• The Midnight Library

  • A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)
  • By: Matt Haig
  • Narrated by: Carey Mulligan
  • Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (62,352 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Midnight Library  By  cover art

The Midnight Library

By: Matt Haig
Narrated by: Carey Mulligan
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.00

Buy for $18.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

The number one New York Times best-selling worldwide phenomenon

Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction

A Good Morning America Book Club Pick

Independent (London) 10 Best Books of the Year

"A feel-good book guaranteed to lift your spirits." (The Washington Post)

The dazzling favorite about the choices that go into a life well lived, from the acclaimed author of How to Stop Time and The Comfort Book.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting blockbuster novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

©2020 Matt Haig (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A beautiful fable, an It’s a Wonderful Life for the modern age – impossibly timely when we are all stuck in a world we wish could be different.” (Jodi Picoult, author of My Sister's Keeper)

“Haig’s latest (after the nonfiction collection Notes on a Nervous Planet, 2019) is a stunning contemporary story that explores the choices that make up a life, and the regrets that can stifle it. A compelling novel that will resonate with readers.” (Booklist starred review)

“Charming...[Matt Haig] will reward readers who take this book off the shelf.” (Publisher's Weekly)

Featured Article: The Best Audiobooks Under 9 Hours


Sometimes, the perfect audiobook is one that fills a specific amount of time. Or maybe you just like shorter listens and find it easier for a book to hold your attention if you don't have to hang on to the same storyline for 15 hours or more. Thankfully, there are plenty of short audiobooks that are definitely worth a listen. Looking to hear the best short memoirs, the best short YA books, the best sci fi short stories, or the best short nonfiction? Searching for a truly immersive audiobook journey? These listens will reward you with a story and performance you won’t soon forget.

What listeners say about The Midnight Library

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    43,843
  • 4 Stars
    12,890
  • 3 Stars
    4,067
  • 2 Stars
    991
  • 1 Stars
    561
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    46,098
  • 4 Stars
    6,804
  • 3 Stars
    1,383
  • 2 Stars
    309
  • 1 Stars
    191
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    37,794
  • 4 Stars
    11,290
  • 3 Stars
    3,776
  • 2 Stars
    1,054
  • 1 Stars
    620

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love it! Book of regrets

It was slow to start but I’ve always wondered what my life would be if I made one small different choice. This was a very thought provoking book. Descriptions are perfect! I just enjoyed it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

interesting to contemplate

really enjoyed this book, it just could have been about 30% shorter and would not have compromised anything.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Life changing! Brilliant!

I’m overwhelmed with this one! It was brilliant. I think my perspective on life has been forever changed. That may be a bit dramatic, but for someone who has dealt with depression and anxiety, to read/listen to these truths manifested in a story, is just life altering! Bravo!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One that makes you think.

This must be what it would be like if our lives were measured in centuries instead of decades.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

predictable, boring. great performance though!

This story was so predictable, the main character so boring. I had high expectations for the book because the idea could be elaborated on in so many ways. It was endlessly predictable and there were utterly no surprises

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I wanted to love it more

I wanted to love it more. I had heard such great things. Narration was okay.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Stick with it and you will be pleasantly surprised

The Midnight Library is a bit slow in the beginning, but then it picks up and gets very adventurous. It was truly enjoyable to listen to and follow Norah Seed through her quest to find the true meaning of living. Happy reading!💕📚

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Creative and inspiring

The end of this story is so inspiring and is a must read for anyone struggling with depression, in my opinion

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolute Gem

Mr Haig has done an AMAZING job putting such complicated philosophy in such an easy to understand story. If you feel the accent is too heavy in the beginning just give the book 10 minutes and either you get used to it quick or it just gets really easy to understand. I have listened to quite a few books looking to understand Life but never found one this wholesome. THANK you Mr. Haig. You are a world of wisdom.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful!

This book was a thought-provoking, easy listen and very enjoyable. Both the story and performance were well done.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!