The Matchmaker's Gift

From Lynda Cohen Loigman, the bestselling author of The Two-Family House and The Wartime Sisters, comes a heartwarming story of two extraordinary women from two different eras who defy expectations to utilize their unique gift of seeing soulmates in the most unexpected places in The Matchmaker's Gift.

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?

Although I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my review (via netgalley), all opinions remain my own.

My review: Five stars out of five stars

This story is a journey of two women, Sara Gilkman in the early 1900s and her granddaughter Abby, two generations later. It is told in 

I loved every chapter of this book. I loved the small bits of magic that were woven into the story. Words can't really capture the feelings I had when reading this book. I loved reading about how Sara made her matches, about how she lived during her lifetime in the 1900s. In an alternating story you see her granddaughter Abby, learning of her beloved grandmothers death, grieving her loss, learning more about her amazing life. You see through both women's eyes, the things that happened.

Then in the end, how things come together. No spoilers, but this is simply a beautiful book.