The Song of Achilles audiobook vs book: which should you choose?
Patroclus tells of his life beside Achilles, from exile to the war at Troy. It’s close to even: a warmly praised reader against prose one critic feels loses its subtlety on audio.
Either works
Either works for The Song of Achilles, so pick the format you enjoy. AudioFile praises Frazer Douglas’s “appealing British voice”, and Patroclus tells the whole story in order, so it is easy to follow by ear. But the same review says his transitions “aren’t always smooth or consistent” and that some of the subtlety of Miller’s poetic language is lost on audio, so if the writing is what draws you, read it.
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The audiobook at a glance
| Recording | UK edition, our verdict | US edition |
|---|---|---|
| Narrator | Frazer Douglas | Frazer Douglas |
| Length | 11 hours 14 minutes (11h 14m), unabridged | 11 hours 15 minutes (11h 15m), unabridged |
| At 1.5x | about 7h 29m | about 7h 30m |
| At 2x | about 5h 37m | about 5h 38m |
| Audio publisher and date | Bloomsbury Publishing, 22 July 2021 | Ecco, 6 March 2012 |
| Audiobook price | £13.79 on Audible UK | $26.09 on Audible US |
| Kindle price | £6.67 on Amazon UK | Not listed |
| Bloomsbury paperback, 352 pages, 2017 | Ecco paperback, 416 pages, 2012 | |
| Listener rating | Performance 4.73 from 3,679 ratings | Performance 4.77 from 38,200 ratings |
Frazer Douglas reads both English listings, Bloomsbury’s 10th anniversary listing on Audible UK and Ecco’s on Audible US, at almost the same length. The UK listing is the one scored. We couldn’t confirm whether they are the same master recording.
Spanish and Danish translations are on Audible but not scored. Mestra, a separate short story by Madeline Miller read by Georgina Campbell, is not part of this audiobook. 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.
The Song of Achilles
Madeline Miller
- Genre
- Mythological retelling
- First published
- 2011
- Length
- 352 pages (UK paperback)
- On audio
- 11 hrs 14 mins, Frazer Douglas
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.
Checked, not a factor here (9)
Patroclus’s first-person story read by one narrator (7) and the praised narration (6) give listening 13 points, while the poetic prose (7) and the criticised narration (5) give reading 12. 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
- Scored
- Frazer Douglas, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021, 11h 14m, unabridged
- Critic review
- AudioFile: Douglas narrates “with an appealing British voice and a subdued tone”
- Alternatives
- Ecco listing on Audible US, also Frazer Douglas (11h 15m)
- What you miss
- Nothing printed only that we found, but Miller’s prose is easier to savour on the page
What this book actually is
The Song of Achilles is Madeline Miller’s first novel, published in 2011. It retells the story of the Trojan War through Patroclus, who is exiled as a boy to the court of King Peleus, grows up beside Achilles, and follows him to the war at Troy.
Its publisher describes it as the winner of the Orange Prize, now the Women’s Prize for Fiction. The love between Patroclus and Achilles is at its centre, and it includes war violence, sex, grief and death.
The case for reading it
Miller’s writing is the reason to read. AudioFile refers to “Miller’s poetic language” and Natalie Haynes in The Guardian praises her “smooth prose”, and on the page you can take each line at your own pace.
The same AudioFile review felt that “some of the subtlety of Miller’s poetic language seems lost in the translation from text to audio”, so if the language is what you came for, print keeps all of it.
The case for listening to it
Frazer Douglas has what AudioFile calls “an appealing British voice and a subdued tone”, and listeners rate his performance 4.73 on Audible UK and 4.77 on Audible US, more warmly than the critic.
Patroclus tells the whole story himself, in the order it happens, so it is easy to follow by ear, and AudioFile says listeners hear “every bit of Patroclus’s fascination with and love for Achilles”. At just over 11 hours, it suits a week of commutes.
The audiobook in detail
Frazer Douglas reads the unabridged audiobook alone in 11 hours 14 minutes. Audible UK sells Bloomsbury’s 10th anniversary listing, released on 22 July 2021, and Audible US sells Ecco’s from 6 March 2012, at 11 hours 15 minutes.
AudioFile praises his voice and tone but finds his transitions between dialogue and narration uneven. No PDF comes with it, and Miller’s short story Mestra, read by Georgina Campbell, is a separate 65-minute release.
Who should ignore this verdict
If you are coming back to a book you already love, Douglas’s reading is an easy way to revisit it. If this is your first time and Miller’s language is the draw, read it; the gap between the formats is small.
Kindle
- 352 pages (UK paperback)
- Take Miller’s poetic prose at your own pace
- About 6 hours to read (our estimate)
Related verdicts
Circe
Miller’s other Greek-myth novel, better in print.
Hamnet
Lyrical historical fiction, better in print.
A Little Life
A devastating love story between men.
The Secret History
Classics students obsessed with ancient Greece.
Fourth Wing
Fantasy romance that works better on audio.
The Bell Jar
A modern classic, from this batch.
Start hereHow we decide
The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.
Questions people ask
Who narrates The Song of Achilles audiobook?
Frazer Douglas reads the whole unabridged audiobook on his own, for Bloomsbury in the UK and Ecco in the US.
How long is The Song of Achilles audiobook?
11 hours 14 minutes on Audible UK, unabridged. That is about 7 hours 29 minutes at 1.5x speed and 5 hours 37 minutes at 2x (calculated).
Is The Song of Achilles audiobook abridged?
No. The Frazer Douglas audiobook is unabridged.
How many pages is The Song of Achilles?
The UK Bloomsbury paperback (ISBN 9781408891384) has 352 pages. The US Ecco paperback has 416.
Who tells the story in The Song of Achilles?
Patroclus, Achilles’s companion, tells the whole story in the first person.
Is The Song of Achilles a romance?
Yes. The love between Patroclus and Achilles is at the centre of the book, which the Book Smugglers column on Kirkus called “a deeply romantic historical fantasy novel”.
Did The Song of Achilles win a prize?
Yes. Its publisher describes it as the winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction, now called the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Do I need to read the Iliad before The Song of Achilles?
No. The novel retells the story from the start, so you don’t need to know the Iliad first.
Is The Song of Achilles connected to Circe?
Both are Greek-myth novels by Madeline Miller, but they tell separate stories. Miller’s new short story Mestra came out on audio in September 2026, read by Georgina Campbell.
Should I read or listen to The Song of Achilles?
Either works, so it is a close call. AudioFile praises Frazer Douglas’s “appealing British voice”, and Patroclus’s story runs in order, so it is easy to follow by ear. But the same review says some of Miller’s poetic language is lost on audio, so read it if the writing is what draws you.
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