diff --git a/lib/internal/streams/readable.js b/lib/internal/streams/readable.js
index a129b1b6f4b75d..01533b6ad254cc 100644
--- a/lib/internal/streams/readable.js
+++ b/lib/internal/streams/readable.js
@@ -278,7 +278,8 @@ function ReadableState(options, stream, isDuplex) {
   // A linked list is used to store data chunks instead of an array because the
   // linked list can remove elements from the beginning faster than
   // array.shift().
-  this.buffer = new BufferList();
+  this.buffer = [];
+  this.bufferIndex = 0;
   this.length = 0;
   this.pipes = [];
 
@@ -546,10 +547,15 @@ function addChunk(stream, state, chunk, addToFront) {
   } else {
     // Update the buffer info.
     state.length += (state[kState] & kObjectMode) !== 0 ? 1 : chunk.length;
-    if (addToFront)
-      state.buffer.unshift(chunk);
-    else
+    if (addToFront) {
+      if (state.bufferIndex > 0) {
+        state.buffer[--state.bufferIndex] = chunk;
+      } else {
+        state.buffer.unshift(chunk); // Slow path
+      }
+    } else {
       state.buffer.push(chunk);
+    }
 
     if ((state[kState] & kNeedReadable) !== 0)
       emitReadable(stream);
@@ -564,21 +570,24 @@ Readable.prototype.isPaused = function() {
 
 // Backwards compatibility.
 Readable.prototype.setEncoding = function(enc) {
+  const state = this._readableState;
+
   const decoder = new StringDecoder(enc);
-  this._readableState.decoder = decoder;
+  state.decoder = decoder;
   // If setEncoding(null), decoder.encoding equals utf8.
-  this._readableState.encoding = this._readableState.decoder.encoding;
+  state.encoding = state.decoder.encoding;
 
-  const buffer = this._readableState.buffer;
   // Iterate over current buffer to convert already stored Buffers:
   let content = '';
-  for (const data of buffer) {
+  for (const data of state.buffer.slice(state.bufferIndex)) {
     content += decoder.write(data);
   }
-  buffer.clear();
+  state.buffer.length = 0;
+  state.bufferIndex = 0;
+
   if (content !== '')
     buffer.push(content);
-  this._readableState.length = content.length;
+  state.length = content.length;
   return this;
 };
 
@@ -611,7 +620,7 @@ function howMuchToRead(n, state) {
   if (NumberIsNaN(n)) {
     // Only flow one buffer at a time.
     if ((state[kState] & kFlowing) !== 0 && state.length)
-      return state.buffer.first().length;
+      return state.buffer[state.bufferIndex].length;
     return state.length;
   }
   if (n <= state.length)
@@ -1550,20 +1559,93 @@ function fromList(n, state) {
     return null;
 
   let ret;
-  if (state.objectMode)
-    ret = state.buffer.shift();
-  else if (!n || n >= state.length) {
+  if ((state[kState] & kObjectMode) !== 0) {
+    ret = state.buffer[state.bufferIndex++];
+  } else if (!n || n >= state.length) {
     // Read it all, truncate the list.
-    if (state.decoder)
-      ret = state.buffer.join('');
-    else if (state.buffer.length === 1)
-      ret = state.buffer.first();
-    else
-      ret = state.buffer.concat(state.length);
-    state.buffer.clear();
+    if ((state[kState] & kDecoder) !== 0) {
+      ret = ''
+      for (let n = state.bufferIndex; n < state.buffer.length; n++) {
+        ret += state.buffer[n];
+      }
+    } else if (state.buffer.length - state.bufferIndex === 0) {
+      ret = Buffer.alloc(0)
+    } else if (state.buffer.length - state.bufferIndex === 1) {
+      ret = state.buffer[state.bufferIndex];
+    } else {
+      ret = Buffer.allocUnsafe(n >>> 0);
+      let i = 0;
+      for (let n = state.bufferIndex; n < state.buffer.length; n++) {
+        const data = state.buffer[n];
+        ret.set(data, i);
+        i += data.length;
+      }
+    }
+    state.buffer.length = 0;
+    state.bufferIndex = 0;
   } else {
     // read part of list.
-    ret = state.buffer.consume(n, state.decoder);
+
+    const data = state.buffer[state.bufferIndex];
+
+    if (n < data.length) {
+      // `slice` is the same for buffers and strings.
+      const slice = data.slice(0, n);
+      state.buffer[state.bufferIndex] = data.slice(n);
+      return slice;
+    }
+
+    if (n === data.length) {
+      // First chunk is a perfect match.
+      return state.buffer[state.bufferIndex++];
+    }
+
+    if ((state[kState] & kDecoder) !== 0) {
+      ret = '';
+      while (state.bufferIndex < state.buffer.length) {
+        const str = state.buffer[state.bufferIndex];
+        if (n > str.length) {
+          ret += str;
+          n -= str.length;
+          state.bufferIndex++;
+        } else {
+          if (n === buf.length) {
+            ret += str;
+            state.bufferIndex++;
+          } else {
+            ret += str.slice(0, n);
+            state.buffer[state.bufferIndex] = str.slice(n);
+          }
+          break;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    ret = Buffer.allocUnsafe(n);
+
+    const retLen = n;
+    while (state.bufferIndex < state.buffer.length) {
+      const buf = state.buffer[state.bufferIndex];
+      if (n > buf.length) {
+        ret.set(buf, retLen - n);
+        n -= buf.length;
+        state.bufferIndex++;
+      } else {
+        if (n === buf.length) {
+          ret.set(buf, retLen - n);
+          state.bufferIndex++;
+        } else {
+          ret.set(new Uint8Array(buf.buffer, buf.byteOffset, n), retLen - n);
+          state.buffer[state.bufferIndex] = buf.slice(n);
+        }
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (state.bufferIndex === state.buffer.length) {
+      state.bufferIndex = 0
+      state.buffer.length = 0;
+    }
   }
 
   return ret;