Second Place
- Downloads：1061
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-19 08:50:57
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rachel Cusk
- ISBN：0571366694
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
A woman invites a famed artist to visit the remote coastal region where she lives。 Powerfully drawn to his paintings。 she believes his vision may penetrate the mystery at the centre of her life。 But as long， dry summer sets in， his provocative presence soon twists the human patterns of her secluded household。destroy us， Second Place is a fable of female fate and male privilege， and a story of unfathomable attractions。 Modern and timeless， it reminds us of art's seduction and elemental power - to both save and destroy。
Reviews
Leonie
，
I'll read it again soon I'll read it again soon 。。。more
Joel
，
I think Rachel Cusk is our greatest living observer of the interior。
Tom
，
RACHEL CUSK <3
Keen
，
After what was a bit of a tedious， rambling and dross opening chapter this started to warm up a little， but only a little and then just as I thought it would catch fire。。。it didn’t。 It dragged and dragged through one cold and confusing scene to another。 Cusk delivers this in ice cold prose， at times it’s so spare and desolate you can hear the wind howling through the cracks of it。I forgot how much I hate when character names in novels are reduced to one letter， it reminds me of stuffy， long-wind After what was a bit of a tedious， rambling and dross opening chapter this started to warm up a little， but only a little and then just as I thought it would catch fire。。。it didn’t。 It dragged and dragged through one cold and confusing scene to another。 Cusk delivers this in ice cold prose， at times it’s so spare and desolate you can hear the wind howling through the cracks of it。I forgot how much I hate when character names in novels are reduced to one letter， it reminds me of stuffy， long-winded Victorian novels。 Also the timeless， nameless location added to my dislike of this book。To be honest I hated almost everything about this， many have called it pretentious and vague which is fair enough， but more than anything it was just incredibly dull and painful to read。 Sometimes a book is just crap。 I was going to say that I couldn’t think of anything positive to say， but I can raise at least two positives， it’s not magical realism and its only 180 pages long。 。。。more
Kayley Monn
，
Make women freaks again❤️
Gina
，
Sometimes with little literary novels I am not sure how much I will actually enjoy reading them （aka how hard do I have to work to understand this） but this was somehow both a deep well of insight on the human psyche and also the smoothest and most vivid reading experience。 I am always impressed when I feel like I have to emerge from a book because I am so vividly in the scene， and Cusk does this in a short span。 And there is a plot arc that will have you super tense waiting to see how things re Sometimes with little literary novels I am not sure how much I will actually enjoy reading them （aka how hard do I have to work to understand this） but this was somehow both a deep well of insight on the human psyche and also the smoothest and most vivid reading experience。 I am always impressed when I feel like I have to emerge from a book because I am so vividly in the scene， and Cusk does this in a short span。 And there is a plot arc that will have you super tense waiting to see how things resolve。 In general the "plot" is that the narrator and her husband own a little place on a marsh （her interactions with the setting had an Annie Dillard vibe I loved） and that place has a little guest cottage， a "second place。" An old artist friend comes to stay there， at the same time the author's daughter and boyfriend come and this mixture of people make for some interesting happenings。 Also， an interesting look at art and narcissism。 。。。more
Jacqueline Wang
，
Far and away the best book I’ve read this year。 This spoke to me on an elemental level。 It is as if Cusk enters the head of the narrator （who is complex， pained， ordinary all at once）， and then articulates all the jumbled up emotions， feelings， observations which make up a human brain， in the most elegant way。
Steph Shambo
，
I guess I just didn’t get it。 🤷🏼♀️ Way too meta for me。
Theresa Schliep
，
I understood very little of this
Alise
，
Made all the better by having just finished Lorenzo in Taos。 Mabel is redeemed！
Mina Widding
，
Jag tycker om att det handlar om att få en att tänka efter， på märkliga möten och relationer， förväntaningar som inte möts och hur man försöker lära sig något av dem。 Ställd som ett brev till en Jeffers， som vi får knapphändig information om， en vän。 Det är ett verktyg för att berätta， och brevformen skapar en särskild möjlighet till introspektion och återberättande， som också har en familjär ton， inte minst uttryckt i många utropstecken som ett vanligt jagberättande skulle ha svårt att använda Jag tycker om att det handlar om att få en att tänka efter， på märkliga möten och relationer， förväntaningar som inte möts och hur man försöker lära sig något av dem。 Ställd som ett brev till en Jeffers， som vi får knapphändig information om， en vän。 Det är ett verktyg för att berätta， och brevformen skapar en särskild möjlighet till introspektion och återberättande， som också har en familjär ton， inte minst uttryckt i många utropstecken som ett vanligt jagberättande skulle ha svårt att använda sig av utan att bli löjligt。 Återigen är det ett studium av personligheter， och hur de utvecklas， och relationer， hur människor finner sig i och agerar i relativt oväntade och underliga situationer。 Tycker om hur jaget kritiskt betraktar sin egen roll， både som mor och i relation till konstnären L， som hon sedan innan känner ett starkt band till genom den roll hans konst spelat i hennes eget tillblivande som självständig individ。 Och hur det sedan inte motsvaras， utan blir en slags konfrontation hon ändå välkomnar。 Det tycker jag är häftigt på något sätt， jag uppskattar verkligen som sagt， det självkritiska perspektivet。 Och genom allt får vi dessa utsnitt av mänskligt liv， episoder och händelser som i sig är så berörande。 Ja fan， en femma är det， inte minst för alla passager jag tvingats läsa flera gånger för att hänga med i。 Inte ett ord i onödan， inte en passage hanterat valhänt。 Och jag ser allt framför mig。 Mycket skickligt。 。。。more
Terry94705
，
As a great fan of Cusk's Outline trilogy， I was really looking forward to reading this book。 I was a little puzzled by the narrator's encounter with the devil in the first chapter， but also excited。 Was she trying something gothic？ There were many rewards in the first two-thirds of the novel， but also some confusion。 The narrator's thoughts about her daughter and the development of their relationship were particularly interesting to me。 As were some of her ponderings on art， nature and self。 But As a great fan of Cusk's Outline trilogy， I was really looking forward to reading this book。 I was a little puzzled by the narrator's encounter with the devil in the first chapter， but also excited。 Was she trying something gothic？ There were many rewards in the first two-thirds of the novel， but also some confusion。 The narrator's thoughts about her daughter and the development of their relationship were particularly interesting to me。 As were some of her ponderings on art， nature and self。 But then， two-thirds of the way in， I suddenly did not "believe" the story。 Neither the narrator nor the artist （or devil） who visits her made any coherent sense。 The characters crashed。 I've definitely set aside a few books over the years。 Books that began to seem silly or tiresome， or just poorly written。 But I've never had this kind of sudden， massive disappointment with an author I respected。 I finished the book， but it did not get better。 I wasn't sure what to make of her tribute to Mabel Dodge Luhan at the end of the book。 So I read several reviews hoping to find where it --or perhaps， I-- went wrong。The most useful was Andrew Schenker in the LA Times book review， who shows， among other things， how Cusk subverts the genre， but denies her reader satisfaction。 Her narrator wonders about the structure of her own narrative will and leaves her reader tossed about on a sea of uncertainty。 By the end of the book I did not like her。 I did not pity her。 I was sorry to know her。 But as the narrator said herself at one point， she was used to being disliked。 。。。more
Nate
，
Newest book by Cusk， who is now easily my favorite living writer。 I feel I need to read this again， as almost every sentence is packed with density and so much to chew on。 Quite a different novel than the Outline trilogy。 Whereas those were gentle and musical; this one is akin to a fever dream; and is something like the literary equivalent of Munch's painting The Scream。Just as with Outline and her essays， there are themes of gender equality; and there are heavy themes of both freedom and realit Newest book by Cusk， who is now easily my favorite living writer。 I feel I need to read this again， as almost every sentence is packed with density and so much to chew on。 Quite a different novel than the Outline trilogy。 Whereas those were gentle and musical; this one is akin to a fever dream; and is something like the literary equivalent of Munch's painting The Scream。Just as with Outline and her essays， there are themes of gender equality; and there are heavy themes of both freedom and reality。 The way the characters define both of these words are nothing short than mind blowing （though its hard to know if Cusk shares the viewpoint of her characters）。 Unlike Outline trilogy， where the thoughts of the narrator are hidden， we are invited into the psychology of this main character。 At times reads like Virginia Woolf; at other times like Roberto Bolano or Javier Marias。 Always feels startling unique and original。 Reading this， you realize you are in the spell of a master。 It is a treat to have this writer living with us。 I'm so excited to have started reading her a couple years ago， and now I need to dive into her back catalogue。 （I've read everything since Outline， but nothing before。） 。。。more
Georgeann Gurkovich
，
I would give it 2 million stars if I could。 Profound。 Existential。 How are you in my head， Rachel Cusk？ I read a page， then savored for 30 minutes （repeat）。 My library copy is full of sticky notes。 I may have to get me my own copy to reread and highlight。 L。 M。 and Tony gave me lots to ponder。 Astounding。 Thank you。 Food for my brain。 Still savoring every morsel。
Elizabeth Bradford
，
Ummm alright WOW。 I HAVE TO say that when I picked up this tiny book from the shelf at the bookstore I figured it would be good but I definitely didn’t expect to enjoy it more than outline。 Why did I？ It was just completely excellent。 Rachael Cusk， thank you for taking the time to write and share your point of view。 Your prose， characters and train of thought always add and always enrich my life。 I leave your books with questions and answers in surprising ways sometimes。 I would recommend this b Ummm alright WOW。 I HAVE TO say that when I picked up this tiny book from the shelf at the bookstore I figured it would be good but I definitely didn’t expect to enjoy it more than outline。 Why did I？ It was just completely excellent。 Rachael Cusk， thank you for taking the time to write and share your point of view。 Your prose， characters and train of thought always add and always enrich my life。 I leave your books with questions and answers in surprising ways sometimes。 I would recommend this book to anyone who has read and enjoyed earlier works by Rachael Cusk or who really enjoyed reading Death in Her Hands last summer or， strangely， Kate Chopin’s The Awakening 🙌🌞🙃 。。。more
Corey Davis
，
So intimate that I felt as though I were reading a very personal and revealing correspondence。 I found myself in a great tension between reading forward and apologizing for my intrusion。 Quietly destructive。
Brenda
，
I’ve never read anything by Rachel Cusk that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy。 I’d like to read the book this is modeled after but am having a hard time finding it。
Vikki
，
Well written， but I did find it a bit of a struggle at times to figure out M's musings。 Often re-reading paragraphs and wondering what I just read。 Unless I missed something， who is Jeffers？ Well written， but I did find it a bit of a struggle at times to figure out M's musings。 Often re-reading paragraphs and wondering what I just read。 Unless I missed something， who is Jeffers？ 。。。more
erina （readpersephone）
，
4。25/5this could've easily been a 5 star read for me but my pea brain says no。second place was such a thought provoking read。 it tells the story of the narrator m， epistolary style， and her encounter with the art of l and eventually his person himself when he decides to take her up on her offer to stay at her second place on the marsh she lives on with her family。not only is the an addicting story about the nature of the relationship between artist and consumer which is often one-sided， but also 4。25/5this could've easily been a 5 star read for me but my pea brain says no。second place was such a thought provoking read。 it tells the story of the narrator m， epistolary style， and her encounter with the art of l and eventually his person himself when he decides to take her up on her offer to stay at her second place on the marsh she lives on with her family。not only is the an addicting story about the nature of the relationship between artist and consumer which is often one-sided， but also a story of a woman's need to feel seen after a life of marriage， motherhood and compromise leads her to feel a loss of her individuality and questioning her own existence。the characters were all unlikable as fuck （and not in a likeable way） but i found that really didn't take away from my enjoyment of reading it。 easily a book i will probably like more reading for a second time and after more dissecting。 。。。more
Aslı
，
I really enjoyed this book and it was surprisingly an easy read regardless of being light on the plot and heavy on observations and wonderings。 But the characters and the relationships between them were quite interesting and kept my interest。 I might read it again later to fully absorb the observations the lead character makes。 I feel that some of it went over my head since the book was relatively dense。
Isobel Brown
，
I can't help feeling in awe of Rachel Cusk， which can stop you enjoying a book， sinking into its world and allowing it to envelop you。 You keep stopping to admire the view。 With the previous trilogy （Outline etc）， I could do both。 I was entranced by the narrative technique， the 'characters'， the sophistication and accuracy of the language。 In Second Place， I was puzzled。 I had to read in short bursts。 Partly， I would run out of interest， or become exasperated with the scatty， chatty， exclamation I can't help feeling in awe of Rachel Cusk， which can stop you enjoying a book， sinking into its world and allowing it to envelop you。 You keep stopping to admire the view。 With the previous trilogy （Outline etc）， I could do both。 I was entranced by the narrative technique， the 'characters'， the sophistication and accuracy of the language。 In Second Place， I was puzzled。 I had to read in short bursts。 Partly， I would run out of interest， or become exasperated with the scatty， chatty， exclamation-mark-infested narration。 Partly， the meal was too rich， there were too many hard-core， interesting， complex ideas about life and love to digest at once。 And partly， also， I realised we were never going to know what had caused the mysterious breakdown in the narrator's psychic composure， her previous marriage， nor the identity of the person （'Jeffers'） to whom all this book is apparently addressed。 Which was a bit annoying。I couldn't relax into the voice of the book， it seemed at once elaborately sophisticated and at the same time clumsy， overworked。 I thought 'Rachel Cusk writes better than this， doesn't she？' Then I got to the acknowledgement at the end， about the book being inspired by Mabel Dodge's story。 D H Lawrence。 Mabel Dodge Luhan， the wealthy American lover of letters who， when the Lawrences got to New Mexico on their endless life-search for somewhere that Lawrence's poor health could handle， and somewhere that wasn't deathly and life-denying， kind of adopted him。 And put up with Lawrence's glorious wife Frieda， smoking and sulking in the cabin while resplendent Mabel and deaf little Hon Dorothy Brett contorted themselves in worship of the great writer。 Then everything in Second Place hung together， because I was aware of Rachel Cusk's admiration of D H Lawrence， and loved her for it， as his work and， I suppose you have to call it now， his value-system， is so unfashionable and I have always felt rather guilty about the way I love his writing and the force of the personality behind it。 So yes， a flawed and fascinating experiment， in my view， this 'Second Place'， a title that describes both the locus of the book， a kind of guest or second home built near to the narrator's uncomfortable house on what feels like an Essex marshland， and the way the narrator feels about her role as a woman， a wife， a mother， a writer。 Things happen。 Her daughter and her awkward partner turn up and affect the dynamic between the narrator and her partner， a strong， silent， Lawrentian kind of 'Indian' fellow; but more importantly， an artist （'L' of course）， turns up with an unexpected， glamorous girlfriend， takes over the Second Place and pokes at the difficulties and strains in the narrator's life and personality。 Always a worthwhile author to read， and I did feel a little worthy， finishing it， but try it and see。Thanks so much to NetGalley and Faber for giving me a digital copy to read pre-publication。 。。。more
Geneva Valek
，
Strange， odd， beautiful in parts。 The pacing was strange because it was written as a letter， and I didn't completely love to acknowledgement of trying not to recall every detail， but then later slipping into more and more dialogue。 Regardless， some gems in there， and highly quotable！ Strange， odd， beautiful in parts。 The pacing was strange because it was written as a letter， and I didn't completely love to acknowledgement of trying not to recall every detail， but then later slipping into more and more dialogue。 Regardless， some gems in there， and highly quotable！ 。。。more
Marjorie
，
Mesmerizing， gorgeous writing。 Most highly recommended。 Now I must read "Lorenzo in Taos" by Mabel Dodge Luhan， her biography about her visitor， D。H。 Lawrence。 Ms。 Cusk mentions the book at the end of hers。 Mesmerizing， gorgeous writing。 Most highly recommended。 Now I must read "Lorenzo in Taos" by Mabel Dodge Luhan， her biography about her visitor， D。H。 Lawrence。 Ms。 Cusk mentions the book at the end of hers。 。。。more
Gabrielle Jarrett
，
Again， Cusk has proven to be a philosopher of the conscious and unconscious， with her well honed and developing deeper craft of writing。 At times， she reminds me of Virginia Woolf in the success of showing， not telling， the status of women within the patriarchy by the use of good men as well as not so good men。 She uses ugliness， owned and disowned and imagined， as the mirror of womens' worth and self worth。 The first chapter is a prologue and symbol of the novel where train riders ignore the ug Again， Cusk has proven to be a philosopher of the conscious and unconscious， with her well honed and developing deeper craft of writing。 At times， she reminds me of Virginia Woolf in the success of showing， not telling， the status of women within the patriarchy by the use of good men as well as not so good men。 She uses ugliness， owned and disowned and imagined， as the mirror of womens' worth and self worth。 The first chapter is a prologue and symbol of the novel where train riders ignore the ugly man/devil fondling the little girl on his lap and no one intervenes。 The little girl theme repeats itself throughout the novel。A wounded woman happens to marry a strong and good male， even as she sees nothing good nor strong about herself。 The male visitor （the devil）， a somewhat demented artist draws her away from good and towards his seductive evil， mirroring her own rubble of worthlessness。 She possesses deep self knowledge， while being terribly skewed， co-dependent， and unhealed。 She is the tragic historical woman who "obeys" men and asks that it be retained in her wedding vows。 I borrowed it from the library， but turned over so many corners， I must buy it to reread and underline。 Rachel Cusk evokes deep reflection！ 。。。more
Lee Razer
，
This is an interesting case。 Firstly， the novel looks to depend in its structure on an obscure 1920s memoir， a knowledge of which would shed light on several things， like why this entire text is continually addressed to a person named Jeffers。 However the author seems to not want us to make too much of the connection。 To which I say， “ha！”。 Literary criticism， amateur or otherwise， will not be dictated to by authors， will it。The novel’s protagonist is a neurotic， and much of the book is her addr This is an interesting case。 Firstly， the novel looks to depend in its structure on an obscure 1920s memoir， a knowledge of which would shed light on several things， like why this entire text is continually addressed to a person named Jeffers。 However the author seems to not want us to make too much of the connection。 To which I say， “ha！”。 Literary criticism， amateur or otherwise， will not be dictated to by authors， will it。The novel’s protagonist is a neurotic， and much of the book is her addressing her neurosis to this aforementioned Jeffers， its unknown silent recipient。 She has invited the artist referred to as L to a retreat on her and her husband’s land， hoping that through some uncertain mechanism he will free her mind and give her the rebirth into freedom that she longs for。 She has invested L with a near mystical potentiality over her and her emotional state swings wildly in his presence， from despair to hysteria and back again。 Evidently this is modeled on that obscure memoirist’s experience of inviting D。H。 Lawrence to her own retreat; Lawrence did not like the memoirist and neither does L like our protagonist。 L， and presumably Lawrence， are rather unpleasant themselves。 Cusk’s prose is complex， often beautiful， often difficult。 Here’s an excellent passage from when our protagonist first encounters L through his paintings and incorporates him into her melancholic universe:The painting， by the way， was a self-portrait， one of L’s arresting portraits where he shows himself at about the distance you might keep between yourself and a stranger。 He looks almost surprised to see himself: he gives that stranger a glance that is as objective and compassionless as any glance in the street。 He is wearing an ordinary kind of plaid shirt and his hair is brushed back and parted， and despite the coldness of the act of perception – which is a cosmic coldness and loneliness， Jeffers – the rendering of those details， of the buttoned-up shirt and the brushed hair and the plain features unanimated by recognition， is the most human and loving thing in the world。 Looking at it， the emotion I felt was pity， pity for myself and for all of us: the kind of wordless pity a mother might feel for her mortal child， who nonetheless she brushes and dresses so tenderly。 Another feature of the novel is the narrator’s strained relationship with her young adult daughter。 As a parent myself I couldn’t identify with some of her attitudes towards her daughter， which edged into existential alienation at times， but this passage I mark well:When Justine was younger there had been a feeling of malleability， of active process， in our relations， but now that she was a young woman it was as though time had abruptly run out and we were frozen in the positions we had happened to assume in the moment of its stopping， like the game where everyone has to creep up behind the leader and then freeze the second he turns around。 There she stood， the externalisation of my life force， immune to further alterations; and there was I， unable to explain to her how exactly she had turned out the way she had。 Other times the prose refuses to cohere into meaning， no matter how many times I reread it。 Here is L looking out at the horizon and speaking to the narrator:‘I suddenly saw it， right out there，’ he said， pointing toward the distant blue shape of the receded tide， ‘the illusion of that death-structure。 I wish I had understood before how to dissolve。 Not just how to dissolve the line – other things too。 I did the opposite， because I thought I had to resist being worn down。 The more I tried to make a structure， the more it felt like everything around me had gone bad。 It felt like I was making the world， and making it wrong， when all I was doing was making my own death。 But you don’t have to die。 The dissolving looks like death but in fact it’s the other way around。 I didn’t see it to start with。’ When L said these things， Jeffers， I felt a thrill of vindication – I knew he would understand it！ Well the narrator may understand that， but I don’t！ Are we meant to？ Or is the confusion and incoherence something of what Cusk is aiming for？ Is the reader supposed to take this as merely further illustration of the characters’ sad estrangement from the solid core of reality， from a healthy functioning in the physical world， a functioning embodied in contrast by the narrator’s husband Tony， a quiet soul content to be working on the land？ I’m not certain。In any event it’s a novel that lends itself to much thought and discussion of what it’s about and what it’s doing。 If there is no clear morality here， no clear take on what it means to be human， it is at least intellectually interesting。 And sometimes quite confusing。 。。。more
Jake
，
{3。5 stars} Truthfully， I don't know what to make of this novel。 The part of me that finds deep satisfaction in quiet， enigmatic literature was not left unaffected， but on the flip side， so much of Second Place left me feeling very blank。 Whether because of being in the wrong state of mind while reading or ultimately not receiving what I anticipated from it I can't say for sure。If I have any certainty right now， it's that this novel might just be the first concerted effort at post-2020 literatur {3。5 stars} Truthfully， I don't know what to make of this novel。 The part of me that finds deep satisfaction in quiet， enigmatic literature was not left unaffected， but on the flip side， so much of Second Place left me feeling very blank。 Whether because of being in the wrong state of mind while reading or ultimately not receiving what I anticipated from it I can't say for sure。If I have any certainty right now， it's that this novel might just be the first concerted effort at post-2020 literature。 Without making any direct references to any real or perceived doom occurring outside the story's confines， Rachel Cusk manages to create such a volatile portrait of dislocation， intrusiveness， and false camaraderie where boundaries of time and place are perpetually nonexistent， and therefore transcend beyond the circumstances of its occurrence。 It is unquestionably a book that thrives off its elusive， chameleon-like undertones， one that， at this juncture， I'm either not bright enough to comprehend or am working very hard to project myself onto unnecessarily， but may end up having a change of heart about the further I get away from it。 Don't take any of what I've just said too seriously; this is me spewing at the mouth for anything that shows I've made sense of Second Place， even if I know that I haven't， at all。 。。。more
Imogen Low
，
Wow。 I devoured this in one day whilst escaping to the coast for a week。 Wife and Mother， invites painter L to her desolate marsh after encountering his work whilst in Paris。 Falling in love she writes to him waiting upon his arrival。 When his presence and demeanour aren’t what she expected， she finds herself on a journey of self discovery， learning the powers of art and realising the void she needs filling isn’t quite what she expected。 A tale of how art can both can save and destroy us。 Beauti Wow。 I devoured this in one day whilst escaping to the coast for a week。 Wife and Mother， invites painter L to her desolate marsh after encountering his work whilst in Paris。 Falling in love she writes to him waiting upon his arrival。 When his presence and demeanour aren’t what she expected， she finds herself on a journey of self discovery， learning the powers of art and realising the void she needs filling isn’t quite what she expected。 A tale of how art can both can save and destroy us。 Beautifully written， enchanting and heartbreaking。 With no descriptions on the time it was set， it highlights the great capacity escapism has for ones growth。 Whether breaking away from the patterns of daily life can either break you or build you。 Laced with an empowering and divergent ways of seeing the world and noticing the intricacies of people characters， Rachel Cusk sees the world with an eye like no other。 Getting lost within her descriptions， I felt an envy of her talent and pull for wanting to see people from her perspective。 Truly wonderful。 。。。more
John Purcell
，
Rachel Cusk's new novel Second Place is just brilliant。 I feared it would be brilliant， so I kept picking up other books instead。 Stupid thing to do。 But sometimes you can't face such brilliance directly。 You have to circle it for a while。 Rachel Cusk's new novel Second Place is just brilliant。 I feared it would be brilliant， so I kept picking up other books instead。 Stupid thing to do。 But sometimes you can't face such brilliance directly。 You have to circle it for a while。 。。。more
Colin Lavery
，
Packs a punch for such a short book。 A very well-executed， concise follow up to the Outline trilogy
George
，
Such an intelligent and beautiful written book - a big step up from her great trilogy
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Second Place
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Second Place&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Second Place&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0