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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue audiobook vs book: which should you choose?

A young Frenchwoman bargains for a life that never ends, and is forgotten by everyone she meets for three hundred years. It’s close to even: a praised reading against two timelines that are easier to follow in print.

Read vs Listen·First published 6 November 2026·Last edited 6 November 2026·5 min read
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
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 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, so pick the format you enjoy. Kirkus says Julia Whelan’s “steady rhythm perfectly conveys the ups and downs of Addie LaRue’s life”, her recording was a 2021 Audie Awards finalist, and it carries a 560-page book well. On the page, the switches between 2014 New York and Addie’s three centuries of past life are easier to track, though Kirkus says a slight change in Whelan’s tone signals each one.

Audible listeners rate the narration 4.7 out of 5 (132 ratings)

Definitely readDefinitely listen
52%
Either
Get it on Kindle560 pages (UK hardback) · about 9½ hours to readListen on Audible17h 31m, read by Julia Whelan

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The audiobook at a glance

RecordingUK edition, our verdictUS edition
NarratorJulia WhelanJulia Whelan
Length17 hours 31 minutes (17h 31m), unabridged17 hours 31 minutes (17h 31m), unabridged
At 1.5xabout 11h 41mabout 11h 41m
At 2xabout 8h 46mabout 8h 46m
Audio publisher and dateMacmillan Audio, 6 October 2020Macmillan Audio, 6 October 2020
Audiobook price£21.96 on Audible UK$29.24 on Audible US
Kindle price£6.99 on Amazon UKNot listed
PrintTitan Books hardback, 560 pages, 2020Tor Books hardback, 448 pages, 2020
Listener ratingPerformance 4.74 from 132 ratingsPerformance 4.81 from 38,063 ratings

Julia Whelan’s Macmillan Audio recording is the only English audiobook on Audible UK or US, sold under the same listing on both. The ratings differ by store. Kirkus gives the length as 17 hours 15 minutes; we use Audible’s 17 hours 31 minutes.

The book is also recorded in Italian, German and French. There is no dramatised or abridged English version, and Audible’s podcast episodes about the book are not recordings of it. 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

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

V.E. Schwab

Genre
Fantasy
First published
October 2020
Length
560 pages (UK hardback)
On audio
17 hrs 31 mins, Julia Whelan

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.

One check points to reading
✓
Jumping timelinesLocus (Gary K. Wolfe) says “The novel follows two timelines: one in 2014 New York, and one tracing Addie’s long life”, and Kirkus says it “unspools in multiple timelines”. On the page, the place and date at the head of each section show at a glance which century you are in.
Two checks point to listening
✓
Award-winning or praised narrationThe Kirkus audiobook review says “Julia Whelan’s steady rhythm perfectly conveys the ups and downs of Addie LaRue’s life” and “Her voice fits each moment”. A reader who keeps the mood right across three centuries makes a long story easy to stay with.
✓
Long bookThe UK Titan hardback has 560 pages (545 in paperback), and the audiobook helps a book this long fit around commutes and chores.
Checked, not a factor here (10)
–
Narration criticisedPerformance 4.74 from 132 ratings on Audible UK and 4.81 from 38,063 on Audible US, and no critic criticises the reading.
–
Three or more points of view, one narratorWe couldn’t find a source describing three or more viewpoint characters.
–
Story depends on images or layoutEach section opens with a place and date, but nothing we found says the story depends on how the page looks.
–
Many similar-sounding namesThe main names, Addie, Henry and Luc, are easy to tell apart.
–
Literary or dense proseKirkus calls it “impeccably crafted”, but no critic describes the prose as dense.
–
Maps, family trees or footnotesNothing we found mentions a map, family tree or footnotes.
–
Full cast or produced audioJulia Whelan reads it alone, with no cast, music or sound design.
–
Read by the authorIt is a novel, so the author-reading check doesn’t apply.
–
Single point of view and narratorAddie is the main character, but we couldn’t find out whether Henry also gets chapters of his own.
–
Unfamiliar names or dialectThere are French place names, but no reviewer comments on how they sound in this recording.
How the score adds up
Listening 9 points, reading 8

Praised narration (6) and the book’s length (3) give listening 9 points, while the jumping timelines (8) give reading 8. 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
Julia Whelan, Macmillan Audio, 2020, 17h 31m, unabridged
Critic review
Kirkus: Whelan’s “steady rhythm perfectly conveys the ups and downs of Addie LaRue’s life”; 2021 Audie Awards finalist
Alternatives
None in English: translations only (Italian, German, French)
What you miss
Nothing printed only, but the place and date headings make the two timelines easier to track

What this book actually is

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is V.E. Schwab’s 2020 fantasy novel. In France in 1714, a young woman makes a bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets, until, three centuries later, a bookseller in New York remembers her name.

The story moves between Addie’s present in New York in 2014 and her long past, which begins in rural France. It includes a forced marriage arranged for the young Addie and wars across the centuries, among them both World Wars.

The case for reading it

The book switches back and forth between 2014 New York and Addie’s centuries of past life. Each section opens with a place and date, such as “New York City, March 10, 2014”, so on the page you can see where and when you are before the first line, and flick back when the two strands start to echo each other.

Kirkus calls the novel “impeccably crafted”, and Locus notes its “dramatic one-line paragraphs and portentous repeated phrases”, effects that land well when you can see them set out on the page.

The case for listening to it

Julia Whelan’s reading is the draw. Kirkus says her “steady rhythm perfectly conveys the ups and downs of Addie LaRue’s life” and that “Her voice fits each moment”, and listeners rate her performance 4.7 or higher on both Audible stores.

The timeline switches are less of a problem by ear than you might expect: Kirkus says “a slight change in her tone signals the new setting”. At 560 pages in hardback, the audiobook also makes a long book easier to fit in.

The audiobook in detail

Julia Whelan reads the whole book alone in the Macmillan Audio recording, released on 6 October 2020 and running 17 hours 31 minutes, unabridged. It is the only English recording, sold under the same listing on Audible UK and US.

There is no cast, music or sound design, and no PDF comes with it.

Who should ignore this verdict

If you like to know exactly where you are in a story that jumps across centuries, read it. If a well-judged single reader is what makes a long novel work for you, the audiobook is just as good a choice: the gap between the formats is small.

Get The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Both editions, so you can go with the verdict or ignore it entirely.

Audiobook

  • Read by Julia Whelan
  • 17h 31m
  • Unabridged
Listen on Audible

Kindle

  • 560 pages (UK hardback)
  • See the place and date on each section
  • About 9½ 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 Invisible Life of Addie LaRue audiobook?

Julia Whelan reads the whole audiobook on her own, in the Macmillan Audio recording released in October 2020.

How long is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue audiobook?

17 hours 31 minutes, unabridged. That is about 11 hours 41 minutes at 1.5x speed and 8 hours 46 minutes at 2x (calculated).

Is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue audiobook abridged?

No. The only English audiobook on Audible is unabridged.

How many pages is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue?

The UK Titan Books hardback has 560 pages and the UK paperback has 545. The US Tor hardback has 448.

Is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue hard to follow on audio?

It switches between 2014 New York and Addie’s centuries of past life, but the Kirkus audiobook review says Julia Whelan signals each switch with “a slight change in her tone”.

What years does The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue cover?

The past strand follows Addie from her youth in France, with her bargain made in 1714, through three centuries. The present strand is set in New York in 2014.

Has the Julia Whelan audiobook won any awards?

The Kirkus audiobook review lists it as a 2021 Audie Awards finalist.

Is there an Addie LaRue film?

A film adaptation was announced by eOne in November 2021, but no release had been confirmed in the sources we checked as of November 2026.

Should I read or listen to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue?

Either works. Kirkus praises Julia Whelan’s reading, and the audiobook carries a 560-page book well. Read it if you like to see where you are as the story jumps between 2014 and Addie’s past; listen if a strong single reader keeps you hooked.

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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRueOur pick: either works · 52%
AudibleKindle