The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern

In this poignant tale of late-in-life love, Loigman (The Matchmaker’s Gift) showcases her talent for transporting readers into recent history through lovingly researched details and a touch of magical whimsy. In 1987, pharmacist Augusta Stern, reluctantly retired at nearly 80 years old, relocates from New York City to Rallentando Springs, a retirement community in Boca Raton, Fla. When she bumps into fellow resident Irving Rivkin, her father’s delivery boy in the 1920s, it triggers painful memories of the courtship Irving abandoned unexpectedly. Loigman uses this renewed connection to flash back to Augusta’s youth in Brooklyn with her father, her older sister, and her great-aunt Esther, who joined the family after Augusta’s mother died. Her father, a respected pharmacist, looked the other way as Aunt Esther saw her own customers in their home above the pharmacy, offering chicken soup and herbal remedies, some of which magically gave users “clarity” into their desires. As the two timelines unfold, readers will hope that Augusta gains clarity herself, earning a second chance at love with the boy who got away. This is a charmer. (Oct.)