January Read: The Matchmaker's Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman

 

I bought this book when it first came out in September 2022 and off it went into my stack of TBR titles. I pulled it out a few days ago and just spent my Saturday reading it. It's a gloomy day, so it was perfect to read with a pot of coffee and a comfy blanket.  

I love the cover; it definitely grabbed my attention. I'm a sucker for a feel-good novel about a bit of magic and when it's combined with people finding love, I couldn't resist. 

This novel is told in two time periods: the early 1900's and 1994. I was thrown for a loop reading about the 1990's as if it were decades ago until it sank in that IT WAS DECADES AGO. Had a moment of feeling old!

Sara Glickman is traveling to America in 1910 with her family to start a new life in New York City. She makes a romantic match between her older sister and a man on the ship, and even at ten years old, Sara's gift is apparent. She can see true love matches/soulmates. It ruffles the feathers of the shadchanteh, the Jewish matchmakers that broker deals between families. She's young, female, and unmarried. She's also taking money away from this group of men. The difference is that Sara matches soulmates, and the matchmakers match purely on "suitability" and money. Sara has to keep her matchmaking quiet through her teen years, so her family doesn't get into trouble. One match, between the Pickle King's daughter and a dentist, changes Sara's life, as well as her family's fortunes. But it causes some trouble, too. 

Forward to 1994, and Sara has sadly just passed away peacefully at the age of 95. Her granddaughter Abby is a young divorce lawyer in New York City, and she's devastated at her beloved grandmother's passing. She inherits Sara's journals, and begins reading through them. What she finds are the notes Sara made on each of her matches over the years, and Abby begins to believe, finally, that her grandmother was telling the truth all those years about her matchmaking skills. 

Abby and Sara's stories move back and forth, with the journals the bridge between what Abby reads and the real story from Sara's perspective. Abby may have inherited her grandmother's gift, and it may be causing some problems at Abby's job...

I found this to be a quick read, and so very interesting. I had no idea the job of matchmaking was taken so seriously by the Jewish community and culture. It's fascinating. The clash of old world traditions and fitting into the new world are illustrated throughout Sara's story, and the ties between her matches in the early 20th century and Abby's 1994 world are pretty interesting and make the whole story come full circle. 

Anyone who enjoys fiction with a bit of romance (but not necessarily a romance novel), and the history of matchmaking in New York City will enjoy this novel. It was lighthearted, interesting, and full of likable characters. I especially enjoyed Sara's character--full of spunk and smart as a whip. 

Rating: 4/6 for a novel about finding your right person; knowing the path of happiness isn't always smooth, but worth all the trouble in the end. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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January Read: The Matchmaker's Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman

December Reads: Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo and The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros

I'm a bit behind on reviewing some of the books I read in November and wanted to quickly introduce two YA novels I read for the Iowa High School Battle of the Books 2023. High school kids form teams, read a book, take a quiz, and it all ends up with a "battle" in March, 2023 between teams, along with a virtual meeting with one of the authors of the 28 books chosen this year. 

My role, as a librarian, was to pick a book I want to read and after reading it, partner with another Iowa librarian to discuss the book, create questions for the students, and get those in before the deadline in mid-December. 

I, of course, decided not to pick one book, but three. That's what I do. Hey, no problem reading three, I thought. Plenty of time to do it. Sure. no problem. 

I'll just say the only thing that saved my butt on this was getting sick and being home on the couch for most of a week. When I wasn't feeling miserable, I managed to read two of the books. I'll review the third book, The Girl from Widow Hills, in another review. 

Both Last Night and The City Beautiful are YA historical fiction and wow, did the authors hit it out of the park. I love historical fiction, and I haven't found a lot of YA historical fiction that gets me excited to read it. Until I picked these two novels from the list. I'm so glad I did. 

Last Night at the Telegraph Club takes place in 1950's San Francisco, specifically Chinatown, during the Red Scare. Lily Hu is 17 and is feeling confused. She's not interested in boys, is fascinated by the idea of space, and has budding feelings about another student-Kath Miller. Lily and Kath are worlds apart, but share similar interests in science and someday working in that field-where women are not very welcome. Lily is fascinated by the Telegraph Club, a club where a women gather to drink and watch impersonators. It's known as a lesbian club, and while San Francisco has a growing gay underground, it is definitely not something the officials want and raids are pretty common. Kath invites Lily to the Telegraph Club, where Lily realizes she's not alone in her feelings and she discovers who she really is--which goes against everything her conservative Chinese family believes in. 

Does Lily stay true to herself, or bury her feelings for Kath? It's a difficult choice, since she knows admitting the truth to her parents will mean alienation from her family and a scandal in the Chinese community. This is a story about telling the truth, being true to yourself, and living your life even when it would be easier to stay quiet. Lots of historical background, Chinese culture and family ideals, as well as the excitement of a country on the verge of incredible growth post World War 2.

The City Beautiful knocked my socks off. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was drawn to it because it takes place during the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. 

Alter Rosen is a young Jewish immigrant living in the tenements of Chicago, sharing a room with four other young men and barely scraping by. He's working hard to save money to bring his mother and two sisters over from Romania. The Jewish community is large, with many immigrants from Romania, Russia, and Ukraine. 

Someone is killing young Jewish men, and the authorities could care less. When one of Alter's roommates, Yakov, is found murdered at the World's Fair, Alter is devastated. Helping the Jewish elders ritually prepare Yakov's body, Alter experiences horrifying visions that appear to come from Yakov's spirit. Alter becomes possessed by Yakov's dybbuk. Alter must find who killed Yakov, or he will slowly lose his soul and become fully possessed by the dybbuk. 

Wow, this novel was so rich in Jewish history, mythology, and ritual. There was so much going on politically in 1893 Chicago. The corruption was out of bounds! This novel, told from the perspective of a Jewish immigrant is powerful. It took me a bit to get into the novel, but wham! it grabbed me and I couldn't put it down. Alter and his companions are racing against time to uncover Yakov's murder (is he a victim of a serial killer?) before the dybbuk takes Alter over completely, but there is much, much more to the story. It unfolds and takes you to unexpected places. 

Both of these novels have LGBTQ themes and are rich in historical detail. Both are about the immigrant experience in the U.S.; sad to say they echo modern headlines. Both novels were so, so good. I am glad I stumbled upon them and have already recommended The City Beautiful to a few friends.  Last Night at the Telegraph Club has a sequel of sorts that I am eager to read ( it takes place 30+ years after). Both are available in paperback, audio, and ebook. 

Rating for The City Beautiful: 5/6

Rating for Last Night at the Telegraph Club: 5/6

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December Reads: Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo and The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros