Les sports à la mode by Camille Meillac

(2 User reviews)   2414
By Abil Kile Posted on Dec 30, 2025
In Category - History
Meillac, Camille Meillac, Camille
French
Hey, you know how we sometimes joke about how our hobbies have become full-time jobs? Camille Meillac's 'Les sports à la mode' takes that idea and runs with it—literally. It's not really about sports at all. It's about a group of friends who get so caught up in chasing the 'right' trendy activity—whether it's competitive pickleball or silent hiking—that they forget why they started. The mystery isn't a crime; it's watching these otherwise smart people slowly lose themselves. The real question is who will realize they're playing a game with no winners before it's too late. It's funny, a bit sad, and weirdly familiar.
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remaining thirty-eight years of his life in unclouded domestic happiness. She was a devout Christian woman, who cheered and encouraged Arndt amid his many cares, alleviated every burden to the extent of her ability, and was always regarded by him with tenderness and gratitude. They were childless; but many an orphan found that their hearts could overflow with love towards the young and destitute—a love as full of warmth as beloved children have ever experienced parental love to be. § 6. In this first pastoral charge of Arndt, the unhappy state of affairs subjected him, particularly during the latter part of the seven years which he spent in it, to a “Lutheran martyrdom,” as Tholuck expresses himself (Herzog. Encyk. I., 536). The duke, John George, who now reigned (a relative of the palsgrave, or count palatine, Casimir, a zealous Calvinist), after various inward struggles, abandoned the Lutheran faith, and, in the year 1596, publicly adopted the Reformed faith, a few years after the transactions to which we now refer. Even Protestant rulers, who had not yet learned the theory that a union of church and state can operate only perniciously, perpetually interfered in the internal affairs of the church.—At this period it was the custom of Lutheran pastors, when they administered the rite of Baptism, to follow the liturgical form which prescribed “exorcism.” This feature of the whole baptismal form, which was introduced as early as the third century, or even earlier (before the days of Tertullian and Origen), consisted simply in a sentence adjuring the evil spirit to depart from the subject of Baptism. The early practice had, like others, been gradually associated, after the rise and development of popery, with superstitious ideas, such as was also the case with the Lord’s Supper, until it assumed an absurd and even revolting form. At the period of the Reformation, Zwingli and Calvin (Inst. IV., c. 15, 19; c. 19, 24) rejected the whole form of exorcism. Luther and Melanchthon, on the other hand, after discarding the popish excrescences, believed that the scriptural doctrine which the early form involved or suggested, authorized the retention of the practice, when restricted to a very plain and simple formula, expressive of a scriptural truth.—Now, at that period, as it is well known, unfriendly feelings, engendered by various causes, existed to a certain extent, between the heads respectively of the Reformed and the Lutheran churches, in consequence of which even harmless customs which none would, under ordinary circumstances, either advocate or condemn with partisan feeling, assumed a confessional character. Such was the case with the purified and simple Lutheran baptismal sentence containing the “exorcism.” § 7. Arndt’s course in this matter has often been misunderstood; as it, however, demonstrates him to have been alike a very firm and conscientious man, and also an uncompromising supporter of the distinctive doctrines and usages of the Lutheran Church, the following details may be appropriately furnished.—The language which Luther retained in his form for Baptism (_Taufbüchlein_), after omitting all popish and superstitious practices, was the following. Between the prayer and the reading of Mark 10:13-16, the pastor says: “I adjure thee, thou unclean spirit, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, that thou go out and depart from this servant of Jesus Christ, Amen.”—Luther understood the form to be a declaration or distinct confession of the doctrine of Original Sin, and a renunciation of Satan. Still, the Lutheran Church, as such, never recognized the _necessity_ of this ancient form, and its confessional writings never allude to it. After the excitement of...

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Camille Meillac's Les sports à la mode follows a tight-knit Parisian friend group in their thirties. When one of them, Léa, masters the obscure art of 'urban orienteering' and gains sudden social media fame, it sparks a quiet revolution. Each friend, from the overworked lawyer to the bored graphic designer, feels pressured to find and dominate their own niche, trendy sport. The plot follows their separate journeys into the worlds of underwater hockey, parkour for beginners, and even extreme knitting marathons. But as their calendars fill and their gear piles up, their real connections start to fray. The story is less about winning matches and more about the slow, quiet competition that springs up between people who are supposed to care about each other.

Why You Should Read It

This book hooked me because it's so clever about modern life. Meillac isn't making fun of people who like pickleball. She's asking why we feel this need to turn every bit of fun into a performance or an identity. The characters are people you know—maybe a version of yourself. You'll cringe when they brag about their recovery routines, and you'll feel for them when they're too exhausted from their 'leisure' to actually enjoy a simple dinner together. It's a sharp, often hilarious look at how we try to fill our time with meaning, sometimes missing the point completely.

Final Verdict

Perfect for anyone who has ever felt a pang of anxiety scrolling through a friend's 'perfect' weekend photos, or who has wondered if their hobby is passionate enough. It's a smart, breezy read that packs a real emotional punch. If you liked the social observations in books like Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine or Convenience Store Woman, but wanted something focused on friendship and modern absurdity, you'll love this. It's the kind of book you'll want to talk about immediately after putting it down.



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This title is part of the public domain archive. You do not need permission to reproduce this work.

Mason Sanchez
3 months ago

This book was worth my time since the flow of the text seems very fluid. One of the best books I've read this year.

Donald Torres
10 months ago

Helped me clear up some confusion on the topic.

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4 out of 5 (2 User reviews )

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