Book Review: The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman

Pages: 320

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction

Pub. Date: October 8, 2024

Publisher: St. Martin's

Source: Publisher for review

Other Books By Author: The Matchmaker's Gift

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 

 

Goodreads says, "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 1920’s 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?"

 

 

 

It's 1987 and Augusta Stern, at the age of 80, is reluctantly retiring from her pharmacy job. She is starting another chapter of her life in Boca Raton, Florida, in a retirement community. While there, she runs into Irving Rivkin, a man she knew from her hometown of Brooklyn. Irving was her father's delivery boy at her family's well known pharmacy, which is also where Augusta worked and spent most of her time. But this isn't just any old acquaintance. Irving broke Augusta's  heart years ago, a heartbreak that was so deep, that she never really moved on from it. Now that Irving is back in her life, she remembers those years in Brooklyn at her father's pharmacy, along with her sister and her Aunt Esther. Aunt Esther, while not an actual pharmacist, fancied herself as an apothecary of sorts. She helped her neighbors with her herbal concoctions and was usually quite successful. This has always captivated Augusta and played a part in her young adult life. Readers wonder if Augusta can really give her  "new" life in Florida a try and move on from her past. Lynda Cohen Loigman's The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is a charming novel about second chances, family, and of course, love.

Augusta is a delightful character from the start of The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern. I was afraid I would not be able to relate to an 80-year-old living in a retirement community, but it was quite easy. I enjoyed her antics, her run-ins with Irving, and the other quirky neighbors. The flashbacks to her youth in Brooklyn were also well done and I liked how the story unfolded. Loigman slowly pieced together how Irving and Augusta met, their love story, and ultimately, what went wrong. Loigman also brings 1920s Brooklyn to life very well; I felt like I was there in her family's pharmacy and interacting with all the memorable neighbors.

Loigman's novels are always cozy and it was just what I needed in between stressful thrillers. The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern was like putting on a comfy sweater; I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to fans of historical fiction. It does have a touch of magic in it, so that makes it the perfect novel to snuggle up with this month. Let me know in the comments if you are a fan of Loigman and if The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is on your TBR this month. Also, it's a Book of the Month pick, so check it out if you haven't already.