Manon Lescaut
By
Abbé Prévost
Read by
Justin Avoth,
Sean Barrett
Release:
06/16/2020
Runtime:
7h 29m
Quantity:
“Prévost’s 1731 novel of a flawed and tragic love is richly served by two fine performers. Sean Barrett plays the framing part of an older man to whom Manon’s lover, the Chevalier des Grieux, tells the story of their blighted romance. Barrett’s warm, rich, slightly raspy timbre brings gravity and warmth to his role…Justin Avoth performs with restrained passion, occasionally breaking into full-throated acting at intense moments. He balances the two modes well and delivers a quiet, particularly powerful, moment at the audiobook’s close. The talented narrators deliver an engaging version of this small classic of early French literature.”
AudioFile
‘The sweetness of her glance – or rather, my evil star already in its
ascendant and drawing me to my ruin – did not allow me to hesitate
for a moment...’ So begins the story of Manon Lescaut , a tale of
passion and betrayal, of delinquency and misalliance, which moves
from early 18th-century Paris – with its theatres, assemblies, and
gaming-houses – via prison and deportation to a tragic denouement
in the treeless wastes of Louisiana. It is one of the great love stories,
and also one of the most enigmatic: how reliable a witness is Des
Grieux, Manon’s lover, whose tale he narrates? Is Manon a thief and
a whore, the image of love itself, or a thoroughly modern woman?
Prévost is careful to leave the ambiguities unresolved, and to lay bare
the disorders of passion.
ascendant and drawing me to my ruin – did not allow me to hesitate
for a moment...’ So begins the story of Manon Lescaut , a tale of
passion and betrayal, of delinquency and misalliance, which moves
from early 18th-century Paris – with its theatres, assemblies, and
gaming-houses – via prison and deportation to a tragic denouement
in the treeless wastes of Louisiana. It is one of the great love stories,
and also one of the most enigmatic: how reliable a witness is Des
Grieux, Manon’s lover, whose tale he narrates? Is Manon a thief and
a whore, the image of love itself, or a thoroughly modern woman?
Prévost is careful to leave the ambiguities unresolved, and to lay bare
the disorders of passion.
Release:
2020-06-16
Runtime:
7h 29m
Format:
audio
Weight:
0.0 lb
Language:
English
ISBN:
9781781985281
Praise