Louis & Louise

Critics Review

• 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.

  SUNDAY TIMES

• 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.

  GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

• Emotional and seriously powerful.

  FABULOUS MAGAZINE, SUN ON SUNDAY

• 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.

  THE INDEPENDENT

• This elegantly written novel also examines much that is universal: teen love, parent-child relations, class division and small-town prejudice.

  DAILY MAIL

• 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

  Emerald Street

• 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.

  SUNDAY EXPRESS

• 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

• Poignant and heartfelt

  PRIMA

• Tender and thought-provoking

  Woman & Home

• this is a modern take told with heart

  GRAZIA

• Elegant, thoughtful and powerful

  Daisy Buchanan

• Hugely original and heartbreakingly real

  Rosie Walsh

• Fierce, intricate and intriguing

  Fanny Blake

• A timely read that will stay with you long after you put it down

  Libby Page

• 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, author of DEAR MRS BIRD

• Louis & Louise is moving and beautiful, but it will also make you wonder and question

  Joanna Cannon, author of THE TROUBLE WITH GOATS AND SHEEP

• What a brave, warm and wise book this is. I loved it

  Tamar Cohen, author of THE BROKEN

• Beautifully written and thought-provoking

  Kate Eberlen, author of MISS YOU

• 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

• The premise here is radical, but worth the effort… this elegantly written novel also examines much that is universal

  Daily Mail

• 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.

  SUNDAY MIRROR