it is an adaptation)
What this book actually is
Miracle on 34th Street is Valentine Davies’s short novel, published when the 1947 film came out. A kindly old man called Kris Kringle is hired as Macy’s Santa, insists he is the real one, and ends up in court, where a young lawyer, Fred, sets out to prove it. Doris, a no-nonsense Macy’s manager, and her daughter Susan are drawn in.
Most people know it from the 1947 film or the 1994 remake. How the trial ends is not covered here.
The case for reading it
The book is the only way to have Valentine Davies’s own text. The recording we scored is a dramatised adaptation, so the script and the novella are not the same words, and one listener called it a faithful version of the film rather than of the book. If the original text matters to you, read it.
It is short, so it suits a single sitting.
The case for listening to it
The full-cast production gives each main character an actor of their own, with four roles named on the listing. A cast is the strongest listening criterion we have, and the story, one question settled in one trial, is easy to follow on audio.
At 1 hour 35 minutes, it is about 1 hour 3 minutes at 1.5x.
The audiobook in detail
NYS Theatre Institute’s production runs 1 hour 35 minutes on Audible UK (copyright 2002, released 20 December 2005) and is labelled “adapted from the novel by Valentine Davies”. The listing does not say whether it is abridged. It had 4.0 stars from 5 ratings on Audible UK and 4.3 from 37 on Audible US on 23 October 2026, with mixed comments: some found it inspiring, one called it a fair version of the film, and one disliked the voice pitch, speed and sound quality.
Carl Reiner’s 1 hour 31 minute reading (Phoenix Books, 1994) comes first in Audible UK search but is abridged. A 16-minute storybook edition read by George Newbern is on Audible US only.
Who should ignore this verdict
Read the novella if you want the original text rather than a dramatised script.
Listen to the cast version if you want something to play for the family; it is shorter than most films of the story.
Audiobook
- Full cast of 17 performers
- 1h 35m, or about 1h 3m at 1.5x
- Dramatised adaptation
Read differently from most people? The app, coming soon, will let you switch off any of the thirteen checks. Get notified →
Related verdicts
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One narrator and praised narration point to audio, but the story moves between past, present and future.
The Nutcracker and the Mouse KingE.T.A. HoffmannOpposite verdictThe Nutcracker and the Mouse King
A story that moves out of order through a tale within the tale, with nothing confirmed pointing to audio.
Little Women
A long book, 504 pages in print, points to audio. Nothing confirmed points to print: the story runs in order, and the layout and names cause no problems.
Start hereHow we decide
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Questions people ask
Is Miracle on 34th Street a book?
Yes. Valentine Davies’s novella was published when the 1947 film was released. It is short enough to read in one sitting.
Is there an unabridged Miracle on 34th Street audiobook?
We did not find one. Audible UK has a full-cast dramatised adaptation (1 hour 35 minutes), Carl Reiner’s abridged reading (1 hour 31 minutes) and radio versions.
Who is in the Miracle on 34th Street full-cast audiobook?
The listing names 17 performers. John Romeo plays Kris Kringle, Alyson Lange plays Susan, Elsabeth S. Rogers plays Doris and Timothy Booth plays Fred.
Should I read or listen to Miracle on 34th Street?
Listen on our checks (100% confidence, clear cut), to the full-cast production, which gives each main role its own actor. It is an adaptation, so read the novella if you want Davies’s own words.
Do you agree with this verdict?
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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.
- The criteria: read the thirteen questions in full.
- What we checked for this book: Audible UK and US (five Miracle recordings), library lending records, and the Wikipedia articles on the novella and films.
- Verdict last reviewed: 23 October 2026. Editions and narrators change, so verdicts are rechecked annually.
- Prefer different criteria? The app, coming soon, will let you change which of the thirteen questions matter to you.
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