The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern

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Description

On the cusp of turning eighty, newly retired pharmacist Augusta Stern is adrift. When she relocates to Rallentando Springsan active senior community in southern Floridashe unexpectedly crosses paths with Irving Rivkin, the delivery boy from her fathers old pharmacyand the man who broke her heart sixty years earlier.

As a teenager growing up in 1920s Brooklyn, Augustas role model was her father, Solomon Stern, the trusted owner of the local pharmacy and the neighborhood expert on every ailment. But when Augustas mother dies and Great Aunt Esther moves in, Augusta cant help but be drawn to Esthers curious methods. As a healer herself, Esther offers Solomons customers her own adviceunconventional 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 Esthers most potent elixir with disastrous consequences. Disillusioned and alone, Augusta vows to reject Esthers 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 its too late

Reviews

"Augusta and Irvings love story is charming without being saccharine, and Augustas 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

"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

Author Bio

Lynda Cohen Loigman is the author of The Matchmakers 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.