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Book Discussion with Lynda Cohen Loigman: The Matchmaker's Gift

Monday, March 13, 2023 20 Adar 5783

7:00 PM - 9:00 PMBeth El Temple, 2626 Albany Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06117

USA Today bestselling author Lynda Cohen Loigman will join us to discuss her latest book, The Matchmaker’s Gift, a story about two women from two different eras—a matchmaker and her divorce attorney granddaughter—who defy societal expectations and embrace their unique gift for seeing soulmates in the most unexpected of places.

Ms. Loigman discussed one of her earlier novels, The Wartime Sisters, at a Women's Network event a few years ago, and we are very excited to welcome her back as our Women's History Month guest speaker!

Most Jewish matchmakers in early 1900s New York were men, so Loigman explains that she “imagined how a group of religious men would feel about a young, unmarried woman who was blessed with a gift that allowed her to do their job better than they ever could. [...] The Matchmaker’s Gift became a story about women whose intelligence, ambition, and talents were suppressed, but who nonetheless found the strength to follow their calling.”

These chap­ters sim­mer with vibrant detail [...] recall the ear­ly twen­ti­eth cen­tu­ry Jew­ish immi­grant expe­ri­ence. [...] exudes authen­tic­i­ty, invok­ing the sights and smells of a bygone Low­er East Side. [...] any­one whose life has been touched or inspired by a grand­par­ent will be drawn to The Matchmaker’s Gift—its vision of how one gen­er­a­tion can affect anoth­er through shared sto­ries and connections.

--Ellyn Lem, Pro­fes­sor of Eng­lish at the Uni­ver­si­ty of WI-Mil­wau­kee at Wauke­sha and a cul­tur­al crit­ic. Her schol­ar­ship includes numer­ous arti­cles and books, includ­ing Gray Mat­ters: Find­ing Mean­ing in the Sto­ries of Lat­er Life (2020).


"Combining authentic historical fiction with mystery and a touch of romance, Loigman artfully reminds us that the past is never far, the present is a gift and the future is ours for the making. The Matchmaker’s Gift is timely and timeless, and readers should make time for this original and touching story about the things that matter most."

––Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Woman With The Blue Star 


Loigman grew up in Longmeadow, MA. She received a B.A. in English and American Literature from Harvard College and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. Her debut novel, Two-Family House, was a USA Today bestseller and a nominee for the Goodreads 2016 Choice Awards in Historical Fiction. Her second novel, The Wartime Sisters, was selected as a Woman’s World Book Club pick and a Best Book of 2019 by Real Simple Magazine. The Matchmaker’s Gift has been named a Best Book of Fall by Parade - BuzzFeed - New York Post - GMA.com - People.

While we encourage you to purchase and read The Matchmaker's Gift in advance, we will also have copies available for purchase at the event.

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This form closed on 2023-03-12 20:00:00.
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Fri, April 26 2024 18 Nisan 5784