THE MATCHMAKER’S GIFT by Lynda Cohen Loigman

This is a sweet book that provided a nice escape from some heavier reads I had on the go. I very much enjoyed learning more about the Jewish matchmaking tradition, as well as the experience of living as a new immigrant on NYC’s Lower East Side. The romance elements are ever so slightly far fetched, but the story manages to keep the reader engaged regardless. This is a chaste and charming quasi romance that won’t set the world on fire, but would definitely make for a fun, quick palate cleanser.

The Matchmaker's Gift
by Lynda Cohen Loigman

In 1910, when Sara Glikman was only ten years old, she realized she had the gift of matchmaking. Living in a poor family on New York’s Lower East Side, Sara had to hide her gift as much as possible because the Jewish men who did matchmaking for money, and without the natural true talent that Sara possessed, were furious that Sara would even attempt to tread on their livelihood and territory. From the time of her first match, Sara kept journals and newspaper clippings of her matchmaking and she never doubted her gift.

In 1994, Sara has just died and her granddaughter, Abby, is heartbroken. She's been left Sara's journals and as she reads them she feels even closer to the grandmother that she loved and adored. Sara had hinted that Abby had the gift of matchmaking, too, but Abby couldn't believe that she had such a gift.

The story alternates between Sara's POV, starting in 1910, and Abby's POV in 1994 and I enjoyed both POVs and timelines equally. I think it helps that Sara wasn't just someone in the far ago past, before Abby was born. Instead, Sara and Abby had rich and loving years together before Sara's death. For that reason, I never felt like I was leaving the other person behind when we went from one POV to the other.

I was distressed by the cruelty exhibited towards young Sara as the men of her own people and community came at her, railing against her, in the earlier timeline. In Abby's timeline, she has a bitter, cruel, female boss who treats her horribly. But both women are strong in their own ways and we get to watch each of them come into her own, and begin to trust her instincts and her gut feelings, to make the world a better place for others.

Even though there are stressful things happening in this story, for me, it is mostly a feel good story. There is a fairytale quality to the events and I chose to just go with the story and believe. I finished the story with a smile on my face.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When you believe in love and soulmates, you will do everything possible to help people realize their happiness. Even when things are awkward, you press on to help couples make the right marriage match. And so it goes with The Matchmakers Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman. Matchmakers go back centuries, but this story features two extraordinary women, Abby and Sara, and alternating storylines. Sarah is the grandmother, and Abby is the granddaughter. Both have the gift of seeing people’s perfect matches. It’s not always an easy process, and prejudices are held against women matchmakers, but we see that when you believe in yourself and your skills, nothing will stop you. A sweet story, and I especially enjoyed the relationship between grandmother and granddaughter. “Love is a light in the dark.” This is probably one of the prettiest covers I’ve seen this year. #love #matchmakers #yentas #arrangedmarriages #jewishmarriages @netgalley @stmartinspress @lloigman
❤️
I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for the opportunity to read this book. Pub Date: September 30, 2022.

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First of all, what an absolutely gorgeous cover this book has!

This dual-timeline novels tells two beautiful stories, both filled with wisdom and hope. I learned so much about the tradition of matchmaking (be sure to read the Author's Note for even more history) and the impact it had for generations. Over the course of the book, both heroines discovered their strengths and how to best use them, and the author intertwines these two stories almost flawlessly and with perfect balance. A really wonderful book about the power of love in all its forms.

“The heat is big enough to hold both grief and love”

‘“There is so much cruelty in this world. I’ve seen it and I know you’ve seen some, too. It isn’t enough to fight against cruelty. For my whole life I fought for love. Not just romantic love, you understand. The love of a parent for a child. The love of one friend from another. Fight for something, sweetheart. Not just against. That’s the best advice

This was such a thought, emotional, and captivating story! I devoured it and loved it so much. The Matchmaker’s Gift by @lloigman is told in dual timelines following Abby in modern day and her grandmother Sara from the early 1900s to modern day. Sara makes her first match at 10 years old and you get to follow along as Abby realizes she has the gift too. I fell in love with Abby and her grandmother. They are both loveable nudges you want in your corner, and Sara reminded me so much of my own grandmother. I truly did not want the story to end! There is matchmaking, love, family, and a fun lower east side New York setting. I would also recommend you read the Author’s Note as it gives the history of matchmaking and was so interesting! This is my first read by Lynda Cohen Loigman and it certainly won’t be my last!

With THE MATCHMAKER'S GIFT, Lynda Cohen Loigman has written an ultimate story twining the experiences of Sara, an intrepid and wise woman who immigrated to the United States from Russia and her granddaughter Abby in 1990s New York City. While Sara dared to defy conventions of the Old World to become her fullest, most gifted self as matchmaker, divorce attorney Abby follows a similar heart journey in claiming her legacy and in acting on what she sees and knows to be true. While reading this story, I missed my own forbears while enjoying a deep and satisfying plunge into a time and culture I never knew, both inspiring and deeply nourishing. As Sara declares: I see what I see. I know what I know." -- and I know I am a better person for having read their story. I received a copy of this novel and these opinions are my own unbiased thoughts.

I found The Matchmaker's Gift to be a delightful story and enjoyed it from beginning to end.
In the book, Lynda Cohen Loigman tells the story of two women - Sara and her granddaughter Abby. Sara was a matchmaker, an unheard-of profession for a Jewish woman in the lower East side of New York in the 1910s. From a young age, Sara had a unique talent for pairing couples who would end up genuinely in love. The stories about the couples she matched were fun to read.
The chapters about Abby are interwoven with Sara's and take place years later, just after her grandmother has died. Abby works as a divorce lawyer, but as she deals with the grief of losing her grandmother, she notices connections between the people around her. She starts to wonder about the matchmaking stories she grew up hearing from her grandmother, stories that, until now, had never gotten her full attention. I enjoyed how Loigman portrayed Sara and Abby as strong women using their professions to help other women. The story was full of hope, and I liked reading not just about Sara's joy in matchmaking but also about her love for Abby and the rest of her family.
The Matchmaker's Gift is the second book I've read by Lynda Cohen Loigman, and I look forward to reading her next one! I especially loved the cover of this one!
Thanks to Netgalley and Thoughts From a Page Podcast for the advanced copy.

Everything by Cohen Loigman is top notch. Another winner. I loved this story so much. Dual timeline. Just fabulous!!

An uplifting and delightful read that won my heart over!! Seriously this was so much better than I would have ever thought and the audiobook was narrated perfectly!

Told in a dual narrative/ timeline format this story alternates between Sara’s perspective in 1910 and her grandaughter Abby’s POV in 1994 and explores the world of Jewish matchmaking. I equally loved both female protagonists and their individual journeys, which is rare as I typically favor one storyline over another. If historical fickfon is not for you, I’d still give this a try as it’s way more a story about love, familial bonds and finding connections than anything history.

Read if you like:
-Matchmaking stories
-Jewish representation and history
-Female figures who pave their own path
-NYC setting
-Grandmother/ granddaughter bonds

This one comes out 9/20!!!

I devoured this book! I've unintentionally gravitated to dual timeline books focusing on a granddaughter discovering a grandmother's story, and I don't know if it's because I always loved hearing about my own grandma's life, but books like this one have really been touching my heart over the last year. Although this plot set-up has been one that I've been experiencing frequently lately, this take on it still felt fresh and I couldn't put it down!

Contrasting the life of matchmaker Sara with that of her divorce lawyer granddaughter Abby was so clever. Although Abby was skeptical of her grandmother's outlook on love at first, learning from Sara's stories both allows Abby to be a better lawyer to her clients and heal in her own life. I loved this aspect of the book. I have learned so much from my grandma and I thought that Loigman captured the beauty and value of relationships with grandparents so well.

I also liked the unique approach to romance that this book takes. This isn't a romance in the traditional sense - there isn't a main love story; even when we see glimpses of the main characters' love lives, that isn't the focus of the book as a whole. Rather, there are several little romantic vignettes as matches are made and so we get to see many couples come together. While the various couples face many complications, they neither seem so trivial that they appear to be added just for the sake of drama, nor so frequent or cumbersome as to feel insurmountable. The effect is a novel comprised of many brief love stories that work together to tell a more complete tale.

If you like heartwarming, wholesome romances with a bit of history mixed in, this book is for you!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance reader copy to review.
This book was such a captivating and magical read!! The Matchmaker's Gift follows the dual narratives of Sara and Abby.

We are introduced to Sara in 1910 as a 10-year-old with her family on a ship heading to New York City. Sara makes her first match on that ship. The match is between her sister and a young man also on board heading to America.

We meet Abby, Sara's granddaughter in 1994. Abby is an overworked divorce attorney. Both women have a special gift for matchmaking. Although Abby is just realizing her talents, helped in part by the journals that Sara has left behind.

I absolutely loved this book. Sara and Abby's characters were interesting and kept your attention. I loved the stories of all of the different people's matches. I found myself rooting for each and every one of them. There was just enough of a hint of realistic magic.

Be sure to read the author's notes at the end of the story. I was amazed at the amount of research that the author put into this book. It made it a realistic story based on the time and events of each timeline.

Thank you again to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this heartwarming and uplifting book.

In this dual-timeline book, Sara Glikman makes her first love match in 1910, for her sister, and from then on she knows that matchmaking is her destiny. Two generations later, Sara’s granddaughter, Abby, is a successful Manhattan divorce attorney, the exact opposite of her grandmother, but Sara believes that Abby also has the gift. When Sara dies, Abby inherits her collection of handwritten journals recording the details of Sara’s matches. As she begins to read through them, and sees the newspaper clippings that are attached to some of the pages, Abby realizes the stories that Sara always told were actually true events from her past. When she sees the light that Sara had always seen between matches, Abby begins to do a little matchmaking of her own....even at the detriment of her career.
This book was magical. I could not put it down. I was completely unaware of the history behind the matchmaking tradition in Jewish culture, so this was utterly fascinating. Some of the characters & situations in the book were loosely based on real events. The author provided a wealth of information at the end of the book for anyone who wanted to do more digging into this subject matter. I loved that there were not one, but two strong female protaganists. How often do we get that? I am not normally a fan of love stories, but this wasn't your average love story. This was a story rich with Jewish heritage, and showcased what love looks like at all ages and in all forms. This is a heartwarming book that will stay with you long after you finish the very last page. Well done, Lynda Cohen Loigman!

Sara Glikman was a young Jewish girl growing up on the Lower East Side of New York with a special gift - the ability to see when two people were meant to be together. Over the term of her life, Sara made hundreds of matches which ended in many happy marriages. Two generations alter, Sara's granddaughter, Abby is a successful divorce attorney after watching her mother be treated terrible during her parent's divorce. After Sara's sudden death, Abby begins to notice little things about those around her but what stands out most are the small sparks of light that emit when they first meet.

I loved this sweet story. This was a very different form of historical fiction. While WWII and the Holocaust is mentioned, it is not the focal point of this story. Reading about what it was like growing up on the LES of Manhattan which had a large Jewish population that relied on the old ways in order to maintain their community. If you are looking for a heartfelt enjoyable historical fiction that will make you smile, this is the one for you.

Historical fiction is a one of my least read genres, but if Lynda Cohen Loigman writes it, I will read it! I loved the split timelines in The Matchmaker's Gift and following both of Sara and Abby's journeys. I absolutely adored Sara, she was feisty and wouldn't back down from making matches even when everyone was trying to stop her. I liked watching Abby grow throughout her chapters from the woman who was so set at the age of 12 in what she wanted her career to be, to accepting that she may have a similar gift to her grandmother, and then letting her own happiness guide her as things in her career hit a snag.

I loved all of the Jewish representation throughout the whole book. From holidays to traditions and Yiddish words, it is always nice to read a book where you feel seen and can relate to the things the characters are experiencing. The Matchmaker's Gift has so much heart to it and has one of the most beautiful covers!

The Matchmaker’s Gift is a fascinating and beautifully told story. Told in dual timelines, it is the story of Sara Glikman, a Jewish Shadchan, or matchmaker, in the early 1900’s through 1950’s, and her divorce attorney grand-daughter, Abby, whose story is set in 1994 and told shortly after Sara’s death.
When Sara dies, Abby finds her old journals and realizes as she’s reading how Sara is able to make marriage matches, that Abby may have the same gift. But for Abby, keeping people together will put her job in jeopardy.
I really enjoyed Sara’s story. I loved learning of the matchmaker’s of New York in the early 1900’s. I enjoyed learning of the Jewish tradition of matchmaking, and the qualifications to be a matchmaker at that time. I especially loved the scenes of Sara standing her ground with the men in the synagogue, and the women at that time standing united with her.
Abby’s story was enjoyable as well, but I felt like the stories involving Abby were a little contrived. Something about everyone in her cases either partner swapping, or Abby meddling in their lives to assist them with staying together just didn’t sit well with me. I also thought that Abby should have been stronger with her boss, Diane, to truly parallel the storyline with Sara and her strength of character.

Overall, though, I did really like this book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, Jewish fiction, dual timelines. Ms. Loigman’s story reminded me of another favorite author, Phaedra Patrick, whose stories I have read and loved and recommend frequently.
Thank you to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the advanced e-copy of #thematchmakersgift

This is truly a beautiful story, it is the perfect mesh of historical fiction with a little magical realism and a lovely romance. The author has given us such a descriptive atmosphere from the characters to the setting. This multigenerational story will take you on a wonderful heartwarming journey.

The story of Abby, a divorce attorney, and her grandmother Sara, a traditional Jewish matchmaker, is told in dual timelines. In the early 1900s we learn about Sara and her family in a poor, predominantly Jewish, neighborhood in New York. Sara has a special gift of matchmaking for couples at a time when not only her age but her gender would not be taken seriously. In the present Abby is struggling with the loss of her grandmother when she is given her journals that tell the stories of matches made long ago.

Lynda Cohen Loigman earned my admiration and appreciation with her book The Two-Family House. I also enjoyed The Wartime Sisters. I was so excited when I received an advance reader's copy of The Matchmaker's Gift.

This is a dual point of view story told from two different time lines. The early 1900's is Sara Glickman's story. She is a young Jewish girl who arrives in American with her family. She is only ten years old when she finds a romantic match for her older sister. Not long after the two wed and start a family. Is this special talent a gift or a curse? Sara continues to quietly make matches despite the anger from the devout, tradition-following older men who felt their livelihoods were in jeopardy. She is careful not to publicly make these matches but has the paths cross of the individuals and they have no idea that Sara had any hand in it.

1994, New York City, Sara's granddaughter, Abby, is a divorce attorney who was scarred by her parent's divorce and how her mother was treated in the divorce. Sara passes away and Abby of course is devastated with the loss of her beloved grandmother. Abby receives a box that Sara left with her with notebooks. After further investigation, Abby discovers that the notebooks contain the details of Sara's matchmaking through the past decades.

Abby, suddenly starts to realize that several of her clients from her law firm, should not either be getting married or getting divorced. And I will leave the reader to find out what happens.

Loigman has written a lovely heartwarming book that is woven with magical realism. It was great to see Jewish representation in the main characters and many of the supporting characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the advance copies in exchange for my honest thoughts. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

All I can say is AMAZING! Wow I was completely not expecting this but I absolutely loved every single word. I highly recommend going into this blindly and trust me you won’t be able to put it down.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

I was initially recommended Lynda Cohen Loigman’s work when she was the guest host one month for the Pink Carnation Readalong, so I jumped at the chance to review an early copy of her next book, The Matchmaker’s Gift. And given how one-note the portrayals of Jewish people within historical fiction (and in fiction in general) are, either being reduced to antisemitic caricatures or to victims being saved within largely gentile-centered World War II narratives, it’s refreshing to have one where Jewish culture and identity are centered in a more nuanced way.

This is a multigenerational narrative, and I like how the two complement each other. One follows Sara’s maturation, growing up in the first half of the 20th century, with a gift for matchmaking. She contradicts common and expected images of a matchmaker, as many at the time were older men, and there’s also the common image of the older, married woman matchmaker; Sara defies both stereotypes by being young and unmarried.

The second storyline follows Abby, Sara’s granddaughter. I immediately loved the irony that Abby was kind of jaded about love and had become a divorce attorney, seemingly bucking family tradition. However, through guidance from her now-elderly grandmother, through journals left to Abby when Sara passes on, Abby becomes aware of the truth of both her grandmother’s gift and the fact that she has also inherited it.

I really loved diving into the different instances of love, both from Sara’s perspective directly and through Abby’s as she explores the journals, and even meets descendants of people who were products of Sara’s matchmaking. And I love the way Sara’s matches provided hope even in the midst of hardship, such as among Holocaust survivors.

This is such a sweet, heartwarming read, and that’s not something you can say about a lot of historical fiction. However, with messages of love, hope, and faith, it’s a standout within the genre, and perfect for the historical fiction reader looking for something different.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

I was thrilled when Cindy from the Thoughts of a Page Podcast selected this book for her Patreon group to read early as I had already had my eye on it. I’ve read both of Lynda Cohen Loigman’s previous books and really enjoyed them, but I have to say, this might be her best yet, and definitely her most delightful one – and once you read it, you will definitely understand.

This book grabbed me from the get-go and never once let up. It’s told using a dual-narrative and I was equally invested in both timelines, loving both main characters and their individual journeys. The modern-day timeline is Abby’s story, a young divorce attorney who finds herself reevaluating her life choices after the death of her grandmother. The historical timeline is Sara’s story, starting with her and her family emigrating to New York in 1910 where she first discovers her gift for matchmaking.

I loved how both stories unfold, with each woman coming into their own. We see them face issues in all areas of their lives – with their families, in their workplace, in their love life – and yet they find ways to navigate through. Along the way, we get insight into the Jewish culture and see a side of NYC that I have never seen, which I absolutely loved. I definitely want to visit some of the places mentioned in this book!

And of course, the highlight of the story was the matchmaking and how that was woven into the story. Sara’s gift and her ability to use it was fascinating. It definitely contrasts well with the traditional Jewish matchmaking customs of the time.

I loved every minute of this book. This is historical fiction that will make you smile, and it’s not too often that you can say that! It’s a feel-good, delightful read that I highly recommend!