11/18/2024
6:00 PM
Exeter Community Library
Lynda Cohen Loigman
“The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern”
On the cusp of turning eighty, newly retired pharmacist Augusta Stern is adrift. When she relocates to 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 a lifetime ago.
Back in 1920s Brooklyn, a teenage Augusta finds herself caught between her father’s trusted scientific formulas and the curious, unconventional remedies prepared by her great aunt Esther. In a desperate bid for clarity about her romance with Irving, Augusta impulsively uses Esther’s most potent elixir with disastrous consequences.
Sixty years later, confronted with Irving, Augusta is still haunted by the mistakes of her past. How did her plan go so spectacularly wrong? Did Irving ever truly love her or was he simply playing a part?