Listen

The Wood at Midwinter audiobook vs book: which should you choose?

This is Susanna Clarke’s short winter fable, written for BBC radio. The author reads the audiobook with music by Rusty Bradshaw, and it is printed as an illustrated hardback.

Read vs Listen·Verdict last reviewed 23 October 2026·5 min read

Short answer: for The Wood at Midwinter audiobook vs book choice, we say listen on Audible (70% confidence, leaning). Susanna Clarke reads it herself in 34 minutes, with original music by Rusty Bradshaw, and the reading won an AudioFile Earphones Award. That produced, praised recording favours listening. Against it, named reviewers praise the prose itself, which favours print. Listening wins, but only as a leaning call. The hardback has Victoria Sawdon’s illustrations, which the audio cannot show.

Confidence 70%, 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.

What this book actually is

The Wood at Midwinter is a short winter story by Susanna Clarke, the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and Piranesi. A young woman, Sylvie, who talks to animals, goes into the wood on a midwinter night. Clarke first wrote it for BBC radio in 2022.

Bloomsbury published it in 2024 as a small illustrated hardback, with black-and-white illustrations by Victoria Sawdon and an afterword, and as an audiobook she reads herself. What happens in the wood is not covered here.

The case for reading it

Reviewers single out the writing: SFFWorld praises its “lovely use of language” and Madeline Miller calls it “luminous”. Prose like that is a classic reason to slow down and read it in print.

The hardback is also an object to give: Victoria Sawdon’s illustrations run throughout, and one listener says the audio loses them. It makes a good Christmas present.

The case for listening to it

The recording is more than a reading. Clarke reads her own story, which she wrote for radio, the reading won an AudioFile Earphones Award, and Rusty Bradshaw’s original music runs under it. Both the produced audio and the praised narration count for listening.

At 34 minutes, it can be heard in one sitting.

The audiobook in detail

Bloomsbury released Clarke’s reading on 24 October 2024. It runs 34 minutes with music by Rusty Bradshaw, won an AudioFile Earphones Award and was nominated at The Speakies. It had 4.2 stars from 22 ratings on Audible UK on 23 October 2026, and one listener finds the music too loud.

Who should ignore this verdict

Lean towards print if you are buying it as a gift, or want Victoria Sawdon’s illustrations and to linger over the sentences.

Lean towards audio if you want to hear Clarke tell it, as it was first written to be heard.

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

Related verdicts

Same verdict

A Child’s Christmas in Wales

One speaker and an author’s reading preserved in the US National Recording Registry point to audio, but the prose is lyrical and dense.

Same verdict

The Snow Child

A long book favours listening, but too little is confirmed on either side for a stronger call.

Same verdict

Hogfather

A produced recording with Bill Nighy reading the footnotes points to audio, but one narrator reads several storylines.

Start here

How we decide

The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.

❄ See every Christmas book, read or listen →

Questions people ask