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A Novel
by Lynda Cohen Loigman
Book Reviewed by: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?
ONE
JUNE 1987
Augusta Stern did not want to retire. She had no interest in learning to knit, studying a new language, or filling her plate at some overcrowded cruise ship buffet. She did not want to "slow down," take "time for herself," or surrender to any other nonsensical euphemism designed to make her feel better about being made to give up the work she'd been doing for most of her life.
The first mention of Augusta's retirement had come from the hospital administration five years ago; the second, two years after that. But this time, it was more than a mention. This time, Augusta had been summoned directly by the hospital's new director of human resources—a man far more competent and precise than his sluggish predecessor. Mr. Willard's office was small but tidy and smelled pleasantly of Lemon Pledge. After gesturing to the hulking device on his desk that Augusta recognized as a computer, he explained how he had been tasked by the head of the hospital's administration to ...
What are you reading this week? (11/14/2024)
...by Nancy Jensen for the BookBrowse book club. It's about a German family in the United States as WWII breaks out. Great historical fiction! I started The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman after that. It's also historical fiction - divided into a section that starts in the 1920s and one set in 1987. Also very good, but definitely a ligh...
-kim.kovacs
Loigman's three main characters are exquisitely drawn, but her skill here doesn't extend to the others and most lack depth. The plot, too, is completely predictable; the author offers so many hints about what exactly happened between Augusta and Irving that by the time we hit that point in the story the revelation has lost all impact. When all's said and done, though, The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is a lovely little confection of a novel. There's not a lot to think about, no heavy themes to contemplate, but sometimes that's a good thing. It's cozy; it offers a simple, good-natured, feel-good escape, and for some it will be the perfect respite for a complicated time...continued
Full Review
(676 words)
(Reviewed by Kim Kovacs).
Allison Winn Scotch, bestselling author of The Rewind
Utterly charming and delightfully heartwarming, The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern will cast a spell on you from the very first page. Amy Poeppel, author of The Sweet Spot
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. Jimin Han, author of The Apology
A luminous novel…I was mesmerized from the first page [and] a believer in inevitable love by the end of this marvelous adventure.
In Lynda Cohen Loigman's novel The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern, the title character works in her father's pharmacy and aspires to become a pharmacist herself.
Both the pharmacy and the role of the pharmacist have changed dramatically in the United States over the centuries. Pharmacies were referred to as apothecaries back in the day, while those who ran them were known as apothecaries, druggists, or chemists. There was no standard for medical care, and most remedies were based on herbs and other compounds found in nature. Chemists were responsible for creating, prescribing, and administering all sorts of liquids, powders, creams, and lotions, often with no more proof of their concoctions' efficacy than hearsay and a gut feeling...
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