Lynda Cohen Loigman returns with a story that proves its never too late for second chances!
What a gem of a book! It is a layered and insightful story about second chances and how it's never too late to start over. This dual-timeline story combines historical fiction, romance, mystery, and magical realism in a lovely way. It's immersive from the start, but as I grew to care about these characters, I found this ever more compelling. This beautifully written, quiet story had a big emotional impact on me.
Split between 1987, when Augusta turns 80, and when she is a teenager in Brooklyn in the 1920s, we meet some remarkable women, including Augusta and her unforgettable Great Aunt Esther. The characters are all so well-developed and vibrant that they feel real. Augusta is a woman ahead of her time, pursuing a career as a pharmacist at a time when that defied societal norms. Upon her retirement, she moves to Florida and ends up in the same retirement community as her first love and the man who broke her heart, Irving. Face to face again after more than 60 years, both Augusta and Irving have things to work through. Past and present are woven with threads of memory, magic, loss, resilience, lost love, the healing arts, second chances, and forgiveness. This examines deeper themes while having qualities of whimsy and wit, and I loved it. Such an uplifting, poignant read!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the gifted review copy!
My steep was Black Lavender by Smith Teamaker a black tea blend with French lavender, rose petals, black currant, and vanilla.
PUBLISHER'S SYNOPSIS:
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?
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