The Matchmaker's Gift
The Matchmaker's Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman
Publisher: St. Martin's Press / Macmillan Audio
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: Kindle / Audiobook
No. of Pages / Length: 309 / 9 hrs, 25 min
Date of US Publication: 20 September, 2022
My Rating: 5 Stars
My Thoughts
I read an advance copy of this in early May (‘22) and quickly into my reading, I discovered that this one was special - it turned out to be one of my favorite reads of the year and one I hoped to listen to in the future. I was recently fortunate enough to receive an advance audiobook (early September ‘22), and I listened to it in full, because this lovely story pulled me in yet again. The narration is fantastic and reminiscent.
Sarah’s is a voice I remember well, from my own childhood. I was born in NJ in the 70’s and spent my summers with my own grandmother, who often invited her friends over. I remember these other grandmas; some with numbers tattooed on their arms, telling me stories, showing me photos of their families, and trying to teach me how to cook certain dishes that became my lifelong comfort food.
Each and every sentence of this novel was a joy to read.
I laughed, I cried, I smiled, I loved.
I lost myself to this with each gorgeous page.
This was a rare book, a true treasure of a tale, and one I’m so very thrilled to have read.The Matchmaker’s Gift is one of the best books I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of reading this year and has my strongest recommendation.
eARC kindly provided by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. Audiobook kindly provided by Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. Opinions shared are my own.
Description
"Loigman's latest is a gem. A scrappy Jewish teenager newly arrived in 1920s New York struggles to follow her calling as a matchmaker––seventy years later, her cynical divorce-attorney granddaughter realizes she has very inconveniently inherited the family gift for matching soulmates. Both funny and moving, The Matchmaker's Gift made me smile from start to finish."
––Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code
Is finding true love a calling or a curse?
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?
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