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Either

The Power of Now audiobook vs book: which should you choose?

Eckhart Tolle’s 1997 bestseller on living in the present moment and stepping back from the thinking mind. Tolle reads it himself, and the short question-and-answer chapters work in either format.

Read vs Listen·First published 5 November 2026·Last edited 5 November 2026·5 min read
The Power of NowEckhart Tolle
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 Power of Now, so pick the format you enjoy. Eckhart Tolle reads his own unabridged audiobook in 7 hours 37 minutes, which suits you if you want the teaching in his voice. The 224-page book is set out as short questions and answers, easy to dip into and reread on the page when a passage needs a second look.

Audible listeners rate the narration 4.5 out of 5 (8,400 ratings)

Definitely readDefinitely listen
50%
Either
Get it on Kindle224 pages (UK paperback) · about 3½ hours to readListen on Audible7h 37m, read by Eckhart Tolle

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

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The audiobook at a glance

RecordingUK listing, our verdictUS listing
NarratorEckhart TolleEckhart Tolle
Length7 hours 37 minutes (7h 37m), unabridged7 hours 37 minutes (7h 37m), unabridged
At 1.5xabout 5h 5mabout 5h 5m
At 2xabout 3h 49mabout 3h 49m
Audio publisher and dateNew World Library, listed 31 December 2000New World Library, listed 31 December 2000
Audiobook price£11.97 on Audible UK$17.03 on Audible US
Kindle price£8.76 on Amazon UKNot listed
PrintYellow Kite paperback, 224 pages, 2001New World Library paperback, 235 pages, 2004
Listener ratingPerformance 4.54 from 8,400 ratingsPerformance 4.61 from 33,294 ratings

The same Eckhart Tolle recording is sold on both stores, so the UK listing is the one scored. There is no abridged edition. Practicing the Power of Now (2h 56m) and Realizing the Power of Now (7h 4m, a recorded retreat) are separate works, not versions of this book.

Ratings and prices checked 5 November 2026. Prices change often. Amazon US does not show Kindle prices outside the US, so US Kindle prices are not given.

Lengths checked 5 November 2026. Speed times are calculated.

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

The Power of Now

Eckhart Tolle

Genre
Spiritual self-help
First published
1997 (Namaste Publishing, Vancouver)
Length
224 pages (UK paperback)
On audio
7 hrs 37 mins, read by Eckhart Tolle

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.

None of the thirteen checks clearly applies to this book, so neither format has the edge.

Checked, not a factor here (13)
–
Jumping timelinesIt is a teaching book with no story timeline.
–
Three or more points of view, one narratorOne author voice runs through the whole book.
–
Many similar-sounding namesIt is not a book of characters.
–
Narration criticisedPerformance 4.54 from 8,400 ratings on Audible UK and 4.61 from 33,294 on Audible US, and no critic criticises the reading.
–
Story depends on images or layoutIt is set out as short questions and longer answers, but nothing we found says the book depends on that layout or that the audio loses anything by it.
–
Literary or dense proseNo reviewer calls the prose literary or dense. The criticism we found, from Time and the Telegraph Herald, is about the ideas and the writing, not its density.
–
Maps, family trees or footnotesNothing we found mentions maps, diagrams or footnotes, and no PDF comes with the audiobook.
–
Full cast or produced audioEckhart Tolle reads it alone, with no music or sound design listed.
–
Read by the authorIt is self-help rather than memoir, so this check doesn’t apply, even though Tolle reads it himself.
–
Long bookThe UK paperback has 224 pages, well under 400.
–
Single point of view and narratorIt is mostly Tolle’s own teaching voice, read by him, but the questions from an imagined reader add a second voice, so we don’t treat it as a single point of view.
–
Award-winning or praised narrationWe found no critic review or award for Tolle’s reading of this book. AudioFile reviewed his reading of Practicing the Power of Now, which is a different book.
–
Unfamiliar names or dialectThe book has its own terms, such as “pain-body”, but nothing we found says they are hard to follow by ear.
How the score adds up
Listening 0 points, reading 0

None of the thirteen checks applies, so neither format has the edge. That’s even at 50%, 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 5 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
Eckhart Tolle, New World Library, 2000, 7h 37m, unabridged
Critic review
No critic review of this recording found
Alternatives
None: one Eckhart Tolle recording on both stores
What you miss
Nothing. There’s no diagram, map or special layout

What this book actually is

The Power of Now is Eckhart Tolle’s spiritual self-help book about living in the present moment and stepping back from the thinking mind. Most of it is written as short questions from an imagined reader, each followed by Tolle’s longer answer, across ten chapters.

It was first published in 1997 by Namaste Publishing in Vancouver and was recommended in O, The Oprah Magazine in 2000. It draws on several spiritual traditions, including Buddhist and Christian ideas, and discusses emotional pain, fear and death in spiritual terms.

The case for reading it

The question-and-answer format makes the book easy to dip into. On the page you can find a question that speaks to you, reread an answer slowly, and come back to a passage when you need it.

At 224 pages it is a short book, and some ideas, such as the “pain-body”, are easier to hold on to when you can see them set out and mark them.

The case for listening to it

Eckhart Tolle reads the whole book himself, questions and answers alike, so you hear the teaching in the author’s own calm voice. Listeners rate his performance 4.5 on Audible UK and 4.6 on Audible US.

At 7 hours 37 minutes it fits a week of commutes or walks, and it suits listening a chapter at a time.

The audiobook in detail

Eckhart Tolle reads it unabridged in 7 hours 37 minutes for New World Library. It is the only full recording of the book on Audible UK and US, and no PDF comes with it.

Two other Tolle audiobooks have similar names. Practicing the Power of Now is a shorter companion of excerpts and exercises, and Realizing the Power of Now is a recorded retreat. Neither is this book.

Who should ignore this verdict

None of the thirteen checks clearly applies, so this is your call. Listen if hearing Tolle himself helps the ideas land; read if you like to underline and come back to passages.

Get The Power of Now
Both editions, so you can go with the verdict or ignore it entirely.

Audiobook

  • Read by Eckhart Tolle
  • 7h 37m
  • Unabridged
Listen on Audible

Kindle

  • 224 pages (UK paperback)
  • Easy to dip into and reread
  • About 3½ 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 Power of Now audiobook?

Eckhart Tolle reads the whole audiobook himself. It is the only full recording of the book on Audible UK and Audible US.

How long is The Power of Now audiobook?

7 hours 37 minutes, unabridged. About 5 hours 5 minutes at 1.5x and 3 hours 48 minutes at 2x (calculated).

Is The Power of Now audiobook abridged?

No. Eckhart Tolle’s recording is unabridged. Practicing the Power of Now is a separate, shorter book of excerpts and exercises, not an abridged version.

How many pages is The Power of Now?

The UK Yellow Kite paperback has 224 pages. The US New World Library paperback has 235.

Is The Power of Now written as questions and answers?

Yes. Most of the book is written as short questions from a reader followed by Eckhart Tolle’s answers.

What is the difference between The Power of Now and Practicing the Power of Now?

Practicing the Power of Now is a shorter companion of teachings, meditations and exercises taken from The Power of Now. Its audiobook runs 2 hours 56 minutes.

Is The Power of Now religious?

It draws on several spiritual traditions, including Buddhist and Christian ideas, but it is not tied to one religion.

Was The Power of Now recommended by Oprah?

Oprah Winfrey recommended it, and it appeared as recommended reading in O, The Oprah Magazine in 2000.

Should I read or listen to The Power of Now?

Either works. None of the thirteen checks clearly applies, so pick the format you enjoy: Tolle’s own reading if you want to hear the teaching in his voice, or the 224-page book if you like to pause and reread passages.

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The Power of NowEckhart Tolle
The Power of NowOur pick: either works · 50%
AudibleKindle