Louise or Words to that Effect

“The wife shut up in her home cannot establish her existence on her own: she does not have the means to affirm herself in her singularity….” Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex.

Louise Gilbert’s life and work provides an emphatic refutation of Simone de Beauvoir’s assertion.

James Charnley has been taking notes, recording his sentimental and practical education as he came to appreciate just how much he owes to his partner.

Louise or Words to That Effect combines diary with biography tracing Louise’s life from her privileged birth, escape from a violent relationship and further adventures. The diary entries show how Louise makes each day fulfilling and creative. Louise or Words to That Effect calls for a reappraisal of some of our most unquestioned assumptions.