Lynda Cohen Loigman (she/her/hers)
Randi ChildsLynda Cohen Loigman is the bestselling author of "The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern," "The Matchmaker’s Gift," "The Wartime Sisters" and "The Two-Family House." She received a B.A. in English and American Literature from Harvard and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. She grew up in Longmeadow, MA, and now lives in New York.
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Awards: The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern was a nominee for the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards for Historical Fiction. The Two-Family House was a nominee for the 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards for Historical Fiction
Books:
The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
A Novel
Fiction / Literature
St. Martin's Publishing Group
October 2024
ISBN 9781250278104
Hardcover, 320 pages
This heartwarming story explores how love and healing can be found in unexpected places—and how a bit of magic in each can go a long way.
When it comes to heartbreak, is time the best cure?
On the cusp of turning eighty, newly retired pharmacist Augusta Stern is adrift. When she relocates to Rallentando Springs—an active senior community in 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 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, Great Aunt Esther moves in, and Augusta is 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 an array of 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 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, Augusta is still haunted by her past mistakes. 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? More/less
The Matchmaker's Gift
A Novel
Fiction / Literature
St. Martin's Publishing Group
September 2023
ISBN 9781250819499
Trade Paperback, 320 pages
A heartwarming story of two extraordinary women from two different eras who defy expectations to realize their unique gift of seeing soulmates in the most unexpected places.
How much of our lives is fate, and how much is choice?
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? More/less
