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A Novel
by Lynda Cohen Loigman
It's never too late for new beginnings.
On the cusp of turning eighty, newly retired pharmacist Augusta Stern is adrift. When she relocates to Rallentando Springs―an active senior community in southern Florida―she unexpectedly crosses paths with Irving Rivkin, the delivery boy from her father's old pharmacy―and the man who broke her heart sixty years earlier.
As a teenager growing up in 1920s Brooklyn, Augusta's role model was her father, Solomon Stern, the trusted owner of the local pharmacy and the neighborhood expert on every ailment. But when Augusta's mother dies and Great Aunt Esther moves in, Augusta can't help but be drawn to Esther's curious methods. As a healer herself, Esther offers Solomon's customers her own advice―unconventional remedies ranging from homemade chicken soup to a mysterious array of powders and potions.
As Augusta prepares for pharmacy college, she is torn between loyalty to her father and fascination with her great aunt, all while navigating a budding but complicated relationship with Irving. Desperate for clarity, she impulsively uses Esther's most potent elixir with disastrous consequences. Disillusioned and alone, Augusta vows to reject Esther's enchantments forever.
Sixty years later, confronted with Irving, Augusta is still haunted by the mistakes of her past. What happened all those years ago and how did her plan go so spectacularly wrong? Did Irving ever truly love her or was he simply playing a part? And can Augusta reclaim the magic of her youth before it's too late?
"In this poignant tale of late-in-life love, Loigman showcases her talent for transporting readers into recent history through lovingly researched details and a touch of magical whimsy...This is a charmer." ―Publishers Weekly
"Augusta and Irving's love story is charming without being saccharine, and Augusta's tongue-in-cheek wit combined with her renewed hopefulness makes her the perfect unexpected heroine for new beginnings... . For anyone who believes in second chances." ―Kirkus Reviews
"Loigman presents two fully realized time lines, each full of Jewish cultural touchstones, in this charming love story that proves it's never too late for a second chance." ―Booklist
"Utterly charming and delightfully heartwarming, The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern will cast a spell on you from the very first page." ―Allison Winn Scotch, bestselling author of The Rewind
"Loigman's latest is a perfect gem! The unforgettable characters in this delightful, beautifully written novel discover that it's never too late to right wrongs, to make a fresh start, and to fall in love all over again. A truly charming, meaningful, and, above all, uplifting story." ―Amy Poeppel, author of The Sweet Spot
"A luminous novel…I was mesmerized from the first page [and] a believer in inevitable love by the end of this marvelous adventure." ―Jimin Han, author of The Apology
This information about The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Lynda Cohen Loigman is the author of The Matchmaker's Gift, The Wartime Sisters, and The Two-Family House. She received a B.A. in English and American Literature from Harvard College and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. She grew up in Longmeadow, MA, and now lives in New York.
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