Manon Lescaut

The Chevalier des Grieux is seventeen, brilliant, and headed for the seminary when he sees Manon Lescaut stepping off a coach, and every plan his family made for him dissolves on the spot. Prévost's short novel is his confession: how a promising young nobleman lied, gambled, and ruined himself again and again for a girl who loved him and luxury both, and could never quite choose between them, from the gaming houses of Paris to exile in the raw Louisiana colony.

Published in 1731 and promptly banned, it became one of the most influential love stories in European literature, inspiring operas by Puccini and Massenet. Manon herself remains the fascination: not a villainess, not a victim, but something more unsettling, a person impossible to keep and impossible to leave. Told as one long spoken confession, it is a story that was practically made to be listened to.

At roughly 61,700 words, Manon Lescaut runs about 7 hours at 1x narration speed. That figure is an estimate based on a typical narration pace. The exact length depends on the voice and the playback speed you choose.

Manon Lescaut is in the public domain, so the complete text is free on Project Gutenberg and LoudReader has the entire Project Gutenberg catalog built in. To listen:

1. Download LoudReader for Mac or iPhone (free, no account).
2. Search for “Manon Lescaut” in the built-in catalog and add it to your library.
3. Press play. A natural offline voice reads the book while each word highlights on screen, and your place is saved between sessions.

LoudReader reads with natural offline voices, so the whole book works on a plane or underground. It is fully on-device and private, your library never leaves your device. Listening is unlimited on the free tier.