The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Loigman – 320 pages
ARC from St. Martins Press and Netgalley for an honest review
Book Blurb:
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?
My Review: 5 stars
The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Loigman is comparable to a cup of hot chocolate or a bowl of chicken noodle soup in book form. It reads with heart, humor and tenderness which is welcome in my reading world.
Augusta’s story is told in two different timelines, one in the 1920s and later in the 1980s. Through this way of storytelling, we really get to know Augusta as she grows from a young girl to adult and later as an older woman. We see her gusto for science and her commitment to be a pharmacist. Her aunt Esther, who plays a pivotal role in Augusta’s life, comes with some mystical elements that Esther’s brilliant father abhors, but Esther is in awe of them. How come these old remedies with herbs and other ingredients are healing women, when real pharmaceuticals are not.
These mystical ingredients end up causing irreversible consequences that affect Augusta for the rest of her life. Her intended engagement to Irving ends, so she remains dedicated to two things: her niece and her work.
Now, just after turning eighty, her laid her off, so she moves to South Florida based on her niece’s suggestion. I love her descriptions of Rallentando Springs because they are so spot on. She got everything right. Both the author’s family and mine live in the same community so I see where many of her descriptions come from. Augusta is shocked to find that Irving, who once broke her heart, lives there too. I’ll tell you nothing more, but the magic continues to an ending that will make readers happy.
Quotes I liked:
Words can do anything. A kind word can fix a person’s spirit. A cruel one can break a person’s heart.”
“You can’t give up something that brings you joy just because it is difficult.”
“…they called him the apothecary and they called me the witch.”
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