★ 04/09/2018
In Maurel’s sumptuously drawn time-travel fantasy, teenage Luisa is transported from the 1990s to the present to meet her 30-something self. Tamaki (This One Summer) adapts the translated French with freshly worded dialogue in this elegant English-language edition. Young Luisa is disgusted to learn that adult Luisa is single and boring, living in a tiny apartment in Paris and working at a compromised version of her dream job. For adult Luisa, the meeting stirs up old regrets and forces her to face truths about her sexuality that she’s tried to ignore. But the more time they spend together, the more their identities blend. The idea of meeting one’s past or future self isn’t terrifically original, but Maurel tells the story with insightfulness and depth and an eye for period detail; note young Luisa’s oversized scrunchie and the pacifier necklace that was a ’90s fad for mere moments. In stand-out art, Maurel renders attractive characters with open, emotive faces and detailed Paris streets drenched in sunset-toned watercolors. There couldn’t be a lovelier setting for this winning story of romantic self-discovery. (Jun.)
"***STONEWALL HONOR BOOK*** " - AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION "In Maurel’s sumptuously drawn time-travel fantasy, teenage Luisa is transported from the 1990s to the present to meet her 30-something self. Tamaki (This One Summer) adapts the translated French with freshly worded dialogue . . . In stand-out art, Maurel renders attractive characters with open, emotive faces and detailed Paris streets drenched in sunset-toned watercolors. There couldn’t be a lovelier setting for this winning story of romantic self-discovery." - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (Starred Review) "A funny, touching, and beautifully illustrated and colored story about self-acceptance with equal appeal to adult and YA audiences." - Library Journal "***2019 Best Fiction for Young Adults List***" - YALSA "***Featured on NPR's Guide To 2018’s Great Reads***" - NPR ""It’s not just the best comic I’ve read in years, it’s the best book I’ve read in years. It moved me deeply and uses the medium brilliantly. Highly recommended." " - MARK WAID "***Featured in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY's Best Summer Reads, 2018***" - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY "“A work of tender soul searching and honest dialogue.” " - COMICS BEAT "“An excellent book which tackles identity, sexuality, family pressures, and love in all its splendor....Funny, relevant, poignant, and fascinating.” " - GRAPHIC POLICY "“A stunning book. ... Unique and sweet.” " - THE NERDIST "“A poignant time travel story with a queer romance angle.... Tamaki has significant experience exploring teenage characters in books like Skim and the Eisner Award-winning This One Summer, and she takes Nanette McGuinness’ translated dialogue and adapts it for an American ear.... Maurel and Tamaki take these women on a powerful journey through their past and future.”" - AV CLUB ""8 Best Sapphic Comics & Graphic Novels" (alongside Lumberjanes, Giant Days, and Goldie Vance)" - BOOK RIOT "" A queer, transformative tale about self-acceptance and sexuality that is already generating rave reviews " - COMICOSITY ""Luisa tackles familiar queer coming-of-age themes with a time-travel device that makes it perfectly suited to the comic medium." " - PASTE MAGAZINE "A “beautifully illustrated and expressive graphic novel about self-reflection, acceptance, sexual identity, and time travel, Luisa: Now and Then. Who better to translate that into English than Mariko Tamaki?”" - SYFY WIRE "“LUISA: NOW AND THEN is a great comic book about teenage angst and the fear of failing. How sometimes our younger self would be disappointed by the choices we make as adults. A beautiful and nostalgic story, about discovering who we truly are, and not forgetting our inner child.”" - MARGAUX SALTEL "Maurel’s painterly, naturalistic artwork, in sumptuous full color, beautifully conveys the story. . . . should resonate with plenty of readers." - Booklist "“Insightful and funny, this is a feel-good coming-of-age story.”" - COMICS WORTH READING
06/01/2018
In 1995, 15-year-old Luisa enters a Paris bus and exits, somehow, in 2013. Or, in 2013, 33-year-old Luisa suddenly encounters a lost and confused version of herself at age 15. Either way, the younger Luisa is both mystified by cultural differences big and small in the 21st century but mostly taken back by her future self, a disillusioned food photographer living alone in a small Paris apartment. Moreover, the elder Luisa isn't too thrilled at suddenly having to answer for more than a decade's worth of compromise and disappointment. This tale from French creator Maurel (Apokalypse), adapted into English by Tamaki (cocreator, This One Summer), straddles both coming of age and coming to terms with middle age, sending a familiar plot in fascinating and bold new directions, as both versions of Luisa are forced to acknowledge their repressed sexuality in order to move forward. VERDICT A funny, touching, and beautifully illustrated and colored story about self-acceptance with equal appeal to adult and YA audiences.—TB
Winter 2018
Luisa Arambol, 33, is resigned to her unsatisfying life. Her relationships with men never last, and her job as a culinary photographer isn't what she hoped it would be. But everything changes when her neighbor Sasha discovers a lost girl in their neighborhood, who turns out to be Luisa at age 15. When she comes face to face with her more passionate and resolute younger self, Luisa must acknowledge past decisions and how she has repressed her attraction to women. Occasional awkward phrasing crops up in this French translation, and the logistics of the time-traveling aren't explained, but the message about being true to oneself is universal. Maurel handles the hardships of teens coming to terms with their sexuality (or not) with raw honesty. Loose, scratchy linework overlays a soothing watercolor finish; Luisa's flashbacks are presented in grayscale, and Sasha's flashback in a citrus palette, while the present rotates between a lush burgundy gradient and cool sea-foam greens and blues. Footnotes discuss French cultural norms and practical differences between the two Luisa time lines. There is a scene of masturbation and sexual fantasy, but there is no nudity. VERDICT This touching tale of growing up will resonate with most teens, especially those interested in titles exploring identity.—Alea Perez, Westmont Public Library, IL
2020-05-18
A 30-something woman must reckon with judgments from her 15-year-old self.
In 2013, Luisa Arambol, a commercial food photographer, lives in the Paris apartment left to her by her late Aunt Aurelia, a woman she barely knew. Luisa has little contact with her mother, unsatisfying short-term relationships with men, and an irresponsible relationship with alcohol. In the 1990s, Luisa pops a cassette into her Walkman, hops on a bus to her home near Chartres, and nods off, waking up in Paris. She is rescued by Luisa’s neighbor Sasha, who deposits her with Luisa senior, and the two work out their connection—as well as a cover story about a long-lost cousin. Teen Luisa is horrified, regarding her older self as a sellout who compromised on artistic integrity. Even more painful to confront is both Luisas’ feelings about her sexuality and her treatment of a teenage friend who was a target of homophobic bullying. Lesbian Sasha becomes a lightning rod for adult Luisa’s conflicted feelings. As the two Luisas spend time more together, they experience greater conflict as well as a melding of sorts. The golden-hued illustrations vividly evoke the Parisian setting, with flashbacks rendered in sepia tones. The realism of the art accentuates the surreal dislocation both women experience. The story is told honestly, with no sugarcoating of painful truths, and will hold strong appeal for teen and adult readers alike. Main characters are white; there are secondary characters of color.
An evocative meditation on personal pain and dreams deferred. (Graphic fantasy. 15-adult)
