BookBrowse Reviews The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman

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A charming novel of first loves and second chances.

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Lynda Cohen Loigman's delightful novel The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern opens in 1987. The titular heroine finds her life suddenly turned upside down: her current employer has "encouraged" her to retire (a prospect she's always dreaded), and her niece has arranged for her to move from her Brooklyn apartment into an upscale senior living community in Florida. To make matters worse, on her first morning at the facility she runs into Irving Rivkin, a man from her distant past — and the last person on Earth Augusta wants to see.

The narrative then shifts back to 1922; 15-year-old Augusta is working in her recently widowed father's pharmacy, intent on one day becoming a pharmacist herself. Her great-aunt Esther has moved into their small apartment to help look after Augusta and her older sister. It soon becomes apparent that Esther is a healer in her own right, offering powders and potions to those who can't be helped by modern medicine. Augusta becomes determined to learn all she can from both her father and her aunt, believing each type of treatment has its benefits. Irving is hired as her father's delivery boy, and the two teenagers develop a close friendship.

The timelines unfold in alternating chapters, as the relationship between Augusta and Irving unfolds in both the past and present. Each story has its highlight. The sections set in the 1920s are superb historical fiction, and the author constructs the era beautifully:

"Her favorite sound was the bell on the door that chimed whenever a customer entered. Not only did she take her very first steps in the aisle between the Listerine and the St. Joseph's Worm Syrup, but when…she slipped and fell headfirst into the display of McKesson & Robbins Cold and Grippe Tablets, family lore had it that the first word she spoke was not Mama, Papa or boo-boo, but aspirin."

This part also contains a bit of magical whimsy as Augusta spies on Aunt Esther, discovering that there's a little more to the latter's healing ability than simply mixing the right herbs.

Loigman displays a remarkable gift for dialogue in the book's 1987 chapters. The banter between Augusta and Irving in particular is both realistic and very funny; these scenes wouldn't be out of place in a 1980s sitcom like The Golden Girls:

"For god's sake, Irving, you scared me half to death!"
"You were worried about me," he said, obviously pleased with the idea.
"Everyone was worried," she said. "Eighty-year-old men shouldn't play tennis."
"I'm eighty-two."
"I know that, Irving. I was making a point. But I'm glad that you still remember your age. I guess you didn't have a stroke after all."

Other scenes here, beyond the dialogue, are equally hilarious (there's one in particular involving a Jello mold that had me giggling out loud).

The book does, unfortunately, have some major flaws. Loigman's three main characters are exquisitely drawn, but her skill here doesn't extend to the others and most lack depth. The plot, too, is completely predictable; the author offers so many hints about what exactly happened between Augusta and Irving that by the time we hit that point in the story the revelation has lost all impact. And finally, both storylines rely heavily on coincidence; I can generally forgive one or two chance meetings over the course of a novel — they certainly do happen from time to time — but there are so many here that it strains credulity.

If I were looking at the book's shortcomings alone I'd probably rate it three stars. When all's said and done, though, The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is a lovely little confection of a novel, which boosts it up to a four. There's not a lot to think about, no heavy themes to contemplate, but sometimes that's a good thing. It's cozy; it offers a simple, good-natured, feel-good escape, and for some it will be the perfect respite for a complicated time. I highly recommend it, especially to audiences who enjoy novels about second chances and those looking for a bit of light magic and romance.

This review first ran in the December 4, 2024 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.