The matchmaker's gift

In her latest historical-fiction outing, Loigman crafts dual stories across the twentieth century. In the 1910s, readers follow the exploits of Sara Glikman, a recently arrived Russian Jewish immigrant who has a special gift for matchmaking, even at age 10. Hers are love matches, and her work is admired by those she helps. Still, she must keep her matches a secret from the gatekeeping shadchanim (traditional, male Jewish matchmakers). In 1994, the reader meets Abby, Sara's granddaughter. Abby is a divorce attorney whose powerful clients rely on her to make their prenups and breakups run smoothly. After Sara's death, Abby finds herself reevaluating her life's work and her purpose in the world. Suddenly, matchmaking seems much less fantastical than it did when she was a girl. Loigman's thorough exploration of turn-of-the-century, Jewish immigrant culture and her smooth transitions into the 1990s give the reader a full and satisfying picture of Manhattan across the twentieth century. The details are painstaking but never tedious, and the relationships are exciting, sincere, and beautiful.

The charming latest from Loigman (The Wartime Sisters) adds a twinkle of magic to the twinned stories of Sara Glickman, a Jewish Moldovan immigrant, and her granddaughter. At 10 in New York City, Sara discovers she has a magical knack for matchmaking: she sees a streak of light between two people when they are destined to be together. As she begins to apply her talents, she faces a roadblock in the form of the established male matchmakers of her Jewish community, who believe an unmarried young girl has no right to take their business. In a parallel narrative following Sara's death in 1994, her granddaughter Abby, a less than happy divorce attorney, reads the journals Sara left her. Abby then realizes she might have inherited Sara's gift, though her attempts to apply it to her clients lead to conflicts with her demanding boss. The stakes increase for both Sara and Abby as they pursue fulfillment in their trade. Loigman moves smoothly between the tales of her two spunky heroines and imparts historical details with a light touch. Readers are in for a treat. (Sept.)