By: Lynda Cohen Loigman
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Summary:
Augusta Stern is retiring – or more so forced to retire – at the age of eighty and other than being a pharmacist she does not really know anything else. She even thinks that that at this age trying out something new is way too late and going back to who she was is a difficult and improbable task.
However, her past comes back to her and allows her to change her future.
Review:
I do believe that the 5 stars that I gave this book is absolutely necessary and worth giving. I have absolutely no ifs and buts and qualms to give this book. Everything that needs to be written to make a very good narration was written into the book.
The characters were well written. The emotions were well described that you can feel the sadness, despair, and hope that each character goes through. All the characters felt real and not just a caricature or a stereotype of what it is trying to portray. Even the locations and settings are simple yet grounded in reality. You as the readers could get very interested in the places that they have been look up the history of the places.
Speaking of history, I really do appreciate how the vocabulary is also adjusted to reflect the time period. In fact there was very little exposition of the time period they are in. Instead, the writer reveals which time period we are in the book through the interactions of the characters with the place, the sights that they see, and the words that they use. And I do think that this is only possible with a very strong writer. She has done extensive research on her work and it greatly shows.
And lastly what makes it great is the fact that there is a simple yet poignant message in this book. There is so much hope and peace and joy – especially at a time where there is a fear of stagnation and growing old. I really truly enjoyed this book. Highly recommended!