This is the third novel I’ve read by Lynda Cohen Loigman. ….
“The Two-Family House” and “The Wartime Sisters”….

I enjoy Lynda’s books. She writes the type of books where I want to snuggle up in my blanket…cozy-up ….and join the family cast of characters. Always with Jewish droplet themes and culture, family loyalty- history - ( historical fiction) - purpose and love.
Lynda added a little magical realism in this book …..or shall I say ‘precious’ — sweet — ‘adorable’ — heart-endearing magical-historical-realism.
And it’s told in duo timelines
Both stories are equally good with the transitions as smooth as a baby’s tush.

We are first introduced to Sara Glikman when she’s just ten years old. She had traveled for a week from Kalarash to Libava with her parents, her sister, Hindel and three unruly brothers to board the giant steam ship headed for New York.
On that ship — Sara’s matchmaking gifts was sprouting ….(maybe a coincidence- maybe not)….
Ha! NOT!

The possibility that a young, untrained girl could match two souls according to God‘s will was a severe insult to the profession of the ‘shadchanium’ (a jewish professional matchmaker).
A female matchmaker was rare enough, but an unmarried one was never tolerated by the people in their community.

I am reminded that every generation had women a little ahead of their time — all different styles (loud or even quietly)…
Sara and Abby were both organically driven feminists.

We continue to follow Sara as she grows - enjoying ‘her’ gifts, her ‘soul’.
Sara lived to be 94 years old. When she died, she was still independent-lived on her own, did her own errands, and cooked her own meals….
and she delicately and appropriately challenged traditional orthodox ways — The journey we take with her is simply marvelous….allowing us to reflect our own values, integrity, and — once again: purpose!
What matters to us most!

We’re also introduced to Abby, Sara’s granddaughter -
Loved this woman…
Ha… she reminded me a little of myself. …her mind could be her nemesis at times.

Both Sara and Abby have characteristics to admire.

Starting in 1944, we get a well-rounded background of Abby, her sister Hannah, and their parents, (divorced when the girls were not yet teenagers.
I can’t tell you the entire story!!
No spoilers!!
However, we are invited into Abby’s present life - as a lawyer - the people she works with - friendships she develops…. and that ‘inner voice kicking strong.

The minor characters are both yummy appetizers and the delicious desserts, as well
It really is a snuggle-to-enjoy-novel.

The dialogue is genuine and it feels like we are in the same room with the characters.

Abby shared a special closeness with grandmother.
The kind we all wish we had and are thankful if we ‘have’ experience this type of a relationship with a grandparent.
Abby was heartbroken when Sara died.
Old memories, stories, and her grandmother’s beliefs begin to weigh heavier in her own thinking, after Sara’s death.
The ‘only’ time when Abby and Sara had ever argued about anything was when talking about love, marriage, soulmates, matchmaking, and divorces.
Just a little amusing— that Sarah spent her life inspired by love and happy marriages…
where Abby didn’t believe in marriage and was a divorce lawyer.

It’s a beautiful book … and fact is — I love Lynda — (she can’t not write without strong feelings of love)

My little heart sings when reading books by authors whom I sincerely love as people.

Its also a treat to read about traditional meals often served in Jewish homes…..
crazy high calorie yummy meals to boot!!
I can gain weight just reading about a yummy Shabbat dinner in a ‘book’….
Kugel, babka, eggplant Parmesan, tiramisu, etc. etc.
But
what I love best is the ‘love’ feelings.
I’m a sucker for love.
I’m a sucker for families…
who have managed to treasure and shield their little ménage.

I’ll leave you with one of my excerpts in this novel:

“There is too 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. 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 for another. Fight ‘for’ something, sweetheart. Not just against. That’s the best advice I can give you. And if you can’t decide what you want to fight for, love is as good a cause as any”.

Congrats to Lynda on this 3rd novel. I’ll continue to read every book she writes.

This may be the best book I read all year! The Matchmaker's Gift is a dual timeline novel which tells the story of Sara who in 1910 at age 10 realizes she has a gift for helping others find love and makes her first of many love matches. The second timeline is that of Sara's granddaughter, Abby, who is a lawyer in 1994. The writing and the story line are just so much fun to read. Towards the end, I really didn't want this novel to end. I hope someone in the Hollywood elite decides to turn this book into a movie - or at least the author writes a sequel! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

A dual timeline novel that is a wonderfully enjoyable read- but also one which weaves threads of historical fiction, magical realism, family, loyalty, and a dash of what it means to be a feminist at the beginning and end of the 20th century. While I loved Loigman's prior novels, this one somehow felt both lighter and deeper than her prior books - as grandmother Sara and granddaughter Abby both tap into their own parallel journeys to find true purpose in their lives - and how that definition both evolves and morphs as they grow up, grow older and develop wisdom that is both passed down and yet ultimately can only be found inside oneself. I loved the sprinkling of Yiddish and and Sara's many sage observations about life, love, family and finding one's bashert (soul mate). Many little pearls of wisdom are sprinkled throughout this multigenerational story. Highly recommend! *Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my goodness! This is such a captivating , exhilarating, feelgood, heart warming and also magical historical fiction with loveliest characters: a true talented matchmaker grandma who brings love and joy to people’s lives and her rational, aspiring divorce lawyer granddaughter who suffers from loneliness, grief, having no clue what she’ll do with the journals she’s inherited.

After watching season 4 of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, I wanted to dig out more about matchmaking tradition in Jewish culture. I learned that shidduch is is a system of matchmaking in which Jewish singles are introduced to one another in Orthodox Jewish communities for the purpose of marriage. The correct term for a Jewish matchmaker is shadchanit for a woman, shadchan for a man.
I found out there are so many websites of the companies promising you to find ideal match which also picked my interest!

This book starts at the beginning of 20th century and Sara Glikman could be considered as the first woman matchmaker of the history: because only men could practice this sacred and important mission and a woman’s attempt to matchmake has been considered as sacrilegious act at those times!

We luckily move back and forth between two timelines: early 1900’s and 1994: introducing us Sara’s granddaughter Abby, a successful divorce attorney, representing the city’s wealthiest clients at young age.

I enjoyed to read both of the timelines and I truly devoured the stories belong to couples Sara has matched. Feminism, traditional, religion, family bounding blended in this marvelous historical journey.

Sara who was born on 1900, starting her practice by finding her sister a proper husband when she was only 10 years old! She sees a light that connects the soulmates. With her special talent she can bring more love and hope to her community even though that vocation is dominated by older men who may easily see a talented young woman as a threat to their traditions and livelihood.

And when we move forward to Abby’s timeline, we see Abby’s predicament after reading her grandma’s journals that include the soul mates she’s matched. Rational mind of Abby resists to believe in love after being witnessed her parents’ painful divorce. But what if her grandma’s talent is real and what if everyone has his/ her own old soul mate to meet! As many people say,” there’s a lid for every pot!”

She starts to question her own life choices and her clients’ relationships as well.

Overall: I loved both of these powerful and brave women’s journeys and magic they created by listening to their hearts and doing the right thing!

I feel so lighthearted and happier after reading this amazing book and I highly recommend to anyone who still believe in true power of love!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

“The Matchmaker’s Gift” is a dual timeline historical fiction book by Lynda Cohen Loigman. In this book we meet Sara Glikman, in 1910, and her grand-daughter, Abby, in 1994. Sara has a special gift - the gift of matchmaking. In this book, we learn that while Sara has this gift, it’s not appreciated by those who are professional matchmakers. Part of this book is reading about Sara’s matchmaking - from what she sees, to setting up meetings, to dealing with a “trial” by the matchmakers themselves. Abby is a divorce lawyer who inherits Sara’s journals noting the matches Sara made over time. Abby is bewildered by this gift, but when some strange things happen, Abby wonders if she might’ve inherited a glimmer of her grandmother’s gift.

I didn’t quite know what to expect from this book. The cover pulled me in and I think it’s a fitting cover for this book. Usually in dual timeline books, I prefer one over the other (and usually the older timeline). In this book, I was pleasantly surprised to realize that I liked both timelines - shocker! I enjoyed reading more about the professional matchmaking, Jewish culture, and Yiddish (I know some, but great to learn a few more words). I also liked learning a bit more about pre-nups, as crazy as that might seem. There is a bit of magical realism, but (for once!) I was able to accept it - as it was there but not harped upon. I greatly liked that Ms. Loigman included her sources, including both books and newspaper articles. I also liked that Ms. Loigman set Abby’s story in 1994 - right before online dating became “the thing.”

Overall, an enjoyable, informative, and quick read. I can see this being a book discussion book and there being a bit of discussion about the book. A really solid 4.25 stars and I'll look into reading Ms. Loigman's other books.

Loved the story of two related matchmakers, with scads of Yiddish woven into the text and a wonderfully written narrative. A fine tale I thoroughly enjoyed! Out September 20.

Thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the ARC; opinions are mine.

#thematchmakersgift #stmartinspress #netgalley

I was delighted to get the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book since I had read and loved Wartime Sisters. I appreciate that the author's books are each unique and not formulaic. I enjoyed learning about life during the historical part of the book, and, although I generally don't like "magic" in the books I read, I was able to suspend my disbelief and thoroughly enjoy the story. I also liked the more contemporary part of the book and the issues it raised. The book is a nice combination of history, romance, family, feminism and ethical decisions. I think it would make a great choice for book discussion groups. I highly recommend this book.

I loved this story from the opening pages on the boat I was drawn in by the characters the story.Really enjoyed the Yiddish expressions I grew up hearing Yiddish spoken.I’ve read other books by this author and really enjoyed each one.I will be recommending the author and her latest as I’ve done with her previous books.#netgalley #st.Martins

I absolutely adored this book. The Matchmaker’s Gift is a beautifully written historical fiction that tells the tales of grandmother and granddaughter coming to terms with a magical gift of being matchmakers, learning to fight for love, and perhaps even what it means to lead a meaningful life.

The novel shifts between Sara’s experience growing up as an immigrant child in New York during the early 20th century, to Abby’s life decades later in the same city. I loved how so much of their stories were interconnected and paralleled,, and how wonderfully the Lower East Side was brought to life off of the pages.

Both characters were wonderfully crafted and fleshed out, especially against the backdrop of their respective decades. For Sara, her Jewish roots informed so many aspects of her life, and eventually her life’s purpose. I loved that this story was a window into Jewish culture and traditions, with bits of Yiddish sprinkled throughout.

Beyond coming to terms with their matchmaking gifts, Sara and Abby are also united by the challenges they face of being a woman in a man’s arena. Sara’s experiences as a matchmaker as well as Abby’s experiences in her legal profession are a microcosm of the misogyny engrained in so much of our society and it’s traditions. Both of them learn to empower themselves and blend the best of the old tradition with then new.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the chance to read an advanced copy.

This novel certainly has charm, but I found the story very thin and predictable. Essentially, the question is posed, does Abby have grandma Sara’s gift as a matchmaker? Over and over, the reader gets vignettes of their matchmaking activity, in 1994 and in the early 1900’s.

When Sara dies, Abby becomes fascinated by her history and begins using her “inherited” gift for some unlikely, unbelievable matches.

I found this too “magical” for my taste. The author did a great deal of research, and I loved reading about the old Lower Eastside. Despite my excitement about a new novel by Cohen, this didn’t live up to her last book.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an honest review . This is another heartwarming story by Lynda Cohen Loigman. The story is a dual timeline following Sara, starting in 1910 as a 10 year old coming to America with her family and Abby , Sara’s granddaughter, in 1994. Throughout her life, Sara was a “shadchan “ or matchmaker with a God given talent to “see” perfect matches. Abby is a single divorce attorney working for a big , prestigious NY law firm. When Sara passes away , she leaves Abby all her journals , newspaper clippings and notes about life and career as a matchmaker. Abby has many flashbacks about her beloved grandmother and those memories help guide her throughout her life. This was a very enjoyable story with lovable characters and Yiddish words and expressions throughout that enhance the reader’s understanding and appreciation for the storyline. I’ve loved Ms Loigman’s other two books and I look forward to the next one !

I loved this book! Beautifully written, I read the whole boom in less than a day. Truly this is what storytelling should look like. I love all of the Yiddish thrown in and the connection between Sara and Abby. I kind of want to test out my matchmaking skills now.

The Matchmaker’s Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman is a magical realism tale inspired by old world Jewish matchmakers featuring a dual timeline of early twentieth century New York and the 1990s. Sara Glikman has a special gift…she can see soulmates. A flicker of light connecting one person to another reveals who they are destined to be with. Her special gift is rare but also a threat to the more established, acceptable, and male matchmakers of her community. The story recounts Sara’s adventures as a closeted matchmaker who defies conventions to connect destined souls together. In the 1990s, Sara’s granddaughter Abbey is a divorce attorney who does everything in her power to keep souls apart…until she discovers that she may have her own special gift in the making. As Abbey begins learning more about her grandmother’s matchmaking abilities, she realizes that they share more in common than she initially thought.

Love and light cast a warm glow on this enchanting and heartwarming story. The magical aspects of the story were charming and mystical with powerful messages about destiny, fate, and choice. The research and descriptiveness of the era and culture felt authentic, and the magical realism was perfectly balanced between the old world and new. The story was intricately layered, full of connections and clues that tied everything together. I would have liked to learn more about why certain couples were destined for each other…did they end up all having blissful marriages? What did they teach other? What is the purpose of a soul mate?

Overall The Matchmaker’s Gift is a spellbinding story about the power of love to illuminate who we are and who we need to become…the most important relationship of all.