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Louis & Louise
On sale
24th January 2019
Price: £19.99
Polari Prize, 2019
‘It’s BRILLIANT. I enjoyed it hugely’ Marian Keyes
*****
Two people.
Two lives.
One chance to see the same world differently.
Louis and Louise are the same person born in two different lives. One was born female, and one male.
They have the same best friends, the same red hair, the same dream of being a writer, the same excellent whistle. They both suffer one catastrophic night, with life-changing consequences.
Thirteen years later, they are both coming home . . .
A tender, insightful and timely novel about the things that bring us together – and those which separate us, from the author of Richard & Judy recommended book Together
*****
A NOVEL PEOPLE CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT…
‘Not often does a story remind us of what beautifully complex creatures we are. Julie Cohen has given us that rare gift’ Christina Dalcher, author of VOX
‘Louis and Louise is Julie Cohen at her absolute best. So cleverly done and authentic, and you feel as if you live in the town with the characters and have been in the story with them.’ A J Pearce
‘Louis & Louise is moving and beautiful, but it will also make you wonder and question, and it will stretch out your thinking so very beautifully’ Joanna Cannon
‘Elegant, thoughtful and powerful’ Daisy Buchanan
‘Fierce, intricate and intriguing’ Fanny Blake
‘Hugely original and heartbreakingly real’ Rosie Walsh
‘A timely read that will stay with you long after you put it down’ Libby Page
‘What a brave, warm and wise book this is. I loved it’ Tamar Cohen
‘Beautifully written and thought-provoking’ Kate Eberlen
‘A cobweb of a book: beautifully intricate and delicate’ Veronica Henry
‘Wow. What a beautiful, ballsy and brilliant book’ Sinead Moriarty
‘A beautifully written, heartbreaking and important novel about gender, self, family and, ultimately, love’ Claire Frost, reviewer
‘A powerful and memorable story of small town secrets, family dynamics and the sense that some things are just meant to be’ Sunday Express
‘Emotional and seriously powerful’ Fabulous
‘An engaging, moving novel, at its most arresting in the pivotal scenes when she explores the personal fallout of industrial and class conflict in Louis/Louise’s beleaguered hometown’ Sunday Times
‘A modern take told with heart’ Grazia
‘The premise here is radical, but worth the effort… this elegantly written novel also examines much that is universal’ Daily Mail
*****
* Fabulous pick for 2019’s Best Books *
* Woman & Home Pick of the Month *
* Good Housekeeping Book of the Month *
* Emerald Street January’s Best Books *
* Stylist 2019’s Hottest Books *
* THE POOL Recommended Books 2019 *
*****
Two people.
Two lives.
One chance to see the same world differently.
Louis and Louise are the same person born in two different lives. One was born female, and one male.
They have the same best friends, the same red hair, the same dream of being a writer, the same excellent whistle. They both suffer one catastrophic night, with life-changing consequences.
Thirteen years later, they are both coming home . . .
A tender, insightful and timely novel about the things that bring us together – and those which separate us, from the author of Richard & Judy recommended book Together
*****
A NOVEL PEOPLE CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT…
‘Not often does a story remind us of what beautifully complex creatures we are. Julie Cohen has given us that rare gift’ Christina Dalcher, author of VOX
‘Louis and Louise is Julie Cohen at her absolute best. So cleverly done and authentic, and you feel as if you live in the town with the characters and have been in the story with them.’ A J Pearce
‘Louis & Louise is moving and beautiful, but it will also make you wonder and question, and it will stretch out your thinking so very beautifully’ Joanna Cannon
‘Elegant, thoughtful and powerful’ Daisy Buchanan
‘Fierce, intricate and intriguing’ Fanny Blake
‘Hugely original and heartbreakingly real’ Rosie Walsh
‘A timely read that will stay with you long after you put it down’ Libby Page
‘What a brave, warm and wise book this is. I loved it’ Tamar Cohen
‘Beautifully written and thought-provoking’ Kate Eberlen
‘A cobweb of a book: beautifully intricate and delicate’ Veronica Henry
‘Wow. What a beautiful, ballsy and brilliant book’ Sinead Moriarty
‘A beautifully written, heartbreaking and important novel about gender, self, family and, ultimately, love’ Claire Frost, reviewer
‘A powerful and memorable story of small town secrets, family dynamics and the sense that some things are just meant to be’ Sunday Express
‘Emotional and seriously powerful’ Fabulous
‘An engaging, moving novel, at its most arresting in the pivotal scenes when she explores the personal fallout of industrial and class conflict in Louis/Louise’s beleaguered hometown’ Sunday Times
‘A modern take told with heart’ Grazia
‘The premise here is radical, but worth the effort… this elegantly written novel also examines much that is universal’ Daily Mail
*****
* Fabulous pick for 2019’s Best Books *
* Woman & Home Pick of the Month *
* Good Housekeeping Book of the Month *
* Emerald Street January’s Best Books *
* Stylist 2019’s Hottest Books *
* THE POOL Recommended Books 2019 *
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Reviews
Not often does a story remind us of what beautifully complex creatures we are. Julie Cohen has given us that rare gift
In this fascinating novel, Cohen explores the paths taken by Louis and Louise, which run almost parallel until a life-changing event on the night of Lou's high school graduation. It's a poignant look at how our gender can determine the way we are treated and the knock-on effects that can have, even if all the other circumstances of our lives are exactly the same
Poignant and heartfelt
Tender and thought-provoking
Elegant, thoughtful and powerful
Hugely original and heartbreakingly real
Fierce, intricate and intriguing
A timely read that will stay with you long after you put it down
Louis and Louise is Julie Cohen at her absolute best. So cleverly done and authentic, and you feel as if you live in the town with the characters and have been in the story with them.
Louis & Louise is moving and beautiful, but it will also make you wonder and question
What a brave, warm and wise book this is. I loved it
Beautifully written and thought-provoking
A cobweb of a book: beautifully intricate and delicate
Wow. What a beautiful, ballsy and brilliant book
A beautifully written, heartbreaking and important novel about gender, self, family and, ultimately, love
Book of the Month: The idea behind Louis & Louise is one of the cleverest I've seen: a baby is born on 8 September 1978 - from that point, the narrative splits, with the child growing up female in one strand and male in the other... This tender, moving, fantastically readable story is expertly handled by Julie Cohen.
In the hands of a less skilful author this could have been an unsubtle gimmick to make a point about gender but Julie Cohen has written a powerful and memorable story of small town secrets, family dynamics and the sense that some things are just meant to be.
Cohen has written an engaging, moving novel, at its most arresting in the pivotal scenes when she explores the personal fallout of industrial and class conflict in Louis/Louise's beleaguered hometown.
Told over two, initially parallel, narratives (or, indeed, universes), this is a nuanced exploration of how the social expectations of gender can push us down certain paths.
Emotional and seriously powerful.
this is a modern take told with heart
This elegantly written novel also examines much that is universal: teen love, parent-child relations, class division and small-town prejudice.
The premise here is radical, but worth the effort... this elegantly written novel also examines much that is universal
Exploring two alternate realities - one in which the Alders have a son, the other a daughter - the Sliding Doors-style scenarios of growing up male or female in a small US town make for an intriguing looks at gender and destiny.