I will be gushing - *mushy-gushing* - over “The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern” for a long time. I loved, loved, loved it!!!
I want to put this novel in the hands of everyone….be it the readaholic or the occasional reader.
THIS BOOK INSPIRES READING …. THE PLEASURES ARE ENDLESS!

We are drawn into the story immediately— becoming compulsively engaged with all that is happening to the characters…..
be it during the 1920’s ….
…..during Augusta Stern’s maturation prime, her passionate interest in medical science and homeopathic alternatives ….
as well as her love and mysterious havoc associated with Irving Rivkin, (who loved to call her Goldie), the delivery boy who worked in Solomon Stern’s drugstore
and…
the 1980’s …. sixty years later…
…..Augusta was almost eighty-years old. After retirement, her niece Jackie orchestrated arrangements for Augusta to uproot from Brooklyn to Florida to live at Rallentando Springs - a lively senior retirement community. Lo and behold, Irving Rivkin is also a resident at Rallentando Springs. The incomplete perplexing past of haunting memories with Irving Rivkin hits Augusta like a ton of bricks.

Both timelines are equally - [honestly equally] - vibrantly imagined, endearing and deliciously intoxicating …..
…..with a terrific supporting cast of characters as well as the beloved main characters — characters who fly off the page and into our consciousness.

Lynda Cohen Loigman (an author no reader will forget after this gem with the warmth and delicacy of her prose), keeps its readers just a tad off balance until its stunning emotionally genuine satisfying finale.
This novel is packed with ingenious asides….. [with a couple of displays of meshuga humor, medical science, historical interests, herbal apothecaries of rich history folklore with a few love incantations, Jewish cultural themes, an array of deeply affecting storytelling delights, and surprising wisdom that gives this novel its ultimate chutzpah.

Augusta Stern grew up in Brooklyn during the twenties. She worked in her father’s drugstore. Her father, Solomon Stern, was a reputable, well-respected pharmacist in their neighborhood.
Augusta, her older sister Bess, Solomon, and Great Aunt Esther all lived upstairs above the drugstore. Mrs. Stern died of diabetes before insulin was discovered.
[note: in 1921, Fredrick Banting, a Canadian surgeon and Charles Best, a medical student, isolated the hormone insulin for the first time. In 1922, Leonard Thompson, a 14-year old boy dying from type 1 diabetes, became the first person to receive an injection of insulin].

Augusta had the passion, and aptitude brainpower to follow in her father’s footsteps. She also had a the heart of a healer…..(much like the unforgettable Great Aunt Esther).

There is so much more I’d love to share and ‘chat’ about with others — I’m trying to hold back —
It’s just way too much fun experiencing all the amazing scenes after scenes, stories after stories….without spoilers….(but it’s killing me not to share more)….
Ha…I’ll survive.
JUST CHOOSE THIS NOVEL. I PROMISE NOBODY WILL BE DISAPPOINTED.

“The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern” a great choice for book club discussions - a great read for seniors - for Jewish readers - those who enjoy stories about families, relationships, love, (but not sappy), for foodies- for those who believe in hope and healing …
It’s a great ‘gift’ book to give your girlfriends, your mother, your grandmother, your neighbor, etc.
It’s a book one does not want to stop talking about.

A mix of old fashion charm and contemporary aliveness!

A few tidbits (from my meshuggah brain):
…..can you imagine paying only 30 cents for a jar of homemade chicken soup?
…..ever eaten an Oh Henry! candy bar? I haven’t. (darn)….but they retired the candy bar in the United States in 2019. I understand you can still buy them in Canada. I want one.
…..Did you know that patent leather was making a comeback in 2024? Shoes, handbags, and other fashion accessories.
…..Ever hear of the word *kinehora*? It’s a Yiddish word….meaning to ward off the evil eye. Or *raskovnik*, in Slavic folklore, it’s a magical herb…..an emerald clover ….leaves that may unlock emotions— open a closed mind.
…..When is the last time you’ve thought about the power of the moon? Especially with respect to self-reflection and emotional awareness?

A few excerpts:
…..”A kind word can fix a person’s spirit. A cruel one can break a person’s heart. Wicked words have caused wars, and honest words have made peace”.

…..”That was the nice thing about spending time with a person you’d known for almost all your life—the memories you shared, grew even more vivid when you remembered them together”.

…..”Clarity can be a wonderful gift. To see something so unambiguously, to be free of doubt—who wouldn’t want that?”

…..”It was almost too much for her to take in, the way the echos of her past were increasingly finding their way into her present”.

…..”He’d been angry about that evening for so long that the rage had become a part of him. He could feel it sometimes, just below his skin, like a stinger from a bee that would not be drawn out. The poison had become a permanent reminder of the punishing twists and turns life could take”.

…..”For a moment, Augusta could remember what it felt like to believe—not in the magic of witches or fairies, but in the magic of women who knew how to heal; the magic of women in the quiet of their kitchens, who could sweeten a bitter woman’s heart or soothe a man’s temper with a cup of tea. The ones who knew how to bring down a fever, assuage a toothache, or quiet a child with nothing more than a spoonful of honey, a gentle hand, and a few whispered words”.

Soooo much to love….
I laughed….
I cried….
I’m incredibly moved.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is the latest magical realism novel from the author of The Matchmaker's Gift.

Augusta Stern is an aspiring pharmacist who works at her father's pharmacy in 1920s Brooklyn. Still grieving the death of her mother, Augusta promises herself that she will do whatever she can to help cure others of their ills. When her distant Aunt Esther comes to stay with the Stern family, she brings with her a different type of medicine, one that heals the mind, heart, and soul. With mysterious ingredients, aromatic concoctions, and the power of moonlight, Augusta's Aunt Esther begins healing the locals with miraculous results. When tragedy strikes, Augusta will be haunted by Esther's healing magic her entire life, until the past meets the present in the future.

Folk healing and modern medicine combine in magical ways in this charming story. I loved the old world healing aspects of Aunt Esther and its deep rooted connection to the Jewish and Eastern European cultures. The dual timeline, of Augusta Stern in the 1920s and as an elderly woman in the 1980s was beautiful, as the mystery of her heartbreak was finally able to be solved. The insular community of Brooklyn in the 1920s was fascinating to read about with its interesting characters and social dynamics. I enjoyed reading about the pharmaceutical aspects of the story and how it challenged and questioned the powers of folk medicine and vice a versa. Today, this complicated relationship still exists, and I appreciated that the author nor the characters were forced to choose one over the other, but instead chose to embrace both for different reasons.

Love, sacrifice, and following one's heart are the magical ingredients featured in this story, where it's never too late to fall in love, heal the past, or cure the spirit of its longings, regrets, and mistakes.

Mystical and enchanting, Linda Cohen Loigman has once again told a beautiful tale about the power of love and destiny to heal the heart.