The Matchmaker’s Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman – 320 pages
ARC from author, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an honest review
Book Blurb:
The Matchmaker’s Gift by Lynda Loigman Cohen: Even as a child in 1910, Sara Glikman knows her gift: she is a maker of matches and a seeker of soulmates. But among the pushcart-crowded streets of New York’s Lower East Side, Sara’s vocation is dominated by devout older men—men who see a talented female matchmaker as a dangerous threat to their traditions and livelihood. After making matches in secret for more than a decade, Sara must fight to take her rightful place among her peers, and to demand the recognition she deserves. Two generations later, Sara’s granddaughter, Abby, is a successful Manhattan divorce attorney, representing the city’s wealthiest clients. When her beloved Grandma Sara dies, Abby inherits her collection of handwritten journals recording the details of Sara’s matches. But among the faded volumes, Abby finds more questions than answers. Why did Abby’s grandmother leave this library to her and what did she hope Abby would discover within its pages? Why does the work Abby once found so compelling suddenly feel inconsequential and flawed? Is Abby willing to sacrifice the career she’s worked so hard for in order to keep her grandmother’s mysterious promise to a stranger? And is there really such a thing as love at first sight?
My Review: 4.5 stars
The Matchmaker’s Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman swept me off my feet with the perfect amount of familial love, friendship, romance, and characters that I wanted to befriend in real life. The pacing in this dual timeline narrative was spot on and I equally enjoyed both the historical and current day storylines.
Sara and Abby have a special bond as granddaughter and grandmother and it was further cemented by their mystical skills of matchmaking. Usually, I find journals or photos hidden or left behind to be a crutch to further the storyline but not in this case. Here the journals left behind just strengthened the case that Abby is better at putting people together rather than taking them apart.
Imagery of the Lower East Side during Sara’s youth was well described and the push and pull of Abby’s job as a divorce attorney was felt by the reader.
The cover of this book was not only beautiful, but it was wonderfully fresh and should appeal to readers who appreciate good cover art. Extra bonus that the story between the pages lived up to the cover!
Overall, this was a mesmerizing story about love that both the cynics and romantics will adore. Definitely the full package – heart, easy humor and good people.
Quotes I liked:
New York was a place of limitless opportunity and shocking scarcity all at once.”
“The heart is big enough to hold both grief and love.”
“And marriage is not the same as love.”
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