Second Star, and Other Reasons for Lingering

by Philippe Delerm, Jody Gladding (Translator)

Second Star is a series of lyrical meditations on life’s often overlooked joys, from peeling a clementine, sipping a cold mojito, to washing your windows. Whether biting into a bitter turnip or savoring a summer evening, Delerm pauses to consider each pang of pleasure. Vividly translated by Jody Gladding, these glimpses invite us to linger, as if each bite of a ripe watermelon, each exhaled breath on a
bitterly cold day, each cloudy evening on the beach, were our last. A still life in motion, Second Star “consumes the present” with a quiet curiosity, asking us to “put off tomorrow” and join Delerm in tasting, touching, listening, and noticing.

Genres: Fiction, Essays, Short Stories, France

164 pages, Paperback

First published April 11, 2023

About the author

Philippe Delerm est né le 27 novembre 1950 à Auvers-sur-Oise. Ses parents étant instituteurs, il passe son enfance dans des «maisons d’école» : à Auvers, Louveciennes, Saint-Germain. Études de Lettres à la faculté de Nanterre, puis nommé professeur de lettres en Normandie. Il vit donc depuis 1975 à Beaumont-le-Roger (Eure), avec Martine, sa femme, également professeur de lettres et illustrateur-auteur d’albums pour enfants.

http://www.mercuredefrance.fr/auteur-...

Reviews

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an unusual read for me, I’m kinda surprised I liked it. It’s full of short contemplations of everyday things, each is 2-3 pages. Some are reminiscences (eg. watching mother and grandmother make redcurrant jam), some are observations (eg. watching people reading or texting on a train and wondering why they smile) other are experiences like being at the theatre or being given a book. Mostly written in the second person it feels quite intimate and as most of the pieces are about things everyone has done (eg. folding sheets or washing windows) it feels like a shared experience. A quiet and enjoyable read.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quiet, contemplative little book of mini-essays centered on slowing down and appreciating the beauty of life's little moments and everyday tasks.

[Joseph Schreiber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quiet collection of brief meditations on the small moments of life, in public settings or alone, the thoughts, gestures and observations of everyday life. Like small prose poems they wind their way to a final line that is unexpected, profound or otherwise thought provoking. Although many feel timeless, the frequent presence of the cellphone which has become a part of our social landscape puts these pieces firmly in the present.
A longer review can be found here: https://roughghosts.com/2023/05/22/it...

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

112th book read in 2025

I did really well on reading translated literature in 2025. Total of 19 translated books read and 9 of them were from my Archipelago subscription. I feel good about myself!

Unfortunately, Second Star was not a favorite for me. It is a collection of short recollections of places, encounters, and situations described with thoughts he had about them.

I would read a few each day until I reached the end of the book. Only once did he move me to put a star by the title of the piece. (Time is a Beach, page 109.)

Perhaps I just don’t enjoy “light” reading. I certainly would not ever want to have a date with Phillippe Delerm.

[Victoria]

The lovechild of poetry and prose, reared by essay and memoir. I WANT MORE!!

[Shayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made me long for summer even more than I already did

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely little collection of meditations on the ordinary and mundane moments that comprise daily life. Delerm's writing is, at once, melancholic, perceptive, and humorous. It's definitely not for everyone, but for those who like this sort of thing, you'll really enjoy it.

[Sabina · Rating 3 out of 5]

idk man it was cute maybe it deserves more than 3 stars but I think some deep part of me dislikes french people

[Kazen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Second Star is a collection of vignettes, a poignant literary version of observational comedy. He voices pleasures and shared frustrations that you've either experienced or can easily imagine - the dazzling light that comes through just washed windows, leaving a boring show at intermission and having a much better time at a nearby bar, the cramped but fascinating perspective of watching a play from the nosebleed section.

Each reflection is short, maybe a page or two in print, and perfect for stolen moments. I read more than a few on train platforms and at bus stops, an escape from the crowds and the wait.

A few days on from finishing the vignettes haven't stuck with me as I hoped, but the reading experience was pleasurable, indeed.

Thanks to Archipelago for providing a review copy.

[Lynne Perednia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely moments of normal life captured, each conveying the essence of an entire story.

[Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Star is a collection of short “reflections” on day to day aspects of regular life. It ponders about little actions we all see everyday (and may even do ourselves) but seldom notice. The reason why this is one of my favorite books is that it is by far the best inspiration to stop and be mindful of your life, and to find happiness in daily activities. The way this book romanticizes and adds meaning to seemingly ordinary moments is nothing short of mesmerizing.

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Star: And Other Reasons for Lingering, written by Philippe Delerm and translated by Jody Gladding, is an engaging and at times beautiful collection of life's little moments.

These "literary snapshots" are hard to categorize. Not because they can't, sorta, be put into various genres such as prose poems but because they don't seem to entirely fit into any of them. The first two comparisons that popped into my mind were just as quickly put aside as being similar but also dissimilar. Baudelaire's Paris Spleen because Delerm's observations are much shorter and more focused and Stein's Tender Buttons because, while short entries, just seem colder even while engaging the reader. To say Delerm blends the two does none of the three justice. So I'll leave literary definitions behind and try a different approach. Have you ever been reading something, maybe a novel, maybe even an essay or poem, and a small section reminds you of some small moment or incident in your own life? That small section, which probably touched on minute detail combined with internal feeling (perhaps in the moment, perhaps as reflection, it doesn't matter), is very similar to what these "literary snapshots" are. Not sure that helps, but it works for me.

Not all of these entries will speak to every reader, but if you're serious about appreciating what you read and don't consider "French men" a literary genre, you will likely relate to many of them. Even something as common as that in between position of the hand in front of your face, ready to signal to a server. The ones that touch you the most probably aren't the ones that touched me. My eyes teared up at the last paragraph of one about a woman's movement when opening the door every morning for a cat. Go figure.

I would highly recommend this to readers who enjoy interacting with what they read. These are certainly all self-contained, but it is what each reader brings to them that will make them shine. If you bring nothing more than wanting to see what happens, you may not get as much out of them. If you are looking inward as much as outward, you may find yourself noticing many more things in your own life. If you like having a book you can dip into for a few moments every night, or when you have limited time, this is ideal. Each entry is a short read, but will give you something to ponder for quite some time.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thanks to Archipelago Books for an e-ARC of this April 2023 release. Prolific and popular in France, this is only the 2nd title by Delerm published in English. The last was a 1997 title, published in English in 1999.
Short pieces in a short book. Better read a very few at a time.
Described as a "literary camera", these pieces, about 3 pages each, continue the European tradition of the flaneur. Short, insightful pieces, often from walking down the street and observing. Being French, people can actually be described as "bourgeois", a very historical term in that country.
It appears from the translator's short Introduction that these are a selection from his "Troubled Waters of the Mojito" and "Ecstasy of the Selfie" (although I do not see any titles in French listed in his Wikipedia profile that would match these titles - ???). Jody Gladding does a nice job translating, with some at times difficult French to English words and concepts.
It is a then and now collection - with pieces on carving a wooden sword (for his grandson it appears), or taking selfies, or an extended family vacation at the ocean, or being concentrated only on your cellphone in public places.
From peeling a clementine orange, to watching a woman untie and tie her hair, to walking out of a concert by a singer he previously kind of liked, this is nice, and relaxing, collection of quick profiles and situations, with insights by the author.
I enjoyed it enough to order a copy of his earlier "We Could Almost Eat Outside: An Appreciation of Life's Small Pleasures". This is a short book that will often bring a smile to your face, and have you shaking your head, "Yes, that is true!"

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of—what? prose poems, short-short stories, brief meditations, character sketches, nonmusical preludes?—miniatures devoted to capturing moments of subtle but emotionally intense sensations worthy of, well, lingering over. Here, for instance, is the end of the title story, about a couple of families that have made a long trip to spend the day at the beach:

They ran, they swam, they got out rackets, balls, magazines. The men took naps, their faces in the shade of the beach umbrella. The old woman especially kept an eye on the others, a half-smile of camaraderie on her lips, offering a cheek for wet, hurried, distracted kisses. Now it’s getting cooler. They huddle together, back to back. There are still apricots to eat. There are long silences. Yes, it was a lovely Sunday. Waiting for the last of the traffic to clear up at the Nantes bridge. Waiting, putting off tomorrow. Waiting for the dissipating joys to make way for the idea of happiness, which makes you shiver. It’s just the night falling, pull on a sweater. Being so very much together, when others seem so very far away, and when you’re all in a square protecting each other.

—Are you asleep Leila?

—No, I’m waiting for the second star.

Beautifully measured prose about nothing at all and everything important, limpidly translated by Jody Gladding.

For more of my reviews, please see https://www.thebookbeat.com/backroom/...

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very quiet collection of musings. It’s about the mundane, the boring, the everyday small events that we hardly pay attention to. And it’s soothing.

Is this super well written and poetic? No, but I don’t think that was the intent. The author writes about the simple things and he writes about them simply. To be honest I kind of appreciated that. This little book is not pretending to be any more than it is. It does not try and be literary. It just is and I enjoyed it for that reason.

The author uses ‘you’ a lot. For example ‘On your back with a clear conscience, you close your eyes.’ It works well, it pulls you in and makes you realise that he writes about things we all do, that we share experiences. Maybe not these exact experiences, but experiences like these.

Overall, it is a light flimsy read, which is neither deep or profound, but I enjoyed it.

[Rennie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the one about washing windows and how it's a chore that forces you to open up. It was a nice little meditation on something I'd never thought of. I think that's what they were all supposed to be but they just didn't really come together for me. I liked this bit too, about the love locks on the Pont des Arts in Paris:

"Nevertheless, when the sun plays across the metal, these love locks are beautiful. All the contiguous messages form a golden gate, an arch over the river. Paris is not complaining. Paris is the philosopher’s stone. After five or six years, many of these relationships have no doubt dissolved. But it’s good like this, the trace of them remaining in the hum from the riverfront drives, rising toward the bridges like mist. Is it really so heavy, love’s wish for a little eternity? The love locks are gold, evening and morning: there’s nothing lighter than light."

[Theediscerning · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well I found little reason for this to be bothered with. It's a collection of what amounts to bog standard opinion columns from newspapers or magazines, given the high-falutin' approach of "literature". Here is what it's like to have a mojito, wash the house windows, stumble on a group of people tangoing about Paris squares – it's just the same as the "can we have five hundred words on…" or the "just write whatever you want as long as it's on message" journalism, dressed up in the emperor's clothes. So come if you wish – get used to the second person delivery, be stultified by the brilliant observation that shopping trolleys can be bastards to turn, and that LP gatefold sleeves are larger than CDs, and forget about every word as quickly as possible. One and a half stars.

[Lenks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quotidian reflections of a man’s life in modern-day France — some striking more of a chord with me than others. It’s a short book, and I enjoyed getting lost in Philippe Delerm’s world even if just for a little while. Life can be strange and it can be exhilarating. Sometimes it can be strangely exhilarating and exhilaratingly strange! I think Delerm would agree with this. I will seek out other books of his that might have been translated into English.

Many thanks to Archipelago and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This book feels meant for reading outside, under the trees, with a refreshing gentle breeze on a warm summer's day. These musings are often written in second-person, spanning 2 - 4 pages, about everyday moments in daily life that feel worth paying attention to once in awhile. Sheltering from the rain, unexpected yet pleasant interactions on the metro, and delicious, invigorating morsels of food are just a few of the things in Second Star that encourage the reader to take a moment, sit back, and soak life in.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me a lot of "The Book of Delights' by Ross Gay what I read last year for book bingo. This one was a bit more melancholic which I actually found to be a nice balance. The translation was lovely, the note at the beginning explaining the her process was really interesting and funny! I recommend reading with a clementine and a mojito to really get the full picture of some of the subjects. My favorite ones were Memory of Forgetting, Running Your Hand Over a Book, and Munching a Turnip.

[C · Rating 1 out of 5]

French men is my least favorite genre (persons and literature). Like… okay?

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful and calming.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect little book that asks you to slow down and appreciate life. Uplifting, funny, contemplative.

[Sandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I honestly am not sure what this book was all about. I understand it was translated from French but it was a lot about nothing.

[Nancy Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some vignettes are more resonating than others. Enjoyable

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

REALLY enjoyed this. Very brief essays, almost like micro-essay. Some funny, some poignant, all thought provoking and worth the time.

[Goldfinch Bolton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outing myself as being really sentimental. I love small details and so I naturally love other people's love for the small details.

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second Star presents a series of keenly-observed vignettes in the true sense of the word - you enter a scene gently and immediately inhabit the small world that Delerm describes - the sense of glasses resting on your face, the feeling of steering a stubborn cart through supermarket aisles. There is an overwhelming sense of familiarity in each of these "literary snapshots" (as the translator calls them), a sense of shared human experience. These are most skillfully presented in the cases where Delerm describes not a physical experience but an emotional one - the delighted surprise of making a connection with a stranger on the Metro, or the hesitant dance of trying to flag a waiter at a busy restaurant.

The closest analog I can recall to Second Star is Karl Ove Knausgaard's recent Seasonal Encyclopedia, which similarly captures closely-observed vignettes. Like Knausgaard's work, however, Second Star comes off wanting. The vignettes are evocative of neither nostalgia nor discovery. Ultimately, because each vignette stands alone, without an overarching theme, I was ultimately left with a lack of finality or closure at the end of the book.

[vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Star and Other Reasons for Lingering by Philippe Delerm.Translated from French to English by Jody Gladding. Will be published by Archipelago Books on April 4, 2023. (ARC)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book of brief, lyrical mediations is the ultimate "stop and smell the roses" compilation. Simple, relatable events in life, such as peeling a Clementine, are written about so artistically and romantically that you want to do those things - immediately! There were certain reflections that made me feel like I was visiting France! Great book.

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[brokebookmountain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing is really happening in Second Star: and other reasons for lingering by Philippe Delerm, but that is part of the charm of this short read. Essentially a collection of vignettes that feature (what I assume to be) Delerm's observations on daily life, Second Star captures a sense of peace and calmness through the snippets of life with Delerm's exceptionally beautiful writing. However, while the writing is fantastic, the book itself is very repetitive. It's a book that is best read in small doses and enjoyed in very tiny bites.

Many thanks to Archipelago Books and Netgalley for the e-ARC!