🥣🥣🥣🥣🥣
The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
Lynda Cohen Loigman
St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: October 8th, 2024
320 Pages
Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
Genres: Historical Fiction | Women’s Fiction
“Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety.” – Antony and Cleopatra, by William Shakespeare
I love this author so much, her book The Two-Family House and The Matchmaker’s Gift were both winners for me and The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern was just as enjoyable, if not more so. This story has two timelines 1920s Brooklyn and 1980s Florida so both timelines are historical fiction.
There are a lot of characters in this book and many appear in both timelines. I loved reading about Augustus’ younger years, how she became who she is as a person and how she became a pharmacist which was very rare for women in the 1920s. This book has themes of feminism without it punching you in the face and without Augusta losing her wit and charm. Although I enjoyed the earlier timeline, which is normal for me, I love the style of riding in both timelines. The story captivated me and the characters charmed their way into my heart. The plot sucked me in and never let me go.
I love the way the author was able to weave both timelines as well as multiple genres seamlessly. The book has a bit of mystery and magical realism, it’s historical fiction with a touch of romance but Augusta and her charms are the star of this book. It was so refreshing to have an older woman as a lead especially one as smart as Augusta. If she were a real person I’d love to have a coffee with her and become friends. All. The. Stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
Davida Chazan
Thanks for this review but, I don’t know if I’d call 1980s strictly “historical.” I’d probably call it “modern historical,” but that’s just me. In any case, this will be my next read on my Kindle!